Transport-related lifestyle and environmentally-friendly travel mode choices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thøgersen, John

2018-01-01

. Finally, a multivariate GLM analysis reveals that three behavioral tendencies of importance for transport-related environmental impacts vary significantly and substantially between lifestyle segments: vehicle ownership, everyday travel-mode choice and environmentally-friendly transport innovativeness...

Electrochemical Behaviour of Environmentally Friendly Inhibitor of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Electrochemical Behaviour of Environmentally Friendly Inhibitor of Aloe Secundiflora Extract in Corrosion Control of Carbon Steel in Soft Water Media. ... The investigation was performed at different inhibitor concentrations under static and dynamic conditions using a Rotating Disk Electrode (RDE). The impedance and ...

Gender sensitive education in watershed management to support environmental friendly city

Science.gov (United States)

Asteria, D.; Budidarmono; Herdiansyah, H.; Ni’mah, N. L.

2018-03-01

This study is about gender-sensitive perspective in watershed management education program as one of capacity building for citizens in watershed management with community-based strategy to support environmental friendly cities and security for women from flood disasters. Involving women and increasing women’s active participation in sustainable watershed management is essential in urban area. In global warming and climate change situations, city management should be integrated between social aspect and environmental planning. This study used mix method (concurrent embedded type, with quantitative as primary method) with research type is descriptive-explanatory. The result of this study is education strategies with gender approaches and affirmative action through emancipation approach and local knowledge from women’s experiences can increase women’s participation. Women’s empowerment efforts need integrated intervention and collaboration from government, NGO, and other stakeholders to optimize women’s role in watershed management for support environmental friendly city. The implication of this study is an educational strategy on watershed conservation with gender perspective to offer social engineering alternatives for decision makers to policy of sustainable watershed management in urban area related to flood mitigation efforts.

A Summary of Environmentally Friendly Turbine Design Concepts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Odeh, Mufeed [United States Geological Survey - BRD, Turners Falls, MA (United States)

1999-07-01

The Advanced Hydropower Turbine System Program (AHTS) was created in 1994 by the U.S. Department of Energy, Electric Power Research Institute, and the Hydropower Research Foundation. The Program’s main goal is to develop “environmentally friendly” hydropower turbines. The Program’s first accomplishment was the development of conceptual designs of new environmentally friendly turbines. In order to do so, two contractors were competitively selected. The ARL/NREC team of engineers and biologists provided a conceptual design for a new turbine runner*. The new runner has the potential to generate hydroelectricity at close to 90% efficiency. The Voith team produced new fish-friendly design criteria for Kaplan and Francis turbines that can be incorporated in units during rehabilitation projects or in new hydroelectric facilities**. These include the use of advanced plant operation, minimum gap runners, placement of wicket gates behind stay vanes, among others. The Voith team will also provide design criteria on aerating Francis turbines to increase dissolved oxygen content. Detailed reviews of the available literature on fish mortality studies, causation of injuries to fish, and available biological design criteria that would assist in the design of fish-friendly turbines were performed. This review identified a need for more biological studies in order to develop performance criteria to assist turbine manufacturers in designing a more fish-friendly turbine.

Comparative analysis of thermally activated, environmentally friendly cooling systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, Y.; Metchop, L.; Frantzis, A.; Phelan, P.E.

2008-01-01

This paper compares the relative performances of three different thermally activated, environmentally friendly cooling systems, e.g. a silica-gel-water adsorption system, a LiBr-H 2 O absorption system and a desiccant air system. The adsorption and absorption systems in the current study employ water as the refrigerant, while the desiccant system cools atmospheric air directly. Each of these systems can be utilized at relatively low heat source temperatures such as achieved by flat plate solar collectors, but it is unclear which of these systems is best suited to what range of heat source temperature. Our study explores answers to this question by generating quantitative results comparing their relative thermal performance, i.e. COP and refrigeration capacity, and a qualitative comparison based on the size, maturity of technology, safe operation etc. In order to provide a fair comparison between the fundamentally different systems, a UA (overall heat transfer coefficient multiplied by the heat transfer area) value of 1.0 kW deg. C -1 is considered for the heat exchanger that transfers heat from the supplied hot water. Furthermore, to compare systems of similar size, the mass of silica-gel in the adsorption and desiccant systems and the mass of LiBr-H 2 O solution in the absorption system were specified such that each system provides the same amount of refrigeration (8.0 kW) at a source temperature of 90 deg. C. It is found that the absorption and adsorption cooling systems have a higher refrigeration capacity at heat source temperatures below 90 deg. C, while the desiccant air system outperforms the others at temperatures above 90 deg. C

THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY POSTHARVEST TREATMENTS ON THE ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF STRAWBERRY FRUITS DURING STORAGE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivna Štolfa

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Proper postharvest storage is an effective way to maintain the quality and nutritional values of fruits. The aim of this study was to determine how environmentally friendly postharvest treatments with salicylic acid solution, colloidal silver solution and ozone, affect the antioxidant activity of strawberry fruits (Fragaria x ananassa Duch. cv. Albion during 7 days of storage at 4°C. The content of ascorbic acid, total phenols and antioxidant activity of strawberry fruits were determined spec-trophotometrically. After 7 days of storage in strawberry fruits treated with all three treatments separately, the contents of ascorbic acid were higher than in the control fruits, supporting the usefulness of these treatments for preserving fruit quality and nutritional value during storage. The treatment with salicylic acid solution showed the most beneficial effect during storage causing a significant increase in the content of ascorbic acid, phenols and antioxidant activity at the end of the storage period.

The Behavior of Environmentally Friendly Corrosion Preventative Compounds in an Aggressive Coastal Marine Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, Eliza L.; Calle, Luz Marina; Curran Jerome C.; Kolody, Mark R.

2013-01-01

The shift to use environmentally friendly technologies throughout future space-related launch programs prompted a study aimed at replacing current petroleum and solvent-based Corrosion Preventive Compounds (CPCs) with environmentally friendly alternatives. The work in this paper focused on the identification and evaluation of environmentally friendly CPCs for use in protecting flight hardware and ground support equipment from atmospheric corrosion. The CPCs, while a temporary protective coating, must survive in the aggressive coastal marine environment that exists throughout the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The different protection behaviors of fifteen different soft film CPCs, both common petroleum-based and newer environmentally friendly types, were evaluated on various steel and aluminum substrates. The CPC and substrate systems were subjected to atmospheric testing at the Kennedy Space Center's Beachside Atmospheric Corrosion Test Site, as well as cyclic accelerated corrosion testing. Each CPC also underwent physical characterization and launch-related compatibility testing . The initial results for the fifteen CPC systems are reported : Key words: corrosion preventive compound, CPC, spaceport, environmentally friendly, atmospheric exposure, marine, carbon steel, aluminum alloy, galvanic corrosion, wire on bolt.

Field Testing of Environmentally Friendly Drilling System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

David Burnett

2009-05-31

The Environmentally Friendly Drilling (EFD) program addresses new low-impact technology that reduces the footprint of drilling activities, integrates light weight drilling rigs with reduced emission engine packages, addresses on-site waste management, optimizes the systems to fit the needs of a specific development sites and provides stewardship of the environment. In addition, the program includes industry, the public, environmental organizations, and elected officials in a collaboration that addresses concerns on development of unconventional natural gas resources in environmentally sensitive areas. The EFD program provides the fundamentals to result in greater access, reasonable regulatory controls, lower development cost and reduction of the environmental footprint associated with operations for unconventional natural gas. Industry Sponsors have supported the program with significant financial and technical support. This final report compendium is organized into segments corresponding directly with the DOE approved scope of work for the term 2005-2009 (10 Sections). Each specific project is defined by (a) its goals, (b) its deliverable, and (c) its future direction. A web site has been established that contains all of these detailed engineering reports produced with their efforts. The goals of the project are to (1) identify critical enabling technologies for a prototype low-impact drilling system, (2) test the prototype systems in field laboratories, and (3) demonstrate the advanced technology to show how these practices would benefit the environment.

Conventional, Partially Converted and Environmentally Friendly Farming in South Korea: Profitability and Factors Affecting Farmers’ Choice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saem Lee

2016-07-01

Full Text Available While organic farming is well established in Europe a nd USA, it is still catching up in Asian countries. The government of South Korea has implemented environmentally friendly farming that encompasses organic farming. Despite the promotion of environmentally friendly farming, it still has a low share in South Korea and partially converted farming has emerged in some districts of South Korea. However, the partially converted farming has not yet been investigated by the government. Thus, our study implemented a financial analysis to compare the annual costs and net returns of conventional, partially converted and environmentally friendly farming in Gangwon Province. The result showed that environmentally friendly farming was more profitable with respect to farm net returns. To find out the factors affecting the adoption of environmentally friendly farming, multinomial logistic regression was implemented. The findings revealed that education and subsidy positively and significantly influenced the probability of farmers’ choice on partially converted and environmentally friendly farming. Farm size had a negative and significant relationship with only environmentally friendly farming. This study will contribute to future policy establishment for sustainable agriculture as recommended by improving the quality of fertilizers, suggesting the additional investigation associated with partially converted farmers.

Consumer Purchase Behaviour Toward Environmentally Friendly Products in Japan

OpenAIRE

Udo, Miyako

2007-01-01

This study considers consumer purchase behaviour toward environmentally friendly products in Japan and focuses on factors which can influence environmentally responsible purchase decision making. The modified theory of planned behaviour based on previous research in the area of environmentally responsible purchase behaviour and ethical purchase decision making is applied to examine factors affecting the purchase decision making and key findings from the present study are highlighted. It can b...

Environmental-friendly wool fabric finishing by some water plant extracts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Šmelcerović Miodrag

2007-01-01

Full Text Available In this article, environmental-friendly finishing of wool fabric were processed with several water extract plants, such as hibiscus, St. John's wort, and marigold. The plant extracts have good basis in the commercial dyeing of wool, for garment and carpet industry. At the same time, the environmental-friendly finishing by water extracts plants shows very good fastness of the antimicrobial properties and coloration of wool fabric. From an ecological viewpoint, the substitution of chemical dyes with "natural products" may represent not only a strategy to reduce risk and pollutants but also an opportunity for new markets and new businesses, which can expend involving of ecology in trade policy.

Analysis of Environmental Friendly Library Based on the Satisfaction and Service Quality: study at Library “X”

Science.gov (United States)

Herdiansyah, Herdis; Satriya Utama, Andre; Safruddin; Hidayat, Heri; Gema Zuliana Irawan, Angga; Immanuel Tjandra Muliawan, R.; Mutia Pratiwi, Diana

2017-10-01

One of the factor that influenced the development of science is the existence of the library, which in this case is the college libraries. Library, which is located in the college environment, aims to supply collections of literatures to support research activities as well as educational for students of the college. Conceptually, every library now starts to practice environmental principles. For example, “X” library as a central library claims to be an environmental friendly library for practicing environmental friendly management, but the X library has not inserted the satisfaction and service aspect to the users, including whether it is true that environmental friendly process is perceived by library users. Satisfaction can be seen from the comparison between expectations and reality of library users. This paper analyzes the level of library user satisfaction with library services in the campus area and the gap between expectations and reality felt by the library users. The result of the research shows that there is a disparity between the hope of library management, which is sustainable and environmentally friendly with the reality in the management of the library, so that it has not given satisfaction to the users yet. The gap value of satisfaction that has the biggest difference is in the library collection with the value of 1.57; while for the smallest gap value is in the same service to all students with a value of 0.67.

Environmentally Friendly Pretreatment for Department of Defense Applications

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-29

Develop an environmentally friendly pretreatment system for multi-material Department of Defense applications ― Free of hexavalent chromium (Cr6...Zn phosphate and chrome wash primer •Two Zirconium pretreatment variations passed the 336 hr and 1000 hr B-117 outlined per MIL-DTL-53022 or MIL

Environmental Friendly Coatings and Corrosion Prevention For Flight Hardware Project

Science.gov (United States)

Calle, Luz

2014-01-01

Identify, test and develop qualification criteria for environmentally friendly corrosion protective coatings and corrosion preventative compounds (CPC's) for flight hardware an ground support equipment.

Radioecological implementation of 'environmental friendly' materials alumosilicate origin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stojanovic, M.; Milojkovic, J.; Grubisic, M.; Iles, D.

2009-01-01

The problem of modern civilization is radionuclide contamination of soil, especially in Serbia.There was NATO aggression when were used munitions with depleted uranium, and after that waste material was deposed on the inhabited and mostly fertile soil. Having in mind that not all activities have been taken that would permanently eliminate the consequences of this radionuclide, means that entering depleted uranium in the food chain is a real danger now. Solving this problem requires a holistic approach including the application of safe and effective 'environmental friendly' materials that are economical, locally available and easily applicable. Our investigations have included testing the efficiency of natural and modified with domestic origin aluminosilicate materials, zeolite, phosphate, bentonite and diatomite for in situ remediation of soil. (author) [sr

Design of environmentally friendly calcium sulfate-based building materials : towards an improved indoor air quality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yu, Q.

2012-01-01

This thesis addresses the performance based design and development of an environmentally friendly calcium sulfate-based indoor building product towards an improved indoor air quality. Here "environmental friendly" is referred to the environment related subjects including: (1) the selection of raw

New environmentally-friendly antimicrobials and biocides from Andean and Mexican biodiversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Cespedes, Carlos L; Alarcon, Julio; Aqueveque, Pedro M; Lobo, Tatiana; Becerra, Julio; Balbontin, Cristian; Avila, Jose G; Kubo, Isao; Seigler, David S

2015-10-01

Persistent application of pesticides often leads to accumulation in the environment and to the development of resistance in various organisms. These chemicals frequently degrade slowly and have the potential to bio-accumulate across the food chain and in top predators. Cancer and neuronal damage at genomic and proteomic levels have been linked to exposure to pesticides in humans. These negative effects encourage search for new sources of biopesticides that are more "environmentally-friendly" to the environment and human health. Many plant or fungal compounds have significant biological activity associated with the presence of secondary metabolites. Plant biotechnology and new molecular methods offer ways to understand regulation and to improve production of secondary metabolites of interest. Naturally occurring crop protection chemicals offer new approaches for pest management by providing new sources of biologically active natural products with biodegradability, low mammalian toxicity and environmentally-friendly qualities. Latin America is one of the world's most biodiverse regions and provide a previously unsuspected reservoir of new and potentially useful molecules. Phytochemicals from a number of families of plants and fungi from the southern Andes and from Mexico have now been evaluated. Andean basidiomycetes are also a great source of scientifically new compounds that are interesting and potentially useful. Use of biopesticides is an important component of integrated pest management (IPM) and can improve the risks and benefits of production of many crops all over the world. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Environmentally friendly disinfectant: Production, disinfectant action and efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Čekerevac Milan I.

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Silver is a known disinfectant from ancient times, and it has been widely used for various purposes: for food and water disinfection, curing of wounds and as a universal antibiotic for a wide spectrum of diseases - until the Second World War and the discovery of penicillin. Until recently, it was assumed that silver, being a heavy metal, was toxic for humans and living beings. However, the newest research provides facts that the usage of silver, even for drinking water disinfection, is benign if it is added in small concentrations (in parts per billion. It has been shown in the newer scientific and technical literature that silver in colloidal form is a powerful (secondary disinfectant for drinking water, that it can be effectively used for the disinfection of water containers including swimming pools, installations in food industry, medicine, etc. Particularly, it has been shown that colloidal silver combined with hydrogen peroxide shows synergism having strong bactericidal and antiviral effects. The combination can be successfully used as a disinfectant in agriculture, food production and medicine. The original electrochemical process of production, the mechanism of physical-chemical reactions in that process and the mechanism of the antiseptic affect of the environmentally friendly disinfectant, based on the synergism of colloidal silver and hydrogen peroxide and the activity of electrochemically activated water, is shown. The starting solution was anolyte, obtained in electrochemical activation by water electrolysis of a highly diluted solution of K-tartarate in demineralized water (5.5-1CT4 M. The problem of electrolysis of very dilute aqueous solutions in membrane cells was particularly treated. It was shown that the efficiency of the electrolysis depends on the competition between the two processes: the rates of the processes of hydrogen and oxygen generation at the electrodes and the process of diffusion of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions

A Survey on Turkish Elementary School Students' Environmental Friendly Behaviours and Associated Variables

Science.gov (United States)

Alp, Elvan; Ertepinar, Hamide; Tekkaya, Ceren; Yilmaz, Ayhan

2008-01-01

This study investigated elementary school students' environmental knowledge and attitudes, the effects of sociodemographic variables on environmental knowledge and attitudes, and how self-reported environmentally friendly behaviour is related to environmental knowledge, behavioural intentions, environmental affects, and the students' locus of…

The Impact of Individual Attitudinal and Organisational Variables on Workplace Environmentally Friendly Behaviours

OpenAIRE

Manika, D; Wells, VK; Gregory-Smith, D; Gentry, M

2015-01-01

Although research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has grown steadily, little research has focused on CSR at the individual level. In addition, research on the role of environmental friendly organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) within CSR initiatives is scarce. In response to this gap and recent calls for further research on both individual and organizational variables of employees' environmentally friendly, or green, behaviors, this article sheds light on the influence of thes...

Isomerization of glucose into fructose by environmentally friendly Fe/β zeolite catalysts.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Siquan; Zhang, Lei; Xiao, Kehao; Xia, Haian

2017-06-29

Herein, the environmentally friendly Fe/β zeolite for glucose isomerization to fructose in aqueous media was reported for the first time. The effects of various reaction conditions including reaction temperature, reaction time, catalyst dosage, etc. on the isomerization reaction over Fe/β zeolite were studied in detail. Under the optimized conditions, yield of fructose higher than 20% were obtained. Moreover, the Fe/β zeolite catalysts were stable and remained constant catalytic activity after five consecutive runs. The possible active Fe species for isomerization of glucose in Fe/β zeolite is also discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Testing of environmentally friendly lubricants for sheet metal forming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bay, Niels; Olsson, David Dam; Andreasen, Jan Lasson

2005-01-01

the authors have especially been involved in the development of a system of test methods for sheet metal forming and in testing of friction and limits of lubrication of new, environmentally friendly lubricants. An overview of the developed tests is presented together with selected results....

Green technological foresight on environmental friendly agriculture: Executive summary

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borch, K.; Christensen, S.; Jørgensen, U.

2005-01-01

Risø and the co-operators have on behalf of the Forest and Nature Agency completed a technological foresight on environmentally friendly agriculture based on green technologies. A technological foresight is a systematic dialogue on how one prepares forfuture challenges, which have not yet manifes...

Environmentally friendly synthesis of highly monodisperse biocompatible gold nanoparticles with urchin-like shape.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Lehui; Ai, Kelong; Ozaki, Yukihiro

2008-02-05

We report a facile and environmentally friendly strategy for high-yield synthesis of highly monodisperse gold nanoparticles with urchin-like shape. A simple protein, gelatin, was first used for the control over shape and orientation of the gold nanoparticles. These nanoparticles, ready to use for biological systems, are promising in the optical imaging-based disease diagnostics and therapy because of their tunable surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and excellent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity.

Cross-Cultural Investigation of Consumers’ Generations Attitudes Towards Purchase of Environmentally Friendly Products in Apparel Retail

OpenAIRE

Dabija Dan-Cristian; Chebeň Juraj; Lančarič Drahoslav

2017-01-01

Recent changes of the environment and in the society have altered consumers’ preferences and brought new concerns among local communities regarding environmental protection and organizations responsibility, the adoption of environmentally friendly strategies, as well as offering more sustainable products. Consumers tend to select retailers based on their focus on environmental friendly products and on various “green” strategies regarding waste disposal, package recycling, etc. This study aims...

Modeling Age-Friendly Environment, Active Aging, and Social Connectedness in an Emerging Asian Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-Ming Lai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper empirically tested eight key features of WHO guidelines to age-friendly community by surveying 211 informal caregivers and 402 self-care adults (aged 45 to 85 and above in Malaysia. We examined the associations of these eight features with active aging and social connectedness through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. A structural model with satisfactory goodness-of-fit indices (CMIN/df = 1.11, RMSEA = 0.02, NFI = 0.97, TLI = 1.00, CFI = 1.00, and GFI = 0.96 indicates that transportation and housing, community support and health services, and outdoor spaces and buildings are statistically significant in creating an age-friendly environment. We found a statistically significant positive relationship between an age-friendly environment and active aging. This relationship is mediated by social connectedness. The results indicate that built environments such as accessible public transportations and housing, affordable and accessible healthcare services, and elderly friendly outdoor spaces and buildings have to be put into place before social environment in building an age-friendly environment. Otherwise, the structural barriers would hinder social interactions for the aged. The removal of the environmental barriers and improved public transportation services provide short-term solutions to meet the varied and growing needs of the older population.

Development of environmentally friendly briquettes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleisa, K.; Lehmann, J.; Verfuss, F.; Simon, G.

1994-01-01

The DMT has developed an industrial briquette consisting of about 87% hardcoal, 7% molasses pulp and 6% hydration limestone which meets the requirements of the clean air authority as an environmentally friendly fuel for travelling grate boilers. In extensive tests in a 4.4 MW travelling grate boiler these briquettes with molasses and limestone additives proved to be particularly effective in terms of reducing sulphur dioxide emission in the flue gas. They exhibited good ignition and combustion behaviour as well as a considerable reduction in nitrogen oxide emission. In a large-scale test with 1000 t of briquettes in a 46.5 MW travelling grate furnace it proved possible to confirm the good combustion behaviour and the reduced emission of sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide in the flue gas. (orig.) [de

Production of environmentally friendly aerated concrete with required construction and operational properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tkach Evgeniya

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of these studies is to justify the feasibility of recycling different types of industrial waste instead of conventional expensive raw materials in production of environmentally friendly aerated concrete with required construction and operational properties. The impact of wastes from various industries on the environmental condition of affected areas, as well as the results of their environmental assessment were analyzed to determine whether these wastes could be used in production of high-performance building materials. The assessment of industrial wastes in aerated concrete production suggests that industrial wastes of hazard class IV can be recycled to produce aerated concrete. An environmentally friendly method for large-scale waste recycling, including a two-step environmentally sustainable mechanism, was developed. The basic quality indicators of the modified aerated concrete proved that the environmental safety could be enhanced by strengthening the structure, increasing its uniformity and improving thermal insulation properties. The modified non-autoclaved aerated concrete products with improved physical and operational properties were developed. They have the following properties: density – D700; class of concrete – B3.5; thermal transmittance coefficient – 0.143 W/(m·°C; frost resistance – F75.

Teaching Ecology to Children of Preschool Education to Instill Environmentally Friendly Behaviour

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Maria Eduarda; Cruz, Catarina; Pitarma, Rui

2016-01-01

This qualitative study analyzes the results of a pedagogical and didactic experiment which was focused on the problem of teaching environmentally-friendly behaviours to young kindergarten children. It is essential to awaken children's curiosity and desire to know more about environmental issues in their regions so that children develop their own…

University of Illinois FRIENDS Children’s Environmental Health Center

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The FRIENDS Children's Environmental Health Center at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, was established in 2001 to investigate the interactive effects of...

