Development of New Methods and Means of Assessing of Consequences of Radionuclide and Heavy Metal Salt Effect, Criteria of Forecasting Physiological State and Productivity of the Farm Animals under Conditions of Ecological Pollution of Environment
Sep 2, 2008 ... Abstract: This tutorial is intended to serve as a guide towards proper hazardous waste management. Knowing the regulations, different ...
Climate change is one of the main global issues of modern time. Ever increasing demand for food/feed and the need for higher environmental standards require shaping of the agricultural activities toward ecological and more sustainable efficient systems. One of the principal ways of attaining higher productivity and environmental standards is identification and adoption of beneficial management practices (BMP) by reviewing the conventional agricultural activities. The BMP are agricultural practices that promote sustainable land stewardship and maintain/increase profitability of farms. The BMP are from both crop and animal production systems and tradeoffs between the two systems could provide several opportunities in reducing, removing and/or avoiding of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. Des...
Development in organic farming has been stimulated by farmers and consumers becoming interested in healthy food products and sustainable environment. Organic agriculture is a holistic production management system which is based on the principles of health, ecology, care, and fairness. Organic development in Uganda has focused more on the crop sector than livestock sector and has primarily involved the private sector, like organic products export companies and non-governmental organizations. Agriculture in Uganda and many African countries is predominantly traditional, less mechanized, and is usually associated with minimum use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and drugs. This low external input agriculture also referred to as "organic by default" can create basis for organic farming where agroecological methods are introduced and present an alternative in terms of intensification to the current ...
The model of `ecological forestry' has evolved as a part of the development of the concept of ecosystem management. `Ecological forestry' emphasises that manipulation of a forest ecosystem should consider, and as far as practicable work within the limits of, natural disturbance patterns prior to extensive human alteration of the landscape. This paper evaluates the extent to which forest management practices in jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) and karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) forests of south-western Australia align with this view of the characteristics and appropriate silviculture of `ecological forestry'. Characteristics and appropriate silviculture of `ecological forestry' are evaluated in relation to (i) the stand level decisions of stand structure and harvest timing and (ii) the landsc...
The study involved 110 randomly selected dairy farms located in the Ontario, Canada counties of Bruce, Grey, Huron, Oxford, Perth, Waterloo and Wellington. Herds were classified as "intensive" and "extensive"....Full Text Available
A study described part-time and small farmers (PT/SF) on the basis of their demographic characteristics and determined their farmmanagement educational needs. Findings revealed that the majority of the PT/SF were males who operated farms of 50-150 acres for 11 or more years, were 35-44 years of age, and were high school graduates who principally produced crops. The four areas of farmmanagement education needed by PT/SF were farm tax management, marketing farm products, determining farm insurance needs, and farm recordkeeping. Findings regarding a third objective--to determine the relationship between the selected demographic charcteristics and the computed farmmanagement educational needs of PT/SF--revealed a range of negligible to ...
Agricultural sustainability is a vital parameter to be ascertained locally and globally if food security is to be achieved and maintained. Agricultural sustainability is the combined product of social, economic and ecological sustainability. It is also a function of temporal and spatial variations, a fact which indicates that area-specific sustainability indices need to be designed. We present here an Agricultural Sustainability Index (ASI) for rural eastern India and use it to calculate the ASI for 150 farms for three decades over a 60-year period, viz., 1950?1960, 1980?1990 and 2000?2010 for a representative Indian village of Gangapur (25?83?N, 85?65?E). The ASI was calculated using 30 variables, 10 each of social, economic and ecological sustainability. An extensive questionnaire-based ...
Designed primarily for Missouri vocational agricultural instructors participating in the Farm Business Management Analysis Program, this instructor's guide, consisting of 10 lessons, deals with adjusting a farm business to increase profits. The following topics are covered in the individual lessons: law and the farm family, planning income tax management, closing the record book and planning cash flow, evaluating family living expenses, determining the most profitable livestock enterprise, determining the most profitable cropping system, planning the farm marketing program, adjusting capital investments to increase net profit, planning for efficient labor use, and controlling costs. Included in each section are suggestions for a review of previous materials covered, an objective, motivational techniques, key points to be addressed in the lesson, information to ...
A study of two villages identified 55 woody perennial species that are maintained in contour strips across slopes and around fields in a subsistence farming system. These trees and shrubs produced fodder and firewood and reduced erosion hazards, allowing crop production on very steep slopes where it would otherwise be very difficult. Data on basic farmmanagement, production of crops, etc. are discussed. The performance of the system is assessed and its strengths and weaknesses highlighted. It is suggested that several locally available medicinal plants could be incorporated into the system.
A complete analysis is performed to simulate biomass production incorporated into a realistic whole farm situation, including or replacing a typical crop mix. Representative farms are constructed to accommodate such simulation. Four management systems are simulated for each firm, with each simulation depicting a different crop mix and/or use of different farming technologies and production methods. The first simulation was a base farm plan in which the operator would maintain the historical crop mix for the area, participate in all price support programs, and not participate in either a conservative reserve or a biomass production program. In the second simulation, the operator would again maintain the historical crop mix, would not participate in a conservation reserve or biomass production program, and would be ineligible to participate in any price support system. The third ...
A complete analysis is performed to simulate biomass production incorporated into a realistic whole farm situation, including or replacing a typical crop mix. Representative farms are constructed to accommodate such simulation. Four management systems are simulated for each firm, with each simulation depicting a different crop mix and/or use of different farming technologies and production methods. The first simulation was a base farm plan in which the operator would maintain the historical crop mix for the area, participate in all price support programs, and not participate in either a conservative reserve or a biomass production program. In the second simulation, the operator would again maintain the historical crop mix, would not participate in a conservation reserve or biomass production program, and would be ineligible to participate in any price support system. The third ...
This curriculum guide provides a basic core of instruction for the first year of a three-year adult program in farm business management. It contains 12 units of instruction. Each unit consists of seven basic components: performance objectives, teacher activities, information sheets (content essential for meeting the cognitive objectives), assignment sheets (application of knowledges that are prerequisites to skill development), supplements and transparency masters, tests, and test and assignment sheet answers. Depending on the specific objectives, supplements, transparency masters, assignment sheets, and job sheets may or may not be included. The 12 units cover orientation, recordkeeping, inventory and net worth statement, depreciation, enterprise accounting and supplemental records, enterprise budgets, cash-flow planning, farm credit, partial budgeting, marketing, income tax management, and year-end ...
This practical guide for the agribusiness manager (the farmer, rancher, and other agribusiness people who work with agricultural commodities, supplies, and services) gives a basic understanding of modern management practices. It provides guidelines that can help them make practical business decisions. Chapter 1 is an introduction that highlights farmmanagement efficiency, decision making, and goals and objectives. The following 11 chapters discuss recordkeeping (importance and purposes of keeping records, types of systems, record book components), financial analysis (cash flow, net worth, income statements and their ratios; whole farm and enterprise analysis; relationships of various analyses), budget analysis (introduction to types and uses of budgets, how to use and analyze a partial budget, enterprise budget and whole farm budget, production principles, ...
Organic farming (or ecological agriculture) is of growing importance in the agricultural sector worldwide. In the Nordic countries, 1-10% of the arable land was in organic production in 1999. Organic farming can be seen as an approach to agriculture where the aim is to create integrated, humane, environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural production systems. Principles like nutrient recycling, prevention rather than treatment and the precautionary principle are included in aims and standards. Animal welfare is another hallmark of organic livestock production but despite this, several studies have indicated severe health problems e.g. in organic poultry production in Denmark. Also the quality of animal food products in relation to human health, particularly the risk of zoonotic infections, has been debated. For these reasons there is a need for improvement of production methods and animal health status. Vets ...
Detecting plant health conditions plays a key role in farm pest management and crop protection. In this study, measurement of hyperspectral leaf reflectance in rice crop (Oryzasativa...Full Text Available
A web-based decision support tool, zone mapping application for precision farming (ZoneMAP, External Reference Not Shown ), has been developed to automatically determine the optimal number of management zones and delineate them using satellite imagery and field data provided by users. Application rates, such as of fertilizer, can be prescribed for each zone and downloaded in a variety of formats to ensure compatibility with GPS-enabled farming equipment. ZoneMAP is linked to Digital Northern Great Plains, a web-based application which hosts an archive of satellite imagery, as well as high resolution imagery from airborne sensors. Management zones created by ZoneMAP mapped natural variation of the soil organic matter and other nutrients relatively well and were consistent with zone maps cre...
From out of the numerous technical alternatives the manual develops a waste management concept with emphasis on methods which can be coordinated for maximum ecological use and minimum economic costs. A clear-cut analysis of the present state of waste utilization and waste disposal in the Federal Republic of Germany (chapter 1) is followed by a detailed description of conventional and modern state-of-the-art waste utilization methods based on ecological evaluation criteria (chapter 3). An optimum waste utilization concept for defined quantities of wastes is derived from the ecological and economic comparison of waste utilization techniques given in chapter 3. Chapter 4 points out different variants of waste utilization and waste disposal methods and shows how to determine the optimum variant of the optimum concept for a particular area or community. (orig.).
Little recent research is available about where specific types of farmmanagers search for information about better production practices. The objective of this study was to investigate what information sources managers used and how they rated the usefulness of each source. The authors administered mail questionnaires to probability samples from sampling frames they developed for four groups: dairy and fresh market vegetable producers from Wisconsin and berry and nursery producers from a multistate region. Questionnaire items asked operation managers to check off, from a list of information sources, those that they used in the last year to learn about new equipment or procedures to improve their operations and then to rate the usefulness of each source. In the last year, nursery, dairy, and berry managers most often used information from print media (63% to 84%), followed by other ...
The importance of ecosystem restoration to land reclamation is discussed. If a plant community is to be self sustaining, natural diversity processes provide a useful model for restoration. Biodiversity is important for utilitarian, ecological, and ethical/aesthetic reasons. Issues that must be considered include sampling and management scales, the separate richness of the diverse array of species playing a role in ecosystem productivity and stability, and natural trends in diversity. Ecological restoration comprises two fundamental activities: management for some pre-disturbance level of biodiversity and the combination of species in a manner that is essentially experimental. Endeavours to restore biological diversity are a useful method of experimenting with the factors that control ecosystem structure and function. 21 refs.
Research programs from the following sections and programs are summarized: aquatic ecology, environmental resources, earth sciences, terrestrial ecology, advanced fossil energy program, toxic substances program, environmental impacts program, biomass, low-level waste research and development program, US DOE low-level waste management program, and waste isolation program.
In organic livestock production systems, farm-management factors are thought to play an important role in the on-farm prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii. Serological results and the results of an HACCP analysis were combined to determine important risk factors for the prevalence of this protozoan parasite. Mathematical analysis demonstrated that feeding goat whey to pigs and the presence of a high number of cats were positively correlated to T. gondii seroprevalence in pigs. Not covering roughage and the farmers' assumption that pigs can come into contact with cat feces also showed a positive relationship. In order to decrease the risk of T. gondii infecting their pigs, farmers should limit the access and number of cats on their farms and refrain from feeding goat whey to their pigs. PMID:16989566
Recent research developments in common-pool resource models emphasize the importance of links with ecological systems and the presence of non-linearities, thresholds and multiple steady states. In a recent paper Kossioris et al. (2008) develop a methodology for deriving feedback Nash equilibria for non-linear differential games and apply this methodology to a common-pool resource model of a lake where pollution corresponds to benefits and at the same time affects the ecosystem services. This paper studies the structure of optimal state-dependent taxes that steer the combined economic-ecological system towards the trajectory of optimal management, and provides an algorithm for calculating such taxes.
Recent rapid growth in mobile computing technologies enables telemedicine applications to operate on mobile devices. Our focus is on the design of an integrated electrocardiogram (ECG) beat detector on a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) platform for the health screening process. The ECG beat detector module will be supported by the PDA version of Personal Health Information Management System (PHIMS) and Facilitated Accurate Referral Management System (FARMS) through wireless network infrastructure as a home-based mobile cardiac monitoring solution. PMID:17282192
Concerns about groundwater contamination as well as pesticide residues in food and soil have fuelled vigorous debates about the sustainability of chemical-intensive agriculture. Search has been prompted for agronomic strategies with lower environmental hazards. In this multidisciplinary study we compared the characteristics of soils from 20 agricultural farms selected in five geographical areas of Southern Italy with different soil types. In each farm, fields with management regime classified as high-input (HIMR, intensive cultivation under plastic tunnels) or low-input (LIMR, tree orchards) were selected. Soil samples were analyzed for 31 parameters including physical and chemical properties (bulk density, water holding capacity, texture, pH, limestone, electrical conductivity, organic C ...
It has been acknowledged that river morphology and hydrology have been intensively altered due to the anthropic demands in floodplain land use and management, flood protection, promotion of navigability or energy production. Rivers were transformed in water highways, having lost contact with their surrounding floodplain as well as the plethora of ecological processes and occupants once thriving in these ecotonal zones. The identification of this emerging threat of morphological and hydrological alteration on ecological integrity adds further complexity in the exploitation of hydrosystem resources. These resources are heavily coveted and guarded by different lobbies each having strategic views on future project development. Stakeholders may want to promote hydro-electricity, ecologists a natural reserve, communes may wish to have an increased flood protection and leisure promoters a nautical center. As a result, the ...
The overarching goals of the 'Kootenai River Floodplain Ecosystem Operational Loss Assessment, Protection, Mitigation and Rehabilitation' Project (BPA Project No.2002-011-00) are to: (1) assess abiotic and biotic factors (i.e., geomorphologic, hydrological, aquatic and riparian/floodplain communities) in determining a definitive composition of ecological integrity, (2) develop strategies to assess and mitigate losses of ecosystem functions, and (3) produce a regional operational loss assessment framework. To produce a scientifically defensible, repeatable, and complete assessment tool, KTOI assembled a team of top scientists in the fields of hydrology, hydraulics, ornithology, entomology, statistics, and river ecology, among other expertise. This advisory team is known as the Research Design and Review Team (RDRT). The RDRT scientists drive the review, selection, and adaptive management of the research ...
The foundation conducts an environmental monitoring and surveillance program over an area covering much of the upper Snake River Plain and provide environmental education and support services related to INEL natural resource issues. Also, the foundation, with its university affiliates, conducts ecological and radioecological research on the Idaho National Environmental Research Park. This research benefits major DOE-ID programs including waste management, environmental restoration, spent nuclear fuels, and land management issues. Major accomplishments during CY1995 can be divided into five categories: environmental surveillance program, environmental education, environmental services and support, ecological risk assessment, and research benefitting the DOE-ID mission.
Lake Erie, the southernmost of the Laurentian Great Lakes, is narrow and relatively shallow in comparison to other Great Lakes. The lake experiences extreme water level fluctuations and storm energy restricts the development of wetlands to protected areas within embayments, lagoons, or behind barriers. However, coastal marshes of western Lake Erie fringe the shorelines of Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario and encompass an area of 268 km/sup 2/. This publication reviews the ecological data and information on the wetlands of Lake Erie, which are some of the more productive areas in the Great Lakes ecosystem. The geologic history of the Lake Erie leading to the development of wetlands, the present environment, and present wetland distribution are presented as background in the opening chapters. Biological information available for the Lake Erie wetlands is discussed in detail, and ecological processes contributing to the evolution of wetlands, ...
... Cameron; Lowell A. Miller; Miller, Lowell A. CSIRO PUBLISHING - Wildlife Research Books Journals Multimedia About Us Shopping Cart You are here: Journals Wildlife Research Ecology, Management and Conservation in Natural and Modified Habitats Search ... Cameron and Lowell A. Miller Abstract Context. Contraception is increasingly used as a management technique to reduce fertility in wildlife populations; however, the feasibility of contraceptive formulations has been limited until recently because they have required multiple treatments to achieve prolonged infertility. ...
This paper reported on a life cycle assessment (LCA) study that compared the environmental impacts of business-as-usual manure management with those of a manure management operation incorporating anaerobic digestion with combined heat and power generation. The case study was based on a medium sized dairy farm in northern New York State. The study identified the benefits resulting from the displacement of fossil fuels, and reduction of related emissions. Although anaerobic digestion of dairy manure with energy recovery through biogas combustion is viewed as a positive environmental approach to increase the use of renewable energy, there are potential negative impacts that can counteract the environmental benefits. The negative impacts are associated with emissions of methane and nitrogen species during digestion and after spreading of digester effluent. The environmental impacts and their causes should be evaluated in order ...
Unmanaged pollutants from putrescible farm, industrial, and municipal wastes degrade in the environment, and methane emitted from their decomposition may contribute to global climate change. Under modern environmental regulations, these wastes are becoming difficult to dispose of using traditional means. One waste management system, anaerobic digestion or AD, not only provides pollution prevention but can also convert a disposal problem into a new profit center. This report is drawn from a special session of the Second Biomass Conference of the Americas. Selected papers are indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.
Computer simulations of agricultural finance and management may be helpful to students preparing for agricultural careers. Simulations would provide problem definition and problem solving in realistic interactions with complex and ambiguous situations similar to those encountered in farming. The paper describes a major financial problem for farmers, explores the implications of that problem for students, and outlines a computer-based simulation model which would give students experience in dealing with the problem. Data sources for simulations, potentials of interactive exercises among students, and advantages of using real data with existing ambiguities are described. The board game "AGRICULTURE" is discussed as a prototype for simulation. (LFL)
The Spratly Islands constitute one of the earth's most ecologically significant areas, hosting a high diversity of marine species, providing critical habitats for endangered species, and providing marine larvae to reestablish depleted stocks among the heavily overfished and degraded coastal ecosystems of the South China Sea. Territorial disputes have led to the establishment of environmentally destructive, socially and economically costly military outposts on many of the islands. Given the rapid proliferation of international peace parks around the world, it is time to take positive steps toward the establishment of a Spratly Islands Marine Peace Park. Its purpose would be to manage the area's natural resources and alleviate regional tensions via a freeze on claims and claim supportive act...
Summary 1.-Plant-plant interactions fluctuate between competition and facilitation depending upon ecological conditions and species traits. Facilitative interactions are expected to increase in frequency via associational defences with increasing consumer pressure. The ability of species to cope with competition and/or ecological stressors may alter the outcome of plant-plant interactions. 2.-We conducted a transplant experiment to determine if native and non-native grasses and forbs respond similarly to interactions with Juncus effusus L., an unpalatable benefactor species, along a grazing intensity gradient in two contrasting pasture types: intensively managed and semi-natural. We expected competitive taller, erect species (grasses) and non-natives to obtain stronger facilitative effects...
Managing sites contaminated with munitions constituents is an international challenge. Although the choice of approach and the use of Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) tools may vary from country to country, the assurance of quality and the direction of ecotoxicological research are universally recognized as shared concerns. Drawing on a multidisciplinary team of contributors, 'Ecotoxicology of Explosives' provides comprehensive and critical reviews available to date on fate, transport, and effects of explosives. The book delineates the state of the science of the ecotoxicology of explosives, past, present, and recently developed. It reviews the accessible fate and ecotoxicological data for energetic materials (EMs) and the methods for their development. The chapters characterize the fate of explosives in the environment, then provide information on their ecological effects in key environmental media, ...
Reproductive parameters were monitored in 50 post-partum Bos indicus x Bos taurus animals located on four farms in two ecological zones of Panama. Progesterone (P_4) concentrations were measured in four of these animals twice a week and their reproductive organs palpated per rectum once a week until 60 days post-artificial-insemination or post-natural-service. The other 46 cows were palpated for early pregnancy between days 45 and 60 post-service. The mean P_4 concentration in cows with palpable corpora lutea (CL) was 10.3#+-#4.0 nmol/L; when no Cl were detected, the mean P_4 level was 2.2#+-#1.6 nmol/L. Of the 46 animals palpated for early pregnancy, 36 (70%) were found to be pregnant, one (2%) exhibited early embryonic death and one (2%) aborted; the other eight cows (17%) were anoestrous. The mean P_4 concentration in pregnant cows was 11.9#+-#4.0 nmol/L and the calving to conception interval was 148 days. (author). 13 refs, 7 figs, 4 tabs.
Industrial activities in the river basin of the Elbe have a very long tradition, and have been resulting in the contamination of sediments for centuries. Contamination lasted until the fall of the iron curtain; since then, the situation has improved significantly. In the transition zone between freshwater systems and the marine environment, ports like Hamburg still have to bear this burden of history. An overall (contaminated) management strategy should be developed in the context of the European Water Framework Directive with the emphasis on source control. (orig.)
The report presents an overview of A.I.D. efforts, which encompass a wide range of environmental issues and support environmental training, research, and institutional development. The report's opening section details A.I.D.'s efforts to enlist host-country support for environmental programs, with specific emphasis on improving natural resource management (especially in Africa), encouraging policy change, strengthening the private sector's environmental role, and preparing environmental profiles of host countries and helping them develop conservation strategies. The ensuing sections recount A.I.D. efforts in particular topics of environmental concern (biological diversity and environmental health and safety), critical ecological areas (coastal areas and forests and fragile lands), and specific country programs (reforestation in Haiti). A brief history of the evolution of the Agency's environmental strategy ...