Environmental impact assessment and eco-friendly decision-making in civil structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sang-Hyo; Choi, Moon-Seock; Mha, Ho-Seong; Joung, Jung-Yeun

2013-09-15

This study develops two useful procedures in performing an environmental-impact assessment. One is the advanced life-cycle assessment (LCA) method, which effectively tracks the flow of materials and considers the recycling and demolition of a civil structure. The other is an eco-friendly decision-making procedure, which may effectively apply when determining the prototype of a civil structure. The advanced LCA method differs from traditional LCA procedure, as it classifies the input material prior to the impact assessment. Classification work is performed to establish independent life-cycle stages for each material. The processes of recycling and demolition are appropriately added to the life-cycle stages. The impact assessment is performed separately for the materials, and results are aggregated at the end of the analysis. The eco-friendly decision-making procedure enables designers to choose an economical, and environmentally friendly, alternative during the planning phase of the construction project. This procedure rationally amalgamates economical value and environmental effects into a single indicator. The life cycle cost (LCC) of a structure can be analysed by using conventional LCC tools, whereas the environmental impact is estimated by LCA. The results from LCC and LCA are then integrated by using either a CO2 conversion method or an analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The CO2 conversion method presents the result as a monetary value, whereas the AHP presents the result as a non-dimensional value. A practical example using a steel box girder bridge and a pre-stressed concrete (PSC) box-girder bridge is also given in order to aid the understanding of the presented procedure. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of Green Environmentally Friendly Materials in Food Packaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jixia Li

2017-11-01

Full Text Available With social development, requirements on the spiritual and material life have increased. However, some environmental issues appear, for example, in food packaging. Application of environment-friendly materials in food packaging has been more and more attractive. This study analyses the characteristics of degradable food packaging material and the existing problems, proposes the manufacturing of food packaging with poly(lactic acid/nanocrystalline cellulose composite material, tests its thermal and mechanical properties, and applies it to the design of food packaging. The results demonstrate that the thermal and mechanical properties of the material could satisfy the requirements of food packaging and that the material is applicable to the design of food packaging in the future. This work provides a reference for the application of green, environment-friendly materials in the design of food packaging.

Environmentally Friendly Cleaners for Removing Tar from Metal Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

2009-04-01

treatment plants that handle phosphate type solu- tions. The terms used by commercial vendors such as environmentally friendly, all natural, green, and...solvents used in relation to diesel fuel, and the procedure can also rank solvents quantitatively. Sacco (2004) has studied the blending of two plant ...other bituminous materials from industrial equipment surfaces. The composition is a mixture of a carrier monocyclic monoterpene and a nonionic

Application of Green Environmentally Friendly Materials in Food Packaging

OpenAIRE

Jixia Li

2017-01-01

With social development, requirements on the spiritual and material life have increased. However, some environmental issues appear, for example, in food packaging. Application of environment-friendly materials in food packaging has been more and more attractive. This study analyses the characteristics of degradable food packaging material and the existing problems, proposes the manufacturing of food packaging with poly(lactic acid)/nanocrystalline cellulose composite material, tests its therm...

Characterization of Encapsulated Corrosion Inhibitors for Environmentally Friendly Smart Coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Pearman, B. P.; Calle, L. M.; Zhang, X.; Li, W.; Buhrow, J. W.; Johnsey, M. N.; Montgomery, E. L.; Fitzpatrick, L.; Surma, J. M.

2015-01-01

The NASA Kennedy Space Center's Corrosion Technology Lab at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, U.S.A. has been developing multifunctional smart coatings based on the microencapsulation of environmentally friendly corrosion indicators, inhibitors and self-healing agents. This allows the incorporation of autonomous corrosion control functionalities, such as corrosion detection and inhibition as well as the self-healing of mechanical damage, into coatings. This paper presents technical details on the characterization of inhibitor-containing particles and their corrosion inhibitive effects using electrochemical and mass loss methods. Three organic environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors were encapsulated in organic microparticles that are compatible with desired coatings. The release of the inhibitors from the microparticles in basic solution was studied. Fast release, for immediate corrosion protection, as well as long-term release for continued protection, was observed. The inhibition efficacy of the inhibitors, incorporated directly and in microparticles, on carbon steel was evaluated. Polarization curves and mass loss measurements showed that, in the case of 2MBT, its corrosion inhibition effectiveness was greater when it was delivered from microparticles.

Climate-friendly Default Rules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sunstein, Cass R.; Reisch, Lucia A.

. The underlying reasons include the power of suggestion; inertia and procrastination; and loss aversion. If well-chosen, climate-friendly defaults are likely to have large effects in reducing the economic and environmental harms associated with various products and activities. In deciding whether to establish...

Influence of friends on children's physical activity: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Maturo, Claire C; Cunningham, Solveig A

2013-07-01

We examined evidence for friendship influences on children's physical activity (PA) through systematic searches of online databases in May 2012. We identified 106 studies (25 qualitative) published in English since 2000 that analyzed indicators of friendship influences (e.g., communication about PA, friends' PA, and PA with friends) among persons younger than 19 years. Children's PA was positively associated with encouragement from friends (43 of 55 studies indicating a positive relationship), friends' own PA (30/35), and engagement with friends in PA (9/10). These findings are consistent with friends influencing PA, but most studies did not isolate influence from other factors that could explain similarity. Understanding friendship influences in childhood can facilitate the promotion of lifelong healthy habits. PA with friends should be considered in health promotion programs.

Comparison of the microbiological quality of environmentally friendly and conventionally grown vegetables sold at retail markets in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryu, Jee-Hoon; Kim, Minju; Kim, Eun-Gyeong; Beuchat, Larry R; Kim, Hoikyung

2014-09-01

Fresh produce is usually eaten raw without cooking or heating, which may increase the probability of foodborne infection. The microbiological quality of 11 types of fresh, raw vegetables (romaine lettuce, sesame leaves, crown daisy, garlic chives, iceberg lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, leek, chili pepper, capsicum, and zucchini) purchased at retail markets in Iksan, Korea as affected by cultivation method (environmentally friendly vegetables [organic, pesticide-free, and low-pesticide vegetables] and conventionally grown vegetables) and harvest season was determined. Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella were not detected in all samples of vegetables tested. Aerobic mesophiles (>6 log cfu/g) were detected in environmentally friendly romaine lettuce and crown daisy and environmentally friendly and conventionally grown garlic chives, which also contained coliforms (>3 log cfu/g). Sesame leaf and crown daisy (regardless of cultivation method), as well as conventionally grown romaine lettuce and leek, contained >1 log cfu/g of E. coli. The overall microbiological quality of environmentally friendly and conventionally grown vegetables was not significantly different (P > 0.05). However, there were seasonal effects on populations of coliforms and generic E. coli on vegetables. The greatest numbers of microorganisms were isolated from environmentally friendly or conventionally grown vegetables purchased in winter. The vegetables, regardless of cultivation method or season, should be subjected to appropriate antimicrobial treatment to enhance their microbial safety. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

Environmentally friendly joining of tubes by their ends

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Silva, Carlos M.A.; Nielsen, Chris Valentin; Alves, Luis M.

2015-01-01

This paper proposes an environmentally friendly joining process for connecting tubes by their ends that has the potential to replace current solutions based on fastened, crimped, welded, brazed or adhesive bonded joints. The process is based on a new type of tubular lap joint produced by local...... of deformation and the process feasibility window, and destructive testing to establish the working limits of tubular lap joints under different type of loading conditions. Results demonstrate that the proposed joining process is a flexible and cost-effective technology for connecting tubes by their ends...

Cross-Cultural Investigation of Consumers’ Generations Attitudes Towards Purchase of Environmentally Friendly Products in Apparel Retail

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dabija Dan-Cristian

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Recent changes of the environment and in the society have altered consumers’ preferences and brought new concerns among local communities regarding environmental protection and organizations responsibility, the adoption of environmentally friendly strategies, as well as offering more sustainable products. Consumers tend to select retailers based on their focus on environmental friendly products and on various “green” strategies regarding waste disposal, package recycling, etc. This study aims to highlight Romanian and Slovak consumers’ attitudes towards purchasing of goods from retailers that strive a clear focus on environmental responsibility and environmental friendly practices in apparel, footwear and sportswear retail. By means of a quantitative research based on a questionnaire administered to consumers of international retail chains with operations in both countries, the authors highlight differences in their perceptions and attitudes for buying green apparel, footwear and sportswear. Whereas Millennials and Gen Xers consumers in Romania and Slovakia believe that international apparel, footwear and sportswear retailers are less concerned about environmentally responsible behavior and the need of selling green products, Baby Boomers are more sensitive to such aspects and carefully select retailers according to their green strategy. This research provides specific findings about attitudes of different consumers’ generations within two emerging European countries (Romania, Slovakia.

Environmental friendly anodizing of AZ91D magnesium alloy in alkaline borate-benzoate electrolyte

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu Yan [Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Department of Chemistry, Tianshui Normal University, Tianshui 741000 (China); Wei Zhongling [Magnesium Technology Co., Ltd., Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiaxing 314051 (China); Yang Fuwei [Department of Chemistry, Tianshui Normal University, Tianshui 741000 (China); Zhang Zhao, E-mail: eaglezzy@zjuem.zju.edu.cn [Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Key Laboratory for Light Alloy Materials Technology, Jiaxing 314051 (China)

2011-06-02

Highlights: > Environmental friendly PEO technology for AZ91 magnesium alloy is developed. > NaBz is used as new additive and it is low-cost and environmental friendly. > The effect of NaBz additive on the properties of the anodized film was studied. > Anodized film with excellent corrosion resistance is obtained. > The forming mechanism of anodized film in the presence of NaBz is approached. - Abstract: A kind of environmental friendly anodizing routine for AZ91D magnesium alloy, based on an alkaline borate-sodium benzoate electrolyte (NaBz) was studied. The effect of NaBz on the properties of the anodized film was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), respectively. The results showed that the anodizing process, surface morphology, thickness, phase structure and corrosion resistance of the anodized film were strongly dependent on the concentration of NaBz. In the presence of adequate NaBz, a thick, compact and smoothing anodized film with excellent corrosion resistance was produced. Moreover, the forming mechanism of the anodized film in the presence of NaBz additive was also approached, which was a suppression of arc discharge process by the adsorption of Bz{sup -} on the surface of magnesium alloy substrate.

Aqueous hybrid ion batteries - An environmentally friendly alternative for stationary energy storage?

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Jens F.; Weil, Marcel

2017-10-01

Aqueous hybrid ion batteries (AHIB) are being promoted as an environmentally friendly alternative to existing stationary battery technologies. However, no quantification of their potential environmental impacts has yet been done. This paper presents a prospective life cycle assessment of an AHIB module and compares its performance with lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries in two different stationary energy storage applications. The findings show that the claim of being an environmentally friendly technology can only be supported with some major limitations. While the AHIB uses abundant and non-toxic materials, it has a very low energy density and requires increased amounts of material for providing a given storage capacity. Per kWh of battery, results comparable to those of the alternative lithium- or sodium-ion batteries are obtained, but significantly higher impacts under global warming and ozone depletion aspects. The comparable high cycle life of the AHIB compensates this partially, requiring less battery replacements over the lifetime of the application. On the other hand, its internal inefficiencies are higher, what becomes the dominating factor when charging majorly fossil based electricity, making AHIB unattractive for this type of applications.

Physical activity in adolescents: analysis of the social influence of parents and friends

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luanna Alexandra Cheng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between physical activity and social support from parents and friends on the physical activity level among adolescents. METHODS: Data from 2,361 adolescents (56.6% females; mean age 16.4; SD = 1.2, from public and private high schools were analyzed. The physical activity level of the adolescents, parents, and friends were measured through a questionnaire. Parents' and friends' support and self-efficacy were measured using two previously tested scales. Data analysis was performed usingthe structural equation modeling in IBM(r SPSS(r AmosTM 20.0. RESULTS: Physical activity of friends was directly associated with physical activity level of adolescents. Physical activity of the father was associated with their sons, and the physical activity of mother was associated with their daughters. An indirect association was identified between the physical activity of parents and friends with physical activity level of the adolescents, mediated by social support. Social support was directly associated with physical activity in adolescents of both genders and indirectly mediated by self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Parents and friends have a social influence on adolescents' level of physical activity through the mechanism of behavior modeling or through social support, mediated by self-efficacy.

Physical activity in adolescents: analysis of the social influence of parents and friends.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Luanna Alexandra; Mendonça, Gerfeson; Farias Júnior, José Cazuza de

2014-01-01

To analyze the association between physical activity and social support from parents and friends on the physical activity level among adolescents. Data from 2,361 adolescents (56.6% females; mean age 16.4; SD = 1.2), from public and private high schools were analyzed. The physical activity level of the adolescents, parents, and friends were measured through a questionnaire. Parents' and friends' support and self-efficacy were measured using two previously tested scales. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling in IBM® SPSS® Amos™ 20.0. Physical activity of friends was directly associated with physical activity level of adolescents. Physical activity of the father was associated with that of their sons, and the physical activity of mother was associated with that of their daughters. An indirect association was identified between the physical activity of parents and friends with physical activity level of the adolescents, mediated by social support. Social support was directly associated with physical activity in adolescents of both genders and indirectly mediated by self-efficacy. Parents and friends have a social influence on adolescents' level of physical activity through the mechanism of behavior modeling or through social support, mediated by self-efficacy. Copyright © 2013 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Influence of Friends on Children’s Physical Activity: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Maturo, Claire C.

2013-01-01

We examined evidence for friendship influences on children's physical activity (PA) through systematic searches of online databases in May 2012. We identified 106 studies (25 qualitative) published in English since 2000 that analyzed indicators of friendship influences (e.g., communication about PA, friends’ PA, and PA with friends) among persons younger than 19 years. Children's PA was positively associated with encouragement from friends (43 of 55 studies indicating a positive relationship), friends' own PA (30/35), and engagement with friends in PA (9/10). These findings are consistent with friends influencing PA, but most studies did not isolate influence from other factors that could explain similarity. Understanding friendship influences in childhood can facilitate the promotion of lifelong healthy habits. PA with friends should be considered in health promotion programs. PMID:23678914

Environmental friendly anodizing of AZ91D magnesium alloy in alkaline borate-benzoate electrolyte

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yan; Wei Zhongling; Yang Fuwei; Zhang Zhao

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Environmental friendly PEO technology for AZ91 magnesium alloy is developed. → NaBz is used as new additive and it is low-cost and environmental friendly. → The effect of NaBz additive on the properties of the anodized film was studied. → Anodized film with excellent corrosion resistance is obtained. → The forming mechanism of anodized film in the presence of NaBz is approached. - Abstract: A kind of environmental friendly anodizing routine for AZ91D magnesium alloy, based on an alkaline borate-sodium benzoate electrolyte (NaBz) was studied. The effect of NaBz on the properties of the anodized film was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), respectively. The results showed that the anodizing process, surface morphology, thickness, phase structure and corrosion resistance of the anodized film were strongly dependent on the concentration of NaBz. In the presence of adequate NaBz, a thick, compact and smoothing anodized film with excellent corrosion resistance was produced. Moreover, the forming mechanism of the anodized film in the presence of NaBz additive was also approached, which was a suppression of arc discharge process by the adsorption of Bz - on the surface of magnesium alloy substrate.

Introduction of Microbial Biopolymers in Soil Treatment for Future Environmentally-Friendly and Sustainable Geotechnical Engineering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilhan Chang

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Soil treatment and improvement is commonly performed in the field of geotechnical engineering. Methods and materials to achieve this such as soil stabilization and mixing with cementitious binders have been utilized in engineered soil applications since the beginning of human civilization. Demand for environment-friendly and sustainable alternatives is currently rising. Since cement, the most commonly applied and effective soil treatment material, is responsible for heavy greenhouse gas emissions, alternatives such as geosynthetics, chemical polymers, geopolymers, microbial induction, and biopolymers are being actively studied. This study provides an overall review of the recent applications of biopolymers in geotechnical engineering. Biopolymers are microbially induced polymers that are high-tensile, innocuous, and eco-friendly. Soil–biopolymer interactions and related soil strengthening mechanisms are discussed in the context of recent experimental and microscopic studies. In addition, the economic feasibility of biopolymer implementation in the field is analyzed in comparison to ordinary cement, from environmental perspectives. Findings from this study demonstrate that biopolymers have strong potential to replace cement as a soil treatment material within the context of environment-friendly construction and development. Moreover, continuing research is suggested to ensure performance in terms of practical implementation, reliability, and durability of in situ biopolymer applications for geotechnical engineering purposes.

Use of natural gas, methanol, and ethanol fuel emulsions as environmentally friendly energy carriers for mobile heat power plants

Science.gov (United States)

Likhanov, V. A.; Lopatin, O. P.

2017-12-01

The need for using environmentally friendly energy carriers for mobile heat power plants (HPPs) is grounded. Ecologically friendly sources of energy, such as natural gas as well as renewable methyl and ethyl alcohols, are investigated. In order to develop, determine, and optimize the composition of environmentally friendly energy carriers for an HPP, the latter has been tested when working on diesel fuel (DF), compressed natural gas (CNG), and methanol and ethanol fuel emulsions (MFE, EFE). It has been experimentally established that, for the application of environmentally friendly energy carriers for a 4Ch 11.0/12.5 diesel engine of a mobile fuel and power plant, it is necessary to maintain the following ratio of components when working on CNG: 80% gas and 20% DF primer portion. When working on an alcohol mixture, emulsions of the following composition were used: 25% alcohol (methanol or ethanol), 0.5% detergent-dispersant additive succinimide C-5A, 7% water, and 67.5% DF. When this diesel passed from oil DF to environmentally friendly energy sources, it allowed for the reduction of the content of exhaust gases (EG) (1) when working on CNG with recirculation of exhaust gases (EGR) (recirculation was used to eliminate the increased amount of nitric oxides by using CNG): carbon black by 5.8 times, carbon dioxide by 45.9%, and carbon monoxide by 23.8%; (2) when working on MFE: carbon black by 6.4 times, nitrogen oxides by 29.6%, carbon dioxide by 10.1%, and carbon oxide by 47.6%; (3) when working on EFE: carbon black by 4.8 times; nitrogen oxides by 40.3%, carbon dioxide by 26.6%, and carbon monoxide by 28.6%. The prospects of use of environmentally friendly energy carriers in diesels of mobile HPPs, such as natural gas, ethanol, and methanol, has been determined.

Clean and Selective Catalytic C-H alkylation of Alkenes with Environmental friendly Alcohols

KAUST Repository

Poater, Albert; Vummaleti, Sai V. C.; Polo, Alfonso; Cavallo, Luigi

2016-01-01

Bearing the alkylation of alkene substrates using alcohol as solvent, catalysed by the cationic Ru-based catalyst [(C6H6)(PCy3)(CO)RuH]+, DFT calculations have been carried out to get mechanistic insights of such an environmental friendly reaction

Incentives for environmentally friendly vehicles. A report from the Environment and Health Protection Administration in Stockholm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henriksson, Cecilia; Paedam, S. [Inregia AB, Stockholm (Sweden)

1999-11-01

This report deals with incentives for environmentally friendly vehicles. The report includes a description of the current status of these vehicles in Sweden, Stockholm County Council, and the City of Stockholm. A forecast of possible development of zero and low emission vehicles is carried out. The major obstacles which currently hinder a market for these vehicles are noted. In order to determine market readiness and factors which affect these firms' purchase of vehicles, interviews were carried out with private firms. This analysis indicates that institutional barriers in Sweden hinder zero and low emission vehicles, with laws and tax policies which offer conflicting signals. To follow international developments, these obstacles must be reduced. Therefore, it is important that Stockholm works to create a positive climate for environmentally friendly vehicles. This means that it is important that the policies recommended in this report are implemented with adequate intensity. Because knowledge about zero and low emission vehicles is limited, there is a need to produce factual information. Information can be spread to a larger group, but it is more cost effective to reach a group which is most likely to accept environmentally friendly vehicles. This could include companies with environmental profiles, or those who drive and use company cars. To increase the effectiveness of this information campaign, we suggest that the City also maintain a demonstration fleet with loaner cars for companies who wish to test these vehicles in daily operation before deciding whether or not to purchase them. The incentive package recommended for Stockholm includes offering parking rebates to various groups who park in the city centre; residents , commercial vehicles, and temporary visitors. For equity reasons, all groups should in practice be offered the rebate. To increase the positive effect of the incentive, environmentally friendly vehicles should also be allowed to drive in

Melon oil methyl ester: an environmentally friendly fuel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S.K. Fasogbon

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Demand for energy is growing across the globe due to the direct relationship between the well-being and prosperity of people and energy usage. However, meeting this growing energy demand in a safe and environmentally friendly manner is a key challenge. To this end, methyl esters (biodiesels have been and are being widely investigated as alternatives to fossil fuels in compression ignition engines. In this study, melon (Colocynthis Citrullus Lanatus oil was used to synthesize biodiesel (methyl ester using the transesterification method in the presence of a sodium hydroxide promoter. The emissions profile of the biodiesel was investigated by setting up a single-cylinder four-stroke air-cooled CI engine connected to a TD115-hydraulic dynamometer and an Eclipse Flue Gas Analyzer (FGA with model number EGA4 flue gas analyzer. The engine was run at engine speeds of 675, 1200 and 1900rpm for biodiesel/diesel blends at 21°C on a volume basis of 0/100(B0, 10/90(B10, 20/80(B20, 30/70(B30, 40/60(B40 and 50/50(B50. The test showed a downward trend in the emissions profile of the biodiesel, with remarkable reductions of about 55% in the dangerous-carbon monoxide exhaust gas pollutant and 33.3% in the unfriendly SOX from 100% diesel to B30-biodiesel concentration. Increasing the speed from 675 to 1200 and then to 1900 rpm also afforded further reductions in CO and SOX exhaust emissions. NOX however increased marginally by 2.1% from the same 100% diesel to the B30-biodiesel composition. Based on the remarkable reduction in CO and SOX and the marginal increase in NOX as the concentration of the biodiesel increased in the blends, the study concludes that melon oil methyl ester is an environmentally friendly fuel.

Aging in Context: Individual and Environmental Pathways to Aging-Friendly Communities-The 2015 Matthew A. Pollack Award Lecture.

Science.gov (United States)

Scharlach, Andrew E

2017-08-01

Reflecting the theme of the 2015 Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Annual Scientific Meeting, "Aging as a Lifelong Process," this paper examines intersections between aging processes and their environmental context, develops theory regarding constructive developmental processes and their environmental context, and considers potential implications for conceptualizing and creating aging-friendly communities. The first section examines the primary goals of aging-friendly communities, that is, promoting elder well-being. The second section explores the role of environmental pathways in fostering well-being throughout the lifecourse. The third section presents a new Process Model of Constructive Aging that identifies key developmental processes at the intersection of individual and environmental pathways. The final section considers potential implications for creating aging-friendly communities, including ways in which cities and towns can promote the ability of community members to live fully throughout their lives, and identifies some key conceptual and empirical challenges affecting the future of the field. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Decision-Making Tool for Cost-Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Wood Mobilisation

OpenAIRE

Matevž Triplat; Peter Prislan; Nike Krajnc

2015-01-01

Background and Purpose: With development of forest management technologies, the efficiency of wood production was significantly improved, and thus the impact on forests has changed as well. The article presents a practical decision-making tool for selection of most suitable harvesting system, considering given terrain as well as expected soil conditions on harvesting sites. The decision-making tool should support cost-efficient and environmentally friendly mobilisation of wood. Materials a...

Ukrainian realities of labeling of environmentally friendly products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.M. Tsaruk

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The basis of life of any society is a safe environment that is not only the guarantee of welfare and quality of life, but also the guarantee of the further development of human civilization. That is why in the modern world the issue of the preservation of the natural environment is of special actuality. The gradual awareness by humanity of new threats (high degree of concentration of harmful industries; high level of resource and energy consumption; lack of modern environmental technologies; slow but inevitable degradation of the gene pool of a population due to the consumption of poor quality and in most cases harmful products, etc. forced the society to seek new approaches to socio-economic development and environmental management. One of such approaches is the introduction of ecological and organic labeling. Marking is a source of information about the purity, safety and quality of the products offered in the market; effective information mechanism, which is a kind of quality mark for the offered products. The current practice of ecological and organic labeling aimed at the increase of level consumer's awareness and the changing models of purchasing behavior in the direction of environmental protection. The feature of most marking systems of environmentally friendly and safe products is the obligation of compliance with the established requirements used by producers of raw materials and technologies taking into account their potential environmental impact. Labeling of ecologically clean and safe products is reducing the negative impact on the environment and on the human's health. It is the consequence of changes in the economic environment, namely: the improvement of socio-ethical requirements to production; the increasing level of integration of producers and service providers; the customer's satisfaction in varieties of products; globalization of economic space; reduction of time for development, standardization and production. Labeling is

Environmentally friendly use of non-coal ashes in Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Ribbing, C

2007-01-01

The Swedish Thermal Engineering Research Institute (Värmeforsk) initiated an applied research program "Environmentally friendly use of non-coal ashes", in 2002. The program aims at increasing knowledge on the by-products of energy production and their application. The goal of formulating technical and environmental guidelines and assessments is a major point of the program, which is supported by about forty authorities and private organisations. The programme has been divided into four areas: recycling of ashes to forests, geotechnical applications, use in landfilling, and environmental aspects and chemistry. Among all results obtained, the following progress is shown: *Evidence for the positive effects of spreading ashes on forest growth. *A proposal for environmental guidelines on the utilisation of ashes in construction. *A handbook for using non-coal fly ashes in unpaved roads. *Technical and environmental assessments of MSWI bottom ashes in road construction. *Development of the use of ashes with municipal wastewater sludge as a cover for landfills and mine tailings. *Use of ashes from bio-fuels in concrete and replacement of cement in stoop mining. *A method to classify those by-products from combustion that have mirror entries in the EWC as a hazardous or non-hazardous compound. The Ash Programme has also made it possible to increase knowledge on ashes as valuable materials, on quality assurance and on markets for recovered materials.

Replacement of petroleum based hydraulic fluids with renewable and environmental friendly resource

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan Sani Wan Nik; Noraini Ali

2000-01-01

Rational self-interest and good environmental citizenship are forcing the development of renewable and environmentally acceptable hydraulic fluids. Fluids that are at least equivalent in performance plus biodegradable have been formulated in Europe and USA using vegetable oils as base stocks for innovative additive packages. While many of the differences in using vegetable based stocks in place of mineral oils have been adapted to by straightforward formulating changes, the oxidation stability of vegetable-based stock is still a challenging area. This work initiates the investigation in Malaysia in the use of environmentally friendly resource to replace partially the petroleum based hydraulic fluid. The study concentrates more in improving the oxidation stability of the vegetable based stocks. (Author)

Environmentally Friendly Coating Technology for Autonomous Corrosion Control

Science.gov (United States)

Calle, Luz M.; Li, Wenyan; Buhrow, Jerry W.; Johnsey, Marissa N.; Jolley, Scott T.; Pearman, Benjamin P.; Zhang, Xuejun; Fitzpatrick, Lilliana; Gillis, Mathew; Blanton, Michael;

The Role of Self-Efficacy and Friend Support on Adolescent Vigorous Physical Activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, Kyra; Warner, Lisa M; Schwarzer, Ralf

2017-02-01

Physical activity, including some form of vigorous activity, is a key component of a healthy lifestyle in young people. Self-efficacy and social support have been identified as key determinants of physical activity; however, the mechanism that reflects the interplay of these two factors is not well understood. The aim of the current study was to test social cognitive theory's notion that self-efficacy relates to intention that translates into behavior and to investigate whether friend support and self-efficacy synergize, interfere, or compensate for one another to predict vigorous physical activity in adolescents-a population at risk of rapid decreases in physical activity. A survey at two points in time was conducted in 226 students aged 12 to 16 years. In a conditional process analysis, friend support and physical activity self-efficacy were specified as interacting predictors of intention. The latter was specified as a mediator between self-efficacy and later vigorous physical activity, controlling for sex and age. Self-efficacy emerged as the dominant predictor of intention, followed by friend support, and an interaction between support and self-efficacy. In adolescents with high self-efficacy, intention was independent of support. In those with low self-efficacy, receiving friend support partly compensated for lack of self-efficacy. The effect of self-efficacy on vigorous physical activity was mediated by intention. Adolescent vigorous physical activity was indirectly predicted by self-efficacy via intention, and this mediation was further moderated by levels of friend support, indicating that friend support can partly buffer lack of self-efficacy.

Associations between Parental and Friend Social Support and Children's Physical Activity and Time Spent outside Playing.

Science.gov (United States)

Loucaides, Constantinos A; Tsangaridou, Niki

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the structural validity of a parent and a child questionnaire that assessed parental and friends' influences on children's physical activity and investigate the associations between the derived factors, physical activity, and time spent outside. Children ( N = 154, mean age = 11.7) and 144 of their parents completed questionnaires assessing parental and friends' influences on children's physical activity. Children wore a pedometer for six days. Exploratory factor analyses revealed four factors for the parental and five for the child's questionnaire that explained 66.71% and 63.85% of the variance, respectively. Five factors were significantly associated with physical activity and five significantly associated with time spent outside. Higher correlations were revealed between "general friend support," "friends' activity norms," and physical activity ( r = 0.343 and 0.333 resp., p friend support" and time spent outside ( r = 0.460, p parental and friends' influences on physical activity from both parents and children may provide a more complete picture of influences. Parents and friends seem to influence children's physical activity behavior and time spent outside, but friends' influences may have a stronger impact on children's behaviors.

Characterization of Encapsulated Corrosion Inhibitors Containing Microparticles for Environmentally Friendly Smart Coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Pearman, Benjamin Pieter; Calle, Luz M.

2015-01-01

This poster presents the results obtained from experiments designed to evaluate the release properties, as well as the corrosion inhibition effectiveness, of several encapsulated corrosion inhibitors. Microencapsulation has been used in the development of environmentally friendly multifunctional smart coatings. This technique enables the incorporation of autonomous corrosion detection, inhibition and self-healing functionalities into many commercially available coating systems. Select environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors were encapsulated in organic and inorganic pH-sensitive microparticles and their release in basic solutions was studied. The release rate results showed that the encapsulation can be tailored from fast, for immediate corrosion protection, to slow, which will provide continued long-term corrosion protection. The incorporation of several corrosion inhibitor release profiles into a coating provides effective corrosion protection properties. To investigate the corrosion inhibition efficiency of the encapsulated inhibitors, electrochemical techniques were used to obtain corrosion potential, polarization curve and polarization resistance data. These measurements were performed using the free as well as the encapsulated inhibitors singly or in combinations. Results from these electrochemical tests will be compared to those obtained from weight loss and other accelerated corrosion experiments.

Extrusion: An environmentally friendly process for PEMFC membrane elaboration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanchez, J.-Y.; Iojoiu, C.; Marechal, M. [LEPMI, UMR 5631 CNRS-INPG-UJF, ENSEEG, BP 75, F-38402, Saint Martin d' Heres (France); Chabert, F.; El Kissi, N. [Rheologie, UMR 5520 CNRS-INPG-UJF, ENSHMG, BP 53, F-38041, Grenoble (France); Salomon, J.; Mercier, R. [LMOPS UMR CNRS 5041, BP 24, F-69390 Vernaison (France); Piffard, Y. [CNRS Universite de Nantes, Institut des Materiaux Jean Rouxel, UMR 6502, BP 32229, F-44322, Nantes Cedex 3 (France); Galiano, H. [CEA, Le Ripault Research Center, BP 16, F-37260, Monts (France)

2007-12-31

The paper deals with the use of extrusion to process PEMFC filled and unfilled membranes. Several routes including the sulfonation of filled and unfilled extruded membranes and the extrusion of filled and unfilled ionomers are reported. Thanks to the use of selected water-soluble aid process plasticizers, acid and alkaline forms of sulfonated polyethersulfone were, for the first time, successfully extruded. The extrusion process did not lead to any degradation of the ionomer performances. Decreasing the membrane cost while using environmentally friendly elaboration conditions, it should be helpful to an industrial production. In addition, avoiding filler sedimentation it should allow homogeneous composite membranes to be obtained. (author)

Evaluation of environmentally friendly products for control of fungal diseases of grapes

OpenAIRE

Schilder, A.M.C.; Gillett, J.M.; Sysak, R.W.; Wise, J.C.

2002-01-01

Various environmentally friendly products were tested for efficacy in controlling powdery mildew, downy mildew, black rot, Phomopsis, and Botrytis bunch rot in grapes over several years. The products tested were: JMS stylet oil (paraffinic oil), Serenade (Bacillus subtilis), Croplife (citrus and coconut extract) + Plant food (foliar fertilizer), Armicarb (potassium bicarbonate), Elexa (chitosan), Milsana (giant knotweed extract), and AQ10 (Ampelomyces quisqua/is). JMS Stylet Oil, Armicarb, Se...

Is a Perceived Activity-Friendly Environment Associated with More Physical Activity and Fewer Screen-Based Activities in Adolescents?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaroslava Kopcakova

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The aim of this study is to explore if perception of an activity-friendly environment is associated with more physical activity and fewer screen-based activities among adolescents. Methods: We collected self-reported data in 2014 via the Health Behavior in School-aged Children cross-sectional study from four European countries (n = 13,800, mean age = 14.4, 49.4% boys. We explored the association of perceived environment (e.g., “There are other children nearby home to go out and play with” with physical activity and screen-based activities using a binary logistic regression model adjusted for age, gender, family affluence and country. Results: An environment perceived as activity-friendly was associated with higher odds that adolescents meet recommendations for physical activity (odds ratio (OR for one standard deviation (SD change = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI 1.05–1.18 and lower odds for excessive screen-based activities (OR for 1 SD better = 0.93, 95% CI 0.88–0.98. Conclusions: Investment into an activity-friendly environment may support the promotion of active life styles in adolescence.

Possible consequences of changing to a more environmental-friendly steel production in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolstad, Julie Riise

2005-01-01

China is the world's biggest steel producer, the world's biggest steel consumer and the world's biggest polluter. The superpower is forced to change its steel production in a more environmental-friendly way, but necessary measures will be expensive; moreover, they will have consequences far past China's borders. The possible effects are elaborated in the article (ml)

Development of a method for environmentally friendly chemical peptide synthesis in water using water-dispersible amino acid nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fukumori Yoshinobu

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Due to the vast importance of peptides in biological processes, there is an escalating need for synthetic peptides to be used in a wide variety of applications. However, the consumption of organic solvent is extremely large in chemical peptide syntheses because of the multiple condensation steps in organic solvents. That is, the current synthesis method is not environmentally friendly. From the viewpoint of green sustainable chemistry, we focused on developing an organic solvent-free synthetic method using water, an environmentally friendly solvent. Here we described in-water synthesis technology using water-dispersible protected amino acids.

Romantic Partners, Friends, Friends with Benefits, and Casual Acquaintances As Sexual Partners

Science.gov (United States)

Furman, Wyndol; Shaffer, Laura

2011-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to provide a detailed examination of sexual behavior with different types of partners. A sample of 163 young adults reported on their light nongenital, heavy nongenital, and genital sexual activity with romantic partners, friends, and casual acquaintances. They described their sexual activity with “friends with benefits” as well as with friends in general. Young adults were most likely to engage in sexual behavior with romantic partners, but sexual behavior also often occurred with some type of nonromantic partner. More young adults engaged in some form of sexual behavior with casual acquaintances than with friends with benefits. The frequencies of sexual behavior, however, were greater with friends with benefits than with friends or casual acquaintances. Interview and questionnaire data revealed that friends with benefits were typically friends, but not necessarily. Nonsexual activities were also less common with friends with benefits than other friends. Taken together, the findings illustrate the value of differentiating among different types of nonromantic partners and different levels of sexual behavior. PMID:21128155

Eco-friendly Retail Product Attributes, Customer Attributes and the Repurchase Intentions of South African Consumers

OpenAIRE

Job Dubihlela; Tandiswa Ngxukumeshe

2016-01-01

Purpose –Consumers are becoming progressively aware of the significance of eco-friendly activities, and their environmental consciousness drives them to consume eco-friendly products and services more, and prefer to support organisations that favor conservational practices. Increased environmental impacts bring a rise in concerns locally and globally, on sustainability issues aimed at reducing non-conservative consumption patterns. Retail organisations are increasingly developing and marketin...

An environmentally friendly procedure to obtain flavonoids from Brazilian citrus waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bellete, Barbara S.; Ramin, Luize Z.; Porto, Deyvid; Ribeiro, Alany I.; Forim, Moacir R.; Zuin, Vânia G.; Fernandes, João B.; Silva, Maria Fátima G.F., E-mail: barbarabellete@gmail.com [Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, SP (Brazil)

2018-05-01

Currently, most food waste is used as animal feed and this process does not take advantage of the available chemical composition. A Brazilian example is the citrus fruit processing wastes (CFPW), which have begun to draw attention due to their biological importance. In order to access the main compounds of this matrix, an efficient and environmentally friendly procedure was tested. From this extract, flavonoids as naringenin, hesperitin, chrysoeriol, sinensetin, 3,5,6,7,3',4'-hexamethoxyflavone, nobiletin, 5-methoxysalvigenin, 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone, 3,5,6,7,4'-pentamethoxyflavone and isosakuranetin were identified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-UV), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance (LC-NMR). This study describes the potential use of citrus waste as a source of biologically active compounds. The extraction method proposed for this work was not expensive and the flavonoids were obtained in large amounts, thus, this extraction method is being developed using pilot plant scale-up techniques and will soon be available to the industry at a low cost. (author)

An environmentally friendly procedure to obtain flavonoids from Brazilian citrus waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bellete, Barbara S.; Ramin, Luize Z.; Porto, Deyvid; Ribeiro, Alany I.; Forim, Moacir R.; Zuin, Vânia G.; Fernandes, João B.; Silva, Maria Fátima G.F.

2018-01-01

Currently, most food waste is used as animal feed and this process does not take advantage of the available chemical composition. A Brazilian example is the citrus fruit processing wastes (CFPW), which have begun to draw attention due to their biological importance. In order to access the main compounds of this matrix, an efficient and environmentally friendly procedure was tested. From this extract, flavonoids as naringenin, hesperitin, chrysoeriol, sinensetin, 3,5,6,7,3',4'-hexamethoxyflavone, nobiletin, 5-methoxysalvigenin, 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone, 3,5,6,7,4'-pentamethoxyflavone and isosakuranetin were identified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-UV), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance (LC-NMR). This study describes the potential use of citrus waste as a source of biologically active compounds. The extraction method proposed for this work was not expensive and the flavonoids were obtained in large amounts, thus, this extraction method is being developed using pilot plant scale-up techniques and will soon be available to the industry at a low cost. (author)

Indicators of activity-friendly communities: an evidence-based consensus process.

Science.gov (United States)

Brennan Ramirez, Laura K; Hoehner, Christine M; Brownson, Ross C; Cook, Rebeka; Orleans, C Tracy; Hollander, Marla; Barker, Dianne C; Bors, Philip; Ewing, Reid; Killingsworth, Richard; Petersmarck, Karen; Schmid, Thomas; Wilkinson, William

2006-12-01

Regular physical activity, even at modest intensities, is associated with many health benefits. Most Americans, however, do not engage in the recommended levels. As practitioners seek ways to increase population rates of physical activity, interventions and advocacy efforts are being targeted to the community level. Yet, advocates, community leaders, and researchers lack the tools needed to assess local barriers to and opportunities for more active, healthy lifestyles. Investigators used a systematic review process to identify key indicators of activity-friendly communities that can assess and improve opportunities for regular physical activity. Investigators conducted a comprehensive literature review of both peer-reviewed literature and fugitive information (e.g., reports and websites) to generate an initial list of indicators for review (n=230). The review included a three-tiered, modified Delphi consensus-development process that incorporated input of international, national, state, and local researchers and practitioners from academic institutions, federal and state government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and funding agencies in public health, transportation, urban planning, parks and recreation, and public policy. Ten promising indicators of activity-friendly communities were identified: land use environment, access to exercise facilities, transportation environment, aesthetics, travel patterns, social environment, land use economics, transportation economics, institutional and organizational policies, and promotion. Collaborative, multidisciplinary approaches are underway to test, refine, and expand this initial list of indicators and to develop measures that communities, community leaders, and policymakers can use to design more activity-friendly community environments.

Development of environmentally friendly universal controller. Data and materials; 1998 nendo kankyo taio universal controller no kaihatsu seika hokokusho. Shiryohen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-05-01

Research and development was carried out for an 'environmentally friendly universal controller (UC)' which would be 'user-friendly and energy-saving' when used with electrical home appliances, and data and materials on them were compiled into this volume. It covers the specifications (Versions 0.6 and 0.51) of a newly developed two-way controller protocol, the specification (Version 0.1) of two-way remote control IrDA-C communication unit hardware, an infrared communication protocol IrDa Control, and the like. It also accommodates information collected through surveys of technological trends as reflected in technical literature, Internet home pages, catalogs, and the like, concerning the user-friendliness of electrical home appliances, remote control, domestic consumption of electric power, and the like. Also covered is the result of surveys of patents involving environmentally friendly UC related technologies, namely, Japanese patents (from applications made in 1979 through disclosures made in 1998) and U.S. patents (registrations made in 1982 and thereafter). Furthermore, it contains the result of surveys of actualities of domestic use conducted for the purpose of clarifying the effect of environmentally friendly UC introduction, how such UCs are being accepted by the public, and the conditions that should be satisfied for their popularization. (NEDO)

Development of environmentally friendly universal controller. Data and materials; 1998 nendo kankyo taio universal controller no kaihatsu seika hokokusho. Shiryohen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-05-01

Research and development was carried out for an 'environmentally friendly universal controller (UC)' which would be 'user-friendly and energy-saving' when used with electrical home appliances, and data and materials on them were compiled into this volume. It covers the specifications (Versions 0.6 and 0.51) of a newly developed two-way controller protocol, the specification (Version 0.1) of two-way remote control IrDA-C communication unit hardware, an infrared communication protocol IrDa Control, and the like. It also accommodates information collected through surveys of technological trends as reflected in technical literature, Internet home pages, catalogs, and the like, concerning the user-friendliness of electrical home appliances, remote control, domestic consumption of electric power, and the like. Also covered is the result of surveys of patents involving environmentally friendly UC related technologies, namely, Japanese patents (from applications made in 1979 through disclosures made in 1998) and U.S. patents (registrations made in 1982 and thereafter). Furthermore, it contains the result of surveys of actualities of domestic use conducted for the purpose of clarifying the effect of environmentally friendly UC introduction, how such UCs are being accepted by the public, and the conditions that should be satisfied for their popularization. (NEDO)

Graphene oxide-loaded shortening as an environmentally friendly heat transfer fluid with high thermal conductivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vongsetskul Thammasit

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Graphene oxide-loaded shortening (GOS, an environmentally friendly heat transfer fluid with high thermal conductivity, was successfully prepared by mixing graphene oxide (GO with a shortening. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that GO particles, prepared by the modified Hummer’s method, dispersed well in the shortening. In addition, the latent heat of GOS decreased while their viscosity and thermal conductivity increased with increasing the amount of loaded GO. The thermal conductivity of the GOS with 4% GO was higher than that of pure shortening of ca. three times, from 0.1751 to 0.6022 W/mK, and increased with increasing temperature. The GOS started to be degraded at ca. 360°C. After being heated and cooled at 100°C for 100 cycles, its viscosity slightly decreased and no chemical degradation was observed. Therefore, the prepared GOS is potentially used as environmentally friendly heat transfer fluid at high temperature.

Achievement report for fiscal 1998. Development of environmentally friendly universal controller; 1998 nendo kankyo taio universal controller no kaihatsu seika hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-05-01

Research and development was carried out for an 'environmentally friendly universal controller (UC)' which would be 'user-friendly and energy-saving' when used with electrical home appliances. An environmentally friendly UC is a remote controller which utilizes an infrared two-way communication function and becomes capable of dealing with any appliance upon downloading remote control information from the appliance involved. Studies were conducted for the development of controller hardware and software therefor and for the development of electrical home appliances to correspond to their specifications. In relation with energy conservation, studies centered about reduction in power consumption while on standby and unnecessary power consumption. As the result, an environmentally friendly UC protocol was newly developed and, based on the protocol, plural numbers of controllers, appliances, and network gateways were tentatively fabricated, and were examined for their function, behavior, and operational interchangeability. Systems aiming at reducing power consumption while on standby and unnecessary power consumption were built by way of experiment, and were checked for performance. It was then concluded that a reduction of several billion kWh might be achieved. (NEDO)

Environmentally friendly health care food services: a survey of beliefs, behaviours, and attitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Elisa D; Garcia, Alicia C

2011-01-01

There is increasing global interest in sustainability and the environment. A hospital/health care food service facility consumes large amounts of resources; therefore, efficiencies in operation can address sustainability. Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours about environmentally friendly practices in hospital/health care food services were explored in this study. Questionnaires addressed environmentally friendly initiatives in building and equipment, waste management, food, and non-food procurement issues. The 68 participants included hospital food service managers, clinical dietitians, dietary aides, food technicians, and senior management. Data analysis included correlation analysis and descriptive statistics. Average scores for beliefs were high in building and equipment (90%), waste management (94%), and non-food procurement (87%), and lower in food-related initiatives (61%) such as buying locally, buying organic foods, buying sustainable fish products, and reducing animal proteins. Average positive scores for behaviours were positively correlated with beliefs (waste management, p=0.001; food, p=0.000; non-food procurement, p=0.002). Average positive scores for attitude in terms of implementing the initiatives in health care were 74% for building and equipment, 81% for waste management, 70% for non-food procurement, and 36% for food. The difference in food-related beliefs, behaviours, and attitudes suggests the need for education on environmental impacts of food choices. Research is recommended to determine facilitators and barriers to the implementation of green strategies in health care. As food experts, dietitians can lead changes in education, practice, and policy development.