The study concerns the assessment of the state of the environment in Lebanon and the identification of policy options has three specific objectives namely to determine the conditions of the environment in Lebanon after years of wars (1975-1992); to identify environmentals trends associated with Lebanon's development and to assess their sustainability; to identify policy options for environmental management. Issues of the environment concerned are both the brown issues e.g. the management of wastes and effluent arising from human activitiesand green issues, the natural resource base defined through main receptors:air, water (including coastal waters), land and terrestrial ecology sectors such as agriculture, industry, energy, transport, tourism and fisheries, population and human settlements are also studied
ObjectivesCoastal ecosystems in developing countries supply a diverse range of services to local communities and national economies, including fish production, protection against floods and storms and support to tourism. Multiple drivers of change are influencing the status of the ecosystems, most of which are anthropogenic (Brown et al., 2006). Managing coastal ecosystems requires recognition of the diverse range of uses and users, and coordination between structures and processes, many of which are curr [continued...]DescriptionCommitment to the management of coastal ecosystems through addressing both ecological and social objectives already exists in East and Southern Africa (Glavovic 2006; Gustavson et al. 2009). More understanding, however, of the ecosystem services of priority to the poor and to poverty alleviation would strengthen the capacity of these initiatives to deliver on poverty alleviation and resource ...
The study investigates the possibility of enhancing crop water productivity in the parts of Northwest India where groundwater quality is marginal and canal water supply is severely scarce. Soil, Water, Atmosphere and Plant (SWAP) model was calibrated and validated in three farmers' fields with varying canal water availability and groundwater quality in the Kaithal Irrigation Circle of the Bhakra Canal system, Haryana. On the basis of predicted and observed soil water content, pressure heads, salt concentration at 2 week intervals and crop yields, the model was found suitable for use in the region. A few nomographs were prepared to provide a graphical method to predict the effect of different combinations of water quality and depth of water application on crop yield and soil salinity and to...
Marine ecosystems are suffering severe depletion of apex predators worldwide; shark declines are principally due to conservative life-histories and fisheries overexploitation. On coral reefs, sharks are strongly interacting apex predators and play a key role in maintaining healthy reef ecosystems. Despite increasing fishing pressure, reef shark catches are rarely subject to specific limits, with management approaches typically depending upon no-take marine reserves to maintain populations. Here, we reveal that this approach is failing by documenting an ongoing collapse in two of the most abundant reef shark species on the Great Barrier Reef (Australia). We find an order of magnitude fewer sharks on fished reefs compared to no-entry management zones that encompass only 1% of reefs. No-take zones, which are more difficult to enforce than no-entry zones, offer almost no protection for shark populations. Population viability models of whitetip and ...
Recent interest in ecologically sustainable design (ESD) has once more focussed attention upon environmental management in buildings. This paper explores the application of both air conditioning and natural ventilation in creating more sustainable non-residential buildings. In the non-residential sector the level of debate surrounding sustainable forms of environmental control and management has been disappointing. It has largely been based upon the rather simplistic argument that air conditioning is bad and natural ventilation is good and thus the only sustainable solution is naturally ventilated buildings. The paper advances the view that for both designers and managers of buildings the problem is more complex than a simple choice between air conditioning and natural ventilation. It begins with a reassessment of conventional ideas of thermal comfort and the organization of the workplace and argues ...
Wireless sensor networks can revolutionize soil ecology by providing measurements at temporal and spatial granularities previously impossible. This paper presents a soil monitoring system we developed and deployed at an urban forest in Baltimore as a first step towards realizing this vision. Motes in this network measure and save soil moisture and temperature in situ every minute. Raw measurements are periodically retrieved by a sensor gateway and stored in a central database where calibrated versions are derived and stored. The measurement database is published through Web Services interfaces. In addition, analysis tools let scientists analyze current and historical data and help manage the sensor network. The article describes the system design, what we learned from the deployment, and initial results obtained from the sensors. The system measures soil factors with unprecedented temporal precision. However, the deployment required ...
The CleverFarm project started out to build an integrated monitoring system for wind farms, where all information would be available and could be used across the wind farm for maintenance and component health assessments. This would enable wind farm operators to prioritise their efforts, since they have a good view of the farm status from home. A large emphasis was placed on the integration of condition monitoring approaches in the central system, enabling estimates of the remaining lifetime of components, especially in the nacelle. During the 3,5 years of the project, software and hardware was developed and installed in two wind farms in Denmark and Germany. The connected hardware included two different condition monitoring systems based on vibration sensors from Gram&Juhl and ISET, plus a camera system developed by Overspeed. Additionally, short-term ...
DescriptionFarm-level estimates of the financial impact of regulation are important indicators of the effect that a regulation have. Such estimates should be included in RIA, particularly within the Small Firms Impact Test. This farm-level analysis can be used in the RIA to inform judgements of the affordability of the regulation proposal. It will help to identify which farm types are likely to be financially had-hit from the regulation. Farm-level cost estimates for each regulation are also required t [continued...
Waste Management Area U (WMA U) includes the U Tank Farm, is currently regulated under RCRA interim-status regulations, and is scheduled for closure probably post-2030. Groundwater monitoring has been under an evaluation program that compared general contaminant indicator parameters from downgradient wells to background values established from upgradient wells. One of the indicator parameters, specific conductance, exceeded its background value in one downgradient well triggering a change from detection monitoring to a groundwater quality assessment program. The objective of the first phase of this assessment program is to determine whether the increased concentrations of nitrate and chromium in groundwater are from WMA U or from an upgradient source. Based on the results of the first determination, if WMA U is not the source of contamination, then the site will revert to detection monitoring. If WMA U is the source, then a second part of the ...
The Clean Water Act of 1977 directed EPA to establish standards for use and disposal of sewage sludge (biosolids). The application of biosolids to non-agricultural lands is becoming increasingly important as a method of waste disposal. Ecological endpoints at the population, community, and/or ecosystem level have not previously been emphasized in the development of regulatory standards for municipal sewage sludge. This risk assessment focuses on terrestrial endpoints in four ecosystem types to which substantial quantities of sludge have been applied or are expected to be applied in the future: northwest Douglas-fir forest, southeastern loblolly pine plantation, eastern deciduous forest, and semi-arid rangeland. Conceptual models suitable for all ecosystems were developed that depict the links among assessment endpoints. Estimates of risks to wildlife from contaminants and simulations of impacts of nitrogen in sewage sludge on the structure and function of forest ...
Although destruction of United States wetlands has slowed, their continued conversion, especially in certain inland regions of the country, may pose adverse ecological effects over the next few decades. The Army Corps of Engineers' regulatory program (Section 404 of the Clean Water Act) protects most coastal wetlands, but provides no protection for 95% of the country's wetlands which remain inland. These inland, freshwater wetlands, converted for agricultural purposes, comprise 80% of the wetland losses over the past 30 years. This report outlines options for more effective federal management, such as the mapping and categorizing of wetlands to determine relative values. In effect, agencies can focus protection programs on higher-value wetlands, especially those threatened by agricultural conversion. The report also discusses the contradictory federal policies aimed at wetlands; for example, the tax code encourages the ...
? Introduction Old-growth forests on Changbai Mountain are economically and ecologically important but have been fragmented outside Changbai Mountain Biosphere Reserve. The trend of forest landscape degradation on Changbai Mountain threatens forest sustainability and biodiversity conservation in the region. Previous studies have focused mainly on the structure and function of protected forests but have ignored managed forests outside the reserve border. ? Objectives In this paper, deforestation processes are studied for two forestry enterprises, namely Baihe and Lushuihe Forestry Bureaus, with different socioeconomic structure due to their differences in proximity to Changbai Mountain Biosphere Reserve, which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. Baihe?s income comes from b...
The use of indigenous bacterial root endophytes with biocontrol activity against soil-borne phytopathogens is an environmentally-friendly and ecologically-efficient action within an integrated disease management framework. The earliest steps of olive root colonization by Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7 and Pseudomonas putida PICP2, effective biocontrol agents (BCAs) against Verticillium wilt of olive (Olea europaea L.) caused by the fungus Verticillium dahliae Kleb., are here described. A gnotobiotic study system using in vitro propagated olive plants, differential fluorescent-protein tagging of bacteria, and confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis have been successfully used to examine olive roots?Pseudomonas spp. interactions at the single-cell level. In vivo simultaneous visualization...
This remedial investigation (RI)/feasibility study (FS) supports the selection of remedial actions for the David Witherspoon, Inc. 901 Maryville Pike Site in Knoxville, Tennessee. Operations at the site, used as a recycling center, have resulted in past, present, and potential future releases of hazardous substances in to the environment. This Site is a Tennessee Superfund site. A phased approach was planned to (1) gather existing data from previous investigations managed by the Tenn. Dept. of Environment and Conservation; (2) perform a preliminary RI, including risk assessments, and an FS with existing data to identify areas where remedial action may be necessary; (3) gather additional field data to adequately define the nature and extent of risk-based contaminants that present identifiable threats to human and/or ecological receptors; and (4) develop remedial action alternatives to reduce risks to acceptable levels.
Mapping the distribution of invasive alien plant species is significant for testing ecological hypotheses and for guiding effective management. Little is known about the distribution of invasive plants at landscape scale, and the factors controlling their dispersal and establishment are still poorly understood. This is the case for Rosa rugosa, an invasive shrub with negative effects on biodiversity in dune ecosystems of NW Europe. The aim of the study was to identify the factors which determine the distribution of R. rugosa in coastal dunes. In a large semi-natural dune area of NW Denmark (2364ha) all patches of the species (1321, 1.3-59.1m2) were GPS mapped. Patch distribution was GIS analysed, based on aerial photographs and vegetation maps. The distance of R. rugosa from the most consp...
The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii (Homoptera: Aphididae), is increasing in importance as a pest worldwide since the introduction of Bt-cotton, which controls lepidopteran but not homopteran pests. The chemical ecology of interactions between cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (Malvaceae), A. gossypii, and the predatory lacewing Chrysoperla lucasina (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), was investigated with a view to providing new pest management strategies. Behavioral tests using a four-arm (Pettersson) olfactometer showed that alate A. gossypii spent significantly more time in the presence of odor from uninfested cotton seedlings compared to clean air, but significantly less time in the presence of odor from A. gossypii infested plants. A. gossypii also spent significantly more time in the presence of heads...
A negative public reaction is expected to oppose plans of the British energy industry to take valuable sites for industrial and commercial projects on the ground that government demand forecasts are too high and that they downplay conservation. The United Kingdom (UK) Department of Energy points out that public inquiry always accompanies energy installations and defends the projections made by producers even though each study emphasizes the demand for its own form of energy. At issue are plans to open 150 opencast coal mines a year to compensate for diminishing oil and gas supplies, onshore drilling by oil and gas exploration teams on nearly 50,000 km/sup 2/, and sites required for onshore pipelines, synthetic natural gas facilities, pumped storage plants, and nuclear power stations and waste management. The sites under discussion raise aesthetic and ecological concerns. (DCK)
In this paper, we consider the development of demand-side research, from an early interest in conservation behavior to a later focus on physical, economic, psychological and social models of energy consumption. Unfortunately, none of these models account satisfactorily for measured energy consumption in the residential sector. Growing interest in the end-uses of energy (e.g. in support of load forecasting, demand-side management and least-cost utility planning), increasing international studies of energy use, and continuing work in the energy and lifestyles research tradition now support an emerging cultural perspective on household energy use. The ecological foundations of the cultural model and its applications in energy research are discussed, along with some of the analytic consequences of this approach. (author).
More than 80% of the people of Nepal are farmers and 90% of the farmers do farming for subsistence. Agricultural productions contribute about 50% of country's GDP. Agricultural sector has been categorized as the top priority sector since many years. The environment of the country has also deteriorated substantially by the unplanned and unscientific use of natural resources such as air, soil, water, air and forest. Fertility of the soil has also been declining and studies show that productions in mountains is decreasing at a rate of 40 Kg/ha. Yr (1). The Terai, a narrow strip of land in the south, is in heavy pressure due to over exploitation and population growth (both natural and migratory). Shallow groundwater (shallow tube wells) is the main source of drinking water in Terai (the lowland region of Nepal). A study conducted by Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS) showed that more than 55% of Terai tube wells are microbiologically contaminated (2). There ...
Ecological speciation is the process by which barriers to gene flow between populations evolve due to adaptive divergence via natural selection. A relatively unexplored area in ecological speciation...Full Text Available
BackgroundStatistical autoregressive analyses of direct and delayed density dependence are widespread in ecological research. The models suggest that changes in ecological factors...Full Text Available
The ecological approach to perception, as developed by James Gibson, is described and applied to how one knows, by means of the haptic perceptual system, various properties of hand-held objects. Four...Full Text Available
The purpose of this study was to assess changes in dairy herd milk production and milk composition associated with changes in Salmonella contamination of bulk milk on dairy farms in southwestern Ontario....Full Text Available
This report will be revised upon completion of current testing investigating the radiolytic stability of additional energetic materials and the analysis of tank farm samples for volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds.
A multidisciplinary approach was used to study the effects of pollution from a marine fish farm on nitrification rates and on the community structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the underlying...Full Text Available
BackgroundAgricultural practices such as the use of irrigation during rice cultivation, the use of ponds for fish farming and the storage of water in tanks for livestock provide...Full Text Available
AbstractA newly recognized syndrome, characterized by sudden death of farmed deer that are in good to excellent nutritional condition, with lesions of small intestinal mucosal hemorrhage...Full Text Available
This study investigated potential risk factors for the presence of Salmonella on 89 Alberta swine-finishing farms with the use of a questionnaire. Salmonella status...Full Text Available
A total of 295 ceftiofur-resistant Escherichia coli isolates were obtained from 489 cloacal samples collected at five different Belgian broiler farms with the aim to evaluate the diversity...Full Text Available
Study of the conversion of chicken litter to biogas for the production of energy. There was an additional requirement that after extracting the energy from the chicken litter the nutrient value of the raw chicken litter had to be returned to the Ak-Chin Farms for use as fertilizer in a form and delivery method acceptable to the Farm.
A compartment model, including removal of organic matter in a forest ecosystem, is developed to describe matter cycling and net CO{sub 2} flux of the ecosystem especially of managed forests. The model consists of five carbon stocks: atmosphere, foliage, woody matter, underground matter, and dead organic matter in the soil. Employing appropriate values of ecophysiological parameters in the model and simulation of man-made sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) plantation forests shows that these forests have high growth potential with a maximum total phytomass of over 750 t ha{sup -1} in dry matter basis. When the typical pattern of thinning regime for sugi plantation forests in Japan is applied to the present model, the simulated forest biomass developments compare well with mensuration data from various forestry sites. The CO{sub 2} balance between the sugi forest ecosystem and the atmosphere reveals a net CO{sub 2} fixation of 49.38 million ton CO{sub 2} year{sup -1} ...
During the next 100 years, the mean annual temperature is expected to be 1-6 deg C higher than at present. It is also expected to be accompanied by a lengthening of the thermal growing season and increased precipitation. Consequently, climatic change will increase the uncertainty of the management of forest ecosystems in the future. In this context, this research project aimed to outline the ecological and silvicultural implications of climatic change with regard to (1) how the expected climatic change might modify the functioning and structure of the boreal forest ecosystem, and (2) how the silvicultural management of the forest ecosystem should be modified in order to maintain sustainable forest yield under changing climatic conditions. The experimental component of the project concerned first the effect that elevating temperature and elevating concentration of atmospheric carbon have on the ontogenetic development of ...
A field experiment was conducted during 2004 and 2005 at the research farm of Central Institute of Medicinal And Aromatic Plants, Lucknow located at 26.5^o N 80.5^o E and 120m above the mean sea level to study the effect of harvesting stage and cutting height on growth, yield and quality of Indian basil. The objective of this study was to increase the essential oil yield of Indian basil without adverse effect on quality by taking two harvests through manipulating harvesting stage and cutting height and to increase the land and rain water utilization efficiency under rain fed condition. The treatments consisted of four stages of first harvest (40, 60, 80 and 100 days after transplanting (DAT)) and three cutting height (0, 7.5 and 15.0cm above ground level). The Indian basil (Ocimum basilicu...
In 1994, after four years of preparation, the first off-shore wind farm in the Netherlands was erected. The ``Lely`` wind farm comprises four NedWind 500 kW wind turbines, of rotor diameter 40.77 m. The turbines are placed on unique single-pile foundations. An interesting engineering aspect of the project is the interaction between the foundations and the turbine. (author)
This paper reported on a study in which a life cycle assessment (LCA) of cotton production in Australia was conducted to evaluate energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from tillage to export shipping. The study showed that on-farm indirect cotton-farming is the most energy consuming component, consuming nearly 32.36 GJ/ha of energy. On-farm indirect cotton-farming is the most GHG emitting component, emitting about 1.64 tonne of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2})/ha. Energy use and the emissions by off-farm direct cotton-farming were calculated as 5.09 GJ/ha and 0.14 tonne CO{sub 2}/ha respectively. Energy consumed by off-farm indirect farming was found to be 0.036 GJ/ha or 0.002 tonne CO{sub 2}/ha. The total energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions in the Australian cotton farming system were ...
Kong-Ming Wu (Corresponding author) The application of recombinant DNA technology has resulted in many insect-resistant varieties by genetic engineering (GE). Crops expressing Cry toxins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been planted worldwide, and are an effective tool for pest control. However, one ecological concern regarding the potential effects of insect-resistant GE plants on non-target organisms (NTOs) has been continually debated. In the present study, we briefly summarize the data regarding the development and commercial use of transgenic Bt varieties, elaborate on the procedure and methods for assessing the non-target effects of insect-resistant GE plants, and synthetically analyze the related research results, mostly those published between 2005 and 2010. A mass of laboratory and field studies have shown that the currently available Bt crops have no direct detrimental effects on NTOs due to their narrow spectrum of activity, and Bt crops are ...
Changes in physical and chemical characteristics of aquatic habitats made to reduce or eliminate ecological risks can sometimes have unforeseen consequences. Environmental management activities on the U.S. Dept. of Energy reservation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee,have succeeded in improving water quality in streams impacted by discharges fi-om industrial facilities and waste disposal sites. The diversity and abundance of pollution-sensitive components of the benthic macroinvertebrate communities of three streams improved after new waste treatment systems or remedial actions reduced inputs of various toxic chemicals. Two of the streams were known to be mercury-contaminated from historical spills and waste disposal practices. Waterborne mercury concentrations in the third were typical of uncontaminated systems. In each case, concentrations of mercury in fish, or the apparent biological availability of mercury increased over the period during which ...
The environmental impact caused by local people (ecological footprint of consumption, EFc) and the actual environmental impact that the ecosystem burdens (ecological footprint of production, EFp) in West Jilin Province, Northeast China from 1986 to 2006 were evaluated by using ecological footprint (EF) method. And the major driving forces of EFc and EFp were analyzed by STIRPAT model. Both EFc and EFp showed increasing trends in 1986?2006, accompanied by decreasing ecological deficits but expanding ecological overshoots. Population (P), GDP per capita (A 1), quadratic term of GDP per capita (A 2), urbanization (T a1), and quadratic term of urbanization (T a2) were important influencing factors of EFc, among which T a2 and T a1 were the most dominate driving forces of EFc. A 1, A 2 and T a2...
A.C.R.O. (Association pour le Controle de la Radioactivite dans l Ouest) is a French non governmental organisation that operates a laboratory for radioactivity analysis. It was created in 1986 as a response to people demands for information and reliable, independent testing. The organisation mainly carries out missions of information and training for its correspondents and more generally for a wide audience, particularly for people who worry about problems of environment, health, management of radioactive waste and emissions. Thanks to its structure, it enables citizens to involve themselves together with scientists so as to gain access to information that was hither to reserved to specialists. The organisation can vouchsafe its independence from the diversity of its members and volunteers, as well as from the diversity of its money resources. Besides its headquarters situated on the city of Caen area (Normandy), three branches situated in North Normandy, in ...
The impact of surface mining for coal on the nature and extent of freshwater wetlands was assessed on 73,200 ha in western Pennsylvania. The influence of mining on wetlands was not uniform across physiographic regions, varying with regional differences in hydrology and soils. Overall, mined lands supported 18% more palustrine wetlands, than unmined lands, primarily because of a 270% gain in permanent, open-water wetlands on mined lands in the glaciated region. Open-water wetlands declined on mined lands in unglaciated regions owing to unfavorable hydrologic conditions. The number and size of emergent wetlands declined as a result of mining. Mined lands supported 81% fewer riverine wetlands than unmined lands. This was caused primarily by avoidance of lands containing streams, and secondarily by a 10% reduction in replacement of riverine wetlands during reclamation. Land managers need to develop land use policies that maximize the ecological and ...
This document defines the quality assurance requirements for the US Department of Energy-Richland Operations Office Environmental Restoration Remedial Action program at the Hanford Site. The Environmental Restoration Remedial Action program implements significant commitments made by the US Department of Energy in the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order entered into with the Washington State Department of Ecology and the US Environmental Protection Agency. This document combines quality assurance requirements from various source documents into one set of requirements for use by the US Department of Energy-Richland Operations Office and other Environmental Restoration Remedial Action program participants. This document will serve as the basis for developing Quality Assurance Program Plans and implementing procedures by the participants. The requirements of this document will be applied to activities affecting quality, using a graded approach based on ...