The association between family and friend integration and physical activity: results from the NHIS.

Science.gov (United States)

Larsen, Britta A; Strong, David; Linke, Sarah E

2014-06-01

Social integration predicts morbidity and mortality, but its relationships with specific health behaviors that could explain this relationship, such as physical activity, have not been established. Additionally, studies associating social integration with health have not distinguished between sources of social contact (family vs. friends), which could be differentially related to health. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between social integration and physical activity and to explore differences in family and friend social integration. Data came from the 2001 wave of the National Health Interview Survey. Adult participants (N = 33,326) indicated levels of social integration by reporting whether they had seen and/or called friends and/or family in the past 2 weeks and also reported their weekly minutes of physical activity. Logistic regression was used to determine odds of meeting physical activity (PA) guidelines (≥ 150 min/week) and odds of inactivity (0 min/week) based on levels of social integration. Greater integration predicted higher odds of meeting PA guidelines and lower odds of inactivity after controlling for sociodemographic variables. This association was stronger and dose-dependent for integration with friends, whereas moderate family contact predicted greater activity than high levels of family contact. Those who are more socially integrated, particularly with friends rather than family, are also more physically active, which could partially explain the link between social integration and morbidity and mortality. Future studies examining this association should distinguish between sources of integration and explore why and how contact with friends vs. family is differentially associated with health behaviors.

Eco-friendly Development Of Industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An, Gi Cheol; Park, Hun; Lee, Dong Jin; Ryu, Sang Hui

1998-02-01

This book reports eco-friendly development of industry, which has summary on bring up the issue and research way and system of research. It deals with current state of affairs on eco-friendly development of industry and the case of developed countries such as necessity and meaning of eco-friendly development industry, prospect and change of the tendency, environmental issue by field in Korea like the steel industry, nonferrous metal industry, auto industry, and cement industry and general policy for eco-friendly development of industry.

The relation of close friends to cognitive performance in old age: the mediating role of leisure activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Ihle, Andreas; Oris, Michel; Baeriswyl, Marie; Kliegel, Matthias

2018-06-01

ABSTRACTBackground:From a conceptual point of view, close friends are an important resource for promoting activity engagement in old age. Leisure activity engagement in turn is a key predictor of cognitive performance. Empirically, it remains unclear so far whether leisure activity engagement mediates between having close friends on the one hand and cognitive performance on the other, which we investigated in a large sample of older adults. We assessed cognitive performance (Mill Hill vocabulary scale and Trail Making Test (TMT) parts A and B) in 2,812 older adults. Participants reported information on leisure activity engagement and close friends. A larger number of leisure activities and a larger number of close friends were significantly related to better cognitive performance in the Mill Hill vocabulary scale and TMT parts A and B. A larger number of close friends were significantly related to a larger number of leisure activities. The number of leisure activities mediated more than half of the relation of the number of close friends to performance in all three cognitive measures. Having close friends may be helpful to stimulate and promote activity participation in old age. By enhancing individuals' cognitive reserve, this may finally preserve their cognitive performance level in old age.

An easy and environmentally-friendly approach to superamphiphobicity of aluminum surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, R.; Hu, Y. M.; Wang, L.; Li, Zh. H.; Shen, T.; Zhu, Y.; Xiang, J. Zh.

2017-04-01

Superamphiphobic Al surfaces were achieved via an easy and environmentally-friendly approach. Aqueous mixed solution of 0.7 M CuSO4 and 1 M NaCl was used to etch polished Al surfaces to fabricate a rough morphology distributed with microscale step-like pits. The uniformly distributed nanoscale petals covered on the microscale pits were obtained by subsequent 96 °C hot deionized water bathing for 13 min. Thus, the hierarchical micro/nanometer scale roughness was formed which provided the structural basic of superamphiphobic Al surfaces. By 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-Perfluorodecyl-triethoxysilane (PFDTS) derivatization, desirable superamphiphobic Al surfaces were achieved with the highest static contact angles of 162° for water, 156° for peanut oil, respectively. Meanwhile, the sliding angles were lower than 10° for both water and peanut oil droplets. The as-prepared Al surfaces were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and optical contact angle measurements. The FE-SEM images of as-prepared Al surfaces showed a hierarchical micro/nanometer scale morphology. XPS analyses demonstrated the PFDTS derivitization on Al surfaces. The superamphiphobic Al surfaces presented good mechanical durability and chemical stability which have a wide range of applications in fields such as self-cleaning, anti-icing, anti-corrosion, oil transportation, energy harvesting, microfluidics, and so forth. The approach reported in this paper may easily realize the industrial production of superamphiphobic Al surfaces owing to the advantage of facile, low cost and environmentally-friendly.

Risk analysis within environmental impact assessment of proposed construction activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeleňáková, Martina; Zvijáková, Lenka

2017-01-15

Environmental impact assessment is an important process, prior to approval of the investment plan, providing a detailed examination of the likely and foreseeable impacts of proposed construction activity on the environment. The objective of this paper is to develop a specific methodology for the analysis and evaluation of environmental impacts of selected constructions – flood protection structures using risk analysis methods. The application of methodology designed for the process of environmental impact assessment will develop assumptions for further improvements or more effective implementation and performance of this process. The main objective of the paper is to improve the implementation of the environmental impact assessment process. Through the use of risk analysis methods in environmental impact assessment process, the set objective has been achieved. - Highlights: This paper is informed by an effort to develop research with the aim of: • Improving existing qualitative and quantitative methods for assessing the impacts • A better understanding of relations between probabilities and consequences • Methodology for the EIA of flood protection constructions based on risk analysis • Creative approaches in the search for environmentally friendly proposed activities.

Risk analysis within environmental impact assessment of proposed construction activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeleňáková, Martina; Zvijáková, Lenka

2017-01-01

Environmental impact assessment is an important process, prior to approval of the investment plan, providing a detailed examination of the likely and foreseeable impacts of proposed construction activity on the environment. The objective of this paper is to develop a specific methodology for the analysis and evaluation of environmental impacts of selected constructions – flood protection structures using risk analysis methods. The application of methodology designed for the process of environmental impact assessment will develop assumptions for further improvements or more effective implementation and performance of this process. The main objective of the paper is to improve the implementation of the environmental impact assessment process. Through the use of risk analysis methods in environmental impact assessment process, the set objective has been achieved. - Highlights: This paper is informed by an effort to develop research with the aim of: • Improving existing qualitative and quantitative methods for assessing the impacts • A better understanding of relations between probabilities and consequences • Methodology for the EIA of flood protection constructions based on risk analysis • Creative approaches in the search for environmentally friendly proposed activities.

Environmentally friendly synthesis of organic-soluble silver nanoparticles for printed electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kwi Jong; Jun, Byung Ho; Choi, Junrak; Lee, Young Il; Joung, Jaewoo; Oh, Yong Soo

2007-01-01

In this study, we attempted to synthesize organic-soluble silver nanoparticles in the concentrated organic phase with an environmentally friendly method. The fully organic phase system contains silver acetate as a silver precursor, oleic acid as both a medium and a capping molecule, and tin acetate as a reducing agent. Monodisperse silver nanoparticles with average diameters of ca. 5 nm can be easily synthesized at large scale. Only a small usage of tin acetate ( 90%). Also, it was investigated that the residual tin atom does not exist in the synthesized silver nanoparticles. This implied that tin acetate acts as a reducing catalyst

Release Properties and Electrochemical Characterization of Encapsulated Corrosion Inhibitors for Environmentally Friendly Smart Coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Pearman, B. P.; Calle, L. M.; Zhang, X.; Li, W.; Buhrow, J. W.; Johnsey, M. N.; Montgomery, E. L.; Fitzpatrick, L.; Surma, J. M.

2015-01-01

The NASA Kennedy Space Center's Corrosion Technology Lab at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, U.S.A. has been developing multifunctional smart coatings based on the microencapsulation of environmentally friendly corrosion indicators, inhibitors and self-healing agents. This allows for the incorporation of autonomous corrosion control functionalities, such as corrosion detection and inhibition as well as the self-healing of mechanical damage, into coatings. This paper presents technical details on the characterization of inhibitor-containing particles and their corrosion inhibitive effects using electrochemical and mass loss methods. Three organic environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors were encapsulated in organic microparticles that are compatible with desired coatings. The total inhibitor content and the release of one of the inhibitors from the microparticles in basic solution was measured. Particles with inhibitor contents of up 60 wt% were synthesized. Fast release, for immediate corrosion protection, as well as long-term release for continued protection, was observed. The inhibition efficacy of the inhibitors, both as the pure materials and in microparticles, on carbon steel was evaluated. Polarization curves and mass loss measurements showed that, in the case of 2MBT, its corrosion inhibition effectiveness was greater when it was delivered from microparticles.

The development of environmental assessment tools to support the creation of dementia friendly care environments: Innovative practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Waller, Sarah; Masterson, Abigail; Evans, Simon C

2017-02-01

The need for more dementia friendly design in hospitals and other care settings is now widely acknowledged. Working with 26 NHS Trusts in England as part of a Department of Health commissioned programme, The King's Fund developed a set of overarching design principles and an environmental assessment tool for hospital wards in 2012. Following requests from other sectors, additional tools were developed for hospitals, care homes, health centres and housing with care. The tools have proven to be effective in both disseminating the principles of dementia friendly design and in enabling the case to be made for improvements that have a positive effect on patient outcomes and staff morale. This paper reports on the development, use and review of the environmental assessment tools, including further work that is now being taken forward by The Association for Dementia Studies, University of Worcester.

Perceived quality, perceived risk and customer trust affecting customer loyalty of environmentally friendly electronics products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lalinthorn Marakanon

2017-01-01

Full Text Available At present, industrial business competition causes producers to be aware of quality, price, and variety in developing new products to meet the consumers' needs. This research reviewed the literature on green marketing and proposes a new conceptual framework of customer loyalty. It uses four constructs—perceived quality, perceived risk, customer trust, and customer loyalty—in the context of environmentally friendly electronics products in Thailand. This research employed an empirical study using the questionnaire survey method to verify the hypotheses. Data were obtained from 420 consumers who bought and used environmentally friendly electronic products, particularly mobile phones, computers, and laptops using a purposive sampling method. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA and structural equation modeling (SEM. The results showed that perceived risk and customer trust had a direct effect on customer loyalty while perceived quality had an indirect effect on customer loyalty via customer trust. Furthermore, perceived quality had direct effects on perceived risk and customer trust. The results from the final SEM model were used to confirm the proposed relationships among the variables.

Water-soluble resist for environmentally friendly lithography

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Qinghuang; Simpson, Logan L.; Steinhaeusler, Thomas; Wilder, Michelle; Willson, C. Grant; Havard, Jennifer M.; Frechet, Jean M. J.

1996-05-01

This paper describes an 'environmentally friendly,' water castable, water developable photoresist system. The chemically amplified negative-tone resist system consists of three water-soluble components: a polymer, poly(methyl acrylamidoglycolate methyl ether), [poly(MAGME)]; a photoacid generator, dimethyl dihydroxyphenylsulfonium triflate and a crosslinker, butanediol. Poly(MAGME) was synthesized by solution free radical polymerization. In the three-component resist system, the acid generated by photolysis of the photoacid generator catalyzes the crosslinking of poly(MAGME) in the exposed regions during post-exposure baking, thus rendering the exposed regions insoluble in water. Negative tone relief images are obtained by developing with pure water. The resist is able to resolve 1 micrometer line/space features (1:1 aspect ratio) with an exposure dose of 100 mJ/cm2 at 248 nm. The resist can be used to generate etched copper relief images on printed circuit boards using aqueous sodium persulfate as the etchant. The crosslinking mechanism has been investigated by model compound studies using 13C NMR. These studies have revealed that the acid catalyzed reaction of the poly(MAGME) with butanediol proceeds via both transesterification and transacetalization (transaminalization) reactions at low temperatures, and also via transamidation at high temperatures.

Do peers matter? A review of peer and/or friends' influence on physical activity among American adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzgerald, Amanda; Fitzgerald, Noelle; Aherne, Cian

2012-08-01

This systematic review investigated the relationship between peer and/or friend variables and physical activity among adolescents by synthesising cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental research conducted in the US. Seven electronic databases were searched to identify related articles published within the last 10 years and the articles reviewed included adolescents between 10 and 18 years. Studies reporting a measure of physical activity for adolescents and at least one potential peer and/or friend variable were included. Research demonstrated that peers and friends have an important role to play in the physical activity behavior of adolescents. Six processes were identified through which peers and/or friends may have an influence on physical activity including: peer and/or friend support, presence of peers and friends, peer norms, friendship quality and acceptance, peer crowds, and peer victimization. The theoretical significance of these results is assessed and the development of peer-related physical activity programs for adolescents is discussed. Copyright © 2012 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Making Rice Production More Environmentally-Friendly

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norman Uphoff

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Irrigated rice production is one of the most essential agricultural activities for sustaining our global population, and at the same time, one of the agricultural sectors considered most eco-unfriendly. This is because it consumes a larger share of available freshwater resources, competing with varied ecosystems as well as other economic sectors; its paddy fields are responsible for significant emission of greenhouse gases; and the reliance on chemical fertilizers and various agrochemicals contributes to pollution of soils and water systems. These stresses on soils, hydrology and atmosphere are actually not necessary for rice production, which can be increased by modifying agronomic practices though more agroecologically-sound management practices. These, combined under the rubric of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI, can reduce requirements of irrigation water, chemical fertilizer and agrochemicals while increasing paddy yields and farmer’s net incomes. Here we discuss how irrigated rice production can be made more eco-friendly for the benefit of farmers, consumers and the environment. This is achieved by introducing practices that improve the growth and functioning of rice plants’ root systems and enhance the abundance, diversity and activity of beneficial soil organisms that live around plant roots and within the plants themselves as symbiotic endophytes.

Is a Perceived Activity-Friendly Environment Associated with More Physical Activity and Fewer Screen-Based Activities in Adolescents?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kopcakova, Jaroslava; Veselska, Zuzana Dankulincova; Geckova, Andrea Madarasova; Bucksch, Jens; Nalecz, Hanna; Sigmundova, Dagmar; van Dijk, Jitse P.; Reijneveld, Sijmen A.

2017-01-01

Background: The aim of this study is to explore if perception of an activity-friendly environment is associated with more physical activity and fewer screen-based activities among adolescents. Methods: We collected self-reported data in 2014 via the Health Behavior in School-aged Children

[Social support and physical activity in adolescents from public schools: the importance of family and friends].

Science.gov (United States)

Prado, Crisley Vanessa; Lima, Alex Vieira; Fermino, Rogério César; Añez, Ciro Romelio Rodriguez; Reis, Rodrigo Siqueira

2014-04-01

The aim of this study was to verify the association between different types and sources of social support and physical activity among adolescents from Curitiba, Paraná State, Brazil. A school-based survey was conducted with a representative sample of adolescents from public schools (n = 1,469). Multiple regression models were used to test the association between weekly frequency and sources of social support from family and friends and weekly frequency of physical activity. Among boys, frequent company of family (PR: 2.88; 95%CI: 2.00-4.13) and friends (PR: 5.46; 95%CI: 2.33-12.78) and positive reinforcement from friends (PR: 1.81; 95%CI: 1.18-2.77) were positively associated with physical activity. Sporadic invitation by the family was negatively associated with physical activity (PR: 0.66; 95%CI: 0.46-1.14). For girls, frequent company of family (PR: 3.39; 95%CI: 1.49-7.69) and friends (PR: 4.06; 95%CI: 2.22-7.45) increased the likelihood of physical activity. Company of friends was the most important type of social support for physical activity among these adolescents.

Pricing of environmental friendly herbicides appropriate for sustainable agriculture, A case study: wheat farmers in Khorasan Razavi province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Ghorbani

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Awareness of wheat farmers’ personal preferences towards environmental issues and weed types is important in pricing bioherbicides for sustainable weed management and could consequently be a fundamental guide to agricultural authorities and policy-makers. In the present study, a survey was carried out by using data collected from 180 wheat farmers of Korasan Razavi province during 2008, together with hedonic pricing method. The role of environmental qualitative factors and weed type on pricing environmental-friendly herbicides on the basis of “willingness to pay” was studied. Results from the estimation of hedonic pricing method indicated that reduction of water pollution, human health risk, farmers information about negative effects of chemical herbicides and the virtual variable of weed type had significant effects on pricing environmental friendly herbicides. Variables of soil pollution and weed perenniality had no significant effects on pricing herbicide applicable to sustainable agricultural systems. Based on the results of this study, possibilities of using bioherbicide or less pollutant herbicides and also the rate of farmers willingness to pay for alternatives in the region are important factors recommended for additional studies

Eco-friendly polymer nanocomposites processing and properties

CERN Document Server

Thakur, Vijay Kumar

2015-01-01

This book contains precisely referenced chapters, emphasizing environment-friendly polymer nanocomposites with basic fundamentals, practicality and alternatives to traditional nanocomposites through detailed reviews of different environmental friendly materials procured from different resources, their synthesis and applications using alternative green approaches. The book aims at explaining basics of eco-friendly polymer nanocomposites from different natural resources and their chemistry along with practical applications which present a future direction in the biomedical, pharmaceutical and automotive industry. The book attempts to present emerging economic and environmentally friendly polymer nanocomposites that are free from side effects studied in the traditional nanocomposites. This book is the outcome of contributions by many experts in the field from different disciplines, with various backgrounds and expertises. This book will appeal to researchers as well as students from different disciplines. The co...

Biodegradation performance of environmentally-friendly insulating oil

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jun; He, Yan; Cai, Shengwei; Chen, Cheng; Wen, Gang; Wang, Feipeng; Fan, Fan; Wan, Chunxiang; Wu, Liya; Liu, Ruitong

2018-02-01

In this paper, biodegradation performance of rapeseed insulating oil (RDB) and FR3 insulating oil (FR3) was studied by means of ready biodegradation method which was performed with Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 301B. For comparison, the biodegradation behaviour of 25# mineral insulating oil was also characterized with the same method. The testing results shown that the biodegradation degree of rapeseed insulating oil, FR3 insulating oil and 25# mineral insulating oil was 95.8%, 98.9% and 38.4% respectively. Following the “new chemical risk assessment guidelines” (HJ/T 154 - 2004), which illustrates the methods used to identify and assess the process safety hazards inherent. The guidelines can draw that the two vegetable insulating oils, i.e. rapeseed insulating oil and FR3 insulating oil are easily biodegradable. Therefore, the both can be classified as environmentally-friendly insulating oil. As expected, 25# mineral insulating oil is hardly biodegradable. The main reason is that 25# mineral insulating oil consists of isoalkanes, cyclanes and a few arenes, which has few unsaturated bonds. Biodegradation of rapeseed insulating oil and FR3 insulating oil also remain some difference. Biodegradation mechanism of vegetable insulating oil was revealed from the perspective of hydrolysis kinetics.

BUMPER: the Bayesian User-friendly Model for Palaeo-Environmental Reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Holden, Phil; Birks, John; Brooks, Steve; Bush, Mark; Hwang, Grace; Matthews-Bird, Frazer; Valencia, Bryan; van Woesik, Robert

2017-04-01

We describe the Bayesian User-friendly Model for Palaeo-Environmental Reconstruction (BUMPER), a Bayesian transfer function for inferring past climate and other environmental variables from microfossil assemblages. The principal motivation for a Bayesian approach is that the palaeoenvironment is treated probabilistically, and can be updated as additional data become available. Bayesian approaches therefore provide a reconstruction-specific quantification of the uncertainty in the data and in the model parameters. BUMPER is fully self-calibrating, straightforward to apply, and computationally fast, requiring 2 seconds to build a 100-taxon model from a 100-site training-set on a standard personal computer. We apply the model's probabilistic framework to generate thousands of artificial training-sets under ideal assumptions. We then use these to demonstrate both the general applicability of the model and the sensitivity of reconstructions to the characteristics of the training-set, considering assemblage richness, taxon tolerances, and the number of training sites. We demonstrate general applicability to real data, considering three different organism types (chironomids, diatoms, pollen) and different reconstructed variables. In all of these applications an identically configured model is used, the only change being the input files that provide the training-set environment and taxon-count data.

An environmentally-friendly vacuum reduction metallurgical process to recover germanium from coal fly ash

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Lingen; Xu, Zhenming, E-mail: zmxu@sjtu.edu.cn

2016-07-15

Highlights: • An environmental friendly vacuum reduction metallurgical process is proposed. • Rare and valuable metal germanium from coal fly ash is recycled. • Residues are not a hazardous material and can be further recycled. • A germanium recovery ratio of 94.64% is obtained in pilot scale experiments. - Abstract: The demand for germanium in the field of semiconductor, electronics, and optical devices is growing rapidly; however, the resources of germanium are scarce worldwide. As a secondary material, coal fly ash could be further recycled to retrieve germanium. Up to now, the conventional processes to recover germanium have two problems as follows: on the one hand, it is difficult to be satisfactory for its economic and environmental effect; on the other hand, the recovery ratio of germanium is not all that could be desired. In this paper, an environmentally-friendly vacuum reduction metallurgical process (VRMP) was proposed to recover germanium from coal fly ash. The results of the laboratory scale experiments indicated that the appropriate parameters were 1173 K and 10 Pa with 10 wt% coke addition for 40 min, and recovery ratio germanium was 93.96%. On the basis of above condition, the pilot scale experiments were utilized to assess the actual effect of VRMP for recovery of germanium with parameter of 1473 K, 1–10 Pa and heating time 40 min, the recovery ratio of germanium reached 94.64%. This process considerably enhances germanium recovery, meanwhile, eliminates much of the water usage and residue secondary pollution compared with other conventional processes.

A New, Eco-Friendly Method for Iodination of Activated Arenes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Sathiyapriya

2006-01-01

Full Text Available An effective, eco-friendly method for iodination of arenes is presented. The reaction of activated aromatics with a mixture of sodium iodate and sodium sulphite in the presence of hydrochloric acid gives mono iodoarenes in high yields.

Environmentally friendly production of charcoal from empty fruit bunches using pilot plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Normah Mulop; Mohd Suffian Abdul Rahim

2000-01-01

Empty fruit bunches (EFB) from palm oil milling process are classified as palm oil waste. The EFB can be turned into valuable product such as charcoal, which can be processed further to activated carbon in order to solve some of the disposal problems. In this project, raw EFB was converted to charcoal by means of a pilot plant. A burner generating indirect heat controls the temperature of the process. The carbonization process was carried out in the absence of air at various temperatures and durations to find the optimum carbonization parameters. The study shows that the optimum operating, temperature for carbonization of EFB is 500 o C for the duration of 11/2 hours. The average fixed carbon content of the charcoal is 61.08. The high percentage of volatile matter is prevented from escaping into the air by trapping them in a series of cyclones. The double layered cyclones using water as the cooling medium, condense more volatile matter and reduces smoke exhaust. 50.7 % of ,gaseous product is condensed and 49.2 % is emitted to the atmosphere. The result is an environmental friendly pilot plant. (author)

Microbiological Leaching; an Environmentally Friendly and Cost Effective Method for Extraction of Metals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ghobeiti-Hasab Mehdi

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Finding a cleaner, environmentally friendly and cost-effective way of metal and mineral extraction has a great importance in today’s world. Using microorganisms in bio-leaching and bio-oxidation process is of great value. From Archaea to bacteria and fungi, microorganisms can play an important role in extraction of metals from mine drainage and un-accessible sources, both in aquatic and terrestrial environments. Optimization of environmental factors such as the temperature, pH and substrate concentration is crucially important to access the optimum extraction of selected metals from an ore or mine drainage. The present paper will review the bio-leaching and bio-oxidation process of minerals with emphasis on the most well-known species of bacterial communities of such ability, through the literature.

Time with friends and physical activity as mechanisms linking obesity and television viewing among youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandewater, Elizabeth A; Park, Seoung Eun; Hébert, Emily T; Cummings, Hope M

2015-07-27

Though bivariate relationships between childhood obesity, physical activity, friendships and television viewing are well documented, empirical assessment of the extent to which links between obesity and television may be mediated by these factors is scarce. This study examines the possibility that time with friends and physical activity are potential mechanisms linking overweight/obesity to television viewing in youth. Data were drawn from children ages 10-18 years old (M = 13.81, SD = 2.55) participating in the 2002 wave of Child Development Supplement (CDS) to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) (n = 1,545). Data were collected both directly and via self-report from children and their parents. Path analysis was employed to examine a model whereby the relationships between youth overweight/obesity and television viewing were mediated by time spent with friends and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Overweight/obesity was directly related to less time spent with friends, but not to MVPA. Time spent with friends was directly and positively related to MVPA, and directly and negatively related to time spent watching television without friends. In turn, MVPA was directly and negatively related to watching television without friends. There were significant indirect effects of both overweight/obesity and time with friends on television viewing through MVPA, and of overweight/obesity on MVPA through time with friends. Net of any indirect effects, the direct effect of overweight/obesity on television viewing remained. The final model fit the data extremely well (χ2 = 5.77, df = 5, ptelevision viewing in youth. These findings highlight the importance of moving from examinations of bivariate relationships between weight status and television viewing to more nuanced explanatory models which attempt to identify and unpack the possible mechanisms linking them.

DECO FRECASE (drywall eco-friendly from eggshell and cane bagasse) as an innovation of eco-friendly interior construction

Science.gov (United States)

Imron, M. A.; Ahkam, D. N. I.; Hidayat, A. W.

2017-12-01

The number of factories and home industries, both upper and lower middle class certainly adds waste generated, resulting in environmental pollution. The development of buildings is one of the largest contributors to global warming. For that, it takes technological innovations that lead to the criteria of green building. The application of green material is important aspects of environmentally friendly development, the selection of materials on the green material criteria of both roles should be applied continuously in order to realize the environmental sustainability of the material. Utilization Waste eggshell and bagasse which is a community waste, has the potential to become innovative environmentally friendly building materials. The eggshell is composed of 94% calcium carbonate, 1% magnesium carbonate, 1% calcium phosphate, and 4% organic material, especially protein, while the bagasse has a high content of silica (SiO2). In this study, the compounds are used as raw material for making alternative drywall in the form of DECO FRECASE. DECO FRECASE is an innovation of environmentally friendly building materials as an interior wall construction. Through DECO FRECASE, it is expected that building material innovation in Indonesia can be improved and of course environmental problems can be minimized by utilizing it as raw material for building construction.

Helping people build a better world? Barriers to more environmentally friendly energy production in China: the case of Shell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buan, Inga Fritzen

2008-03-15

China's rapid industrialization and economic expansion are causing massive environmental damage, with consequences beyond the country's borders, especially due to the use of fossil fuels' effect on climate change. Shell China can contribute to making energy production, if not clean and sustainable, then cleaner and more sustainable by making existing energy production more environmentally friendly; by diversifying and developing alternative energy sources; and by creating precedence influencing others to follow in its footsteps. The first goal of this report is to identify and analyze changes that have happened in the Shell Group since the 1990s when energy companies started their 'greening' processes. These changed happened due to stricter environmental legislation, increased civil society pressure and media scrutiny. Changes on the global and headquarters level in a company do not, however, necessitate similar developments in its national and local level operations. The second goal is thus to analyze to which degree the changes in the Shell Group have had relevance for Shell China and whether barriers in the Chinese context influence its prospects to operate in a more environmentally friendly way. (author). 64 refs

ELECTROLESS NICKEL PLATING ON ABS PLASTIC BY USING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY CHEMICALS

OpenAIRE

Uraz, Canan

2017-01-01

In this study, electroless nickel (EN) plating onacrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) engineering plastic by usingenvironmentally friendly chemicals were studied. Electroless plating is afundamental step in the metal plating on the plastic. This step makes theplastic conductive and makes it possible to a homogeneous and hard platingwithout using any hazardous and unfriendly chemical such as palladium, tin,etc. In the industry there are many distinct chemical materials both catalystsand activ...

An environmentally-friendly fluorescent method for quantification of lipid contents in yeast

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Severo Poli, Jandora; Lützhøft, Hans-Christian Holten; Karakashev, Dimitar Borisov

2014-01-01

lipid and the calibration curve showed linearity (R2 = 0.994) between 0.50 and 25 mg/L. Compared with traditional gravimetric analysis, the developed method is much faster and uses less organic solvents. Lipid contents determined by fluorescence and gravimetry were the same for some strains......This study aimed at developing an efficient, fast and environmentally-friendly method to quantify neutral lipid contents in yeast. After optimising the fluorescence instrument parameters and influence of organic solvent concentrations, a new method to quantify neutral lipids in yeast based......, but for other strains the lipid contents determined by fluorescence were less. This new method will therefore be suitable for fast screening purposes....

The Norm Activation Model: An exploration of the functions of anticipated pride and guilt in environmental behaviour

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Onwezen, M.C.; Antonides, G.; Bartels, J.

2013-01-01

The Norm Activation Model (NAM; Schwartz, 1977) is a vested model that explains altruistic and environmentally friendly behaviour. Although research states that anticipated pride and guilt are associated with the NAM, these associations are not yet fully understood. The current study provides an

Primary Schools Eco-Friendly Education in the Frame of Education for Sustainable Development

Science.gov (United States)

Prabawani, Bulan; Hanika, Ita Musfirowati; Pradhanawati, Ari; Budiatmo, Agung

2017-01-01

A research on primary school education in the frame of education for sustainable development, as known as ESD, is important because the awareness of eco-friendly activities and environment empowerment cannot be developed in a short time. Meanwhile, human activities have caused significant environmental degradation. This is an exploratory study…

Bio-based fillers for environmentally friendly composites

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mokhothu, Thabang H

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The use of bio-based fillers as alternative replacement for synthetic fillers has been dictated by increasing ecological concerns as well as depleting petroleum resources. The other aspect is a growing need for eco-friendly, renewable...

Simple gases to replace non-environmentally friendly polymer foaming agents. A thermodynamic investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grolier, Jean-Pierre E.; Randzio, Stanislaw L.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► The PVT-vibrating wire technique and PVT-scanning transitiometry. ► Polymer swelling with measured gas sorption and gas–polymer interaction energies. ► Experimental measurements up to 373 K and 100 MPa. ► Hydrostatic and plasticization effects under high pressure gas and induced T g -shifts. ► Thermodynamic study of the (gas + polymer) systems polystyrene with CO 2 , N 2 , and freons. - Abstract: Foaming constitutes one of the most important industrial activities in polymer engineering to produce efficient thermal insulating materials. In particular, rigid insulating boards are produced worldwide on a large scale using blowing agents which eventually are released in the environment where they adversely impact the natural friendly stratospheric ozone layer. Concomitantly, the chemicals used as blowing agents contribute to the creation of the unfriendly tropospheric ozone layer generating the disastrous green house effect around our planet. The traditional foaming intermediates currently named freons, like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) currently used as blowing agents as well as the hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) often considered as alternative blowing agents, must be banned from industrial processes and new (friendly) foaming agents have to be suggested and evaluated in terms of both easy engineering and environmental neutrality. Undoubtedly thermodynamics plays a major role in assessing the effective capability of those chemicals. Some CFCs still accepted and other possible simple gases like carbon dioxide and nitrogen have been considered. The in-depth thermodynamic investigation has been made possible thanks to new experimental developments to determine gas solubility in polymers and associated swelling as well as the thermodynamic properties of (gas + polymer) systems, including the thermophysical properties of polymers under gas sorption. Pertinent data have been generated for such properties over extended T and p ranges.

Spillover of environment-friendly consumer behaviour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thøgersen, John; Ølander, Carl Folke

2003-01-01

This paper contributes empirical input to current reasoning about consumers' propensity to behave in an environmentally friendly way in different domains. Spe-cifically, we investigate whether environmentally friendly behaviours spread to more and more areas of the consumption pattern in a virtuous...... circle and whether it is a necessary prerequisite for a virtuous circle to emerge and to continue to work that the individual possesses certain general values or ethical norms. The data material is a three-wave panel study with a large random sample of Danish consumers. The data were analysed by means...... of structural equation modelling and other techniques. Cases of transfer of environment-friendly conduct between behavioural categories are found, but only in a few of the possible instances and only of a modest size. The panel analysis also identifies a few negative cross-lagged effects. Such effects may...

Promoting energy-saving and environmentally friendly generation dispatching model in China: Phase development and case studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ding, Yi; Yang, Hongliang

2013-01-01

Energy saving and environmental protection are important conditions for the sustainable development of Chinese economy. However current widely used generation scheduling model based on predefined production quota and tariff results in heavy energy consumption and severe environment pollution. From...... 2007, as concerns over energy shortage and environmental pollution, the Chinese authorities introduced the implementation of energy-saving generation dispatching model, which is an important approach to facilitating energy-saving and reduction of pollutant emission. The objective of implementing energy......-saving generation dispatching model is to prioritize the use of renewable energy resources and new power plants with high efficiency without compromising power system security and reliability. This paper analyzes the necessity and feasibility of implementing energy-efficient and environmentally friendly generation...

Physical activity in adolescents: analysis of social influence of parents and friends

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luanna Alexandra Cheng

2014-01-01

Conclusions: Parents and friends have a social influence on adolescents’ level of physical activity through the mechanism of behavior modeling or through social support, mediated by self‐efficacy.

Individual, Social, and Environmental Correlates of Active Transportation Patterns in French Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Perchoux, Camille; Enaux, Christophe; Oppert, Jean-Michel; Menai, Mehdi; Charreire, Hélène; Salze, Paul; Weber, Christiane; Hercberg, Serge; Feuillet, Thierry; Hess, Franck; Roda, Célina; Simon, Chantal; Nazare, Julie-Anne

2017-01-01

The objectives were (1) to define physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB) patterns in daily life contexts (work, leisure, and transportation) in French working women from NutriNet-Santé web-cohort and (2) to identify pattern(s) of active transportation and their individual, social, and environmental correlates. 23,432 participants completed two questionnaires to evaluate PA and SB in daily life contexts and individual representations of residential neighborhood and transportation modes. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed which identified 6 distinct movement behavior patterns: (i) active occupation, high sedentary leisure, (ii) sedentary occupation, low leisure, (iii) sedentary transportation, (iv) sedentary occupation and leisure, (v) active transportation, and (vi) active leisure. Multinomial logistic regressions were performed to identify correlates of the "active transportation" cluster. The perceived environmental characteristics positively associated with "active transportation" included "high availability of destinations around home," "presence of bicycle paths," and "low traffic." A "positive image of walking/cycling," the "individual feeling of being physically active," and a "high use of active transport modes by relatives/friends" were positively related to "active transportation," identified as a unique pattern regarding individual and environmental correlates. Identification of PA and SB context-specific patterns will help to understand movement behaviors' complexity and to design interventions to promote active transportation in specific subgroups.

Environmentally friendly inhibition of pathogenic bacteria and algae propagation due phthalocyanine agents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rihova Ambrozova, J.; Bezdekova, E.; Louckova, E.; Nekovarova, J.

2007-01-01

From 2004, in the laboratory of The Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague is being solved the project FT-TA/034 'Environmentally friendly inhibition of pathogenic bacteria and algae propagation in the circulatory cooling systems of nuclear power stations and in other similar technological facilities' to determine effects of phthalocyanine agents. The project bearer is VUOS, Inc. in Rybitvi (Research Institute for Organic Synthesis Inc.), where are the new phthalocyanines synthesized. The aimed goal of the research is environmentally friendly liquidation of bacteria and algae by means of photodynamic generated singlet oxygen through impact of solar radiation in the circulation cooling waters of various technical and technological systems. The principle of the problem outlined is the applying of phthalocyanine agents on samples of pure bacterial, anabaenas and algae cultures to estimate the inhibition effect on the organism exposed. In the course of solution, it is assumed that in such way conducted inhibition of bacteria, anabaenas and algae as well of their proliferation would replace routinely used bactericidal and algicidal preparations, which demand permanent dosing into circulating waters or perhaps from time to time an application of shocking doses. The particular algicidal and bactericidal agents represents in this case in situ emerging singlet oxygen, that is harmless to water biocenoses and whose presence in the water is no reason to ban the outflow of waters treated in such a way into water streams. The goal should be also a direct estimation of the effect those agents on cooling waters samples e. g. from the nuclear power plant systems. The purpose of the tests performance is also elimination of filamentous green algae, emerging in the systems cooling towers. The applied preparations are not toxic and do not burden the living environment, they contain no substances interacting with surface materials of structures in the circulatory cooling circuit

An easy and environmentally-friendly approach to superamphiphobicity of aluminum surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deng, R. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091 (China); Hu, Y.M., E-mail: yongmaohu@163.com [College of Engineering, Dali University, Dali 671003 (China); Wang, L.; Li, Zh.H.; Shen, T. [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China); Zhu, Y., E-mail: zhuyan@kmust.edu.cn [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China); Xiang, J.Zh., E-mail: jzhxiang@ynu.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091 (China)

2017-04-30

Highlights: • Superamphiphobic Al surfaces were achieved via an approach of chemical etching and low surface energy material modification. • The process of chemical etching and hot water bathing were optimized to obtain desirable hierarchical micro/nanoscale structures. • The surface morphology, chemistry and wetting properties of the as-prepared aluminum surfaces were characterized and discussed. • The mechanical robustness and chemical stability of the as-prepared superamphiphobic Al surfaces were tested and evaluated. - Abstract: Superamphiphobic Al surfaces were achieved via an easy and environmentally-friendly approach. Aqueous mixed solution of 0.7 M CuSO{sub 4} and 1 M NaCl was used to etch polished Al surfaces to fabricate a rough morphology distributed with microscale step-like pits. The uniformly distributed nanoscale petals covered on the microscale pits were obtained by subsequent 96 °C hot deionized water bathing for 13 min. Thus, the hierarchical micro/nanometer scale roughness was formed which provided the structural basic of superamphiphobic Al surfaces. By 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-Perfluorodecyl-triethoxysilane (PFDTS) derivatization, desirable superamphiphobic Al surfaces were achieved with the highest static contact angles of 162° for water, 156° for peanut oil, respectively. Meanwhile, the sliding angles were lower than 10° for both water and peanut oil droplets. The as-prepared Al surfaces were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and optical contact angle measurements. The FE-SEM images of as-prepared Al surfaces showed a hierarchical micro/nanometer scale morphology. XPS analyses demonstrated the PFDTS derivitization on Al surfaces. The superamphiphobic Al surfaces presented good mechanical durability and chemical stability which have a wide range of applications in fields such as self-cleaning, anti-icing, anti

An easy and environmentally-friendly approach to superamphiphobicity of aluminum surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng, R.; Hu, Y.M.; Wang, L.; Li, Zh.H.; Shen, T.; Zhu, Y.; Xiang, J.Zh.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Superamphiphobic Al surfaces were achieved via an approach of chemical etching and low surface energy material modification. • The process of chemical etching and hot water bathing were optimized to obtain desirable hierarchical micro/nanoscale structures. • The surface morphology, chemistry and wetting properties of the as-prepared aluminum surfaces were characterized and discussed. • The mechanical robustness and chemical stability of the as-prepared superamphiphobic Al surfaces were tested and evaluated. - Abstract: Superamphiphobic Al surfaces were achieved via an easy and environmentally-friendly approach. Aqueous mixed solution of 0.7 M CuSO 4 and 1 M NaCl was used to etch polished Al surfaces to fabricate a rough morphology distributed with microscale step-like pits. The uniformly distributed nanoscale petals covered on the microscale pits were obtained by subsequent 96 °C hot deionized water bathing for 13 min. Thus, the hierarchical micro/nanometer scale roughness was formed which provided the structural basic of superamphiphobic Al surfaces. By 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-Perfluorodecyl-triethoxysilane (PFDTS) derivatization, desirable superamphiphobic Al surfaces were achieved with the highest static contact angles of 162° for water, 156° for peanut oil, respectively. Meanwhile, the sliding angles were lower than 10° for both water and peanut oil droplets. The as-prepared Al surfaces were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and optical contact angle measurements. The FE-SEM images of as-prepared Al surfaces showed a hierarchical micro/nanometer scale morphology. XPS analyses demonstrated the PFDTS derivitization on Al surfaces. The superamphiphobic Al surfaces presented good mechanical durability and chemical stability which have a wide range of applications in fields such as self-cleaning, anti-icing, anti-corrosion, oil

Feasibility survey of the environmentally-friendly coal utilization system. Feasibility survey of the environmentally-friendly coal utilization system in the Philippines; Kankyo chowagata sekitan riyo system kanosei chosa. Philippines ni okeru kankyo chowagata sekitan riyo system kanosei chosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-03-01

With relation to the coal of the Philippines, where the expansion of the use of coal as a substitute for petroleum/plant fuel is aimed at, the paper grasped the situation of coal production/development, the trend of coal import and domestic distribution, the coal utilization trend, and environmental problems, and analyzed the situation of coal utilization/spread by industry including the commercial/residential use. The purpose of the survey is to draw up a master plan for the introduction of the environmentally-friendly coal utilization system. As to the use of environmentally-friendly coal technology which should be adopted to the coal mining industry and commercial/residential sector, cited are the introduction of coal preparation technology and power transmission technology, and the development/spread of briquette as a firewood substituting fuel. In the electric power sector, the problem is the treatment of ash after combustion and the effective use. Relating to the treatment of flue gas, there is no installation at all of desulfurization facilities and denitrification facilities. In the cement industry sector, they wish to return fuel from heavy oil to coal. For it, it is necessary to study dust preventive measures. In the other sectors, coal hasn`t been used very much. An increase in coal demand is not expected also in the future, and big problems concerning coal haven`t occurred. 42 figs., 64 tabs.

Clean and Selective Catalytic C-H alkylation of Alkenes with Environmental friendly Alcohols

KAUST Repository

Poater, Albert

2016-09-14

Bearing the alkylation of alkene substrates using alcohol as solvent, catalysed by the cationic Ru-based catalyst [(C6H6)(PCy3)(CO)RuH]+, DFT calculations have been carried out to get mechanistic insights of such an environmental friendly reaction. Hard experimental conditions of Yi and coworkers [Science2011, 333, 1613] allow the formation of a C-C bond between indene and ethanol. The predicted mechanism suggests a cationic Ru-alkenyl species once two equivalents of indene interact releasing a molecule of indane subproduct. Then, oxidative addition of the Csingle bondO bond of alcohol to Ru-alkenyl species leads to Ru-alkenyl-alkyl species, followed by the reductive elimination process produces the desired alkylation product and a Ru-hydroxo complex. Finally, vinylic Csingle bondH activation and water elimination regenerates the Ru-alkenyl species. In this paper we present a full description of the complete reaction pathway along with possible alternative pathways, which are predicted to display higher upper barriers. Furthermore, the present study explains the possible reasons for the absence of undesired products such as indene dimer or hydroxylated indene in the experiments.

The Norm Activation Model: An exploration of the functions of anticipated pride and guilt in pro-environmental behaviour

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Onwezen, M.C.; Antonides, G.; Bartels, J.

2013-01-01

The Norm Activation Model (NAM; Schwartz, 1977) is a vested model that explains altruistic and environmentally friendly behaviour. Although research states that anticipated pride and guilt are associated with the NAM, these associations are not yet fully understood. The current study provides an

Investigation of Environmental-friendly Technology for a Paint Industry Wastewater Plant in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pelin YAPICIOĞLU

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Paint manufacturing process has several unfavorable aspects to the environment in Turkey. One of these impacts is wastewater treatment. Paint wastewater contains huge amounts of toxic chemical substances, bio refractory compounds, pigments and microorganisms. So, advanced treatment requirement is available to dispose of colour, microorganisms and chemical oxygen demand (COD. The high organic content of wastewater causes serious environmental challenges and contamination for the living organisms and the ecosystem in the receiver media unless it is treated adequately. In this context, the treatment process to be implemented should be preferred in such a way as to give the least damage to the environment. In this study, three treatment scenarios that contain electrocoagulation (Scenario-1, Fenton process (Scenario-2 and membrane distillation (Scenario-3 have been created for wastewater treatment facility of a paint industry in Turkey. For three scenarios, environmental impact assessment has been carried out with Fine-Kinney method. It is aimed to choose best environmental technology before investment. The evaluation results revealed that Scenario-2 has the less environmental impacts that total impact value is 556. Scenario-1 has the highest total impact value as 756, relatively. Total impact value related to Scenario-3 is 637. According to the evaluation results, Fenton process is the best environmental-friendly treatment technology for wastewater treatment of a paint industry in Turkey.

Environment-friendly drilling operation technology

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Huaidong; Jing, Ning; Zhang, Yanna; Huang, Hongjun; Wei, Jun

2017-01-01

Under the circumstance that international safety and environmental standards being more and more stringent, drilling engineering is facing unprecedented challenges, the extensive traditional process flow is no longer accepted, the new safe and environment-friendly process is more suitable to the healthy development of the industry. In 2015, CNPCIC adopted environment-friendly drilling technology for the first time in the Chad region, ensured the safety of well control, at the same time increased the environmental protection measure, reduced the risk of environmental pollution what obtain the ratification from local government. This technology carries out recovery and disposal of crude oil, cuttings and mud without falling on the ground. The final products are used in road and well site construction, which realizes the reutilization of drilling waste, reduces the operating cost, and provides a strong technical support for cost-cutting and performance-increase of drilling engineering under low oil price.