In this paper, we consider the prey-dependent consumption predator-prey (natural enemy-pest) models with age structure for the predator, immature and mature natural enemies are released and pesticide is applied impulsively. We prove that, when the impulsive period is no longer than some threshold, the pest-eradication solution is globally asymptotically stable, or say, the pest population can be eradicated totally. But from the point of ecological balance and saving resources, we only need to control the pest population under the economic threshold level instead of eradicating it totally, so we further prove that, when the impulsive period is longer than the threshold, pest population and natural enemy population can coexist, i.e., the system is uniformly permanent. Considering population communities always are imbedded in periodically varying environments, and the parameters in ecosystem models may oscillate simultaneously with the periodically varying ...
An overall systems approach has been applied to develop action plans to support the retrieval and immobilization waste disposal mission. The review concluded that the systems and infrastructure required to support the mission are known. Required systems are either in place or plans have been developed to ensure they exist when needed. The review showed that since October 1996 a robust system engineering approach to establishing integrated Technical Baselines, work breakdown structures, tank farm structure and configurations and work scope and costs has been established itself as part of the culture within TWRS. An analysis of the programmatic, management and technical activities necessary to declare readiness to proceed with execution of the mission demonstrates that the system, people and hardware will be on line and ready to support the private contractors. The systems approach included defining the retrieval and immobilized waste disposal ...
An abundance of waste corn, a key food of many wildlife species, has helped make possible the widespread success of wildlife management in the United States over the past half century. We found waste corn post harvest in Nebraska declined by 47% from 1978 to 1998 due primarily to improvements in combine headers resulting in a marked decline in ear loss. The reduction in waste coincided with major declines in fat storage by sandhill cranes and white-fronted geese during spring migration. Sandhill cranes, northern pintails, white-fronted geese, and lesser snow geese avoided soybeans while staging in spring in the Rainwater Basin Area and Central Platte River Valley. These findings and other literature suggest soybeans are a marginal food for wildlife particularly during periods of high energy requirements. Soybean acreage has increased by 600% in the United States since 1950 and now comprises nearly one-quarter of the nation>'s cropland. With over 80% of the ...
A.C.R.O. (Association pour le Controle de la Radioactivite dans l'Ouest) is a French non governmental organisation that operates a laboratory for radioactivity analysis. It was created in 1986 as a response to people demands for information and reliable, independent testing. The organisation mainly carries out missions of information and training for its correspondents and more generally for a wide audience, particularly for people who worry about problems of environment, health, management of radioactive waste and emissions. Thanks to its structure, it enables citizens to involve themselves together with scientists so as to gain access to information that was hither to reserved to specialists. The organisation can vouchsafe its independence from the diversity of its members and volunteers, as well as from the diversity of its money resources. Besides its headquarters situated on the city of Caen area (Normandy), three branches situated in North Normandy, ...
Some of most used indicators in marine ecology are nucleic acid-derived indices. They can be divided by target levels in three groups: 1) at the organism level as ecophysiologic indicators, indicators...Full Text Available
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ecologically important root symbionts of most terrestrial plants. Ecological studies of AMF have concentrated on differences between species; largely assuming...Full Text Available
Contagious diseases are a threat to animal health and productivity, both nationally and at the farm level. This makes implementation of biosecurity measures to prevent their introduction and...Full Text Available
Abstract The importance of evaluating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from dairy cows within the whole farm setting is being realized as more important than evaluating these emissions in isolation. Current whole farm models aimed at evaluating GHG emissions make use of simple regression equations to predict enteric methane (CH4) production. The objective of the current paper is to evaluate the performance of nine CH4 prediction equations that are currently being used in whole farm GHG models. Data used to evaluate the prediction equations came from a collection of individual (IND) and treatment averaged (TRT) data. Equations were compared based on mean square prediction error (MSPE) and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) analysis. In general, predictions were poor, with root MSPE (as...
Government policies that encourage exploitation--in particular excessive logging and clearing for ranches and farms--are largely to blame for the accelerating destruction of tropical forests. This paper surveys the problem in detail and briefly recommends potential solutions.
At Livermore our hope and our intention is to make important contributions to global sustainability by basing both our scientific and technological research and our business practices on the principles of industrial ecology. Current efforts in the following fields are documented: global security, global ecology, energy for transportation, fusion energy, materials sciences, environmental technology, and bioscience.
Sesame varieties/genotypes showed a good response to radiation with gamma rays and treatments with EMS. In M_1 both gamma rays and EMS influenced germination, seedling height, survival of plants and pollen fertility/sterility, producing deleterious effects on these characters. Compared to black seeded genotypes, white seeded ones are more susceptible to radiation. Both gamma rays and EMS produced various types of morphological variations in M_2 generation. These were dwarf plant mutants, mottled and fleshy leaved mutants (sterile), fasciated stem, flower colour, altered phyllotaxy, early, uniculm, capsule size variations, multiple capsule/leaf axil, seed coat colour variations, indehiscent and semi-indehiscent type mutants. Moreover, studies on quantitative characters including seed yield revealed the induction of mutants in both positive and negative directions for such traits which made a good scope of selection of desirable mutants in M_2 generation. Mutants selected in M_2 were ...
This document provides an inventory of Tank Farm equipment stored or abandoned aboveground and potentially subject to regulation. This inventory was conducted in part to ensure that Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) does not violate dangerous waste laws concerning storage of potentially contaminated equipment/debris that has been in contact with dangerous waste. The report identifies areas inventoried and provides photographs of equipment.
The High-Level Waste Storage Tank Farms/242-A Evaporator Standards/Requirements Document (S/RID) is contained in multiple volumes. This document (Volume 2) presents the standards and requirements for the following sections: Quality Assurance, Training and Qualification, Emergency Planning and Preparedness, and Construction.
Occurrence and distribution of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in and around the off-shore wind farm on Horns Reef, Denmark, was investigated. This report describes data collected in 2003 as part of an ongoing monitoring program, covering a period before construction of the wind farm (baseline), the construction period in 2002 and one year following construction of the wind farm. Data from acoustic dataloggers (T-PODs) and visual surveys conducted from ships confirmed the presence of harbour porpoises inside the wind farm area during all periods investigated. Comparison with baseline data from 1999-2001 and with control areas outside the wind farm did not show a statistical significant change in sighting rates inside the wind farm area in the first year following construction relative to baseline. T-POD data showed a pronounced effect of the construction ...
The effects of upwind turbine wakes on the performance of a FloWind 17-m vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) were investigated through a series of field experiments conducted at the FloWind wind farm on Cameron Ridge, Tehachapi, California. From the field m...
DescriptionFollowing publication of the Curry report, DEFRA have made a commitment to establish a number of pilot projects supporting a network of demonstration and development farms. These 'farms' are intended to support the process of technology transfer by giving free access to information on the practical application of new, emerging and best practice technologies. Protected Horticulture has been identified as a sub-sector requiring the establishment of one of these projects. One of the major pressures [continued...
Intensification of forest management and harvesting will lead to increased pressures on relatively infertile forest soils with possible reductions in levels of nitrogen and organic matter. It will be necessary for foresters to manage the soils, along with trees, if they wish to maintain site productivity. Nitrogen fixation should be considered as a supplementary or alternative soil amendment method. Free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria appear to contribute minor amounts of combined nitrogen to forest soils, but it is possible that this contribution has been underestimated. The nitrogen-fixing symbioses of higher plants with bacteria contribute up to 300 kg year of nitrogen, more than sufficient to replace potential losses of nitrogen in intensive forestry. The nitrogen-fixing process, however, requires sufficient supplies of certain elements and is sensitive to environmental factors. There are numerous examples of nitogen-fixing symbioses ...
Florida imports about 85% of its energy needs. Among the renewable energy sources available, biomass appears promising in Florida because of a favourable environment for production and the available methods to convert biomass to energy. Optimal production of biomass requires the identification and management of high yielding persistent perennial cultivars. Elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) and energycane (Saccharum spontaneum L.) are two tall grasses that meet these requirements. To optimize the supply of convertible biomass, suitable methods of harvesting the crop must be available. The purpose of this research was to study the feasibility and energetics of harvesting, drying and baling tall grasses with conventional farm machinery. A Mathews rotary scythe and a New Holland 849 Auto Wrap large round baler were determined to provide a practical harvesting system for baled biomass averaging 15-27 Mg ha [sup -1]. This harvesting system ...
Growth dynamics and biomass production in short-rotation poplar plantations were evaluated at Hanyuan Forestry Farm, Baoying County, P.R.C. Experimental treatments applied in a split-plot design included: four planting densities (1111, 833, 625 and 500 stems ha{sup -1}); three poplar clones (NL-80351, I-69 and I-72) and three rotation lengths. Survival of all three clones was excellent at the experimental site under the imposed management regime. Differences in DBH, height, LAI and above-ground biomass production, however, were manifested among the treatments. Overall the clonal ranking was in the order NL-80351 {>=}I-69 > I-72 by age 6. LAI values ranged from 0.6 to 4.4 m{sup 2} m{sup -2} and differences among four planting densities and three clones were significant throughout the first six years. Above-ground biomass productivity was affected considerably by planting density, clone and rotation length. Within the four ...
This Closure Report (CR) documents closure activities for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 543, Liquid Disposal Units, according to the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO, 1996) and the Corrective Action Plan (CAP) for CAU 543 (U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office [NNSA/NSO], 2007). CAU 543 is located at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), Nevada (Figure 1), and consists of the following seven Corrective Action Sites (CASs): CAS 06-07-01, Decon Pad; CAS 15-01-03, Aboveground Storage Tank; CAS 15-04-01, Septic Tank; CAS 15-05-01, Leachfield; CAS 15-08-01, Liquid Manure Tank; CAS 15-23-01, Underground Radioactive Material Area; CAS 15-23-03, Contaminated Sump, Piping; and CAS 06-07-01 is located at the Decontamination Facility in Area 6, adjacent to Yucca Lake. The remaining CASs are located at the former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Farm in Area 15. The purpose of this CR is to provide a summary of ...
Naturally-occurring wetlands perform such functions as flood control, pollution filtration, nutrient recycling, sediment accretion, groundwater recharge and water supply, erosion control, and plant and wildlife preservation. A large concentration of wetlands is located in Eastern Europe. A significant amount of Eastern European wetlands has been converted to agricultural use in the past, and remaining wetlands are subject to agricultural drainage. Drained wetlands are used as prime agriculture lands for a variety of food crops. Other agricultural uses of wetlands range from growing Phragmites australis (common reed) for thatch and livestock feed, to collecting peat for heating and cooking fuel. Altered hydrologic regimes due to global climate change could further exacerbate encroachment of agricultural land use into wetlands. The vulnerability and adaptation studies of the US Country Studies Program are used to analyze where climate change impacts to agriculture may likewise impact ...
Aqueous solutions (mixed waste) generated from various LLNL operations, such as debris washing, sample preparation and analysis, and equipment maintenance and cleanout, were combined for storage in the B695 tank farm. Prior to combination the individual waste streams had different codes depending on the particular generating process and waste characteristics. The largest streams were CWC 132, 791, 134, 792. Several smaller waste streams were also included. This combined waste stream was treated at LLNL's waste treatment facility using a vacuum filtration and cool vapor evaporation process in preparation for discharge to sanitary sewer. Prior to discharge, the treated waste stream was sampled and the results were reviewed by LLNL's water monitoring specialists. The treated solution was discharged following confirmation that it met the discharge criteria. A major source, accounting for 50% for this waste stream, is metal machining, cutting and ...
Space heating/cooling systems account for approximately 30% of the global energy consumption. Such systems contribute to global warming by emitting 0.39.1011 MWh of heat and 2.9.1010 tons of CO{sub 2}. There is a general understanding that the way to reduce global warming is a more efficient use of energy and increased use of renewable energy in all fields of the society. The poultry industry in the Mid East is an important business. There are e.g. 13000 chicken farms in Syria producing 172,000 ton of meat. This industry employs directly almost 150,000 people. The total investment in chicken farming is 130 BSP. Even though, the annual mean temperature in Syria is {approx}15-18 C the winter temperatures are close to freezing for two months. Since the chickens need a temperature of 21-35 C, depending on age, approximately 168.103 tons of coal (1170 GWh) is consumed for heating these plants. The chicken farms have no cooling ...
Although the public generally hold positive attitudes towards wind energy, proposals for the construction of new wind farms are often met with strong resistance. In New Zealand, where the government has recently introduced ambitious policy targets for renewable energy generation, negative perceptions of wind farms are increasingly evident and have the potential to prevent the achievement of these targets. This research sets out to examine what influences social resistance to wind farms in New Zealand. Drawing from public submissions on three wind farm proposals, a framework developed by Devine-Wright [Devine-Wright, P., 2005a. Beyond NIMBYism: towards an integrated Framework for Understanding Public Perceptions of Wind Energy. Wind Energy 8, 125-139.] was used as the basis for identification of factors affecting public perceptions of wind farms. The research found firstly that there ...
Although the public generally hold positive attitudes towards wind energy, proposals for the construction of new wind farms are often met with strong resistance. In New Zealand, where the government has recently introduced ambitious policy targets for renewable energy generation, negative perceptions of wind farms are increasingly evident and have the potential to prevent the achievement of these targets. This research sets out to examine what influences social resistance to wind farms in New Zealand. Drawing from public submissions on three wind farm proposals, a framework developed by Devine-Wright [Devine-Wright, P., 2005a. Beyond NIMBYism: towards an integrated Framework for Understanding Public Perceptions of Wind Energy. Wind Energy 8, 125-139.] was used as the basis for identification of factors affecting public perceptions of wind farms. The research found firstly that there ...
A case study is presented where an integrated, ecologically relevant exposure assessment is presented for a polluted lowland river. Using partial least squares regression of latent structures (PLS), an analysis of the impact of two effluents on physico-chemical water quality measures, macroinvertebrate and diatom communities, and in situ bioassay responses with four different test species are combined into an integrative exposure assessment. Bioassays focussed on growth and condition related endpoints, because they are key functional processes of organisms and populations. Integrating these multiple lines of evidence, we were able to discriminate among the impact of both effluents, link changes in physico-chemical water quality with bioassay endpoints and ecological quality of the ecosystem, and address the importance of integrating all information into one exposure assessment framework. The bioassays under field conditions indicated that most ...
In recent years, cobia has become an emerging farmed species in Asia due to its quick growth and high economic value. This study collects biological and economic data affecting the economic performance of cobia farming in three countries, namely Taiwan, China, and Vietnam. The data are collected by questionnaire sampling and analyzed by multivariate statistical analysis in order to compare the key factors affecting the production and economy of cobia farming in these three countries. The results show that Taiwan, China, and Vietnam have significant differences in input intensities and profitability. China has the highest input intensity (3372.42?TWD/m3), as its high stocking density increases feed input. Taiwan has the highest unit input cost (103.44?TWD/kg), as the high quality of the pro...
This paper aims to explore consumer preference for fresh vegetables labelled as organic in combination with health and environment related quality traits. The study decomposes organic farming into its main quality aspects and measures consumers' preference structure for organic, in general, and for specific organic quality traits in particular. By means of stated choice preference modelling, the following hypotheses are tested: consumers prefer health over environment related quality traits; the organic label plays a significant role in consumers' choice for organic products; organic farming is perceived as healthier and more environmentally friendly than conventional farming; purchase intention is mainly driven by health related quality traits; both health and environmental concerns influ...
This paper assesses farming eco-efficiency using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques. Eco-efficiency scores at both farm and environmental pressure-specific levels are computed for a sample of Spanish farmers operating in the rain-fed agricultural system of Campos County. The determinants of eco-efficiency are then studied using truncated regression and bootstrapping techniques. We contribute to previous literature in this field of research by including information on slacks in the assessment of the potential environmental pressure reductions in a DEA framework. Our results reveal that farmers are quite eco-inefficient, with very few differences emerging among specific environmental pressures. Moreover, eco-inefficiency is closely related to technical inefficiencies in the managemen...
This is the ninth quarterly report as required by the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Ecology et al. 1990), also known as the Tri-Party Agreement, established between the US Department of Energy (DOE), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). The Tri-Party Agreement sets the plan and schedule for achieving regulatory compliance and cleanup of waste sites at the Hanford Site. This report covers progress for the quarter that ended June 30, 1991. A total of 87 milestones have been completed to date. 39 refs., 1 fig.
BackgroundSister species divergence and reproductive isolation commonly results from ecological adaptation. In mimetic Heliconius butterflies, shifts in colour pattern...Full Text Available
This paper first discusses the challenge offered by natural and anthropogenic systems in all of their complexity and then indicates some areas of research in which specific scientific and technological needs are identifiable.
Jun 16, 2011 ... Description: Within the Deschutes River basin of central Oregon, the geology, hydrology, and physiography influence geomorphic and ecologic ...
Mangroves are disappearing rapidly worldwide despite their well documented biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide. Failure to link ecological processes and their societal benefits has...Full Text Available
An environmental study was done to examine the prevalence of Vibrio mimicus in some aquatic environments of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and of Okayama, Japan. Water samples from Dhaka environments and water...Full Text Available
Due to the use of a limited number of species and subchronic exposures, current ecological hazard assessment processes can underestimate the chronic toxicity of environmental contaminants resulting...Full Text Available
...qualified and who were under consideration at the time, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack chose an animal husbandry specialist employed by one of the largest organic livestock product marketers in the country. While this appointee had grown up on a conventional farm, her immediate occupation is not that of ...
Several bacteriological surveys were performed from 1994 to 1996 at different Litopenaeus vannamei hatcheries (in Ecuador) and shrimp farms (in Mexico). Samples were taken from routine...Full Text Available
Salmonella mbandaka was isolated from cattle on three dairy farms. The duration of infection was less than four weeks and none of the animals became clinically ill. The animals had all consumed a diet...Full Text Available
Commercial feed rations containing sulfamethazine at the level of 110 ppm were fed for a period of 65 days to market pigs in a study simulating normal farm practices. The levels of sulfamethazine at...Full Text Available
The introduction and survival of zoonotic bacterial pathogens in poultry farming have been linked to bacterial association with free-living protozoa. To date, however, no information is available on...Full Text Available
Exposure of a group of horses to tetracycline-contaminated feed resulted in acute colitis and subsequent death in one horse and milder diarrhea in 3 others. The most severely affected animal demonstrated...Full Text Available
...Agriculture Analysis of food supply chains and linkages in relation to quality and safety assurances Dept of Primary Industries, Australia Impact of food chain quality assurance requirements on farmer adoption and competitiveness UK Research Councils Review of environmental certification through farm assurance followed by industry developmental workshop Agriculture & ...
...this pathway study the following two focus modules (in addition to the six core modules) and carry out a research investigation within this theme: Agricultural Production Systems Considers the type of farming systems that have evolved globally in relation to the prevailing agro-climatic zones, the influences of economic factors ...
Feed samples from 94 cases involving fungal contamination and suspected mycotoxicosis of farm animals in western Canada were examined during 1982-1994 to assess the incidence of mycotoxins. Samples...Full Text Available
The presence of highly heat-resistant spores of Bacillus sporothermodurans in ultrahigh-temperature or sterilized consumer milk has emerged as an important item in the dairy industry....Full Text Available
Background and AimsSulfonylurea (SU) herbicides are used extensively in cereal–livestock farming zones as effective and cheap herbicides with useful levels of residual activity....Full Text Available
In response to reports that the contamination of food can occur during the on-farm primary phase of food production, we report data that describes a possible cost-effective intervention measure. The...Full Text Available
BackgroundTrypanosomosis is a major impediment to livestock farming in sub-Saharan Africa and limits the full potential of agricultural development in the 36 countries where it is...Full Text Available
BackgroundA microsporidian was previously reported to infect the crustacean parasite, Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer, 1837) (Copepoda, Caligidae), on farmed...Full Text Available
Johne disease, caused by Mycobacterium avium, subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is becoming increasingly widespread on dairy farms worldwide, due in part, to the absence...Full Text Available
BackgroundWhite spot syndrome (WSS) is a viral disease that affects most of the commercially important shrimps and causes serious economic losses to the shrimp farming industry worldwide....Full Text Available
Enzootic Glassers's disease was investigated to study the epidemiology of the disease strains on a farm where it presented a problem. Restriction endonuclease fingerprinting (REF) analysis technique...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe goat (Capra hircus) represents one of the most important farm animal species. It is reared in all continents with an estimated world population of...Full Text Available
On the Dutch North Sea coast, at the Westereems wind farm, the energy supplier Essent is currently implementing one of Europe's largest repowering projects. A total of 88 new wind turbines are going up at Dollart Bay. (orig.)
This paper reports that some regions have prepared for these days of disposal shortage with comprehensive waste plans that include a strong WTE presence. Witness Broward County, Florida's program, 12 years in planning by public and private entities, Broward is the second most populated county in the state, with 1.3 million residents and a heavy tourist population, which, together, produce 1.6 million tons of waste annually. The disposal program includes Waste Management, Inc.'s expansion of a 400-acre Central Disposal Sanitary Landfill, the county's new 588-acre landfill, composting, and curbside pickup for recyclables. And, this south Florida plan would not be complete without the two brand new combustion plants. Clean Air and Water Acts notwithstanding, the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation can induce standards stricter than the federal government's due to the sensitive South Florida ecology. ...
Large-scale decommissioning of Russian nuclear-powered submarines (NPS) and their utilization prospects gave rise to numerous complicated scientific and technical, as well as economic, problems. Problems of handling of radioactive equipment from the reactor compartments (RC) are among the vital ones, arousing a growing concern with the public. Without solution of the problems the processes of NPS utilization can not be considered completed. It involves potential hazard, for the environment both from NPS being paid up (temporal on-float storage) with unloaded spent nuclear fuel (SNF), and RC, cut from submarine hull, containing highly radioactive equipment and materials but no SNF. Diverse variations of the concept of reactor compartment handling of NPS subject to, utilization are possible, but, in principle, there are essentially two variants: (1) RC utilization directly in the course of NPS utilization, envisaging removal of radioactive equipment from the reactor compartment and its ...
The preliminary design of the read-out system for the GEM (Gammas, Electrons, Muons) detector at the Superconducting Super Collider is presented. The system reads all digitized data from the detector data sources at a Level 1 trigger rate of up to 100 kHz. A total read-out bandwidth of 40 GBytes/s is available. Data are stored in buffers that are accessible for further event filtering by an on-line, processor farm. Data are transported to the farm only as they are needed by the higher-level trigger algorithms, leading to a reduced bandwidth requirement in the Data Acquisition System.
As the penetration of wind energy continues to increase around the world, with a trend towards large utility-scale wind farms (greater than 100 MW), effective wind energy forecasting will become increasingly important. Previous work by GH has estimated the trading benefit of high quality short-term forecasting to be EUR 7/MWh. Depending on market conditions, for a 100 MW wind farm with a capacity factor of 30%, this equates to an estimated annual trading benefit of up to EUR 1.8m. To date, a number of studies have focused on the mathematical modelling techniques for forecasting the production from wind farms, looking predominantly at the task of predicting the meteorological conditions at the site. This paper focuses on the final stage of the forecasting process, conversion from a meteorological forecast to a power production forecast. This challenge is particularly significant for utility-scale wind ...
This article describes the utilization of plastic wastes in a blast furnace. The plastic waste is a substitution for petroleum and coal as a raw material for synthesis gas production. The synthesis gas is the reducing agent in the blast furnace for the reduction of iron ores. You can find here an ecological and economical analysis of this process in comparison to the utilization of petroleum and coal. (SR)
Bacteriocins are an abundant class of antimicrobial molecules that appear to mediate population dynamics within species. The bacteriocins of Escherichia coli have served as a model for exploring the ecological role of these potent toxins. Studies suggest that colicins provide a competitive edge in nutrient-poor environments and that there might be a trade-off between the costs and benefits of colicin production. PMID:10203843
In the discussion of environmental architecture, we are conjoining two disciplines, the subject of architecture and that of ecology. At their best, green buildings are examples of applied ecology, where designers understand the constitution, organization, and structure of ecosystems, and the impacts of architecture are considered from an environmental perspective. By utilizing the concepts, methods, and language of ecology, designers can create architecture that intentionally engages the natural systems of a site. The establishment of assessment criteria implies the definition of building design criteria. If we establish criteria that are based on our best scientific understanding of environmental capacity, we will begin to develop a building stock that is sustainable. To do this we must quantify the link between the resulting environmental impacts and their cause in building production and use. This is not done in ...
The effect of open pit mine motor transport with ICE on the air basin is examined using the example of shale mines and open pits of the production association ''Estonslanets''. Efficient areas of use of different types of open pit mine motor transport, diesel-trolley tracks and electric cars are determined based on technical-economic and ecologic feasibility.
General trends of developing hydrogen power engineering and technology in Ukraine are considered. Based on a general level of power consumption and real opportunities for hydrogen production, a conclusion is derived that there are possibilities in the near future to partially replace conventional hydrocarbon fuels by hydrogen. Besides, developed technologies for burning hydrogenous gases and hydrogen-fuel systems when applied to transport installations allow one to improve essentially their power and ecological characteristics. 5 refs.
This 'Issues in Ecology' article from the Ecological Society of America provides information about the consequences of nutrient enrichment along the US coast. It describes problems such as harmful algal blooms (HABs), anoxia, hypoxia, and dead zones. It explains which nutrients are involved and describes implications of excess nutrients in regions such as the Gulf of Mexico/Mississippi River basin. The article features several color photographs, maps, and diagrams.
As part of on-going study of acid mine drainage (AMD), a comprehensive ecological risk assessment was conducted in the Leading Creek Watershed in southeast Ohio. The watershed is influenced by agriculture and active and abandoned coal-mining operations. This work presents a broad overview of several quantitative measures of hydrology and hydraulic watershed properties available for in risk assessment and evaluates their relation to metrics of ecology. Data analysis included statistical comparisons of metrics of ecology, ecotoxicology, water quality, and physically based parameters describing land use, geomorphology, flow, velocity, and particle size. A multiple regression analysis indicated that abandoned mining operations dominated impacts upon aquatic ecology. It also indicated low flow velocity measurements and a ratio of maximum velocity to average velocity at low flow where helpful in describing ...
The application of fossil fuels and the simultaneous dependency on fuel imports can only be decreased through consequent utilisation of efficient hydro power which is the most efficient way to avoid CO{sub 2} emissions. Only some decades ago hydro power plants were buildings erected according to met technical demands. In the 1990s rethinking started and the new designs took into account ecology and architecture. Maintenance and/or improvement of ecological efficiency play a decisive role. Experts of ecology and environmental protection of different faculties are involved right from the beginning when planning starts in order to obtain a maximum of nature compatibility and to develop efficient ecological accompanying and compensating measures. Landscape is being recultivated sustainably during construction activities in order to offer biota optimum conditions of living. Devices supporting fish migration ...
The existence of problems with wild pigs (Sus scrofa) is nothing new to the Western Hemisphere. Damage by these introduced animals was reported as far back as 1505 by the early Spanish colonies in the Caribbean, where wild pigs were killing the colonists cattle. Droves of these animals also ravaged cultivated crops of maize and sugarcane on islands in the West Indies during this same time period. These wild pigs reportedly were very aggressive and often attacked Spanish soldiers hunting rebellious Indians or escaped slaves on these islands, especially when these animals were cornered. The documentation of such impacts by introduced populations of this species in the United States has subsequently increased in recent years, and continued up through the present (Towne and Wentworth. 1950, Wood and Barrett 1979, Mayer and Brisbin 1991, Dickson et al. 2001). In spite of a fairly constant history in this country since the early 1900s, wild pigs have had a dramatic recent increase in both ...
Program Plans, Implementation, & Results Energy Management at Federal Facilities Energy Management at DOE Fleet Management Interagency Coordination Interagency Energy...
The risk to human health from fragments of depleted uranium (DU) at Jefferson Proving Ground (JPG) was estimated using two types of ecosystem pathway models. A steady-state, model of the JPG area was developed to examine the effects of DU in soils, water, and vegetation on deer that were hunted and consumed by humans. The RESRAD code was also used to estimate the effects of farming the impact area and consuming the products derived from the farm. The steady-state model showed that minimal doses to humans are expected from consumption of deer that inhabit the impact area. Median values for doses to humans range from about 1 mrem ({plus_minus}2.4) to 0.04 mrem ({plus_minus}0.13) and translate to less than 1 {times} 10{sup {minus}6} detriments (excess cancers) in the population. Monte Carlo simulation of the steady-state model was used to derive the probability distributions from which the median values were drawn. Sensitivity analyses of the ...
Abstract Questions: How important is the choice of flow routing algorithm with respect to application of topographic wetness index (TWI) in vegetation ecology? Which flow routing algorithms are preferable for application in vegetation ecology? Location: Forests in three different regions of the Czech Republic. Methods: We used vegetation data from 521 georeferenced plots, recently sampled in a wide range of forest communities. From a digital elevation model, we calculated 11 variations of TWI for each plot with 11 different flow routing algorithms. We evaluated the performance of differently calculated TWI by (1) Spearman rank correlation with average Ellenberg indicator values for soil moisture, (2) Mantel correlation coefficient between dissimilarities of species composition and dissimil...
Environmental assessment in an arid coal mining area requires an understanding of the influences of coal mining, the arid climate and ecological remediation. To that end, we selected vegetation as the key environmental factor to observe. Remote sensing approaches to monitoring the spatio-temporal variation of vegetation caused by mining activities, the arid climate and ecological remediation in the Shengdong coal mining area are described. Over a large regional scale it was found that the vegetation was improved as a result of ecological remediation activities. At the local scale, however, the vegetation coverage and soil moisture in the mined areas were slightly lower than those in un-mined areas due to mining subsidence. These differences are partly attributed to ground fissures that inj...
The Humane metropolis is a rubric to summarize and promote environmental and social quality in contemporary urban mosaics. Because cities, suburbs, and exurbs, as spatially extensive and connected socio-ecological systems, exhibit many negative features, the humane metropolis identifies a strategy to combat the ills and instill more positive and sustainable features and processes in urban systems. Because the humane metropolis as a program has arisen primarily from social motivations, there is the opportunity to articulate more explicitly the role that science can play in addressing the humane metropolis program and evaluating its success. A humane metropolis can be summarized as one that 1) protects and restores ecological services in cities and suburbs, 2) promotes physical and mental he...
Scientific and technological communities have a significant role to play and responsibility for the evolution of global sustainability (continuously improving quality of life into the indefinite future). Sustainability is not possible without a substantially improved science and technology basis for industrial ecology. Society needs data and understanding of complex ecological issues to govern itself in a sustainable manner. We should: support and develop multi-disciplinary programs which create the scientific basis for understanding natural and anthropogenic complex systems and for developing environmentally and economically efficient technology; demonstrate a systems-based approach to science and technology issues which is life-cycle comprehensive, integrates environmental considerations, and promotes conservation of natural resources; and encourage development of responsible, technically and scientifically valid, cost-effective environmental ...
The relative risk model (RRM) was applied in regional ecological risk assessments successfully. In this study, the RRM was developed through increasing the data of risk source and introducing the source?stressor?habitat exposure filter (SSH), the endpoint?habitat exposure filter (EH) and the stressor?endpoint effect filter (SE) to reflect the meaning of exposure and effect more explicit. Water environment which include water quality, water quantity and aquatic ecosystems was selected as the ecological risk assessment endpoints. The Luanhe River Basin located in the North China was selected as model case. The results showed that there were three low risk regions, one medium risk region and two high risk regions in the Luanhe River Basin. The results also indicated habitat destruction was th...
An overview of climatic factors and impact relative to river ice engineering and science is presented. An explanation of the fundamentals of climatic change is followed by a review of direct and indirect climatic influences that govern river ice breakup and related trends. Known responses of river ice to climatic change and potential future changes to ice breakup processes are described along with the probable ecological and socio-economic consequences of these changes. Changes in engineering approaches to accommodate the present ice regime and predicted changes in climatic variables that affect river ice processes and reduce the vulnerability of infrastructure and ecosystems to climatic change are examined. Future research on the links between river ice and stream ecology is suggested to identify ecological concerns that may result from changes in river ice regimes induced by climatic change. 60 refs., 3 figs.
Herbivores and pathogens impact the species composition, ecosystem function, and socioeconomic value of forests. Herbivores and pathogens are an integral part of forests, but sometimes produce undesirable effects and a degradation of forest resources. In the United States, a few species of forest pests routinely have significant impacts on up to 20 million ha of forest with economic costs that probably exceed $1 billion/year. Climatic change could alter patterns of disturbance from herbivores and pathogens through: (1) direct effects on the development and survival of herbivores and pathogens; (2) physiological changes in tree defenses; and (3) indirect effects from changes in the abundance of natural enemies (e.g. parasitoids of insect herbivores), mutualists (e.g. insect vectors of tree pathogens), and competitors. Because of their short life cycles, mobility, reproductive potential, and physiological sensitivity to temperature, even modest climate change will have rapid impacts on ...
The characteristics of diesel fuel jet atomization in carburetors depend on dynamic viscosity (v) density (d) and surface tension (st) of fuel, grouped in the combined functions v/d; st/v and st/d. Values of these combined functions for binary mixtures of a farm diesel fuel with a crude vegetable oil (sunflower, soybean, cotton and foot-cake olive oils) as well as with a used frying olive oil, are calculated. Three different diesel fuels have been studied. Combined function values of these mixtures are influenced by the characteristics of their diesel fuel. Mixtures containing less than 24% of any studied crude oils show kinematic viscosity values at 40 degrees C not exceeding 5.8 squared millimeters/s. This value is the higher limit for typical United States farm diesel fuels, according to specifications of the Cummins Engine Company. Mixture with 21% of the used frying olive oil shows at 40 degrees C this kinematic viscosity.
The first offshore wind farm in Sweden; Bockstigen, consists of five 500 kW stall controlled wind turbines on mono pile foundations. The main objectives of the technical evaluation are to verify the original design assumptions made for a load carrying mono pile and bedrock, investigate offshore power production versus onshore ditto as well as to determine park effects and analyse meteorological multi-mast statistics which serve as reference data to a newly developed computer code for offshore wind energy potential mapping. The 'main' measurement system has continuously been acquiring data at 1 and 20 Hz/channel since the summer of 1998. A 40 m meteorological mast was built within the wind farm in the summer of 1999 in order to acquire relatively undisturbed wind speed data from 'free' sectors as well as to enable wake measurements. The mono pile and tower of one of the turbines are equipped with strain gauges ...
Ecological investigations were made of habitats containing natural populations of the snail Oncomelania hupensis quadrasi and of habitats free from the snail in the island of Leyte,...Full Text Available
... The main goal was the analysis of the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis for the Czech Republic. A paper by Bruha and Scasny, accepted to the European Society of Ecological Economics, ( Lisbon June 2005), analyses driving forces (including economic policy) on ...
This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) is one of a series of reports concerning municipal development in various cities in Switzerland. The four city districts involved include Basel (Gundeldinger Feld), Lausanne (Bellevaux), Lucerne (Basel-/Bernstrasse) and Zurich (Werdwies). This paper takes a look at aspects of building ecology. In the four areas, the following building types and projects were examined with respect to their ecology: Basel: conversion of commercial premises to a community centre, Lausanne and Lucerne: Enhancement of residential areas, Zurich: a new residential building. Criteria examined include general building ecology, building materials, raw materials, toxic substances, recycling, maintenance and deconstruction, energy for heating and hot water, grey energy, electricity, ground usage, water, wastes and public infrastructure. Knowledge gained along with questions and problems ...
Although deep-sea cephalopods are key marine organims, their feeding ecology remains essentially unknown. Here, we report for the first time the trophic structure of an assemblage of these animals (19...Full Text Available
A previous report of high levels of members of the domain Archaea in Antarctic coastal waters prompted us to investigate the ecology of Antarctic planktonic prokaryotes. rRNA hybridization...Full Text Available
The scaling of reproductive parameters to body size is important for understanding ecological and evolutionary patterns. Here, we derived allometric relationships for the number and mass of seeds, eggs...Full Text Available
... verges of a two-lane highway in continuous Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata forest of south-western Australia. Midway during this ... Birds were recorded from the beginning of continuous Jarrah Eucalyptus marg...
[1] Independent data from the Gulf of Mexico are used to develop and test the hypothesis that the same sequence of physical and ecological events each year allows the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia...Full Text Available
... 12, 2007 | Rate It Distribution and Variety of Equatorial Rain Forest , The http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/rainfo.html (3 votes) an in depth examination of ecological patterns in rainforests from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Added: Mar. 17, 2001 ...
BackgroundLong-term vegetation changes in hyper-arid areas have long been neglected. Mortality, recruitment and change in populations of the ecologically and culturally important...Full Text Available
Pyrethroid insecticides have been extensively used in China and worldwide for public health pest control. Accurate resistance monitoring is essential to guide the rational use of insecticides and resistance...Full Text Available
Enteropathogenic bacteria was isolated from 131 of 447 (29.4%) neotropical Panamanian lizards belonging to 34 species of seven families. Overall, 147 strains of bacteria were isolated comprising 26...Full Text Available
Evolutionary biologists have long been fascinated by both the ways in which species respond to ecological conditions at the edges of their geographic ranges and the way that species' body sizes evolve...Full Text Available
By the time of primary 21st century, water hyacinth had become a serious environmental problem in China. Water hyacinth contributes to the major part of ecological hazards from the invasion of foreign...Full Text Available
• Background and Aims Although mangroves have been extensively studied, little is known about their ecological wood anatomy. This investigation examined the potential use of...Full Text Available
Sauropod dinosaurs, the dominant herbivores throughout the Jurassic, challenge general rules of large vertebrate herbivory. With body weights surpassing those of any other megaherbivore, they relied...Full Text Available
The effective population size (Ne) is an important parameter in ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation biology. It is, however, notoriously difficult to estimate,...Full Text Available
We investigated the effects of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge on the ecology of bacterial communities in the sediment of a small, low-gradient stream in South Australia. The quantification...Full Text Available
Air pollution abatement measures are not an end in themselves, and undesirable side effects should be taken into account. The proposed emission index takes into account the total emissions caused by a technical project as well as the effects of the individual pollutants.
Spatial abilities have been associated with many ecologically-relevant behaviors such as territoriality, mate choice, navigation and acquisition of food resources. Differential demands on spatial...Full Text Available
While pleiotropic adaptive mutations are thought to be central for evolution, little is known on the downstream molecular effects allowing adaptation to complex ecologically relevant environments. Here...Full Text Available
Despite their ecological and economical importance, fishes of the family Ariidae are still genetically and cytogenetically poorly studied. Among the 133 known species of ariids, only eight have been...Full Text Available
BackgroundComplex situations that follow war and natural disasters have a psychosocial impact on not only the individual but also on the family, community and society. Just as the...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe continued depletion of tropical rainforests and fragmentation of natural habitats has led to significant ecological changes which place most top carnivores under heavy...Full Text Available
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are obligate biotrophs, known to play an important role in ecological processes. Conventional light microscopy is the most common method used to detect their presence...Full Text Available
Background and AimsPlants from the family Lemnaceae are widely used in ecological engineering projects to purify wastewater and eutrophic water bodies. However, the biology of nutrient...Full Text Available
... relative suitability of areas for production of commercial timber was determined based on considerations of operability, proximity ... habitats, and an ecologically-based estimate of sustainable timber pr...
BackgroundThe order Tetraodontiformes consists of approximately 429 species of fishes in nine families. Members of the order exhibit striking morphological diversity and radiated...Full Text Available
by American scientists, ecosystems containing a greater number of plant species, produce more biomass.This result ...to meet the increasing demand for land for farmland planted with monocultures, buildings and roads.For ...have hypothesized that greater ecological diversity (diversity of plant and animal species) leads to a greater
The recent advances in RFID offer vast opportunities for research, development and innovation in agriculture. The aim of this paper is to give readers a comprehensive view of current applications and new possibilities, but also explain the limitations and challenges of this technology. RFID has been used for years in animal identification and tracking, being a common practice in many farms. Also it has been used in the food chain for traceability control. The implementation of sensors in tags, make possible to monitor the cold chain of perishable food products and the development of new applications in fields like environmental monitoring, irrigation, specialty crops and farm machinery. However, it is not all advantages. There are also challenges and limitations that should be faced in the...
The economic development of eastern Europe was associated during the last 15 years with the following average annual increases in energy consumption: Approximately 1% in the sectors industry, building and transport, almost 7% in the farming sector, approximately 3% in households, and nearly 4% in the municipal sector. This trend will not continue. As the economic system shifts from centrally planned to free economy and as the previously secluded economy is forced to face world market conditions as well as changed pars of exchange and conditions of payment, it not only experiences a transitory, sharp dip of economic growth in general but, in particular, drastic structural changes. - While there is to be expected, on the whole a slump in national economic growth, in tradiational branches of industry (e.g., metallurgy, the chemicals and textile industry) as well as in farming, such sectors as the service industry and small trade are expanding. ...
This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the results of a project that involves the building of a joint biogas plant serving 60 farmers and industrial companies with an annual processing capacity of 45,000 tons. The plant is to produce biogas to be fed into the gas mains and will not only reduce nutrient loading in a region with an extensive livestock industry but also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by using the gas as a motor fuel. The importance of the project with respect to both the environment and energy policy-making is discussed and the costs involved are examined. Details are presented on the technology used and on the material flows involved. Figures are quoted on energy production. The various biogenic substrates used, such as food wastes, waste oils, cereal wastes and used mushroom substrates, are discussed, as is the use of the solid and liquid outputs of the digester in farming activities.