Incentives for development and application of environmentally friendly biotechnological products and processes; Anreize fuer die Entwicklung und Anwendung umweltfreundlicher biotechnischer Produkte und Verfahren

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rhein, Hans-Bernhard; Endler, Katharina [Umweltkanzlei Dr. Rhein, Sarstedt (Germany); Ulber, Roland; Muffler, Kai; Mueller, Felix [Technische Univ. Kaiserslautern (Germany)

2011-01-15

Studies assign a tremendous growth potential related to biotechnology. However, the predicted proportion of biotechnological manufactured products in the chemical industry for the year 2010 by 20 % will more likely remain by today's 5 %. The study deals with the question why biotechnological products are currently established at the market in the obvious slow way. Therefore, the current constraints and existing respectively new incentive instruments referring to the white (industrial) biotechnology are analyzed to focus on the promotion of the development and application of environmentally friendly biotechnology products and methods. In addition to a search concerning environmental relevance and further development of white biotechnology, the postulated constraints and incentives as well as new promotions are discussed with the help of expert interviews. On the basis of a preliminary study - after further discussion with experts - concrete proposals on improvements related to an ongoing establishment of biotechnology will be derived. Based on case studies (2nd generation biofuels, polyhydroxybutyrate as biopolymer and phytase as an animal feed additive), the practical effects and specific conditions to incentives, from the perspective of biotechnological processes and environmentally friendly products are investigated. Overall, about 40 activities were recommended, which could be assigned to areas of direct government incentives (tax policy/subsidies, subsidies, education and research policy, basic political conditions, government demand and information policy/consumer intelligence) as well as non-governmental incentives (knowledge transfer and cooperation, organisation-related policy, capital market financing). (orig.)

Incentives for development and application of environmentally friendly biotechnological products and processes; Anreize fuer die Entwicklung und Anwendung umweltfreundlicher biotechnischer Produkte und Verfahren

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rhein, Hans-Bernhard; Endler, Katharina [Umweltkanzlei Dr. Rhein, Sarstedt (Germany); Ulber, Roland; Muffler, Kai; Mueller, Felix [Technische Univ. Kaiserslautern (Germany)

2011-01-15

Studies assign a tremendous growth potential related to biotechnology. However, the predicted proportion of biotechnological manufactured products in the chemical industry for the year 2010 by 20 % will more likely remain by today's 5 %. The study deals with the question why biotechnological products are currently established at the market in the obvious slow way. Therefore, the current constraints and existing respectively new incentive instruments referring to the white (industrial) biotechnology are analyzed to focus on the promotion of the development and application of environmentally friendly biotechnology products and methods. In addition to a search concerning environmental relevance and further development of white biotechnology, the postulated constraints and incentives as well as new promotions are discussed with the help of expert interviews. On the basis of a preliminary study - after further discussion with experts - concrete proposals on improvements related to an ongoing establishment of biotechnology will be derived. Based on case studies (2nd generation biofuels, polyhydroxybutyrate as biopolymer and phytase as an animal feed additive), the practical effects and specific conditions to incentives, from the perspective of biotechnological processes and environmentally friendly products are investigated. Overall, about 40 activities were recommended, which could be assigned to areas of direct government incentives (tax policy/subsidies, subsidies, education and research policy, basic political conditions, government demand and information policy/consumer intelligence) as well as non-governmental incentives (knowledge transfer and cooperation, organisation-related policy, capital market financing). (orig.)

Study on environmental friendly national park management plan: concentrated on the support plan for national park residents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Yong Ha; Byun, Byoung Seol; Chung, Hoe Seong; Kim, Mi Sook; Kim, Jeong Won; Joo, Yong Joon [Korea Environment Institute, Seoul (Korea)

1999-12-01

National parks in Korea have been selected for preserving beautiful sceneries of nature or diversity of organisms. Today as the increase of population and industrialization has caused the increase of natural resource demand, it is difficult to preserve all ecosystems equally. Therefore the national park system has established to prevent the damage to an ecosystem or to preserve a region that can be damaged by selecting a valuable area. The objective of this study is to recommend an efficient support plan for national park residents, to induce their activities to be environmental friendly and to preserve an ecosystem in a national park. To achieve this, the similar systems, laws and cases in the advanced countries have compared and reviewed and a support plan for residents appropriate for Korean situation has discussed. 41 refs., 4 figs., 33 tabs.

Influence of Friends on Children’s Physical Activity: A Review

OpenAIRE

Maturo, Claire C.; Cunningham, Solveig A.

2013-01-01

We examined evidence for friendship influences on children’s physical activity (PA) through systematic searches of online databases in May 2012. We identified 106 studies (25 qualitative) published in English since 2000 that analyzed indicators of friendship influences (e.g., communication about PA, friends’ PA, and PA with friends) among persons younger than 19 years.

Constraints in the Adoption of Eco Friendly Conservation Practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Murali Krishnan

2016-05-01

Insect pest and diseases management, Lack of awareness of agro environmental problems and farmer’s attitude towards the Eco Friendly Conservation Practices are the major constraints in the adoption of Eco Friendly Conservation Practices.The study suggests educational, extension & training strategies for fostering the adopted of ECO friendly Conservation Practices.

Polystyrene Supported Al(OTf)3: an Environmentally Friendly Heterogeneous Catalyst for Friedel-Crafts Acylation of Aromatic Compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boroujeni, Kaveh Parvanak

2010-01-01

Stable and non-hygroscopic polystyrene supported aluminium triflate (Ps-Al(OTf) 3 ), which is prepared easily from cheap and commercially available compounds was found to be an environmentally friendly heterogeneous catalyst for Friedel-Crafts acylation of arenes using acid chlorides in the absence of solvent under mild reaction conditions. The catalyst can be reused up to five times after simple washing with dichloromethane

Using mine waste mud to produce environmentally friendly new binders

OpenAIRE

Torgal, Fernando Pacheco; Gomes, J. P. Castro; Jalali, Said

2007-01-01

It is now accepted that new binders, such as alkali-activated binders, are needed to replace portland cement for enhanced environmental and durability performance. Alkali-activated binders have emerged as an alternative to (ordinary portland cement ) OPC binders, which seem to have superior durability and environmental impact.This paper reports results of a research project on the development of an alkali-activated binders using mineral waste mud from the Panasqueira tungsten mine in Portugal...

A novel, environmentally friendly sodium lauryl ether sulfate-, cocamidopropyl betaine-, cocamide monoethanolamine-containing buffer for MEKC on microfluidic devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoeman, Kurt W; Culbertson, Christopher T

2008-12-01

A new buffer has been developed for fast, high-efficiency separations of amino acids by MEKC. This buffer was more environmentally friendly than the most commonly used surfactant-containing buffers for MEKC separations. It used a commercially available dishwashing soap by Seventh Generation (Burlington, VT, USA), which contained three micelle-forming agents. The mixed micelles were composed of sodium lauryl ether sulfate (anionic), cocamidopropyl betaine (zwitterionic), and cocamide monoethanolamine (non-ionic). The optimized buffer contained 5.0% w/w Seventh Generation Free & Clear dishwashing soap, 10 mM sodium borate, and was completely void of organics. The lack of organics and the biodegradability of the surfactant molecules made this buffer more environmentally friendly than typical SDS-containing buffers. This new buffer also had a different selectivity and provided faster separations with higher separation efficiencies than SDS-based buffers. Fast separations of BODIPY FL labeled amino acids yielded peaks with separation efficiencies greater than 100,000 in less than 20 s.

Development and Substantiation of Parameters of Environmentally Friendly Technology for Filling the Vertical Mine Workings with Autoclaved Slag-Concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uglyanitca Andrey

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The environmentally friendly technology for filling the vertical mine workings with autoclaved slag-concrete, prefabricated on the surface of the mine is presented in the article; the optimal parameters of filling technology are proposed. The developed technology for filling the abandoned vertical mine workings allows ensuring the environmental safety of the territories adjacent to the abandoned mine, utilizing slag dumps and providing the possibility of shaft recovery, if necessary, with minimal labor and material costs.

Environmental friendly method for the extraction of coir fibre and isolation of nanofibre.

Science.gov (United States)

Abraham, Eldho; Deepa, B; Pothen, L A; Cintil, J; Thomas, S; John, M J; Anandjiwala, R; Narine, S S

2013-02-15

The objective of this work was to develop an environmental friendly method for the effective utilization of coir fibre by adopting steam pre-treatment. The retting of the coconut bunch makes strong environmental problems which can be avoided by this method. Chemical characterization of the fibre during each processing stages confirmed the increase of cellulose content from raw (40%) to final steam treated fibres (93%). Morphological and dynamic light scattering analyses of the fibres at different processing stages revealed that the isolation of cellulose nano fibres occur in the final step of the process as an aqueous suspension. FT-IR and XRD analysis demonstrated that the treatments lead to the gradual removal of lignin and hemicelluloses from the fibres. The existence of strong lignin-cellulose complex in the raw coir fibre is proved by its enhanced thermal stability. Steam explosion has been proved to be a green method to expand the application areas of coir fibre. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advanced, Environmentally Friendly Hydroelectric Turbines for the Restoration of Fish and Water Quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brookshier, P.A.; Cada, G.F.; Flynn, J.V.; Rinehart, B.N.; Sale, M.J.; Sommers, G.L.

1999-01-01

Hydroelectric power contributes about 10 percent of the electrical energy generated in the United States, and nearly 20 percent of the worlds electrical energy. The contribution of hydroelectric generation has declined in recent years, often as a consequence of environmental concerns centering around (1) restriction of upstream and downstream fish passage by the dam, and (2) alteration of water quality and river flows by the impoundment. The Advanced Hydropower Turbine System (AHTS) Program of the U.S. Department of Energy is developing turbine technology which would help to maximize global hydropower resources while minimizing adverse environmental effects. Major technical goals for the Program are (1) the reduction of mortality among turbine-passed fish to 2 percent or less, compared to current levels ranging up to 30 percent or greater; and (2) development of aerating turbines that would ensure that water discharged from reservoirs has a dissolved oxygen concentration of at least 6 mg/L. These advanced, environmentally friendly turbines would be suitable both for new hydropower installations and for retrofitting at existing dams. Several new turbine designs that have been he AHTS program are described

Environmentally-friendly lithium recycling from a spent organic li-ion battery.

Science.gov (United States)

Renault, Stéven; Brandell, Daniel; Edström, Kristina

2014-10-01

A simple and straightforward method using non-polluting solvents and a single thermal treatment step at moderate temperature was investigated as an environmentally-friendly process to recycle lithium from organic electrode materials for secondary lithium batteries. This method, highly dependent on the choice of electrolyte, gives up to 99% of sustained capacity for the recycled materials used in a second life-cycle battery when compared with the original. The best results were obtained using a dimethyl carbonate/lithium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl) imide electrolyte that does not decompose in presence of water. The process implies a thermal decomposition step at a moderate temperature of the extracted organic material into lithium carbonate, which is then used as a lithiation agent for the preparation of fresh electrode material without loss of lithium. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Eco-friendly synthesis of metal dichalcogenides nanosheets and their environmental remediation potential driven by visible light

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Ashish Kumar; Lakshmi, K. V.; Huang, Liping

2015-01-01

Exfoliated transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) such as WS2 and MoS2 have shown exciting potential for energy storage, catalysis and optoelectronics. So far, solution based methods for scalable production of few-layer TMDs usually involve the use of organic solvents or dangerous chemicals. Here, we report an eco-friendly method for facile synthesis of few-layer WS2 and MoS2 nanosheets using dilute aqueous solution of household detergent. Short time sonication of varying amount of bulk samples in soapy water was used to scale up the production of nanosheets. Thermal stability, optical absorption and Raman spectra of as-synthesized WS2 and MoS2 nanosheets are in close agreement with those from other synthesis techniques. Efficient photocatalytic activity of TMDs nanosheets was demonstrated by decomposing Brilliant Green dye in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. Our study shows the great potential of TMDs nanosheets for environmental remediation by degrading toxic industrial chemicals in wastewater using sunlight. PMID:26503125

Eco-friendly synthesis of metal dichalcogenides nanosheets and their environmental remediation potential driven by visible light

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Ashish Kumar; Lakshmi, K. V.; Huang, Liping

2015-10-01

Exfoliated transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) such as WS2 and MoS2 have shown exciting potential for energy storage, catalysis and optoelectronics. So far, solution based methods for scalable production of few-layer TMDs usually involve the use of organic solvents or dangerous chemicals. Here, we report an eco-friendly method for facile synthesis of few-layer WS2 and MoS2 nanosheets using dilute aqueous solution of household detergent. Short time sonication of varying amount of bulk samples in soapy water was used to scale up the production of nanosheets. Thermal stability, optical absorption and Raman spectra of as-synthesized WS2 and MoS2 nanosheets are in close agreement with those from other synthesis techniques. Efficient photocatalytic activity of TMDs nanosheets was demonstrated by decomposing Brilliant Green dye in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. Our study shows the great potential of TMDs nanosheets for environmental remediation by degrading toxic industrial chemicals in wastewater using sunlight.

A hybrid discrete choice model to assess the effect of awareness and attitude towards environmentally friendly travel modes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sottile, Eleonora; Meloni, Italo; Cherchi, Elisabetta

2015-01-01

The need to reduce private vehicle use has led to the development of soft measures aimed at re-educating car users through information processes that raise their awareness regarding the benefits of environmentally friendly modes, encouraging them to voluntarily change their mode choice behaviour......&R) instead of their car, we estimated a hybrid mode choice model....

Environmentally friendly wood preservatives formulated with enzymatic-hydrolyzed okara, copper and/or boron salts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahn, Sye Hee; Oh, Sei Chang; Choi, In-gyu; Han, Gyu-seong; Jeong, Han-seob; Kim, Ki-woo; Yoon, Young-ho; Yang, In

2010-01-01

Novel biocides, such as copper azole (CuAz) and ammoniacal copper quaternary (ACQ), are extensively used as substitutes for chromate copper arsenate (CCA) in wood preservation. However, the expense of these biocides has necessitated the development of cost-effective and environmentally friendly wood preservatives. This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness against decaying fungi of the preservatives formulated with enzymatic-hydrolyzed okara (OK), which is an organic waste produced from the manufacture of tofu, CuCl 2 (CC) and/or Na 2 B 4 O 7 .10H 2 O (B). With the addition of NH 4 OH as a dissociating agent, the addition of OK facilitated the target retention of most of the OK/CC and OK/CC/B preservative formulations in wood blocks. The OK-based wood preservatives (OK-WPs) were stable against hot-water leaching. When compared with control and CC-treated wood blocks, the leached wood blocks treated with OK/CC and OK/CC/B formulations showed excellent decay resistance against both Postia placenta and Gloeophyllum trabeum, especially when OK was hydrolyzed by Celluclast at a loading level of 0.1 ml/g. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and SEM-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) spectrometry analyses demonstrated that preservative complexes, such as OK-CC and OK-CC-B, existed in the wood blocks treated with OK/CC and OK/CC/B formulations. This study results support the potential application of OK-WPs as environmentally friendly wood preservatives capable of replacing CuAz and ACQ.

Environmentally friendly wood preservatives formulated with enzymatic-hydrolyzed okara, copper and/or boron salts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahn, Sye Hee; Oh, Sei Chang [Department of Forest Resources, Daegu University, Gyeongsan 712-714 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, In-gyu [Department of Forest Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921 (Korea, Republic of); Han, Gyu-seong [Department of Wood and Paper Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763 (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, Han-seob [Department of Forest Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ki-woo [National Instrumentation Center for Environmental Management, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Young-ho [KCI Co. Ltd., Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do 356-874 (Korea, Republic of); Yang, In, E-mail: dahadad2000@yahoo.com [Research Institute for Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, San 56-1 Sillim-Dong, Kwanak-gu, Seoul 151-921 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-06-15

Novel biocides, such as copper azole (CuAz) and ammoniacal copper quaternary (ACQ), are extensively used as substitutes for chromate copper arsenate (CCA) in wood preservation. However, the expense of these biocides has necessitated the development of cost-effective and environmentally friendly wood preservatives. This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness against decaying fungi of the preservatives formulated with enzymatic-hydrolyzed okara (OK), which is an organic waste produced from the manufacture of tofu, CuCl{sub 2} (CC) and/or Na{sub 2}B{sub 4}O{sub 7}.10H{sub 2}O (B). With the addition of NH{sub 4}OH as a dissociating agent, the addition of OK facilitated the target retention of most of the OK/CC and OK/CC/B preservative formulations in wood blocks. The OK-based wood preservatives (OK-WPs) were stable against hot-water leaching. When compared with control and CC-treated wood blocks, the leached wood blocks treated with OK/CC and OK/CC/B formulations showed excellent decay resistance against both Postia placenta and Gloeophyllum trabeum, especially when OK was hydrolyzed by Celluclast at a loading level of 0.1 ml/g. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and SEM-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) spectrometry analyses demonstrated that preservative complexes, such as OK-CC and OK-CC-B, existed in the wood blocks treated with OK/CC and OK/CC/B formulations. This study results support the potential application of OK-WPs as environmentally friendly wood preservatives capable of replacing CuAz and ACQ.

Associations between Parental and Friend Social Support and Children’s Physical Activity and Time Spent outside Playing

OpenAIRE

Constantinos A. Loucaides; Niki Tsangaridou

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the structural validity of a parent and a child questionnaire that assessed parental and friends' influences on children's physical activity and investigate the associations between the derived factors, physical activity, and time spent outside. Children (N = 154, mean age = 11.7) and 144 of their parents completed questionnaires assessing parental and friends' influences on children's physical activity. Children wore a pedometer for six days. Explorat...

Characterization of eco-friendly fluorescent nanoparticle-doped tracers for environmental sensing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tauro, Flavia; Rapiti, Emiliano; Al-Sharab, Jafar F.; Ubertini, Lucio; Grimaldi, Salvatore; Porfiri, Maurizio

2013-01-01

Particle tracers are extensively used in quantitative flow visualization and environmental sensing. In this paper, we provide a thorough characterization of the novel eco-friendly fluorescent particle tracers formulated in Tauro et al. (AIP Adv 3(3): 032108, 2013). The tracers are synthesized from natural beeswax and are functionalized by encapsulating nontoxic fluorophore nanoparticles in the beads’ matrix through an inexpensive thermal procedure. Visibility and durability studies are conducted through a wide array of techniques to investigate the tracers’ surface morphological microfeatures, crystal nature and size, chemical composition, fluorophore incorporation into the beeswax matrix, and fluorescence response under severe settings resembling exposure to natural environments. Our findings demonstrate that fluorescent nanoparticles ranging from 1.51 to 3.73 nm are homogeneously distributed in the superficial layer (12 nm) of the tracers. In addition, fluorescence emissions are observed up to 26 days of continuous exposure of the tracers to high energy radiation. To demonstrate the particles’ use in environmental flow sensing, a set of proof of concept outdoor tests are conducted, in which image analysis tools are utilized for detecting the fluorescent tracers. Experimental results suggest that fluorescent microparticles deployed in high flow-rate flows (2 m/s) and under direct sunlight can be sensed through commercially available cameras (frame rate set to 30 Hz)

Designing advanced materials by environmental friendly plasma electrolytic oxidation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toader, I.; Valeca, M.; Rusu, O.; Coaca, E.; Marin, A.

2016-01-01

In the CANDU-PHWR nuclear reactors, Zr-2.5Nb coated with a black adherent oxide film of 1 to 2 μm in thickness is currently used for the manufacture of pressure tubes. The black oxide thin film has corrosion protective properties. However, it can be damaged during the regular refueling process, thus causing hydrogen/oxygen ingression. Therefore, an enhanced wear and corrosion resistance coating is needed. Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is an anodic electrochemical treatment, both cost-effective and environmentally friendly, widely used in the formation of a protective oxide film on the metal surface to enhance wear and corrosion resistance as well as prolonging component lifetime. The state of the art reveals that PEO method is suitable for improving the wear resistance of Zr-2.5Nb alloy. Few studies are performed in this field and thus, it is necessary to conduct a more detailed insight study on the processing parameters for PEO treatment. By understanding the influence of process parameters, such as electrolyte temperature and electrolyte composition, we can find the way to obtain a coating with improved mechanical and corrosion properties on zirconium alloys. (authors)

Environmentally friendly polymer nanocomposites: types, processing and properties

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Sinha Ray, S

2013-07-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the development of eco-friendly polymeric materials with balanced properties has become a subject of research attention due to concerns with increasing global-warming, carbon-emission, and limited natural resources. Nano...

Feasibility of multi-sector policy measures that create activity-friendly environments for children: results of a Delphi study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aarts Marie-Jeanne

2011-12-01

study yielded several feasible policy measures aimed at physical and social environmental correlates of physical activity among children and can assist local policy makers in designing multi-sector policies aimed at an activity-friendly environment for children.

Consumer purchase intention towards environmentally friendly vehicles: an empirical investigation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Afroz, Rafia; Masud, Muhammad Mehedi; Akhtar, Rulia; Islam, Md Ashraful; Duasa, Jarita Bt

2015-10-01

This paper examines whether attitudes towards electric vehicles (ATEVs), subjective norms (SNs) and perceived behavioural control (PBC) have significant associations with consumer purchase intention (PI) and the purchase behaviour of environmentally friendly vehicles (EFVs). The results from the survey questionnaires are analysed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings of this paper indicate that ATEV, SN and PBC significantly influence PI. This finding also indicates that environmental consequence and individual preferences do not influence the PI of the respondents. We found that Malaysian car owners are largely unaware of the greenhouse effects on the environment or attach to it little importance, which is reflected in their PI towards EFVs. The outcomes of this study could help policymakers design programmes to influence attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and purchase behaviour to prevent further air pollution and reduce CO2 emissions from the transportation sector.

Evaluating Sustainability of Household Consumption Using DEA to Assess Environmental Performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christoffersen, Line Block; Jensen, Trine Susanne; Wier, Mette

2005-01-01

We assess environmental performance across product types and across household types in order to evaluate environmental pressure from human activities. To so do, we combine family budget statistics, input-output tables, energy and material flow matrices, various types of emissions and environmenta...... friendly consumption pattern. Middle income families living in houses have the least environmentally friendly consumer basket, and these families constitute a high share of all families in Denmark....

Research program for an environmentally-friendly coal utilization system in the Philippines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-03-01

Feasibility studies are conducted on the introduction of an environmentally-friendly coal utilization system into the Filipino electric power industry, cement industry, and domestic fuel sector. The studies cover the current status of economy and energy in that country, supply and demand of coal, environmental protection and Government's policy, study of the above-said system relative to its application to the fields of electric power industry, cement industry, and domestic fuel sector, and a study about the effective utilization of Filipino domestic coal by the use of the system. Imported coal is used in the electric power industry because of its cost and quality. It is learned after research, however, that domestic coal will be able to compete against imported coal when some technologies are resorted to, such as those pertinent to denitrification in the furnace, novel low-NOx burner, coal pulverization, and combustion diagnosis. As for the treatment of flue gas, it is concluded that the simplified wet lime/gypsum process will be suitable. It is inferred that the CWM (coal-water mixture) process technology will be effective for the utilization of domestic low-grade coal. (NEDO)

Research program for an environmentally-friendly coal utilization system in the Philippines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-03-01

Feasibility studies are conducted on the introduction of an environmentally-friendly coal utilization system into the Filipino electric power industry, cement industry, and domestic fuel sector. The studies cover the current status of economy and energy in that country, supply and demand of coal, environmental protection and Government's policy, study of the above-said system relative to its application to the fields of electric power industry, cement industry, and domestic fuel sector, and a study about the effective utilization of Filipino domestic coal by the use of the system. Imported coal is used in the electric power industry because of its cost and quality. It is learned after research, however, that domestic coal will be able to compete against imported coal when some technologies are resorted to, such as those pertinent to denitrification in the furnace, novel low-NOx burner, coal pulverization, and combustion diagnosis. As for the treatment of flue gas, it is concluded that the simplified wet lime/gypsum process will be suitable. It is inferred that the CWM (coal-water mixture) process technology will be effective for the utilization of domestic low-grade coal. (NEDO)

The environmentally friendly technology for bio fuel production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bekers, M.; Danilevics, A.; Guriniece, E.; Gulbis, V.