Purpose The mangroves of New Caledonia, in the south Pacific, act as a buffer between a lagoon of more than 20,000?km2 and the island, which is characterized by ultramafic rocks and lateritic soils that are exploited for their richness in heavy metals. We will provide a better understanding of the redox conditions, and of heavy metal distributions in mangroves receiving shrimp farm effluents. Materials and methods Samples were collected from four areas defined in terms of vegetation composition: a salt flat, an Avicennia marina forest, in which effluents are released; a Rhizophora stylosa forest, and a dead Rhizophora forest. They were collected during times of maximum effluent release. Some measurements on pore water were also done during a period without effluent. Cores (70?cm deep) were...
The ATLAS High Level Trigger (HLT) is a distributed real-time software system that performs the final online selection of events produced during proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It is designed as a two-stage trigger and event filter running on a farm of commodity PC hardware. Currently the system consists of about 850 processing nodes and will be extended incrementally following the expected increase in luminosity of the LHC to about 2000 nodes. The event selection within the HLT applications is carried out by specialized reconstruction algorithms. The selection can be controlled via properties that are stored in a central database and are retrieved at the startup of the HLT processes, which then usually run continuously for many hours. To be able to respond to changes in the LHC beam conditions, it is essential that the algorithms can be re-configured without disrupting data taking while ensuring a consistent and reproducible ...
The Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, is the most important shrimp species in volume in world aquaculture. However, in recent decades, outbreaks of diseases, especially viral diseases, have led to significant economic losses, threatening the sustainability of shrimp farming worldwide. In 2004, Brazilian shrimp farming was seriously affected by a new disease caused by the Infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV). Thus, disease control based on rapid and sensitive pathogen detection methods has become a priority. In this study, a specific quantitation method for IMNV was developed using real-time PCR with SYBR Green chemistry and viral load of the principal target tissues of chronically infected animals was quantified. The quantitative analysis revealed that mean viral load ranged from ...
Abstract Development of inhibitors and vaccines that mitigate rumen-derived methane by targeting methanogens relies on knowledge of the methanogens present. We investigated the composition of archaeal communities in the rumens of farmed sheep (Ovis aries), cattle (Bos taurus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to generate fingerprints of archaeal 16S rRNA genes. The total archaeal communities were relatively constant across species and diets, and were less variable and less diverse than bacterial communities. There were diet- and ruminant-species-based differences in archaeal community structure, but the same dominant archaea were present in all rumens. These were members of three coherent clades: species related to Methanobrevibacter ruminan...
The feather has been widely used as a indicator tissue of metal exposure in birds. The feathers were collected from Tuskegee University poultry farm (TUPF) and Harrison Poultry farm (HPF) chicken and analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy for lead, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, and copper contaminations. The mean levels of lead, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, and copper in TUPF chicken were 3.67, 0.13, 12.23, 0.22, and 7.71 ppm, respectively, and in HPF chicken were 5.32, 0.096, 11.03, 0.15, and 8.06 ppm, respectively. The mean levels of these metals did not show any significant difference between TUPF and HPF chicken.
Measuring HPA axis activity is the standard approach to the study of stress and welfare in farm animals. Although the reference technique is the use of blood plasma to measure glucocorticoid hormones (cortisol or corticosterone), several alternative methods such as the measurement of corticosteroids in saliva, urine or faeces have been developed to overcome the stress induced by blood sampling itself. In chronic stress situations, as is frequently the case in studies about farm animal welfare, hormonal secretions are usually unchanged but dynamic testing allows the demonstration of functional changes at several levels of the system, including the sensitization of the adrenal cortex to ACTH and the resistance of the axis to feedback inhibition by corticosteroids (dexamethasone suppression t...
We show that the HACCP system is not fully applicable at the primary production level, and that food safety is obtained through the careful implementation of good hygiene practice (GHP) at the farm. Guides to GHP intended at primary productions cover one activity, such as cattle rearing or corn production. Yet most farms have more than one activity. Hazards from one activity can be transferred to another activity, and in general this is not considered in one-activity guides. There is a need therefore for farmers to be able to detect and control such transfers. We suggest a horizontal complement to the Guides to GHP that would consider only the application of the Step 6 and Principle 1 of the HACCP system amended as follows: ''List all potential hazards transferred from one activity to anot...
The role of natural enemies in the regulation of populations is one of the major questions facing population ecologists. Simplification have led to two theoretical ways of incorporating the role of natural enemies in single ecological models: diffusion models and patch-type models. The predictions of the models are different because of the way variability is incorporated. Three equations are presented for diffusion models and one for patch models. Since the two types of models apply at different combinations of spatial and temporal scales, the right model(s) to choose for a particular study requires careful assessment. A continuing dialogue between experimentalists and theoreticians will lead to a better understanding of natural systems such as those that occur in biological control.
This document gathers the available presentations (articles and transparencies) given at this annual meeting, the 2007 topic of which was the technological, geopolitical, economical, environmental, societal and development stakes of energy. 1 - technological stakes - which energies for the future: new energies, illusion or solution of the future; the Lorraine region, an energy land: strategies and stakes for a sustainable development; from China to Brazil: understanding the nuclear energy revival; hydroelectric power: renewable and sustainable energy; renewable energies and environment protection: the contribution of biofuels; wind power in Germany between success and contestation; 2 - geopolitical stakes - energy levier of power: the Gulf of Guinea hydrocarbons: between development and geopolitics; the complex evaluation of resources and reserves between technology, market and geopolitics; the new Bakou-Tbilissi-Ceyhan pipeline: what impacts for Turkey and the European Union; 3 - ...
The management of risks of explosives are described. Administrative and procedural controls are considered. The safety management plan involves hazard identification, risk analysis, assessment and control. The current position of explosives safety is considered. 4 tabs.
The publication presents an outline of the subject of energy management and attempts to test the hypotheses that targeted knowledge management may result in new developments and potentials, and if these are at all desirable. On this basis, a knowledge management system will be developed that may effectively promote developments and potentials in the field of energy management. The tools and fundamentals of energy management are looked into, and the given situation and desired goals are identified by means of an enquiry. This is a scientific study that aims at providing empirical information on the situation and views on the subject of energy management. The analysis, which is supported by an enquiry sheet, is to provide a basis for testing the assumed hypothesis. Further, the potential acceptance and utilization potential of decisive knowledge ...
To foster rural economic development and growth, Congress passed the Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program as Section 9006 of the 2002 Farm Bill. This program provides financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses to purchase renewable energy systems or make energy efficiency improvements. The Rural Business and Cooperative Services of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers this program. This conference poster provides an overview of Section 9006.
This paper shows and describes the actions and methodologies adopted in commercialization of rural electrification projects in Parana State, Brazil. The actions evaluated aims to feasible the techniques to farm owners provides them properties with electric power. 7 figs., 2 tabs., 1 ref.
Improved boundary conditions for the cultivation and utilization of renewable feedstocks in Europe as well as advances in the manufacture and use of intermediate products, special and fine chemicals, and new materials on this basis were the topics of a second symposium, organized this time by Hoechst AG, together with the federal ministry of food, agriculture and forestry, in Frankfurt-Hoechst on May 5th and 6th. With more than 300 attendants from the sectors politics, farming, industry, science and administration, the meeting again encountered great interest. (orig.).
The Waste Acceptance Preliminary Specifications (WAPS) require that the DWPF estimate the inventory of long-lived radionuclides present in the waste glass, and report the values in the Waste Form Qualification Report. In this report, conservative (biased high) estimates of the radionuclide inventory of glass produced from waste currently in the Tank Farm are provided. In most cases, these calculated values compare favorably with actual data. In those cases where the agreement is not good, the values reported here are conservative.
Broiler chickens from eight commercial farms in Southern Finland were analyzed for the structure of their gastrointestinal microbial community by a nonselective DNA-based method, percent G+C-based...Full Text Available
DescriptionThe switch from production-linked to environmental payments has focussed attention on the environmental impacts of farming. There is a growing awareness of the need to reduce the contamination of air with carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia and nitrogen gases (which contribute to the greenhouse effect) and to prevent the contamination of soil and water with excessive amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. As beef production moves to become more sustainable and fully integrated with the wide [continued...
Cattle and pig wastes, orange peels, compost, and grain husks were hydrolyzed in an alkaline medium to investigate the CH4 generation capacity. The respective CH4 production capacities from pig wastes and rice hulls were approximately 1 and approximately 0.1 L/g. The CH4 produced can be used to supplement energy requirements of farms.
This document, the Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID) Phase I Assessment Report for the subject facility, represents the results of an Administrative Assessment to determine whether S/RID requirements are fully addressed by existing policies, plans or procedures. It contains; compliance status, remedial actions, and an implementing manuals report linking S/RID elements to requirement source to implementing manual and section.
A nationwide surveillance for antimicrobial susceptibility in Escherichia coli strains isolated from food-producing animals in Japan was conducted from 1999 to 2002. Eighteen cefazolin-resistant...Full Text Available
In the paper, a potential of solar energy for drying of medicinal plants in Polish conditions is estimated and development of solar drying technologies is presented. The results of economic assessment of flat-plate solar collectors applied for drying of medicinal plants on a farm are promising. In some specific conditions, e.g. drying of wild grown medicinal plants in remote areas, even application of photovoltaic modules for driving of a fan of a solar dryer is a profitable option and enables easy control of the drying air temperature.
With the Government decision to phase out the Fast Reactor at Dounreay there is a need to find alternative employment in the area. Traditionally Caithness is an area of farming, fishing and tourism which could be damaged if Dounreay were to be made a nuclear waste repository. The suggestion is that Dounreay should become a centre for research, development and subsequent manufacture of renewable energy sources and devices to harness renewable energy. The Scottish coastline has potential for wind and wave power developments and this could lead to a whole industry in the future. (UK).
This work provides an overview of existing plants in Europe and describes the substrates being used. It focuses on the individual farm-scale and community plants, as these are the two main types now being built. It also describes plants currently under construction, especially in Germany and Denmark, where the major efforts are focused. A description of how the technique has developed over the past few years, its current state of development, the motivation and economic balance, and the substrate characteristics, is presented.
DescriptionAt present, measurement of rumen pH for differnt diets and feeding regimes is only possible through direct sampling of the rumen fluid. Such invasive procedures are not practical at the farm level and they have ethical implications for research programmes. This approach also has limitations to its reliability due to spatial variations in acidity within the rumen. Mathematical modelling offers a non-invasive real-time alternative for monitoring rumen pH, and the purpose of the research propose [continued...
This revision of the APT Waste Management Plan details the waste management requirements and issues specific to the APT plant for design considerations, construction, and operation. The APT Waste Management Plan is by its nature a living document and will be reviewed at least annually and revised as required.
Environmental Protection Agency Energy Management and Conservation Program ...Environmental Protection Agency Office of Administration and Resources Management 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (3101A) ...MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION 7 Energy Management Infrastructure 7 Senior Agency Official and Energy Team 7
OBJECTIVE: To examine primary care physicians' management of rheumatoid arthritis, ascertain the determinants of management and compare management with that recommended by a current practice panel....Full Text Available
Title: FY 2004 Energy Management and Conservation Program Annual Report ...Energy Management and Conservation Program ...Environmental Protection Agency Office of Administration and Resources Management 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (3101A)
Keywords: energy, management, conservation, program, fiscal, year, 2005, annual, ...S Environmental Protection Agency Energy Management and Conservation Program ...ENVIRONMENTAL P ROTECTION AGENCY Energy Management and Conservation Program Fiscal Year 2005 Annual Report
The purpose of this document is to describe the NIF Project Organization and the roles and responsibilities of the managers charged with executing the Project.
This document deals with energy management in buildings. It presents the conditions for a good implementation of energy management. These conditions include the total involvement of the management and the training of the staff. The structure of this implementation is presented together with the tools for an efficient energy management. Eventually, information on air quality and comfort in buildings is provided, as well as the management of complaints linked to them. (TEC). 1 tab.
This report is a compilation of worksheets from the waste management units of Savannah River Plant. Information is presented on the following: Solid Waste Management Units having received hazardous waste or hazardous constituents with a known release to the environment; Solid Waste Management Units having received hazardous waste or hazardous constituents with no known release to the environment; Solid Waste Management Units having received no hazardous waste or hazardous constituents; Waste Management Units having received source; and special nuclear, or byproduct material only.
The importance of radiation management for nuclear facilities including nuclear power plants has increased as the general public understanding has progressed, and necessary information for management must be processed exactly and quickly. In nuclear power plants, radiation management is performed by each individual operation, and collected information is managed by the system of each operation. The distributed-processing radiation management system has been developed aiming to use a general-purpose LAN and make quick and efficient use of information managed by individual operations. This paper describes the system configuration and functions. (author)
Coal exploitation inevitably damages the natural ecological environment through large scale underground exploitation which exhausts the surrounding areas and is the cause of surface subsidence and cracks. These types of damage seriously lower the underground water table. Deterioration of the environment has certainly an impact on and limits growth of vegetation, which is a very important indicator of a healthy ecological system. Dynamically monitoring vegetation growth under coal exploitation stress by remote sensing technology provides advantages such as large scale coverage, high accuracy and abundant information. A scatter plot was built by a TM (Thematic Mapper) infrared and red bands. A detailed analysis of the distributional characteristics of vegetation pixels has been carried out. ...
Diet overlap and niche breadth are well-known species traits from trophic ecology that can assist in explaining how species interact and coexist as well as the ecological mechanisms that influence biodiversity. In the present study, we analyzed the relationships between these trophic variables and indicators of resource availability with some attributes of fish assemblages (species richness, Shannon diversity index, evenness, density and individual body size). The physical and chemical characteristics of the biotopes (topography, water quality and conservation of slopes) were examined to identify possible patterns. Monthly sampling using electrofishing was conducted in 2003 along five streams located in the Cuiab? River watershed. The relationships between environmental variables and attri...
Krsko NPP plant life extension was analysed and evaluated with respect to system, economy and ecology viewpoints. From the system perspective it was established that also in the extended lifetime the plant will remain in operation as a base load electricity supplier. The systematic review was performed to determine its overall competitiveness against advanced coal, gas and new nuclear units. The analysis considered also hydro and renewable sources. Analysis and evaluations resulted in the conclusion that the Krsko NPP lifetime extension is the most effective alternative for base load production due to small additional capital investments, low fuel costs, no new siting requirements, lowest climate and environmental impact, and reliable and safe operation. (author)
The biota of the Mississippi River in an ecological recovery zone near Red Wing, MN was studied before and after start-up of a nuclear plant to acquire baseline data and to estimate changes due to thermal addition. Thermal addition produced significant decreases in primary production in a plant region during summer month periods when water temperatures were near 36C. Extensive fisheries studies and sonar tagging/tracking of S. vitreum were performed. Comparison of fisheries results with other riverine, lake, and pond studies indicated a favorable environment for the success of the fish species studied. Qualitative macroinvertebrate surveys were conducted.
Activities in British Columbia's Fraser Valley generate an estimated 3 million tones of agriculture and food wastes annually, of which 85 per cent are readily available for anaerobic digestion. The potential for energy generation from biogas through anaerobic digestion is approximately 30 MW. On-farm manure-based systems represent the most likely scenario for the development of anaerobic digestion in British Columbia in the near future. Off-farm food processing wastes may be an alternative option to large centralized industrial complexes. Odour control, pathogen reduction, improved water quality, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and reduced landfill usage are among the environmental benefits of anaerobic digestion. The economical benefits include power and heat generation, biogas upgrading, and further processing of the residues to produce compost or animal bedding. This paper described a newly developed anaerobic digestion (AD) ...
Most wind farms consist of horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) due to the high power coefficient (mechanical power output divided by the power of the free-stream air through the turbine cross-sectional area) of an isolated turbine. However when in close proximity to neighboring turbines, HAWTs suffer from a reduced power coefficient. In contrast, previous research on vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) suggests that closely spaced VAWTs may experience only small decreases (or even increases) in an individual turbine's power coefficient when placed in close proximity to neighbors, thus yielding much higher power outputs for a given area of land. A potential flow model of inter-VAWT interactions is developed to investigate the effect of changes in VAWT spatial arrangement on the array performance coefficient, which compares the expected average power coefficient of turbines in an array to a spatially isolated turbine. A geometric arrangement based on the ...
Concentrations of trace metals were determined in water, sediment, fish feed and two species of farmed fish, pompano and snapper, collected from Daya Bay and Hailing Bay of South China in July 2007 and January 2008. Total average concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Hg and As were 1.6, 2.7, 27.3, 0.025, 0.62, 0.18 and 0.59?g/gdrywt in pompano and 1.5, 2.6, 23.6, 0.020, 0.55, 0.22 and 0.53?g/gdrywt in snapper. In general, the concentrations of all target metals except Hg were positively correlated with lipid contents whereas negative correlations were observed between the metal concentrations and fish body weights. Model calculation indicated that dietary uptake of Zn and Cd predominate their accumulation in snapper, accounting for 99.9% and 98.2% of the total inputs. Risk ...
This report made for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) discusses the conception, planning and construction of an easy-to-operate pilot heating plant that uses chicken litter as its fuel. The plant, which is installed at a chicken farm in Boesingen, Switzerland, produces 250 - 350 kW and not only supplies heat for two chicken sheds and two households, but also provides energy for a drying plant in summer. The results of measurements made on emissions are discussed and, within the framework of an eco-balance analysis, comparisons are made between the direct use of the droppings as manure or as a fuel. The cost-effectiveness of the plant is examined and the influence of plant size and other factors discussed. Further, legal questions concerning the use of chicken litter as a fuel for heating installations are discussed; the use of the droppings as a fuel is not foreseen in the legislation concerning water protection and airborne emissions of pollutants. ...
Japan`s coke industry was developed as the basic part for iron and steel industry. The paper addresses two factors as a characteristic of Japan-unique management. One topic is operation management and equipment management of coke factory; the second topic is human resource training in a company that lies under each management. The concepts and actual methods of these topics are introduced by showing examples. The paper discusses the improvement of the working environment and measures for future employment caused by the aging problem in Japan. 5 figs.
DOE`s Office of Environmental Management (EM) is responsible for managing waste and cleaning up contamination at DOE sites across the United States. A substantial fraction of the work performed for EM includes sampling and analysis activities. This paper outlines the Sample Management Programs, achievements to date, and future directions.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Policy 450.4, Safety Management System Policy commits to institutionalizing an Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) throughout the DOE complex as a means of accomplishing its missions safely. DOE Acquisition Regulation 970.5204-2 requires that contractors manage and perform work in accordance with a documented safety management system.
The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management is the first legal instrument to directly address the safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste management on a global scale. The Joint Convention entered into force in 2001. This paper describes its process and its main achievements to date. The perspectives to establish of a Global Waste Safety Regime based on the Joint Convention are also discussed. (authors)
Following the executive summary, this document contains the following: (1) waste management facilities design objectives; (2) AVLIS production plant wastes; (3) waste management design criteria; (4) waste management plan description; and (5) waste management plan implementation. 17 figures, 18 tables.
The reduction of emission from power plants of the public power industry inevitably leads to more and more residual products being obtained which require utilization. Traditionally, the building and building materials industry as well as, for a number of years, the gypsum industry have been the main customers processing these residual materials. To avoid having to tip them at landfills that are in short supply already, further uses are sought; so, for instance, in farming to ameliorate soil and fertilize plants. Relative to this subject, proposals are already available which are presented as lectures at the conference and discussed, together with practical knowledge and new investigation results. (BBR).
Overhead, high power transmission lines have secured rights of way on agricultural lands in Minnesota. The economic impact of such utility crossings, including effects on land price, was investigated. Sale records and survey data were analyzed. Buyers, sellers, and brokers were interviewed concerning inconvenience, radio interference, appearance, and loss of irrigation possibilities due to the transmission lines. In nine affected sales, there was only one case in which less money was indicated for the farm because of the presence of a transmission line.
Overhead, high power transmission lines have secured rights of way on agricultural lands in Minnesota. The economic impact of such utility crossings, including effects on land price, was investigated. Sale records and survey data were analyzed. Buyers, sellers, and brokers were interviewed concerning inconvenience, radio interference, appearance, and loss of irrigation possibilities due to the transmission lines. In nine affected sales, there was only one case in which less money was indicated for the farm because of the presence of a transmission line.
The Waste Acceptance Preliminary Specifications (WAPS) require that the DWPF estimate the inventory of long-lived radionuclides present in the waste glass, and report the values in the Waste Form Qualification Report. In this report, conservative (biased high) estimates of the radionuclide inventory of glass produced from waste currently in the Tank Farm are provided. In most cases, these calculated values compare favorably with actual data. In those cases where the agreement is not good, the values reported here are conservative.
... Poultry Production | Ag 101 | Agriculture | US EPA Ag 101 provides a brief overview of poultry production in the U.S.... Poultry Production Jump to main content. Ag 101 Contact Us Search: All EPA This Area You are here: EPA Home Agriculture ...Ag 101 Poultry Production Poultry Production Poultry production is an important and diverse component of American agriculture. Poultry products including eggs, chicken and turkey meat are ... In 1997, nearly 99,700 farms were producing poultry and poultry products (egg, broiler, and turkey; NASS/USDA). While broiler chicken ...
A study was conducted to examine the energy consumption in existing and new hog farming facilities and to analyse the potential for increased natural gas use in the Saskatchewan hog industry. Existing heating/cooling, ventilation and feed mill equipment choices offer possibilities for running on electricity, natural gas or propane. Energy costs are lowest when natural gas is used. To put the study in context, an overview of the Saskatchewan hog industry was provided. The potential increase in natural gas use in hog production by year 2005 was estimated. 10 refs., 6 tabs., 8 figs.
This article outlines the use of gasifiers during World War II and how, with soaring fuel prices, producer gas may provide an alternate energy path for agribusiness and farms today. In the last few years, the University of California has become a focus of producer gas research in the US. Biomass fuels used include crushed walnut shells, fruit pits, cereal straw and corn cobs. Particle size, moisture content and slagging create problems and the right kind of gas producer must be used to obtain reliable conversion to producer gas.
Fluidized bed technology was experimentally evaluated for the combustion and gasification of cotton gin waste. The isothermal bed temperatures in the reactors could be maintained below the ash fusion point of the waste. Raw stripper harvested cotton gin trash could be metered directly into the fluidized-bed reactors indicating that little feed preparation is required. H and CO were the primary products of gasification, and approximately 3200-400 Btu of gas were produced per lb of cotton gin waste. These techniques offer the potential of providing small-scale energy conversion systems for use on farms.
In this article the results of a study on sustainability of energy crops are discussed. Contribution to the reduction of the greenhouse effect and other environmental effects were investigated for the Netherlands. The study assumed that energy crops are grown on set-aside land or grain land. Generating electricity and/or heat from hemp, reed, miscanthus, poplar and willow show the best prospects. These crops are sustainable and may in the future be economically feasible. Ethanol from winter wheat shows the most favourable environmental effects, but is not economically efficient. Liquid fuels from oil seed rape and sugar beet are not very sustainable. 2 tabs., 4 refs.
In this short communication, we discuss the energy consumption trends in the Malaysian road transport sector, with a special emphasis on the energy losses due to vehicle aerodynamic drag on highways. The recent trends of energy consumption in the Malaysian road transport sector are reviewed. It is evidently shown that the aerodynamic losses represented exceed 1.2MTOE annually since 2002. A novel concept of vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) farms for harvesting aerodynamic energy losses on Malaysian highways is preliminarily proposed. The novel concept aims at providing a sustainable and green energy source for the lighting of the highway network in the country.
... Another solution, hybrid vehicles, combine two sources of energy (electric and chemical), reducing the global consumption of fossil fuels. Fuel cell vehicles are also one of the most promising technologies for the future, with the capacity to use any fuel - hydrogen being the ideal fuel ecologically, but constrained by infrastructure and storage issues. This book explores all these different solutions for moving our vehicles from fossil ...
DescriptionThis cross-disciplinary project will combine chemical, ecological and modelling techniques to determine whether cabbages grown under an organic regime differ in terms of pest dynamics and plant chemistry. There is increasing pressure to de-intensify agricultural practice and organic approaches are becoming more popular and widely adopted. However, there are very few, if any, detailed scientific investigations into the claims made about improved pest control, reduced environmental impact and be [continued...
This paper introduces in detail the compression performance of biogas, the application of compressed biogas to the compression-ignition engine and the possibility as well as the necessity of using compressed biogas. Moreover, the paper also goes further into some problems about the power increasing, efficiency raising and their social, economic and ecological beneficial results, when the compressed biogas is used in the compression ignition-dual fuel engine.
Highlights of the meeting are briefly summarized in this paper. Most of the papers presented at the meeting dealt with remediation and pollution prevention practices. A major focus of the technical sessions was on the identification of pollution sources. Identification of exposures to specific chemicals with disease outcomes was also discussed. Other papers focused on ecological exposures and their effects on wildlife to identify the presence of contaminants. 4 refs.
BackgroundThere are several known factors that cause ischemic heart disease. However, the part played by air pollution still remains something of a mystery. Recent attention has...Full Text Available
...Assemblages of plants and invertebrate animals of tumulus (organic mound) springs of the Swan Coastal Plain Assemblages of plants and invertebrate animals of tumulus ...organic mound) springs of the Swan Coastal Plain [Skip navigation links] About us | Contact us | Publications |...ecological communities Assemblages of plants and invertebrate animals of tumulus (organic mound) springs of the Swan Coastal Plain Advice to the Minister for the ...of the 'Assemblages of plants and invertebrate animals of tumulus (organic mound) springs of the Swan Coastal Plain' community sufficient to distinguish it from ...
This statement summarizes Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory`s committment to making important scientific, technological, and business contributions to global sustainability. The quest has many aspects, some socio-political or economic and some technological, and some in which the soft and hard sciences become indistinguishable, as in visionary national strategies, like Holland`s, and futuristic regional and city development plans, like those of Kagoshima and Chattanooga.
Atrazine (ATR) has been widely applied in the US and Mid Western states. Recently, public health and ecological concerns have been raised about contamination of surface and ground water by ATR and its chlorinated metabolites, due to their toxicity and potential carcinogenic or endocrinology effects....
A short synopsis of each project is given covering the following main areas of research and development: Atmospheric sciences; Biotechnology; Chemical and instrumentation analysis; Computer and information science; Design and manufacture engineering; Ecological science; Electronics and sensors; Experimental technology; Health protection and dosimetry; Hydrologic and geologic science; Marine sciences; Materials science; Nuclear science and engineering; Process science and engineering; Sociotechnical systems analysis; Statistics and applied mathematics; and Thermal and energy systems.
After the introduction Chapter 2 presents details of the ecological-economic analysis based on the FAO/IIASA agro-ecological zones (AEZ) approach for evaluation of biophysical limitations and agricultural production potentials, and IIASA's Basic Linked System (BLS) for analyzing the world's food economy and trade system. The BLS is a global general equilibrium model system for analyzing agricultural policies and food system prospects in an international setting. BLS views national agricultural systems as embedded in national economies, which interact with each other through trade at the international level. The combination of AEZ and BLS provides an integrated ecological-economic framework for the assessment of the impact of climate change. We consider climate scenarios based on experiments with four General Circulation Models (GCM), and we assess the four basic socioeconomic development pathways and ...
DescriptionCEH - Quest CCMAP see http://quest.bris.ac.uk/research/themes/CCMAP.html CCMAP (Climate-carbon modelling, assimilation and prediction) Leader: Dr. Eleanor Blyth (CEH, Wallingford) Overview and Goals CCMAP is one of QUEST's Theme 1 projects and is about to be commissioned to the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at Wallingford. The Principal Investigator will be Dr. Eleanor Blyth, with subcontracts to the Universities of Bristol (Dr. Wolfgang Knorr, Earth Sciences and QUEST; Andy Ridgw [continued...
References covering the years 1904-80 are listed under the following headings: cultivation and occurrence (India and Pakistan, Africa, South America, Pacific, Middle East); Taxonomy, morphology, variation and selection; Reference works and reviews; Ecology of Prosopis (General effects on surrounding soil and vegetation): Physiology (General, Roots, Growth, Hydrology, Saline tolerance); Control of mesquite: Propagation (Germination and other nursery techniques, Vegetative propagation): and Utilization (General, Chemical analyses, Food and Ethnobiology, Fodder, Wood, Charcoal, Gum, Paper). 141 references.
Transport and deposition of atmospheric lead over the coastal zone of Northern Germany are investigated. It is shown that marked differences in the impact of the ecologically valuable wadden sea areas can occur between summer and winter time. Due to the formation of sea breeze systems in summer the coastal zone is likely to be less stressed than in winter when the pollutant is confined to a shallow layer above ground. (orig.) 10 refs.
Leakage after oesophageal anastomosis or perforation remains a challenge for the surgeon. Traditional management has been operative repair or intensive conservative management. Both treatments are...Full Text Available
This book chapter discusses sugarcane culture and history, describes arthropod biologies and injury, and identifies sugarcane pest management factors to consider for people interested in commercial sugarcane production. Arthropod groups include 10 orders and 40 families. Sugarcane pest management ...
... POSITION VACANT: Program Manager (Advance Materials and Manufacturing), AD-340-4. Salary ranges from ... POTENTIAL: Program Manager (Advanced Materials and Manufacturing), AD-340-4. LOCATION: Directorate ...
Over the past 10 years, the original partnership of clinician and statistician for the running of clinical research projects, especially clinical trials, has come to be supplemented by the data manager...Full Text Available
The scope of our problems with nuclear waste management is outlined. Present and future inventories of nuclear wastes are assessed for risk. A discussion of what is presently being done to solve waste management problems and what might be done in the future are presented. (DC)
BackgroundResearch has shown that the long term management of food allergy is suboptimal. Our study aims to provide direction for improvement, by evaluating food allergy management...Full Text Available
The DOE strategy recognizes that public perception of low-level waste management practices is not positive. Actions are included that are aimed at opening the system to the public. A better informed public will be able to better assess the performance of the low-level waste management system.
The Waste Management Project manages and integrates (non-TWRS) waste management activities at the site. Activities include management of Hanford wastes as well as waste transferred to Hanford from other DOE, Department of Defense, or other facilities. This work includes handling, treatment, storage, and disposal of radioactive, nonradioactive, hazardous, and mixed solid and liquid wastes. Major Waste Management Projects are the Solid Waste Project, Liquid Effluents Project, and Analytical Services. Existing facilities (e.g., grout vaults and canyons) shall be evaluated for reuse for these purposes to the maximum extent possible.
The primary purpose of the Waste Management Program Plan is to provide an annual report of how Waste Management's operations are conducted, what facilities are being used to manage wastes, what forces are acting to change current waste management systems, and what plans are in store for the coming fiscal year. In addition, this document projects activities for several years beyond the coming fiscal year in order to adequately plan for safe handling, storage, and disposal of radioactive wastes generated at the Savannah River Site and for developing technology for improved management of wastes. In this document, work descriptions and milestone schedules are current as of December 1991.
The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate that it makes good business sense to identify risks and hazards of an operation and take appropriate steps to manage them effectively. Developing and implementing an effective risk and hazard management plan also contibutes to other industry requirements and standards. Development of a risk management system, key elements of a risk management plan, and hazards and risk analysis methods are outlined. Comparing potential risk to the cost of prevention is also discussed. It is estimated that the cost of developing and preparing the first risk management plan varies between $50,000 to $200,000. 3 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.
This Waste Management Plan functions as a management and planning tool for managing waste streams generated as a result of operations at the Idaho CERCLA Disposal Facility (ICDF) Complex. The waste management activities described in this plan support the selected remedy presented in the Waste Area Group 3, Operable Unit 3-13 Final Record of Decision for the operation of the Idaho CERCLA Disposal Facility Complex. This plan identifies the types of waste that are anticipated during operations at the Idaho CERCLA Disposal Facility Complex. In addition, this plan presents management strategies and disposition for these anticipated waste streams.
Westinghouse Electric Corporation is aggressively applying cost-time management to bolster timely, cost-effective cleanup and waste management activities at sites it manages for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Cost-time management is a diagnostic technique which is applicable to virtually any process. It identifies opportunities to reduce cycle-times and costs. When applied to cleanup and waste management at DOE facilities, cost-time profile analysis helps identify actions to improve productivity and quality. Moreover, by reducing cycle-times and costs, it achieves significant savings to taxpayers. (author)
This report is intended to satisfy two concurrent needs: (1) provide a contract deliverable from Oncorh Consulting to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), with emphasis on identification of salient results of value to ongoing Yakima/Klickitat Fisheries Project (YKFP) planning and (2) summarize results of research that have broader scientific relevance. This is the fourth in a series of reports that address reproductive ecological research and monitoring of spring chinook populations in the Yakima River basin. This annual report summarizes data collected between April 1, 2004 and March 31, 2005 and includes analyses of historical baseline data, as well. Supplementation success in the Yakima Klickitat Fishery Project's (YKFP) spring chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) program is defined as increasing natural production and harvest opportunities, while keeping adverse ecological interactions and genetic impacts within ...
... of waste food generated at McMurdo Station. Some of the difficulties of disposing of waste food ... change waste generation or management at the site? Yes. This will be a temporary waste management ...
AbstractObjective: This study examined the effectiveness of a telephone-based referral-care management (TBR-CM) intervention on psychiatric health...Full Text Available
Objectives: To evaluate the training of pharmacists in Accra, Ghana, in the syndromic management of STIs. Methods: We randomly selected 50 pharmacy outlets that had...Full Text Available
The Directive establishes a single manager for the Department of Defense Military Working Dog Program, provides policy, prescribes procedures, and assigns responsibilities.
In the last two decades rectal cancer has changed from a surgically managed disease into a multidisciplinary treatment model resulting in considerable improvements in the survival and outcome. This...Full Text Available
This guide is intended to provide the necessary guidance to successfully manage the NAVMED Navy Occupational Health Information Management System (NOHIMS) at NAVMED sites and the NAVSEA Occupational Safety and Health Record Keeping System (OSHRKS) at NAVSEA sites. Outlines procedures to manage system operations, procedures to resolve hardware, software and communications problems, and procedures outside the realm of system operations that are required for a successful system. This guide is intended for the System and Functional Managers use. The System Manager is the individual designated to provide overall ADP management to the entire local configuration. Usually responsible for file backup, daily operations of the CPU, security, supplies, equipment, operating software and technical ADP guidance to the local functional users.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare cholestatic liver disease with major morbidity and mortality. Therapeutic management is difficult, due to lack of conclusive data and individual disease...Full Text Available
Background: Contamination of autologous grafts unfortunately occurs in plastic surgery, but the literature provides no guidance for management of such incidents. Methods: American...Full Text Available
Background. The coexistence of neoplasm and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) presents a real management challenge. This paper reviews the literature on the prevalence, diagnosis,...Full Text Available
... Advances in Complex Systems ( ACS) 413 (413) 2001-2011 Springer Advances in Data Analysis and Classification 59 (59) 2008-2011 Advances in Management Advances In Management ...
... In this manner, a JBI-enabled COI would have the full suite of JBI information management capabilities, but would still be based on and have full ...
The purpose of this report is to provide management with performance data on key performance indicators selected from the FFTF Early Warning System performance indicators.
The organizational structure of medical record departments in Iran is not appropriate for the efficient management of healthcare information. In addition, there is no strong information management division...Full Text Available
A set of computer programs is described which constitutes a clone database management system. Maintenance of the database and the stocks of material is designed to be under the control of one person...Full Text Available
... MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTES (MANAGEMENT AND HANDLING) RULES, 2000 Plastic Bag ban in Dhaka City, Bangladesh Private Sector Participation in Municipal Solid Waste Management SKAT 2000 TECHNICAL GUIDELINES ON MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT Hazardous Waste Management Unit, Environmental Pollution Control Division, Central Environmental Authority, Sri Lanka 2004 Subregional ...
'Small radioactive source results in big accident' have occurred repeatedly in China and worldwide alike. Radioactive source management is one of the key activities for a nuclear power plant to maintain its good safety record and image to the public. From aspects of establishing the management system, centralized storage, periodic accounting, performing whole process control to the source usage and experience feedback etc., the author reports the practice and experience of radioactive source management in Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant
This Radioactive and Mixed Waste Management Plan for the Hazardous Waste Handling Facility at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory is written to meet the requirements for an annual report of radioactive and mixed waste management activities outlined in DOE Order 5820.2A. Radioactive and mixed waste management activities during FY 1994 listed here include principal regulatory and environmental issues and the degree to which planned activities were accomplished.
The philosophy of work management in radiation protection puts emphasis on the following up and management of overall process from work selection, planning, preparation, implementation till experience feedback, and overall optimization of production and safety management. This paper reports practices and experiences of Daya Bay nuclear power plant in the implementation of the philosophy during operational radiation protection through the practical examples
The complex aspects of high energy physics work are briefly described, and approaches to managing them are discussed. Management of software and data are covered. For managing complexity in experimental physics, the choice of building or buying processor systems is addressed and the issues of compatibility and standardization are discussed. (LEW)
Purpose - This paper aims to explore the links between revenue management and business-to-business (B2B) relationships and explains how revenue management can both support and damage B2B relationships. Design/methodology/approach - A single case study method was employed to conduct qualitative research into a company and its key accounts. In-depth data were collected from three divergent sources (company revenue managers, company account managers and nine of the company's key accounts) through semi-structured interviews, observations and document studies. Findings - The research findings reveal that from the company's perspective, managers acknowledge that revenue management has positively influenced the process of identifying and analysing key account activities and conducting contractual...
Waste is a cost of doing business. This cost can be considered in terms of the potential adverse health and environmental impacts, or the waste management costs associated with avoiding, minimizing, and controlling those impacts. There is an anticipated increase in the cost of waste management as a result of the increasing requirements for regulatory compliance. To meet the total waste management capacity needs of the organization and the compliance requirements, low-level radioactive, hazardous, and mixed waste management will need demonstrated technologies strategically managed as a technology portfolio. The role of the decision maker is to select the optimum mix of technologies and facilities to provide the waste management capacity needed for the next twenty years. The waste management system resulting from this mix includes multiple ...
Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to draw together the salient issues surrounding customer loyalty and customer relationship management (CRM) into a single coherent discussion. Various schools of academic thought are examined. The paper concludes with practical implications for managers. Design/methodology/approach - The literature surrounding customer loyalty, customer satisfaction, effective CRM and managing loyalty in a profitable manner are all reviewed. The paper allows managers to consider a wide range of material in the context of their business. Findings - The need for businesses to retain customers is an important issue in today's global marketplace. To retain customers, a business must forge loyal and long-term relationships with profitable customers. Reasons why customers le...
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is committed to providing high quality products that satisfy customer needs and are the associated with this goal, DOE personnel must possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to ensure successful job performance. In addition, there must be recognition that the greatest obstacle to proper project performance is inadequate project definition. Without strong project definition, DOE environmental management efforts are vulnerable to fragmented solutions, duplication of effort, and wastes resources. The primary means of ensuring environmental management projects meet cost and schedule milestones is through a structured and graded approach to project definition, which is the focus of this handbook.
Project management mode plays a key role in project construction, especially in nuclear power field. From the aspects of right, responsibility and benefit, this paper discussed the differences among the common used project management modes. Also the main kinds of the construction management modes used in China's nuclear power plants were summarized. At last, considering the experience of Ningde nuclear power plant, this paper put forward several perspectives about the selection of project management mode in nuclear power plant construction. (authors)
The purpose of-this planning guide is to present the process used to identify, document, and control PFP Stabilization and Deactivation Project interfaces. Revisions to this document will include, as attachments, the most recent version of the Project Interface Management List. A preliminary Interface Management List is included in Appendix A. This document is intended be a Project owned management tool. As such, this document will periodically require revisions resulting from improvements of the information, processes, and techniques as now described. For most revisions that suggest improved processes, PFP management approval is all that will be required.
The demand for energy management in teaching packages of Higher Vocational schools in the Netherlands and the possibilities to implement energy management into the different sectors of this school type have been investigated. The results are based on interviews with representative of the above-mentioned school types. Recommendations are made for a follow-up of this investigation in order to set up an energy management teaching module. 1 tab., 1 appendix
Species interactions research and monitoring was initiated in 1989 to investigate ecological interactions among fish in response to proposed supplementation of salmon and steelhead in the upper Yakima River basin. This is the eighth of a series of progress reports that address species interactions research and pre-supplementation monitoring of fishes in the Yakima River basin. Data have been collected prior to supplementation to characterize the ecology and demographics of non-target taxa (NTT) and target taxon, and develop methods to monitor interactions and supplementation success. Major topics of this report are associated with implementing NTT monitoring prescriptions for detecting potential impacts of hatchery supplementation, hatchery fish interactions, and monitoring fish predation indices. This report is organized into four chapters, with a general introduction preceding the first chapter. This annual report summarizes data collected ...
This is the annual report of the Radiological and Environmental Division of the Argonne National Laboratory for 1982. Studies of the effects of ozone on crop growth and yield have been carried out by the Terrestrial Ecology Group for winter wheat and for sorghum. The Microcosms for Acid Rain Studies (MARS) facility was completed in the early summer. Controlled investigations of plant and soil responses in acid rain were initiated with crop plants grown in two different midwestern soil types. The Transuranics Group has found that the solubility and adsorptive behavior of plutonium previously observed at fallout concentrations in natural waters (approx. 10/sup -16/ to 10/sup -18/ M) is applicable at plutonium concentrations as high as 10/sup -8/ M. The Lake Michigan eutrophication model has been adapted to operation in a Monte Carlo mode. Simulations based on yearly phosphorus loadings and winter conditions were selected at random from prescribed probability ...
The Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) has historically released radionuclide chemicals of potential concern into the surrounding environment. The off-site environment was evaluated for Pu"2"3"9"/"2"4"0 and Am"2"4"1 occurrence. An evaluation of exposure and effects to the aquatic ecology within off-site areas including: Standley Lake, Great Western Reservoir, Mower Reservoir and portions of Big Dry Creek, Walnut Creek, and Woman Creek was performed for the completion of an Ecological Risk Assessment. Collocated sampling activities were performed for surface water, sediment, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. Results of the analytical data were used to assess ongoing exposure and effects. Data collected to determine effects (chemical content of fish tissue, diversity and density of macroinvertebrate populations) provided some of the necessary information needed to evaluate risk. However, due to conditions of interfering stressor ...