2003-01-01

Full text: Bio fuel production and use have been discussed this time in EC and in Latvia as alternative energy sources. The national resources allow producing liquid fuels - bio diesel and bi oethanol from rape seeds and grain correspondingly. Liquid bio fuels can be recommended especially for auto transport in big towns to reduce the pollution of air. A system for environmentally friendly production of bio fuel from agricultural raw materials has been developed, which permit a complex utilization of byproducts an wastes for obtaining of valuable food-stuffs and industrial products, providing the agricultural production requirements and supporting with local mineral fertilizers. Such a bio fuel production includes the agricultural and industrial productions in a united biotechnological system. Production objects of system interact: the products, by-products and wastes from one object are used as raw materials, auxiliary materials or heat carriers in other system's objects. This integrated agro-industrial production system would allow the production of feeds and chemical products, along with bio fuels. In this work, a model of a system for a conventional administrative rural region is presented, exemplified with the case of Latvia. The model is developed for three forms of bio fuel production, i.e. ethanol, bio diesel and biogas as local energy source. Bio diesel is produced using ethanol as transesterifying agent of rape-seed oil fatty acids. This bio diesel is a blend of rape-seed oil fatty acid ethyl esters (REE) and consists solely from renewable raw materials. The capacity of distillery of system is 40 million litters per year and bio diesel 35000 ton. Important for agriculture is protein reach press cakes the byproduct from bio diesel production (66000 t/y). This byproduct can be exported as well. Biogas reactors of system can be used for utilization of wastes from town if necessary. Recommended bio system occupates up to 150.000 ha of agriculture lands

Effective and Environmentally Friendly Nickel Coating on the Magnesium Alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivana Škugor Rončević

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The low density and good mechanical properties make magnesium and its alloys attractive construction materials in the electronics, automotive, and aerospace industry, together with application in medicine due to their biocompatibility. Magnesium AZ91D alloy is an alloy with a high content of aluminum, whose mechanical properties overshadow the low corrosion resistance caused by the composition of the alloy and the existence of two phases: α magnesium matrix and β magnesium aluminum intermetallic compound. To improve the corrosion resistance, it is necessary to find an effective protection method for the alloy surface. Knowing and predicting electrochemical processes is an essential for the design and optimization of protective coatings on magnesium and its alloys. In this work, the formations of nickel protective coatings on the magnesium AZ91D alloy surface by electrodeposition and chemical deposition, are presented. For this purpose, environmentally friendly electrolytes were used. The corrosion resistance of the protected alloy was determined in chloride medium using appropriate electrochemical techniques. Characterization of the surface was performed with highly sophisticated surface-analytical methods.

Activity of Pure Streptovaricins and Fractionated Streptovaricin Complex Against Friend Virus

Science.gov (United States)

Horoszewicz, Julius S.; Rinehart, Kenneth L.; Leong, Susan S.; Carter, William A.

1975-01-01

Chromatographic fractionation of streptovaricin complex yields two stable components enriched (4- to 16-fold) in activity directed against the polycythemic strain of Friend virus; both components apparently contain no streptovaricins. When compared with their unfractionated parent streptovaricin complex, eight individual intact streptovaricins (A through G and J) show at least a 30-fold reduction in antiviral activity. These results further support the conclusion that the diversified biological properties of streptovaricin complex probably reside in different molecular structures. PMID:237470

Eco-friendly dentistry: Need of future. An overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Savy Arora

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In today's world, it is very necessary to understand the importance of being eco-friendly in every facet of our lives. The color “green” has healing power and denotes renewal, growth, and hope. “Eco-friendly dentistry” attempts to reduce the detrimental impact of dental practices on the environment and promote environmental awareness and sustainability to patients. This paper attempts to cover all possible aspects of making a dental practice eco-friendly, both in a dental perspective as well as a general perspective. While establishing an eco-friendly dental workplace, the dentist needs to assess his choices in planning the infrastructure and purchasing of equipment and dental materials. Eco-friendly dentistry is a newly evolving practice of dentistry, which encompasses a simultaneous devotion to sustainability, prevention, precaution, and a minimally invasive patient-centric, as well as global-centric treatment. There are two main avenues for implementing eco-friendly dentistry: (1 appropriate policy development and implementation and (2 dentists taking responsibility/ownership in the absence of policies and regulations. Although in some cases, it may take a little extra effort or money; dentists throughout the world are doing their best to reduce the environmental impact of the dental practice. Although the commitment of one small dental office cannot save the planet, certainly, the collective efforts of many small offices as well as large dental hospitals/colleges can ensure that dentists, at least, will not be responsible for destroying it. This article discusses various factors that can be incorporated into dental practice that can help make dentistry eco-friendly.

Integrated studies for automobile wastes management in developing countries; in the concept of environmentally friendly mechanic village.

Science.gov (United States)

Nwachukwu, Michael Amamechi; Feng, Huan; Achilike, Kennedy

2011-07-01

More cities in developing countries now consider mechanic village (MV) as superior to the city wide auto-workshop practice following the increasing influx of used or waste automobile from industrialized nations. This is because of the numerous advantages of the mechanic village concept as a capacity building, and in poverty alleviation. Nevertheless, mechanic villages are poorly developed with no waste management plan. They are now identified with severe to excessive heavy metal soil pollution, causing ecological and public health hazards. This paper has a wider explanation of what it takes for a mechanic village to be environmentally friendly based on spectroscopic analysis and physical measurements conducted in three MVs. Heavy metal concentrations (mg kg( -1)) above background levels in the upper 100 cm soil profiles of the Okigwe, the Orji, and the Nekede MVs in the Imo River basin collectively range 748-70,606 for Fe; 99-1,090 for Pb; 186-600 for Mn; 102-1,001 for Cu; 8-23 for Cd; 4-27 for Cr; and 3-10 for Ni. The most abundant metals of environmental concerns are Pb, Mn, and Cu, in the order of Pb > Mn > Cu. Three-phase storm water treatment, emission testing, minimum safe farming distance (350 m), extended producer responsibility for disposal or recycling of used motor oil, phyto-remediation using local plants, groundwater monitoring wells, and continuous education of mechanics are recommended. Exporters of waste automobiles to developing countries and the United Nations may assist developing countries in establishing environmentally friendly MVs.

Novel environmentally friendly synthesis of superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles using mechanochemical effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwasaki, Tomohiro; Kosaka, Kazunori; Watano, Satoru; Yanagida, Takeshi; Kawai, Tomoji

2010-01-01

A novel method for synthesizing superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles in water system via coprecipitation under an environmentally friendly condition has been developed. In this method, an almost neutral suspension containing ferrous hydroxide and goethite is used as the starting suspension and subjected to a ball-milling treatment. The product was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry, and Moessbauer spectroscopy. The mechanochemical effect generated by the ball-milling treatment promoted the reaction between ferrous hydroxide and goethite even at room temperature, resulting in the formation of homogeneous magnetite nanoparticles. Simultaneously, it also contributed to crystallize the formed magnetite nanoparticles while inhibiting the particle growth. This resulted in the formation of ultrafine magnetite nanoparticles of about 10 nm having a single crystal structure. This method could provide ferromagnetic magnetite nanoparticles with superparamagnetism under the moderate condition without neither heating nor any additives such as surfactant and organic solvent.

Solution-Processed Environmentally Friendly Ag2S Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells with Broad Spectral Absorption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viktor A. Öberg

2017-10-01

Full Text Available A facile heat-up synthesis route is used to synthesize environmentally friendly Ag2S colloidal quantum dots (CQDs that are applied as light absorbing material in solid state p-i-n junction solar cell devices. The as-synthesized Ag2S CQDs have an average size of around 3.5 nm and exhibit broad light absorption covering ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared wavelength regions. The solar cell devices are constructed with a device architecture of FTO/TiO2/Ag2S CQDs/hole transport material (HTM /Au using a solution-processed approach. Different HTMs, N2,N2,N2′,N2′,N7,N7,N7′,N7′-octakis(4-methoxyphenyl-9,9′-spirobi(9H-fluorene-2,2′,7,7′ tetramine (spiro-OMeTAD, poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl (P3HT, and poly((2,3-bis(3-octyloxyphenyl-5,8-quinoxalinediyl-2,5-thiophenediyl TQ1 are studied for maximizing the device photovoltaic performance. The solar cell device with P3HT as a hole transport material gives the highest performance and the solar cell exhibit broad spectral absorption. These results indicate that Ag2S CQD have high potential for utilization as environmentally friendly light absorbing materials for solar cell application and that the hole transport material is critical to maximize the solar cell photovoltaic performance.

Shrinking the food-print: A qualitative study into consumer perceptions, experiences and attitudes towards healthy and environmentally friendly food behaviours.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoek, A C; Pearson, D; James, S W; Lawrence, M A; Friel, S

2017-01-01

Internationally, there is increasing recognition of the importance of multilevel policies and actions that address healthy and environmentally friendly food behaviours. However it is not yet clear which actions are most suitable to support consumers to adopt both behaviours concurrently. To this end, we undertook a qualitative study to assess consumer perceptions, experiences and attitudes towards healthy and environmentally friendly foods and four target behaviours: reducing overconsumption of food beyond energy needs, reducing consumption of low-nutrient energy dense foods, eating less animal- and more plant-derived foods, and reducing food waste. Online in-depth interviews were held with 29 Australian food shoppers representing different levels of involvement with health and environment in daily food choices. The results indicate that compared to health, the relationship between food and the environment is rarely considered by consumers. The four target food behaviours were primarily associated and motivated by an impact on health, except for not wasting foods. Participants had the most positive attitude and highest motivation for eating less processed and packaged foods, mostly to avoid excessive packaging and 'chemicals' in foods. This was followed by the behaviours reducing food waste and overconsumption. Conversely, there was a predominantly negative attitude towards, and low motivation for, eating less animal-derived products and more plant based foods. Overall, consumers found a joined concept of healthy and environmentally friendly foods an acceptable idea. We recommend that health should remain the overarching principle for policies and actions concerned with shifting consumer behaviours, as this personal benefit appears to have a greater potential to support behaviour change. Future consumer focused work could pay attention to framing behavioural messages, providing intermediate behavioural goals, and a multiple target approach to change habitual

Peers and parents: a comparison between neural activation when winning for friends and mothers in adolescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Braams, Barbara R; Crone, Eveline A

2017-03-01

Rewards reliably elicit ventral striatum activity. More recently studies have shown that vicarious rewards elicit similar activation. Ventral striatum responses to rewards for self peak during adolescence. However, it is currently not well understood how ventral striatum responses to vicarious rewards develop. In this study, we test this question using behavioral and fMRI data. A total of 233 participants aged 9-26 years old played a gambling game in the scanner in which they could win or lose money for themselves, their best friend and mother. Participants rated how close they felt to their friend and mother and how much they liked winning for them. These ratings were positively correlated. On the neural level males showed higher responses to winning for a friend, but there were no age differences. In contrast, there was a quadratic effect of age when winning for mother, showing heightened ventral striatum activity in mid-adolescence. Furthermore, there was an interaction between age and sex; for females responses to winning for friends become stronger with age relative to winning for mothers. In conclusion, this study provided evidence for elevated ventral striatum responses for mothers in mid-adolescence, and a shift in ventral striatum responses towards peers in girls. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Environmentally friendly power sources for aerospace applications

Science.gov (United States)

Lapeña-Rey, Nieves; Mosquera, Jonay; Bataller, Elena; Ortí, Fortunato; Dudfield, Christopher; Orsillo, Alessandro

One of the crucial challenges of the aviation industry in upcoming years is to reduce emissions not only in the vicinity of airfields but also in cruise. Amongst other transport methods, airplanes emissions count for 3% of the CO 2 emissions. Initiatives to reduce this include not only investing in more fuel-efficient aircrafts or adapting existing ones to make them more efficient (e.g. by fitting fuel-saving winglets), but also more actively researching novel propulsion systems that incorporate environmentally friendly technologies. The Boeing Company through its European subsidiary, Boeing Research and Technology Europe (BR&TE) in collaboration with industry partners throughout Europe is working towards this goal by studying the possible application of advanced batteries and fuel-cell systems in aeronautical applications. One example is the development of a small manned two-seater prototype airplane powered only by proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel-cell stacks, which runs on compressed hydrogen gas as fuel and pressurized air as oxidant, and Li-ion batteries. The efficient all composite motorglider is an all electric prototype airplane which does not produce any of the noxious engine exhaust by-products, such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide or NO x, that can contribute to climate change and adversely affect local air quality. Water and heat are the only exhaust products. The main objective is to demonstrate for the first time in aviation history a straight level manned flight with fuel-cells as the only power source. For this purpose, the original engine of a super Dimona HK36TTC glider from Diamond Aircraft Industries (Austria) was replaced by a hybrid power system, which feeds a brushless dc electrical motor that rotates a variable pitch propeller. Amongst the many technical challenges encountered when developing this test platform are maintaining the weight and balance of the aircraft, designing the thermal management system and the power management

Environmentally friendly power sources for aerospace applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lapena-Rey, Nieves; Mosquera, Jonay; Bataller, Elena; Orti, Fortunato [Boeing Research and Technology Europe Ltd., Environmental Technologies, C/ Canada Real de las Merinas 1-3, Building 4, 4th floor, Madrid 28042 (Spain); Dudfield, Christopher; Orsillo, Alessandro [Intelligent Energy Ltd., The Innovation Centre, Epinal Way, Loughborough LE11 3EH (United Kingdom)

2008-07-01

One of the crucial challenges of the aviation industry in upcoming years is to reduce emissions not only in the vicinity of airfields but also in cruise. Amongst other transport methods, airplanes emissions count for 3% of the CO{sub 2} emissions. Initiatives to reduce this include not only investing in more fuel-efficient aircrafts or adapting existing ones to make them more efficient (e.g. by fitting fuel-saving winglets), but also more actively researching novel propulsion systems that incorporate environmentally friendly technologies. The Boeing Company through its European subsidiary, Boeing Research and Technology Europe (BR and TE) in collaboration with industry partners throughout Europe is working towards this goal by studying the possible application of advanced batteries and fuel-cell systems in aeronautical applications. One example is the development of a small manned two-seater prototype airplane powered only by proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel-cell stacks, which runs on compressed hydrogen gas as fuel and pressurized air as oxidant, and Li-ion batteries. The efficient all composite motorglider is an all electric prototype airplane which does not produce any of the noxious engine exhaust by-products, such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide or NOx, that can contribute to climate change and adversely affect local air quality. Water and heat are the only exhaust products. The main objective is to demonstrate for the first time in aviation history a straight level manned flight with fuel-cells as the only power source. For this purpose, the original engine of a super Dimona HK36TTC glider from Diamond Aircraft Industries (Austria) was replaced by a hybrid power system, which feeds a brushless dc electrical motor that rotates a variable pitch propeller. Amongst the many technical challenges encountered when developing this test platform are maintaining the weight and balance of the aircraft, designing the thermal management system and the power

Associations between Parental and Friend Social Support and Children’s Physical Activity and Time Spent outside Playing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Constantinos A. Loucaides

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine the structural validity of a parent and a child questionnaire that assessed parental and friends’ influences on children’s physical activity and investigate the associations between the derived factors, physical activity, and time spent outside. Children (N=154, mean age = 11.7 and 144 of their parents completed questionnaires assessing parental and friends’ influences on children’s physical activity. Children wore a pedometer for six days. Exploratory factor analyses revealed four factors for the parental and five for the child’s questionnaire that explained 66.71% and 63.85% of the variance, respectively. Five factors were significantly associated with physical activity and five significantly associated with time spent outside. Higher correlations were revealed between “general friend support,” “friends’ activity norms,” and physical activity (r=0.343 and 0.333 resp., p<0.001 and between “general friend support” and time spent outside (r=0.460, p<0.001. Obtaining information relating to parental and friends’ influences on physical activity from both parents and children may provide a more complete picture of influences. Parents and friends seem to influence children’s physical activity behavior and time spent outside, but friends’ influences may have a stronger impact on children’s behaviors.

Slip flow coefficient analysis in water hydraulics gear pump for environmental friendly application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yusof, A A; Wasbari, F; Zakaria, M S; Ibrahim, M Q

2013-01-01

Water hydraulics is the sustainable option in developing fluid power systems with environmental friendly approach. Therefore, an investigation on water-based external gear pump application is being conducted, as a low cost solution in the shifting effort of using water, instead of traditional oil hydraulics in fluid power application. As the gear pump is affected by fluid viscosity, an evaluation has been conducted on the slip flow coefficient, in order to understand to what extent the spur gear pump can be used with water-based hydraulic fluid. In this paper, the results of a simulated study of variable-speed fixed displacement gear pump are presented. The slip flow coefficient varies from rotational speed of 250 RPM to 3500 RPM, and provides volumetric efficiency ranges from 9 % to 97% accordingly

Environmental Education and Small Business Environmental Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Redmond, Janice; Walker, Beth

2011-01-01

Environmental education is seen as a key driver of small business environmental management, yet little is known about the activities small business owner-managers are undertaking to reduce their environmental impact or in what areas they may need education. Therefore, research that can identify environmental management activities being undertaken…

Environmentally Friendly Utilization of Wheat Straw Ash in Cement-Based Composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shazim Ali Memon

2018-04-01

600 °C and ground for 120 min was found to be the most effective way to use pozzolanic material in cement-based composites. The addition of WSA in cement-based composites would achieve manifold objectives, i.e., aiding in the production of environmentally friendly concrete, the use of wheat straw as fuel for electricity production, and adding economic value to wheat straw.

Association and Diffusion of Li(+) in Carboxymethylcellulose Solutions for Environmentally Friendly Li-ion Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Casalegno, Mosè; Castiglione, Franca; Passarello, Marco; Mele, Andrea; Passerini, Stefano; Raos, Guido

2016-07-21

Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) has been proposed as a polymeric binder for electrodes in environmentally friendly Li-ion batteries. Its physical properties and interaction with Li(+) ions in water are interesting not only from the point of view of electrode preparation-processability in water is one of the main reasons for its environmental friendliness-but also for its possible application in aqueous Li-ion batteries. We combine molecular dynamics simulations and variable-time pulsed field gradient spin-echo (PFGSE) NMR spectroscopy to investigate Li(+) transport in CMC-based solutions. Both the simulations and experimental results show that, at concentrations at which Li-CMC has a gel-like consistency, the Li(+) diffusion coefficient is still very close to that in water. These Li(+) ions interact preferentially with the carboxylate groups of CMC, giving rise to a rich variety of coordination patterns. However, the diffusion of Li(+) in these systems is essentially unrestricted, with a fast, nanosecond-scale exchange of the ions between CMC and the aqueous environment. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Interacting psychosocial and environmental correlates of leisure-time physical activity: a three-country study.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Dyck, Delfien; Cerin, Ester; Conway, Terry L; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Owen, Neville; Kerr, Jacqueline; Cardon, Greet; Sallis, James F

2014-07-01

The main study objective was to examine the moderating effects of perceived enjoyment, barriers/benefits, perceived social support and self-efficacy, on the associations of perceived environmental attributes with walking for recreation and leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and whether these potential moderating effects differed by gender and study site. Data from three observational studies in the United States (Seattle and Baltimore), Australia (Adelaide), and Belgium (Ghent) were pooled. In total, 6014 adults (20-65 years, 55.7% women) were recruited in high-/low-walkable and high-/low-income neighborhoods. All participants completed the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale, a validated questionnaire on psychosocial attributes, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. General additive mixed models were conducted in R. Enjoyment of physical activity, perceived barriers to physical activity, perceived benefits of physical activity, social support from family and friends, and self-efficacy for physical activity moderated the relationships of specific perceived environmental characteristics with walking for recreation and/or leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Overall, moderating effects were in the same direction: environmental perceptions were positively associated with leisure-time activity, but associations were strongest in adults with less positive scores on psychosocial attributes. The findings were fairly consistent across gender and study sites. The present study findings are promising, as it seems that those who might benefit most from environmental interventions to promote physical activity, may mainly be adults at risk of being insufficiently active or those difficult to reach through individual health promotion programs.

Eco-friendly approach for nanoparticles synthesis and mechanism behind antibacterial activity of silver and anticancer activity of gold nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Patil, Maheshkumar Prakash; Kim, Gun-Do

2017-01-01

This review covers general information about the eco-friendly process for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) and gold nanoparticles (AuNP) and focuses on mechanism of the antibacterial activity of AgNPs and the anticancer activity of AuNPs. Biomolecules in the plant extract are involved in reduction of metal ions to nanoparticle in a one-step and eco-friendly synthesis process. Natural plant extracts contain wide range of metabolites including carbohydrates, alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolic compounds, and enzymes. A variety of plant species and plant parts have been successfully extracted and utilized for AgNP and AuNP syntheses. Green-synthesized nanoparticles eliminate the need for a stabilizing and capping agent and show shape and size-dependent biological activities. Here, we describe some of the plant extracts involved in nanoparticle synthesis, characterization methods, and biological applications. Nanoparticles are important in the field of pharmaceuticals for their strong antibacterial and anticancer activity. Considering the importance and uniqueness of this concept, the synthesis, characterization, and application of AgNPs and AuNPs are discussed in this review.

Environmentally friendly chemoselective oxidation of primary aliphatic amines by using a biomimetic electrocatalytic system.

Science.gov (United States)

Largeron, Martine; Chiaroni, Angèle; Fleury, Maurice-Bernard

2008-01-01

Environmentally friendly oxidation of primary aliphatic amines to imines has been successfully achieved, under metal-free conditions, by the use of diverse electrogenerated o-azaquinone mediators. High catalytic performance, together with high chemoselectivity, were observed with electron-poor o-azaquinone catalysts generated from 2-aminoresorcinol derivatives. Similar to copper amine oxidase enzymes, these mediators exhibited lower reactivity toward alpha-branched primary amines and no reactivity toward secondary amines. In the case of 3,4-aminophenol derivatives lacking a 2-hydroxy group, the generated o-azaquinone species failed to catalyze the oxidation of the amine to the corresponding imine. Further mechanistic considerations allowed a rationalization of the crucial role of the 2-hydroxy group in converting a catalytically inert species into a highly effective biomimetic catalyst.