The K Reactor at the Savannah River Site (SRS) shut-down in spring 1988 for maintenance and safety upgrades. Since that time the receiving stream for thermal effluent, Indian Grave Branch and Pen Branch, have undergone a pattern of post-thermal recovery that is typical of other SRS streams following removal of thermal stress. Divesity of fish and aquatic macroinvertebrate communities has increased and available habitats have been colonized by numerous species of herbaceous and woody plants. K Reactor is scheduled to resume operation in 1991 and operate through 1992 without a cooling tower to cool the discharge. It is likely that the reactor will operate at approximately one-third to one-half of full power (800--1200 MW thermal) during this period and effluent temperatures will be substantially lower than earlier operation at full power. Monthly average discharge temperatures at half-power operation will range from approximately 42 degrees C in winter to 49 degrees C in summer. The ...
Childhood anxiety is impairing and associated with later emotional disorders. Studying risk factors for child anxiety may allow earlier identification of at-risk children for prevention efforts. This study applied an ecological risk model to address how early childhood anxiety symptoms, child temperament, maternal anxiety and depression symptoms, violence exposure, and sociodemographic risk factors predict school-aged anxiety symptoms. This longitudinal, prospective study was conducted in a representative birth cohort (n = 1109). Structural equation modeling was used to examine hypothesized associations between risk factors measured in toddlerhood/preschool (age = 3.0 years) and anxiety symptoms measured in kindergarten (age = 6.0 years) and second grade (age = 8.0 years). Early child risk factors (anxiety symptoms and temperament) emerged as the most robust predictor for both parent-and child-reported anxiety outcomes and mediated the effects of maternal and ...
The atmosphere and the biosphere are inherently coupled to one another. Atmospheric surface state variables such as temperature, winds, water vapor, precipitation, and radiation control biophysical, biogeochemical, and ecological processes at the surface and subsurface. At the same time, surface fluxes of momentum, moisture, heat, and trace gases act as time-dependent boundary conditions providing feedback on atmospheric processes. To understand such phenomena, a coupled set of interactive models is required. Costs are still prohibitive for computing surface/subsurface fluxes directly for medium-resolution atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs), but a technique has been developed for testing large-scale homogeneity and accessing surface parameterizations and models to reduce this computational cost and maintain accuracy. This modeling system potentially bridges the observed spatial and temporal ranges yet allows the incorporation of necessary details about ...
The purpose of this assessment is to develop a versatile process that will provide a mechanism for evaluating both present and future risks to this environment. Much of the regulatory and environmental interest in the port has centered around a Ballast Water Treatment facility that treats and discharges up to 30 mgd of oily ballast water brought in by crude oil tankers. However, six point discharges and other potential sources of pollution exist in the area. The authors have delineated eleven subareas in the port in order to identify the potential anthropogenic stressors, as well as the receptors that could be exposed to these stressors. Potential effects were then characterized for each exposure. Each component is ranked and integrated, resulting in a relative risk estimate in each subarea. Both the discernible risks, based on available data, and the data gaps are presented. Uncertainty is expressed as a range of high and low risk associated with each component. Results of the ranking ...
This article discusses the proper use of sandy land in China from the viewpoint of ecology. The many low-yield fields in every locality across China include sandy land that is unsuited to the cultivation of grains such as paddy rice, corn and wheat. Separate investigations of the northern plain and the southern coast between 1980 and 1982 demonstrated that sandy land in a warm climatic zone (e.g. Huang He) is suited to peanuts, soybeans and other oil-bearing crops; that forestation can be carried out on sandy land in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang; and that coastal sandy land has much salinity and is best suited to growing horsetail beefwood. Moreover, the creation of windbreaks along the coasts of southern China has lessened the threat of wind-blown sand which had made rice not worth cultivating on sandy land. It is concluded that different crops can be grown on the sandy soil of China's temperate, warm, semitropical and tropical zones.
Malformations in farmed fish are a prime research topic as it has a major impact on fish welfare and on the economical value of the product. In this study, the genetic component of spine deformities was estimated in European sea bass, a major species of Mediterranean aquaculture, with the use of a posteriori reconstruction of pedigree with microsatellites. Our population exhibited a very high malformation rate (81%), probably due to intense swimming of fish during pre-growing. The heritability of global spine deformities was evaluated to be 0.21?0.04 on the underlying scale (0.33?0.06 for lordosis, 0.13?0.04 for scoliosis). Deformities scored by an internal or external examination turned out to be genetically the same trait (genetic correlations>0.9), although phenotypic correlations were ...
Biofuels may contribute to both rural economic development and climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Gota Verde Project in Yoro, Honduras, attempts to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of small-scale biofuel production for local use by implementing a distinctive approach to feedstock production that encourages small farm sizes, mixed cropping of biofuel feedstock from Jatropha and food crops, particularly corn and beans, grown side by side on the same farmland and the total involvement of small rural farmers. But is the project sustainable? Using EC-Assess, the Earth Charter ethics-based assessment tool, to assess the sustainability of this project, the author found that in some assessment categories the actions surpassed the intended objectives, showing that the project was achieving certain Earth Charter goals without specifically stating its intention to address them. (Contains 3 images, 3 figures and 2 notes.)
Two days of hearings on Titles V and X of the Water Resources Development Act of 1983 brought comments from representatives of several states, farm and transport industries, environmental groups, and concerned taxpayers. Title V requires the collection of new funds from users beyond a ceiling set for annual spending on water projects, while Title X proposes a cost-sharing partnership for certain navigation projects. Witnesses were requested to confine their comments to constructive alternatives to the proposed legislation. Additional material on the deep river study and statements submitted for the record follow the testimony of 28 witnesses.
In this report, research and development results on the bituminization of radioactive wastes are closely reviewed, especially those regarding waste treatment technologies, waste solidifying procedures and the characteristics of asphalt and solidified forms. A new concept of the bituminization method is suggested in this report which can improve the characteristics of solidified forms. Stable solid forms with high leach resistance, high thermal resistance and good compression strength were produced by the suggested bituminization method, in which spent polyethylene from agricultural farms was added. This report can help further research and development of improved bituminized forms of radioactive wastes that will maintain long term stabilities in disposal sites. (author). 59 refs., 19 tabs., 18 figs
In this paper the simulation of hybrid processes containing membrane units will be discussed. For this purpose a user-defined module for simulation and design of membrane processes was implemented into the simulation program AspenPlus. The advantages can be summarized as follows: - any combination of membrane processes with all other units already implemented in AspenPlus is possible, including internal recycle streams, - utilization of the physical property models and data bases of AspenPlus is possible, - cost and sensitivity analysis can be performed. These benefits are demonstrated in detail for a membrane vapor recovery unit for the treatment of tank farm off-gas, for a two-stage reverse osmosis plant for organic/-organic separations and for a combination of distillation and pervaporation for the separation of a dimethylcarbonate/methanol mixture. (orig.)
Samples of two seawater farmed fish (crimson snapper (Lutjanus erythopterus) and snubnose pompano (Trachinotus blochii)), water, air, sediment, fish feed, macroalgae and phytoplankton were collected from two estuarine bays (Daya Bay and Hailing Bay) in South China. The concentrations of persistent halogenated compounds (PHCs) including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) varied widely with the different sample matrices under investigation. The compositional patterns in fish, fish feed, macroalgae and phytoplankton, as well as the good correlations between the abundances of p,pprime-DDT and BDE-209 and their metabolites (i.e., p,pprime-DDD and p,pprime-DDE for p,pprime-DDT and BDE-47 for BDE-209) in fish indicated the occurr...
This engineering report compiles information on types and quantities of liquid waste discharged from B-Plant directly to cribs, ditches, reverse wells, etc., that are associated with B-Plant. Waste discharges to these cribs via overflow form 241-B, 241-BX, and 241-BY tank farms, and waste discharged to these cribs from sources other than B-Plant are discussed.Discharges from B-Plant to other cribs, unplanned releases, or waste remaining in tanks are not included in the report. Waste stream composition information is used to predict quantities of individual chemicals sent to cribs. This provides an accurate mass balance of waste streams from B-Plant to these cribs. These predictions are compared with known crib inventories as a verification of the process.
Mycoplasma infections of small ruminants are known to exist in the Mediterranean region, Asia, Africa and cause significant economic impacts but little is known of the Mycoplasma spp. in sheep and goats in the Middle East. During the period of 2002-2003, 104 flocks of local sheep and goats (17 sheep, 27 goat and 60 mixed flocks) were surveyed for the occurrence of mycoplasma infections in Northern Jordan. The clinical signs seen in the studied flocks were, to varying degrees, mastitis in sheep and goats, arthritis, mainly in kids, and pneumonia in both sheep and goats of most age groups. Small ruminant farms were sampled and pooled milk samples and nasal swabs were collected for culture and isolation of mycoplasma. Mycoplasmas were isolated from 17 (26%) of the 62 milk samples and 12 (3.9%...
An investigation of current dual-fuel natural gas/diesel engine design, performance, and emissions was conducted. The most pressing technological problems associated with dual-fuel engine use were identified along with potential solutions. It was concluded that dual-fuel engines can achieve low NOx and particulate emissions while retaining fuel-efficiency and BMEP levels comparable to those of diesel engines. The investigation also examined the potential economic impact of dual-fuel engines in diesel-electric locomotives, marine vessels, farm equipment, construction, mining, and industrial equipment, and stand-alone electricity generation systems. Recommendations for further additional funding to support research, development, and demonstration in these applications were then presented.
This study reported on the performance of a passive solar radiant floor heating system designed for standard energy-saving farmhouses in northeast China. Weather data in the region was analyzed in terms of solar radiation, temperature, humidity and light levels. The heating characteristics of the building materials such as windows, doors, walls and roofs were also analyzed along with the indoor thermal environment of the farmhouse. The heating load was then calculated along with the size of the thermal storage element and the area of the collector element. The passive solar radiant floor heating system was designed for heating during the winter and cooling in summer. According to the results, the heating characteristics of the system have the potential to improve farming villages environment and the use of renewable energy.
Phreatic groundwater pumping is affecting water availability for crops in areas with a shallow water table. This can reduce crop growth and so affect farm income. There is a need for a generic and transparent method to assess the agricultural damage caused by water table drawdown. This paper proposes such a method that consists of 'damage tables' relating agricultural production losses to the groundwater regime for different soil/crop combinations found in Northern Belgium. The damage tables are constructed based on numerous simulations with the agrohydrological model SWAP, in which the bottom boundary conditions are gradually changed to reflect different groundwater regimes. The credibility of the resulting metamodel is assessed in three ways: using (1) field data, (2) an existing local e...
ObjectivesThe vision The Centre's vision is a rural transformation in the developing world where smallholder households massively increase their use of trees in agricultural landscapes to improve their food security, nutrition, income, health, shelter, energy resources and environmental sustainability. This vision is founded upon three basic tenets: 1. The growing importance of trees and treebased systems in sustaining livelihoods and agroecosystems; 2. The Centre's experience and comparative adv [continued...]DescriptionBackground: The International Council for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) was created in response to a visionary study in the mid-1970s led by forester John Bene of Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The study coined the term 'agroforestry' and called for global recognition of the key role trees play on farms. This led to the establishment of ICRAF in 1978 to promote agroforestry research in developing countries. Intended ...
This book deals with advanced computing applications in physics, and in particular in high energy physics environments. The main subjects covered are networking; vector and parallel processing; and embedded systems. Also examined are topics such as operating systems, future computer architectures and commercial computer products. The book presents solutions that are foreseen as coping, in the future, with computing problems in experimental and theoretical High Energy Physics. In the experimental environment the large amounts of data to be processed offer special problems on-line as well as off-line. For on-line data reduction, embedded special purpose computers, which are often used for trigger applications are applied. For off-line processing, parallel computers such as emulator farms and the cosmic cube may be employed. The analysis of these topics is therefore a main feature of this volume.
Changes in soil properties and vegetable growth were quantified on a low-fertility tropical soil. Four treatments (two composts, urea, and control) were applied to an Oxisol (Rhodic Haplustox, Wahiawa series) in a field on Oahu, Hawaii. Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa, Chinensis group) and eggplant (Solanum melongena) were grown sequentially as test crops. Soil quality as measured by hot-water-soluble carbon, dehydrogenase activity, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) increased by compost amendments. Total organic carbon or carbon dioxide (CO2) respiration rate did not correlate with the soil amendments. Nitrogen (N) nutrition was the main factor that improved growth and carotenoid content in cabbage. The urea treatment promoted better growth in cabbage, whereas good-quality compost, made of...
Nepal could harness less than 1% of its 83000 MW hydropower potential. Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project (6720 MW) is a bi-national project on Mahakali River bordering between Nepal and India. The earnings from: electricity (NRs. 34.55 billion/year); irrigation (NRs. 5.55 billion/year), fish farming (NRs. 8.65 billion/year), carbon trading (NRs. 4.42 billion/year) and many billions from other sources e.g. eco-tourism, industry, horticulture, herbiculture, floriculture, sericulture, rafting and water sports, educational and vocational training and other industrial/commercial activities can catapult the socioeconomic horizon of Nepal. Hence, PMP should be jointly developed in the earliest and build confidence for the further hydropower development.
Air flow rates and carbon dioxide concentrations of air entering and exiting eight H-Area waste tanks were monitored for a period of one year. The average instanteous concentration of carbon dioxide in air is within the range reported offsite, and therefore is not affect by operation of the coal-fired power plant adjacent to the tank farm. Waste solutions in each of the tanks were observed to be continuously absorbing carbon dioxide. The rate of absorption of carbon dioxide decreased linearly with the pH of the solution. Personnel exposure associated with the routine sampling and analysis of radioactive wastes stored at SRP to determine the levels of corrosion inhibitors in solution could be reduced by monitoring the absorption of carbon dioxide and using the relationship between pH and carbon dioxide absorption to determine the free hydroxide concentration in solution.
A reduced grid model of a transmission system with a number of central power plants, consumption centers, local wind turbines and a large offshore wind farm is developed and implemented in the simulation tool PowerFactory (DIgSILENT). The reduced grid model is given by Energinet.dk, Transmission System Operator of Denmark (TSO) for Natural Gas and Electricity, to the Danish Universities and the Risoe National Laboratory. Its intended usage is education and studying of interaction between electricity-producing wind turbines and a realistic transmission system. Focus in these studies is on voltage stability issues and on the ride-through capability of different wind turbine concepts, equipped with advanced controllers, developed by the Risoe National Laboratory.
Data on the postfire dynamics of soil properties in the foci of Siberian moth population outbreaks are considered. It has been shown that controlled fires set in pest-defoliated forests result in the loss of approximately 75% of carbon and 50% of nitrogen from the forest litter through their emission into the atmosphere and in the enrichment of the upper soil horizons with potassium and phosphorus (this concerns both total and movable forms). Microbiological processes in the organogenic horizon undergo significant transformation, the density of microarthropods decreases, and the abundance of mites becomes hundreds of times lower. PMID:15354965
Wetlands have important ecological values and functions. It is estimated that 80 percent of the Nation's coastal fisheries are dependent on wetlands for spawning, nursery areas, and food sources. Both coastal and inland wetlands provide essential breeding, nesting, feeding, and predator escape habitats for millions of waterfowl, other birds, mammals, and reptiles. Well over one-third of the 564 plant and animal species listed as threatened or endangered in the United States utilize wetland habitats during some portion of their life cycle. Wetlands Stewardship is intended as a resource for everyone interested in wetlands protection.
A laboratory stream consisting of two stream sections interrupted by two pools was filled with a mixture of tap water and organically enriched water from rivers nearby. Bottom sediment material, Potamogeton pectinatus, macro-invertebrate organisms, as well as the mosquito fish, Aplocheilichthys johnstonii were collected from rivers around Johannesburg and introduced into the laboratory stream. After initial acclimatization, the distribution of the isotope "3"2P through this laboratory stream was followed. Absorption of this isotope by benthic algae, Potamogeton pectinatus, several macro-invertebrate organisms as well as Aplocheilichthys johnstonii was recorded.
The long term goal is to determine the ecological importance of specific toxic metals (copper and zinc) in harbors, through an understanding of their chemistry and biological effects at the base of marine food chains. This work provides information on potential problems with Zn and Cu, which may help to foresee problems in the future. Anthropogenic inputs of both metals are increasing; they are derived from diverse sources and are a simple function of population growth in coastal regions.
The lithium-polymer energy storage technology requires the production of thin films of huge surface. The BT-EdF-CEA consortium has studied the various manufacturing techniques of these films and their assembly. The process was chosen according to its productivity, low expensiveness, ecological impact and energy performances with capacities reaching 40 Ah. This paper explains: the objectives and specifications of the project, the advantage of the consortium and the role of the different partners, the results (coating, dry extrusion and battery element manufacturing techniques), and the electrochemical performances of the elements. (J.S.)
This conference was attended by experts on current issues in engineering of an urban ecosystem, composting, biofuels and green energy. The meeting provided a forum to discuss advances in the application of engineering principles and practices dealing with biological systems for the production of food, bioproducts and energy. The discussions focused on engineering practices in agriculture, forestry, bioresources, biochemistry and biosystems. The 7 technical sessions of the conference were entitled: aquaculture; safety and training; bioprocessing; energy production and biofuels; environment and ecology; soil and water; and development of technologies. The conference feature 58 presentations, of which 9 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. refs., tabs., figs.
Two new species of the genus Microplana are described from the Iberian Peninsula. The new taxa are compared with congeneric species. Distributional records for two other European species, Microplana monacensis (Heinzel, 1929) and Microplana groga Jones et al. 2008, are presented and the presence of Microplana terrestris (Muller, 1774) is confirmed on the Iberian Peninsula. A partial re-description of Microplana nana Mateos, Giribet and Carranza, 1998 is provided. The finding of a new and probably introduced, but unidentified, species of land planarian is reported. Land planarians were generally found in the vicinity of deciduous trees and rivers.
This document provides information on septic systems with a design capacity of greater than 14,500 gal/d and cribs submitted as requested by the Washington State Department of Ecology. Data for this submittal were taken from the Waste Information Database System (WIDS) and the Hanford Environmental Compliance Record (HECR) database. The current definition used in WIDS for an ''inactive facility'' is one that either no longer receives waste or plans to in the future. Information concerning the deactivation method for a facility is included when such information is available.
The marine environment is becoming increasingly contaminated by environmental pollutants with the potential to damage DNA, with marine sediments acting as a sink for many of these contaminants. Understanding genotoxic responses in sediment-dwelling marine organisms, such as polychaetes, is therefore of increasing importance. This study is an exploration of species-specific and cell-specific differences in cell sensitivities to DNA-damaging agents in polychaete worms, aimed at increasing fundamental knowledge of their responses to genotoxic damage. The sensitivities of coelomocytes from three polychaetes species of high ecological relevance, i.e. the lugworm Arenicola marina, the harbour ragworm Nereis diversicolor and the king ragworm Nereis virens to genotoxic damage are compared, and dif...
...assistantship in Suburban Ecology Location: Bedford, NY Deadline: August 15, 2008 Postdoctoral Fellow in energy Location: University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Deadline: August 11, 2008 Junior Professional Fellowship Sustainable Development Governance Programme Location: UNU, Yokohama, Japan Deadline: August 1, 2008 Center for Ocean Solutions Early Career Fellowship Program Location: Stanford, California Deadline: July 15, 2008 Asian MetaCentre for Population and Sustainable Development Analysis Postdoctoral Research Fellow Location: Singapore Deadline: July 15, ...
A synthesis of papers based on the United Nations Environment Programme meeting on the ozone layer, Washington DC, this book contains valuable information on ongoing and planned activities concerned with stratospheric ozone problems, and presents the recommendations for further action resulting from the meeting. Possible changes in the characteristics of the ozone layer are discussed, together with the environmental, ecological, climatic, economic, and health implications of stratospheric ozone depletion. A comprehensive survey of current research in five European countries, the USA, Canada, and Australia is included and the volume is concluded by the UNEP report of the meeting and a world plan of action.
The environmental Restoration Remedial Action Quality Assurance Requirements Document (DOE/RL 90-28) defines the quality assurance program requirements for the US Department of Energy-Richland Field Office Environmental Restoration Remedial Action Program at the Hanford Site, Richland, Washington. This paper describes the objectives outlined in DOE/RL 90-28. The Environmental Restoration Remedial Action Program implements significant commitments made by the US Department of Energy in the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order entered into with the Washington State Department of Ecology and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Growing ecological awareness in the car industry resulted in further developments of the otto and diesel engines, and of alternative fuels like cars with electric drive. This article gives an overview on a number of pertinent developments. The possible uses of electric cars are still limited by the battery in terms of storage capacity, output, service life and weight so that for the time being their use can be expected to be restricted to public and local-authority antreprises or to companies driving within city areas preferably. A break-through is expected by the industry in the field of high-temperature batteries although there are still a number of problems unsolved. (BWI).
Since 1983, about 600 research projects received a total of DM 250 million public funds for the following tasks: - Development of scientific fundamentals for monitoring and observation of forest decline and its ecological and economic consequences. - Investigation of the cause-effect relationship of forest damage, with particular regard to the involvement of the various compartments of the forest ecosystem and to the contribution of different pollutants. - Development of the scientific fundamentals required for forestry measures to accompany the air pollution abatement measures. The investigations comprised both laboratory and field tests. The findings and conclusion are summarized. (orig./MG).
The NPPs safety system in Germany is discussed. It is shown that there exists no threat for the German NPPs at the peace times. They release insignificant quantities of radioactive substances into the water and atmosphere. The average equivalent dose constitutes 0.0005 mSv annually. The annual equivalent dose for the personnel is equal to 4.4 mSv. At the same time, the NPPs contribute to a certain degree to the environmental medium improvement, preventing the ingress therein of the sulfur and carbon dioxide, dust and nitrogen oxides by application of fossil fuels. Attention is also paid to reprocessing facilities and also to the nuclear fuel wastes disposal. The advantages of the nuclear power engineering in comparison with the fossil fuel power engineering are enumerated
A revision of some basic concepts related to the analysis of variance of repeated measures is presented within an ecological context topics such as the types of experiments in which the technique is applicable, the hypotheses of interest, and its preference over other traditional techniques such as regression and conventional analysis of variance, are discussed. As an example, the technique was successfully applied to an experiment carried out at Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia, in which the concentration of cadmium #mu#g/g in leaves of the black mangrove Avicennia germinans was measured in several monitoring stations and throughout several sampling intervals representing seasons.
The Georges Bank, off southwestern Nova Scotia, is one of the most biologically productive continental shelf ecosystems in the world. It supports a wide diversity of species, including many seabirds. In 1988, federal and provincial legislation placed a moratorium on petroleum exploration and drilling on the Georges Bank, directing the ministers of Natural Resources Canada, and of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources to make a decision regarding the moratorium by January 1, 2000. This report by the Ecology Action Centre (EAC) asks the Georges Bank Review Panel to recommend extending the moratorium on Georges Bank and adjacent areas until 2012, in part to match the American moratorium. Other reasons why the panel made this recommendation were explored. The principal reason is the EAC concern that when the moratorium is lifted, several oil and gas developments will proceed in this ecologically significant offshore area that could result ...
The population growth, changing consumption patterns, and rapid urbanization contribute significantly to the growing volumes of solid waste that are generated in urban settings. As the rate of urbanization increases, demand on the services of solid waste management increases. The rapid urban growth in Langkawi Island, Malaysia, combined with the increasing rates of solid waste production has provided evidence that the traditional solid waste management practices, particularly the methods of waste collection and disposal, are inefficient and quite nonsustainable. Accordingly, municipal managers and planners in Langkawi need to look for and adopt a model ...
US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5820.2A was promulgated in final form on September 26, 1988. The order requires heads of field organizations to prepare and to submit updates on the waste management plans for all operations under their purview according to the format in Chap. 6, {open_quotes}Waste Management Plan Outline.{close_quotes} These plans are to be submitted by the DOE Oak Ridge Operations Office (DOE-ORO) in December of each year and distributed to the DP-12, ES&H-1, and other appropriate DOE Headquarters (DOE-HQ) organizations for review and comment. This document was prepared in response to this requirement for fiscal year (FY) 1994. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) waste management mission is reduction, collection, storage, treatment, and disposal of DOE wastes, generated primarily in pursuit of ORNL missions, in order to protect human health and safety and the environment. In carrying out this ...
Radioactive waste for legal and regulatory purposes may be defined as material that contains or is contaminated with radio-nuclides at concentrations or activities greater than clearance levels as established by the regulatory body, and for which no use is foreseen. Safe management of radioactive waste is essential to ensure protection of humans and environment. Radioactive waste management policy is a guideline for the safe management of radioactive waste. It expresses the commitment of the country towards the goal. Government should initiate investigation into best long-term option for management of spent nuclear fuels. Process of selecting option and eventual site should involve comprehensive public participation within set time frames (with deep geological disposal as preferred management option).
The Superconducting super Collider Laboratory is a complex of particle accelerators being built in Ellis County, Texas. It will have a dedicated global communications network that will deliver control messages and provide for general data acquisition. This network will connect thousands of computer nodes over a very large geographic area. In order to meet the demanding availability requirements being levied on the system, it will need comprehensive network management. A large number of the computer nodes are embedded systems that traditionally do not support network management services. This presents unique challenges to standard network management practices. The Simple Network Management Protocol, SNMP, is widely accepted by industry as a tool to manage network devices. In this paper the authors examine the performance characteristics and usefulness of an SNMP agent in a real-time ...
Purpose - This paper seeks to deal with the history of Research and Development (R&D) management. It takes the history of the R&D Department of the Royal Philips Electronics of The Netherlands as an example to unravel the dynamics behind industrial R&D management. Design/methodology/approach - This paper is based upon historical and theoretical studies on industrial R&D institutions and research cultures. Findings - The paper proposes that the directors of the Philips R&D Department continually shaped and reshaped the organization in order to retain researchers with creative ideas, and to stimulate innovativeness. The R&D-management was the outcome of a search process that comprehended a mixture of scientific and industrial (management) skills, knowledge and experti...
The body of knowledge known as ''management'' has evolved incrementally over the past 100 years through a variety of innovators, including: Frederick Taylor, Max Weber, Mary Parker Follett, Chester Barnard, William Ouchi and Tom Peters. While the miracle of management - its structures, processes and techniques - has provided humankind with quantum advances in standard of living, there is an emerging theme in the literature to suggest that ''Management 1.0'' founded within the industrial age paradigm has reached the limits of its relevance. This paper proposes that it is time to consider a new conceptualization - ''Management 2.0'' - based on the global, information age paradigm in which modern businesses compete. This paper examines six forces which are currently redefining the future of m...
How do police respond to and manage complaints of stalking? To answer this question, we conducted a 3-phase study. First, we reviewed the literature to identify risk management tactics used to combat stalking. Second, we asked a group of police officers to review those tactics for completeness and group them into categories reflecting more general risk management strategies. The result was 22 categories of strategies. Finally, we used qualitative methods to evaluate the files of 32 cases referred to the specialized anti-stalking unit of a metropolitan police department. We coded specific risk management tactics and strategies used by police. Results indicated that a median number of 19 specific tactics from 7 general strategies were used to manage risk. Also, the implementation of strategi...
Without administrative terminologies there is no revenue to manage. The use of healthcare IT to capture the codes for administrative and financial support functions will impact the revenue cycle and the management of it. This is presumed to occur because clinical data coded at the point of care becomes the source for claims data. Thus, as electronic health record system applications utilizing terminologies are implemented, healthcare providers need to systematically consider the effect on the coding function and management of the revenue cycle. A key factor is the sequence of events changes, i.e., instead of a health information management professional selecting billing codes at the conclusion of an encounter based on the review of the record, clinical data generates the claims data via mapping. Efficiencies and management challenges result. PMID:19267004
The overall objective of the study in this report was to gather data on waste management technologies to allow comparison of various alternatives for managing municipal solid waste (MSW). The specific objectives of the study were to: 1. Compile detailed data for existing waste management technologies on costs, environmental releases, energy requirements and production, and coproducts such as recycled materials and compost. Identify missing information necessary to make energy, economic, and environmental comparisons of various MSW management technologies, and define needed research that could enhance the usefulness of the technology. 3. Develop a data base that can be used to identify the technology that best meets specific criteria defined by a user of the data base. Volume I contains the report text. Volume II contains supporting exhibits. Volumes III through X are appendices, each addressing a ...
Even before Egyptian times, fiber and paper-based methods were used to manage time, tasks, and priorities. Papyrus and paper were effective in their time, but now is the time for the even more effective computer-based methods of time management. This study compares paper and computer methods of the management of time, tasks, and priorities. Discussed are recommended strengths of off-the-shelf software for time management. Integrated software is recommended. A case study of the use of idea processing software to manage publication tasks and priorities is examined. Illustrated--for classroom-style training--are uses of a computer to enhance the quality and increase the efficiency of the coordination of publications from conception and research to printing and issuance. 3 refs., 43 figs.
A home-made 3.1 kWh wind turbine that is promising to be the hottest new wind product to appear for home/farm users in some time, is described. The turbine is installed near a farm house in the high wind area of Mount Forest, Ontario. The turbine is hooked up to a four kilowatt Trace inverter charger which is coupled through a DC disconnect and C-60 charge controller to two sets of solar panels (seven panels of 120 W each by Solarex SX 120, and five panels by Sharp, each providing 1600 watt of solar power). The wind turbine and the solar panels, assisted by two 65-year old refurbished wind turbines, one bank of Gel Cell batteries, and an Onan 5 kW gas generator supply the electrical requirements of a seven member family in a 3400 square foot house. The new turbine is mounted on an 80-foot tower, has three eight foot Kevlar blades that produce a 17 foot overall sweep. The turbine weighs 615 lbs., produces 3.1 kW of pure power at just 310 rpms at ...
Soils and food crops from a former tin mining location in a high background radiation area on the Jos-Plateau, Nigeria were collected and analyzed by gamma spectrometry to measure their contents of {sup 40}K, {sup 238}U and {sup 232}Th. As well as collecting samples, in situ dose rates on farms were measured using a precalibrated survey meter. Activity concentrations determined in food crops were compared with the local food derivatives or diets to investigate the possible removal or addition of radionuclides during food preparation by cooking or other means. Potassium-40 was found to contribute the highest activity in all the food products. The activity concentration of {sup 40}K, {sup 238}U and {sup 232}Th in local prepared diets ranged between 60 and 494 Bq kg{sup -1}, between BDL and 48 Bq kg{sup -1} and between BDL and 17 Bq kg{sup -1}, respectively. The internal effective dose to individuals from the consumption of the food types was estimated on the basis of ...
Soils and food crops from a former tin mining location in a high background radiation area on the Jos-Plateau, Nigeria were collected and analyzed by gamma spectrometry to measure their contents of "4"0K, "2"3"8U and "2"3"2Th. As well as collecting samples, in situ dose rates on farms were measured using a precalibrated survey meter. Activity concentrations determined in food crops were compared with the local food derivatives or diets to investigate the possible removal or addition of radionuclides during food preparation by cooking or other means. Potassium-40 was found to contribute the highest activity in all the food products. The activity concentration of "4"0K, "2"3"8U and "2"3"2Th in local prepared diets ranged between 60 and 494 Bq kg"-"1, between BDL and 48 Bq kg"-"1 and between BDL and 17 Bq kg"-"1, respectively. The internal effective dose to individuals from the consumption of the food types was estimated on the basis of the measured radionuclide ...
Biomass is a potential source of energy that can reduce our dependency on oil as the main source of energy. In addition to municipal solid waste, animal and olive wastes are the main sources of organic waste in Jordan. In 2005, there were more than 2.4 million heads of sheep, about 72 thousand cows, and 40 million hens being raised in farms distributed in all governorates of Jordan. These animals produce 5.3 million tons (as exerted) of solid waste per year. If these quantities can be effectively collected they may constitute a valuable source of energy. This paper is aiming to estimate the amounts of animal and solid wastes generated in Jordan and their energy potential. The total amount of BOD from animal waste is estimated at 200,000 tons per year. Significant quantities of organic waste can also be collected from olive mills distributed in the country. This waste known locally as ''Jift'' is currently being collected and used ...
Using observational and interview approaches, we evaluated the usability of a web-based communication tool that allows managers to announce open work shifts and staff to request work shifts....Full Text Available
Successful management of a patient with tracheo-innominate artery erosion requires the rapid institution of specific resuscitative and operative measures. Ten patients seen at the Charity Hospital of...Full Text Available
BackgroundMost studies on children with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) have been undertaken in tertiary care and little is known about their management...Full Text Available
The management of the interim phase of a complete oral rehabilitation in patients with severely worn dentition is often challenging due to the loss of occlusal vertical dimension, loss of tooth structure,...Full Text Available
The clinical management of adults with low-grade gliomas (LGGs) remains a challenge. There is no curative treatment, and management of individual patients is a matter of deciding optimal timing as well...Full Text Available
To assess the merits of currently available treatment options in the management of patients with low rectal cancer, a review of the medical literature pertaining to the operative and non-operative management...Full Text Available
The main aspects of the present WWER-440 reactors spent fuel management are described in the paper. Experimental results of fuel integrity studies which are carried out under conditions of a long-term storage are also presented. (author). 5 refs, 5 figs.
This document establishers the Software Configuration Management Plan (SCMP) for the software associated with the control system of the Sodium Removal System (SRS) located in the Interim Examination and Maintenance (IEM Cell) Facility of the FFTF Flux Test.
This article reports on an exploratory study of hospice social workers’ assessment and collaborative practices related to pain management; especially caregiver concerns about patient...Full Text Available
ObjectivesTo investigate the effect of group cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for fatigue self-management, compared with groups receiving fatigue information alone, on fatigue...Full Text Available
The United States Virgin Islands (USVI) is facing a diabetes epidemic similar to the one on the U.S. mainland, yet little is known regarding the cultural context relevant to self-management...Full Text Available
This report highlights the Pipeline integrity Management methods being implemented by gas companies. These aim at maintaining the current high safety level, prevent major hazards, ensure the integrity of the pipeline and protect people and environment in the vicinity of the pipeline in the most cost effective way. It should be noticed that Pipeline Integrity Management aspects, technical and organisational, are included in the more general framework of the Safety Management System. Currently, more and more gas companies implement such a system on the basis of standards like ISO 9000 and so on. In this way, the report shows how practices of Pipeline Integrity Management are continually developing in order to adapt to their environment, and to improve performance. Past experience and imminent developments show that Pipeline Integrity Management is a flexible and efficient approach to ...
This report documents site remediation at ORNL, including ORNL site characterization technologies, waste management and robotics and automation of the laboratory for waste processing and analysis.
Research progress is reported in 20 activities under the headings: spent fuels, defense waste management, commercial waste management, remedial action, and conventional reactors. Separate entries were prepared for each activity.
This document presents the way which the 8th principle of the quality management system 'Process approach' is applied, the principle that is identified and used by international standard ISO 9000. In order to understand the evolution of the management system requirements, as used today in different activities namely, industry, services, and nuclear activities, the authors present an evolution of the quality concept and its traceability to different standards, applicable in time. There are described the requirements of ISO 9001 standard, that represents the most widely spread model for modern organization management and the IAEA concerns related to integration of the above standard requirements into the most recent safety IAEA standard 'The Management System for facilities and activities'. The IAEA Safety Standard GS-R-3 describes a management model considering both the evolution of ...
Background:In 2007, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) published new guidelines for the diagnosis and management of patients with unstable angina/non-ST...Full Text Available
The prognosis for patients with newly diagnosed malignant gliomas remains poor; however there have been some recent advances in treatment that have generated optimism. Medical management usually includes...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE: The management and outcome of 138 abdominal shotgun wounds were examined over a 5-year period. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: It has been proposed that exploratory laparotomy may be unnecessary...Full Text Available
...The Political Evolution of the Landfill Tax in the UK wm-1996-03 Green Taxes, Waste Management and Political Economy 1995 ^ Top ...on civil engineering Lifecycle assessment - an overlooked opportunity Refereed Journal Articles: Green taxes, waste management and political economy Reports: Environmental cost benefit ...
Disorders of the adrenal gland are rare and complex, with many potential pitfalls in their management. An understanding of embryology, anatomy, physiology and biochemistry is crucial. Surgical treatment may be required for syndromes of hormonal excess and/or suspicion of neoplasia.
The University of Cincinnati (UC) has been active in the National Library of Medicine's Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (IAIMS) program since IAIMS' inception in 1984. UC received...Full Text Available
A microcomputer-based herd management information system was implemented as part of the herd health program provided to 13 dairy clients by the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. The...Full Text Available
Purpose:The oral chemotherapy cycle management program (CMP) provides clinical management support to patients receiving certain oral chemotherapies. The CMP includes a dose-monitoring...Full Text Available
On 12 July the Audit Commission published For Your Information, a well researched report about information and its management in acute hospitals in Britain, how and why it is failing, and steps that...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVES: To describe the immediate reported management, by general practitioners (GPs), of men presenting with symptoms of urethral discharge, or dysuria only. SUBJECTS: All 692 GPs in practice in...Full Text Available
BackgroundManagement of benign tracheal stenosis (BTS) varies with the type and extent of the disease and influenced by the patient's age and general health status, hence we sought...Full Text Available
Esophageal perforation is associated with a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. We report herein a case of lye-induced esophageal perforation managed successfully by employing endoscopic T-tube...Full Text Available
Hemoptysis in patients with lung cancer is not uncommon and sometimes have dangerous consequences. Hemoptysis has been managed with various treatment options other than surgery and medicine, such as...Full Text Available
We report herein a case of thoraco diaphragmatico biliary fistula in a 24-year-old male who was managed conservatively with antibiotics and tube thoracostomy and had complete radiological clearance.
This paper describes the development of an interactive internet-based cost-estimating tool for commonly used urban storm runoff best management practices (BMP), including: retention and detention ponds, grassed swales, and constructed wetlands. The paper presents the cost data, c...
The attitudes and expectations of producers toward the use of a microcomputer-based herd management information system were assessed. The study was conducted over a two-year period, beginning in January...Full Text Available
Many Pacific Basin countries rely on oil for electricity production. Alternative fuel sources such as coal, which is available in the Pacific Basin, can help mitigate adverse impacts of sudden price increases or supply disruptions. Coal combustion produces solid and potentially hazardous wastes of concern to environmental regulators and utility managers. This paper identifies issues associated with managing coal combustion wastes in the Pacific Basin, using the state of Hawaii as a case study. Hawaii is typical of many Pacific Basin locations in that it depends on oil, has limited sites, for waste management operations, and is subject to domestic and international waste management regulations. The paper discusses coal-fired utility wastes, environmental impacts of coal combustion waste disposal, and regulatory requirements that impact coal waste management. From this baseline, ...
BackgroundTraumatic pneumothoraces are common. Many are managed with tube thoracostomy. However, there is a high complication rate from chest tube placement, particularly in patients...Full Text Available
Until recent years, those involved in the design, operation and regulation of nuclear power systems devoted more resources to forward movement than to the back end of the fuel cycle. Now, though, concerted thought and international cooperation have been devoted to the question of nuclear waste management. The expert consensus is that sufficient knowledge exists to make e.g. disposal decisions with an acceptable level of confidence. In the first phases of research, decision processes were adapted to the tasks at hand. However, at some point in each nuclearized country, there came a time when waste management implied finding repository sites. At that time management abruptly entered the social sphere - where unfortunate experience has shown time and time again that classical decision processes are not adapted to facilitating societal acceptance of management solutions. This paper recounts the various ...
This article describes the design and implementation of an online diabetes self-management intervention for a sample of inner-city African Americans with diabetes. Study participants were randomly assigned...Full Text Available
Abstract: HARVEST was designed as a strategic research and planning tool, allowing assessment of the spatial pattern consequences of broad timber management ...
The Department of Defense is making significant investments to construct systems, built upon web services and their supporting technologies, that strive to achieve the goals of net-centricity. While these technologies address several of the traditional stumbling blocks to integration and interoperability, they leave issues of information management largely unaddressed. Indeed, the broad availability of these systems exacerbates, rather than reduces, stresses on our information management capabilities. This paper discusses the enterprise-level information management infrastructure objectives for providing net-centric military capabilities and more fundamental technical challenges derived from them.
... military medical education, environmental security activities, and provides e-mail capabilities and other basic information management capabilities. ...
... CJCSI 3141.01C, Responsibilities for the Management and ... of a multivolume set of CJCS unclassified and ... (1) CJCSM 3122.01A, Joint Operation ...
... POVs) overseas when space was available. ... information management system launched in 2004. ... Personally Procured Transportation (PPT) system ...
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. California Institute of Technology. Pasadena, California. Energy and Water Conservation. Steve Rigdon. Facilities Energy Manager ...
This document presents a detailed schedule for the implementation of the strategy for managing defense remote-handled (RH) transuranic (TRU) waste. The baseline management strategy was defined in the Defense Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste Cost/Schedule Optimization Study and is summarized in this document. Also included are revised RH TRU waste inventory projections, current site management plans, a list of key decision points and milestones, and a discussion of uncertainties associated with management of RH TRU waste. The plans are summarized in a detailed schedule diagram and in an RH TRU waste work off diagram. 9 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs.
Data from many measuring devices throughout the Savannah River Site (SRS) is transmitted to a central location for processing as a vital component in the SRS emergency preparedness and response program. The data processing is currently accomplished using VAX-based FORTRAN programs with the data stored in Digital's Record Management System (RMS) files which is shared using global COMMON. A program is underway to store and process this data using a Structured Query Language (SQL)-based Database Management System (DBMS). The advantages of replacing the current system with one using an SQL-based DBMS are discussed.
... geographically flexible rapid- deployment forecasting system that directly leverages the CORIE modeling and information management capabilities. ...