Industrial Implementation of Environmentally Friendly Nanometal Electroplating Process for Chromium and Copper Beryllium Replacement using Low Cost Pulse Current Power Supplies

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-10

FINAL REPORT Industrial Implementation of Environmentally Friendly Nanometal Electroplating Process for Chromium and Copper Beryllium...35 3.2 Phase II – Development/Verification that Nanotechnology Based Electroplating Process to Replace EHC/Cu-Be Processes are Compatible With...36 3.3 Phase III – Development of 200kW Power Supply and Compatible Nanostructured Electroplating Processed for Commercialization

Development and Pilot Testing of a Bilingual Environmental Health Assessment Tool to Promote Asthma-friendly Childcares.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans-Agnew, Robin A; Postma, Julie; Camacho, Ariana Ochoa; Hershberg, Rachel M; Trujilio, Elsa; Tinajera, Maria

2018-01-01

Childhood marks the highest risk for allergic sensitization to asthma triggers. Hispanic/Latino children are at higher risk for hospitalization for asthma than non-Hispanic White children. Childcare providers lack knowledge about reducing asthma triggers. The purpose of this paper is to describe a community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiative aimed at developing and pilot testing a bilingual walk-through assessment tool for asthma-friendly childcare environments. Ten Latina mothers of children with asthma living in the Pacific Northwest collaborated with research partners to develop and pilot test a Childcare Environmental Health (CEH) assessment walk-through survey.Results and Lessons Learned: The women innovated the survey with photography and structural examinations of stress and provision of basic needs. The survey tool identified environmental threats to asthma in all three childcares surveyed. Parents are well-positioned to build trust with childcare providers, assess asthma triggers, and recommend practical mitigation strategies.

Friends Like Me: Associations in Overweight/Obese Status among Adolescent Friends by Race/Ethnicity, Sex, and Friendship Type.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruening, Meg; MacLehose, Richard; Eisenberg, Marla E; Kim, Sunkyung; Story, Mary; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne

2015-12-01

Little is known about how interpersonal friend relationships are associated with obesity in young people, particularly with regard to how race/ethnicity, type of friendship, and sex affect the association between friends' and adolescents' weight status. This study examined associations in weight status among adolescents and their friends, exploring magnitudes of associations across friendship type, sex, and race/ethnicity. As part of EAT-2010 (Eating and Activity in Teens), friend nominations and anthropometrics were obtained from adolescents (n = 2099: 54% female; 80% nonwhite; mean age: 14.2 ± 1.9 years). Generalized estimating equation logistic regression models were used to test associations between adolescents' overweight/obese status and friends' (i.e., friend group, female friends, male friends, female best friends, and male best friends) overweight/obese status. Interactions by adolescent race/ethnicity were examined. The majority of significant associations were observed among white female adolescents' who had a 22-40% higher prevalence of overweight/obesity if their friends were overweight compared to white females whose friends were not overweight. In contrast, there were few significant differences for other adolescent female and male racial/ethnic groups for girls and boys. Results for friend groups and best friends were generally similar to one another. The association between friend and adolescent overweight/obese status depended on adolescents' sex, race/ethnicity, and friendship type. Given the similarities among friends, obesity interventions targeting youth, especially white females, should consider involving friends.

New ADAC centre cools and heats environmental-friendly. Concrete core tempering; Neue ADAC-Zentrale kuehlt und heizt umweltvertraeglich. Betonkerntemperierung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon,

2010-12-15

At present, the new centre of the General German Automobile Association (ADAC) arises in Munich's suburb Sendling/Westpark. In summer 2011, nearly 2,400 coworkers of ADAC so far distributed over six locations in Munich shall work together in the new office building. So that they feel well in this new building, Rehau AG (Rehau, Federal Republic of Germany) supplies an environmental-friendly heating and cooling of the building by means of concrete core tempering.

Note: Fabrication of a fast-response and user-friendly environmental chamber for atomic force microscopes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ji, Yanfeng; Hui, Fei; Shi, Yuanyuan; Han, Tingting; Song, Xiaoxue; Pan, Chengbin; Lanza, Mario, E-mail: mlanza@suda.edu.cn [Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials, Soochow University, Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science & Technology, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou 215123 (China)

2015-10-15

The atomic force microscope is one of the most widespread tools in science, but many suppliers do not provide a competitive solution to make experiments in controlled atmospheres. Here, we provide a solution to this problem by fabricating a fast-response and user-friendly environmental chamber. We corroborate the correct functioning of the chamber by studying the formation of local anodic oxidation on a silicon sample (biased under opposite polarities), an effect that can be suppressed by measuring in a dry nitrogen atmosphere. The usefulness of this chamber goes beyond the example here presented, and it could be used in many other fields of science, including physics, mechanics, microelectronics, nanotechnology, medicine, and biology.

Analisa Perbedaan Eco-friendly Attitude Dan Eco-friendly Intention Antara Turis Lokal Dan Turis Asing Terhadap Green

OpenAIRE

Jokom, Regina; Kristanti, Monika

2014-01-01

The increasing concern for environmental degradation caused many people to pay more attention to the green practice in the industry including hotel. Majority of hotel chains have adopted environmental programs and labeled as green hotel. This study examines the significant differences between local tourist and foreign tourist regarding ecofriendly attitude and eco-friendly intention toward green hotel. Questionnaires were distributed to 120 localtourists and 120 foreign tourists In Juanda...

Can Naturbanization Promote Environmentally Friendly Built-Up Areas? A Comparison Between Cadí-Moixeró (Catalonia, Spain and Comana (Romania Natural Parks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tulla Antoni-Francesc

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The study compares the on-going naturbanization processes in and around two Natural Parks under the impact of newcomers, but also tourists from Barcelona and Bucharest and their metropolitan areas. The landscape value of these areas attracts the urban population, which contributes to local sustainable development process but also promotes construction. New businesses associated with rural multifunctionality and value-added activities related to environmental quality were identified. New residents have contributed introducing responsible patterns of consumer, ecoentrepreneurship by women, recovery of abandoned buildings and intensification of rural-urban relationships. Negative impacts such as intensive construction of second homes, with a lower use, in some areas around Cadí-Moixeró threaten biodiversity and habitat connectivity. Insufficient integration of environmental policies, particularly in the Comana wetlands, reduces the potential for rural renewal. Research methods included a review of the counterurbanization literature and the statistical data related to processes of naturbanization in both areas, along with the conduct of 30 structured interviews with key local actors in each area. Naturbanization still offers the potential to enhance local development; however, it is urgent to assess social perspectives in natural parks management in order to achieve environmentally friendly built-up areas.

Environmentally Friendly Plasma-Treated PEDOT:PSS as Electrodes for ITO-Free Perovskite Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaagensmith, Bjorn; Reza, Khan Mamun; Hasan, Md Nazmul; Elbohy, Hytham; Adhikari, Nirmal; Dubey, Ashish; Kantack, Nick; Gaml, Eman; Qiao, Qiquan

2017-10-18

Solution processed poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) transparent electrodes (TEs) offer great potential as a low cost alternative to expensive indium tin oxide (ITO). However, strong acids are typically used for enhancing the conductivity of PEDOT:PSS TEs, which produce processing complexity and environmental issues. This work presents an environmentally friendly acid free approach to enhance the conductivity of PEDOT:PSS using a light oxygen plasma treatment, in addition to solvent blend additives and post treatments. The plasma treatment was found to significantly reduce the sheet resistance of PEDOT:PSS TEs from 85 to as low as 15 Ω sq -1 , which translates to the highest reported conductivity of 5012 S/cm for PEDOT:PSS TEs. The plasma treated PEDOT:PSS TE resulted in an ITO-free perovskite solar cell efficiency of 10.5%, which is the highest reported efficiency for ITO-free perovskite solar cells with a PEDOT:PSS electrode that excludes the use of acid treatments. This research presents the first demonstration of this technology. Moreover, the PEDOT:PSS TEs enabled better charge extraction from the perovskite solar cells and reduced hysteresis in the current density-voltage (J-V) curves.

Natural cork agglomerate employed as an environmentally friendly solution for quiet sandwich composites.

Science.gov (United States)

Sargianis, James; Kim, Hyung-ick; Suhr, Jonghwan

2012-01-01

Carbon fiber-synthetic foam core sandwich composites are widely used for many structural applications due to their superior mechanical performance and low weight. Unfortunately these structures typically have very poor acoustic performance. There is increasingly growing demand in mitigating this noise issue in sandwich composite structures. This study shows that marrying carbon fiber composites with natural cork in a sandwich structure provides a synergistic effect yielding a noise-free sandwich composite structure without the sacrifice of mechanical performance or weight. Moreover the cork-core sandwich composites boast a 250% improvement in damping performance, providing increased durability and lifetime operation. Additionally as the world seeks environmentally friendly materials, the harvesting of cork is a natural, renewable process which reduces subsequent carbon footprints. Such a transition from synthetic foam cores to natural cork cores could provide unprecedented improvements in acoustic and vibrational performance in applications such as aircraft cabins or wind turbine blades.

Analisa Eco-friendly Attitudes Dan Eco-friendly Behavior Terhadap Eco-friendly Intention Green Hotel Di Indonesia

OpenAIRE

Silvia, Lanny; Rudijanto, Diana Gabriela; Kristanti, Monika

2017-01-01

Kesadaran masyarakat akan lingkungan yang semakin meningkat membuat masyarakat gencar mencari hotel yang ramah lingkungan dibandingkan dengan hotel konvensional. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui perbedaan eco-friendly attitude, eco- friendly behavior, dan eco-friendly intention konsumen generasi x dan generasi y terhadap green hotel di Indonesia dan apakah eco-friendly attitudes dan eco-friendly behavior berpengaruh signifikan terhadap eco-friendly intention. Total responden dalam pe...

College Student Environmental Activism: How Experiences and Identities Influence Environmental Activism Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

King, Laura A. H.

2016-01-01

College student environmental activism is one way students civically engage in addressing social issues. This study explores the environmental activism of twelve college students and how their experiences outside of college and in college influenced their activism. In addition, how students' identities influenced their approach to activism was…

Fiscal 1996 survey report on the environmentally friendly type coal utilization system feasibility study. Feasibility study of the environmentally friendly type coal utilization system in the Philippines; Kankyo chowagata sekitan riyo system kanosei chosa. Philippines ni okeru kankyo chowagata sekitan riyo system kanosei chosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-03-01

Grasping the present situation of coal utilization technology in the Philippines, the paper proposed a feasibility study of introduction of the environmentally friendly type coal utilization system which seems to be needed in the future. (1) Introduction of the environmentally friendly type coal utilization system in the electric power generation sector: there are only four full-scale running coal thermal power plants in the Philippines. In the future, several coal thermal plants are planned to be constructed by 2005, but for the new installation, it is desirable to adopt fluidized bed boilers with wide application to coal kinds. In case of 0.3-1.0 million MW class plants, it is planned to adopt high grade import coals, and it will be natural to fire pulverized coal. For the processing of flue gas, it is a must to install desulfurization facilities and smoke/soot removal devices. (2) Utilization/development of domestic low grade coals: at the mine-mouth generating plant, it is necessary to investigate the economically minable amount of coal, confirm productivity, survey coal quality, etc., and select boiler. As to coal briquetting technology, it is necessary to examine coal quality for tests and make a thorough study of what technology is most suitable. 50 figs., 78 tabs.

Environmentally Friendly Consumer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reijonen, Satu

2011-01-01

on the green consumer: cultural determinism, psycho-socio-demographic determinism and calculative determinism. An explanation of the green consumer in these terms, however, loses sight of the emergence and processuality of consumer behaviour. Process oriented constructionism, by contrast, is useful to recover...... these important aspects. This paper suggests a research agenda focused on socio-material processes and situated actions that lead to the emergence and stabilization of a particular type of consumer behaviour.......Several attempts have been made by academics in the past to explain the so-called ‘environmentally conscious’ consumer. These explanations share an important feature, namely determinism. This paper identifies three different sources of determinism that are distinguished in recent literature...

Development of scales to assess children's perceptions of friend and parental influences on physical activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brockman Rowan

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Many children do not meet physical activity guidelines. Parents and friends are likely to influence children's physical activity but there is a shortage of measures that are able to capture these influences. Methods A new questionnaire with the following three scales was developed: 1 Parental influence on physical activity; 2 Motives for activity with friends scale; and 3 Physical activity and sedentary group normative values. Content for each scale was informed by qualitative work. One hundred and seventy three, 10-11 year old children completed the new questionnaire twice, one week apart. Participants also wore an accelerometer for 5 days and mean minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, light physical activity and sedentary time per day were obtained. Test-retest reliability of the items was calculated and Principal Component analysis of the scales performed and sub-scales produced. Alphas were calculated for main scales and sub-scales. Correlations were calculated among sub-scales. Correlations between each sub-scale and accelerometer physical activity variables were calculated for all participants and stratified by sex. Results The Parental influence scale yielded four factors which accounted for 67.5% of the variance in the items and had good (α > 0.7 internal consistency. The Motives for physical activity scale yielded four factors that accounted for 66.1% and had good internal consistency. The Physical activity norms scale yielded 4 factors that accounted for 67.4% of the variance, with good internal consistency for the sub-scales and alpha of .642 for the overall scale. Associations between the sub-scales and physical activity differed by sex. Although only 6 of the 11 sub-scales were significantly correlated with physical activity there were a number of associations that were positively correlated >0.15 indicating that these factors may contribute to the explanation of children's physical activity

Moral intensity and climate-friendly food choices.

Science.gov (United States)

Mäkiniemi, Jaana-Piia; Vainio, Annukka

2013-07-01

By changing individual food consumption patterns, it might be possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with climate change. The aim of the current study was to examine how perceptions of the moral intensity of climate change are related to climate friendly-food choices. The participants were 350 Finnish university students in the social and behavioral sciences who completed a questionnaire during class. The results indicated that moral perceptions mainly affected the moral evaluation and intentions to make climate-friendly food choices. We suggest that the results can be used to promote climate-friendly food choices, for example, by increasing the recognition of climate change as a moral imperative and by combining environmental motives with other relevant food choice motives. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Candidate eco-friendly gas mixtures for MPGDs

Science.gov (United States)

Benussi, L.; Bianco, S.; Saviano, G.; Muhammad, S.; Piccolo, D.; Ferrini, M.; Parvis, M.; Grassini, S.; Colafranceschi, S.; Kjølbro, J.; Sharma, A.; Yang, D.; Chen, G.; Ban, Y.; Li, Q.

2018-02-01

Modern gas detectors for detection of particles require F-based gases for optimal performance. Recent regulations demand the use of environmentally unfriendly F-based gases to be limited or banned. This review studies properties of potential eco-friendly gas candidate replacements.

Theophylline-assisted, eco-friendly synthesis of PtAu nanospheres at reduced graphene oxide with enhanced catalytic activity towards Cr(VI) reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Ling-Ya; Chen, Li-Xian; Liu, Meng-Ting; Wang, Ai-Jun; Wu, Lan-Ju; Feng, Jiu-Ju

2017-05-01

Theophylline as a naturally alkaloid is commonly employed to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. Herein, a facile theophylline-assisted green approach was firstly developed for synthesis of PtAu nanospheres/reduced graphene oxide (PtAu NSs/rGO), without any surfactant, polymer, or seed involved. The obtained nanocomposites were applied for the catalytic reduction and removal of highly toxic chromium (VI) using formic acid as a model reductant at 50°C, showing the significantly enhanced catalytic activity and improved recyclability when compared with commercial Pt/C (50%) and home-made Au nanocrystals supported rGO (Au NCs/rGO). It demonstrates great potential applications of the catalyst in wastewater treatment and environmental protection. The eco-friendly route provides a new platform to fabricate other catalysts with enhanced catalytic activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Finding Friends Online: Online Activities by Deaf Students and Their Well-Being

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blom, H.C.; Marschark, M.; Vervloed, M.P.J.; Knoors, H.E.T.

2014-01-01

Generally, deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) children have fewer friends than hearing peers and their friendships are of a lower quality. The research hypothesis was that using the computer to communicate with new online friends through social network sites or playing games with offline friends is

NASA's Beachside Corrosion Test Site and Current Environmentally Friendly Corrosion Control Initiatives

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, Richard W.; Calle, Luz Marina; Johnston, Frederick; Montgomery, Eliza L.; Curran, Jerome P.; Kolody, Mark R.

2013-01-01

NASA began corrosion studies at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in 1966 during the Gemini/Apollo Programs with the evaluation of long-term corrosion protective coatings for carbon steel. KSC's Beachside Corrosion Test Site (BCTS), which has been documented by the American Society of Materials (ASM) as one of the most corrosive, naturally occurring, environments in the world, was established at that time. With the introduction of the Space Shuttle in 1981, the already highly corrosive conditions at the launch pad were rendered even more severe by the acid ic exhaust from the solid rocket boosters. In the years that followed, numerous studies have identified materials, coatings, and maintenance procedures for launch hardware and equipment exposed to the highly corrosive environment at the launch pad. This paper presents a historical overview of over 45 years of corrosion and coating evaluation studies and a description of the BCTS's current capabilities. Additionally, current research and testing programs involving chromium free coatings, environmentally friendly corrosion preventative compounds, and alternates to nitric acid passivation will be discussed.

Phytofilter - environmental friendly solution for purification of surface plate from urbanized territories

Science.gov (United States)

Ruchkinova, O.; Shchuckin, I.

2017-06-01

Its proved, that phytofilters are environmental friendly solution of problem of purification of surface plate from urbanized territories. Phytofilters answer the nowadays purposes to systems of purification of land drainage. The main problem of it is restrictions, connecter with its use in the conditions of cold temperature. Manufactured a technology and mechanism, which provide a whole-year purification of surface plate and its storage. Experimentally stated optimal makeup of filtering load: peat, zeolite and sand in per cent of volume, which provides defined hydraulic characteristics. Stated sorbate and ion-selective volume of complex filtering load of ordered composition in dynamic conditions. Estimated dependences of exit concentrations of oil products and heavy metals on temperature by filtering through complex filtering load of ordered composition. Defined effectiveness of purification at phytofiltering installation. Fixed an influence of embryophytes on process of phytogeneration and capacity of filtering load. Recommended swamp iris, mace reed and reed grass. Manufactured phytofilter calculation methodology. Calculated economic effect from use of phytofiltration technology in comparison with traditional block-modular installations.

Environment polluting conventional chemical control compared to an environmentally friendly IPM approach for control of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), in China: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Shakeel, Muhammad; Farooq, Muhammad; Nasim, Wajid; Akram, Waseem; Khan, Fawad Zafar Ahmad; Jaleel, Waqar; Zhu, Xun; Yin, Haichen; Li, Shuzhong; Fahad, Shah; Hussain, Saddam; Chauhan, Bhagirath Singh; Jin, Fengliang

2017-06-01

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, is recognized as a widely distributed destructive insect pest of Brassica worldwide. The management of this pest is a serious issue, and an estimated annual cost of its management has reached approximately US$4 billion. Despite the fact that chemicals are a serious threat to the environment, lots of chemicals are applied for controlling various insect pests especially P. xylostella. An overreliance on chemical control has not only led to the evolution of resistance to insecticides and to a reduction of natural enemies but also has polluted various components of water, air, and soil ecosystem. In the present scenario, there is a need to implement an environmentally friendly integrated pest management (IPM) approach with new management tactics (microbial control, biological control, cultural control, mating disruption, insecticide rotation strategies, and plant resistance) for an alternative to chemical control. The IPM approach is not only economically beneficial but also reduces the environmental and health risks. The present review synthesizes published information on the insecticide resistance against P. xylostella and emphasizes on adopting an alternative environmentally friendly IPM approach for controlling P. xylostella in China.

Fungal treatment: a prospective process for eco-friendly bioremediation of wastewater sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molla, A. H.; Fakhru'l-Razi, A.

2009-01-01

None of the conventional techniques is safe and environmental friendly for wastewaters/sludge disposal. A sustainable, safe and environmental friendly biological technique is a great apprehension to the relevant scientists. Since the fungal treatment was exercised to evaluate its potentially for sustainable bioseparation and bioremediation of wastewater. Bioseparation and bioremediation of wastewater sludge by fungal inoculation implied the decreasing of bio solids, total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and specific resistance to filtration (SRF) of wastewater. (Author)

The Effects of Mothers' Educational Levels on University Students' Environmental Protection Commitments and Environmental Behaviors

Science.gov (United States)

Saraçli, Sinan; Yilmaz, Veysel; Arslan, Talha

2014-01-01

Problem Statement: The damage caused by recent environmental problems has led to increased environmental concerns and the development of environment-friendly consumption behaviours in almost every society. Environment-friendly consumption involves the consideration of environmental benefits by minimizing any damage done to the environment at all…

Environmental barriers and enablers to physical activity participation among rural adults: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cleland, Verity; Hughes, Clarissa; Thornton, Lukar; Squibb, Kathryn; Venn, Alison; Ball, Kylie

2015-08-01

Social-ecological models of health behaviour acknowledge environmental influences, but research examining how the environment shapes physical activity in rural settings is limited. This study aimed to explore the environmental factors that act as barriers or facilitators to physical activity participation among rural adults. Forty-nine adults from three regions of rural Tasmania, Australia, participated in semi-structured interviews that explored features of the environment that supported or hindered physical activity. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Four key themes emerged: functionality, diversity, spaces and places for all and realistic expectations. 'Functionality' included connectivity with other destinations, distance, safety, continuity, supporting infrastructure and surfacing. While there was limited 'diversity' of structured activities and recreational facilities, the importance of easy and convenient access to a natural environment that accommodated physical activity was highlighted. 'Spaces and places for all' highlighted the importance of shared-use areas, particularly those that were family- and dog-friendly. Despite desires for more physical activity opportunities, many participants had 'realistic expectations' of what was feasible in rural settings. Functionality, diversity, spaces and places for all and realistic expectations were identified as considerations important for physical activity among rural adults. Further research using quantitative approaches in larger samples is needed to confirm these findings. SO WHAT? Urban-centric views of environmental influences on physical activity are unlikely to be entirely appropriate for rural areas. Evidence-based recommendations are provided for creating new or modifying existing infrastructure to support active living in rural settings.

Informal education and youth leisure. The influence of friends in the abandonment of physical sport activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Angeles Valdemoros San Emeterio

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The goal of this research is to determine whether the importance granted by friends to physical-sport activities influences adolescents’ dropout of physical-sport.A methodological triangulation was conducted, using quantitative and qualitative techniques. In the quantitative technique. the final sample comprised 1978 subjects, 51.7% girls and 48.3% boys. Descriptive analysis, inferential analysis (Cramer’s V, and multinomial regression analysis were performed on the data collected with the questionnaire.In the qualitative technique, four focus groups (n = 41were employed: parents, Physical Education teachers, teachers from other areas, and adolsescents. Results show that girls’ dropout rate is three times higher than that of the boys, and they are four times more likely to abandon this lifestyle than boys.The peer group is one of the most powerful informal education agents to influence adolescents’ physical-sport practice, but its influence varies by sex. If friends grant much, some, or very much importance to physical-sport practice, girls are less likely to drop out of such practice, but when boys’ friends grant no importance to physical-sport activity, they are five times more likely to drop out.

Critical friends and collaborative partnership

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Katarina Jandér

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Critical friends: a method for peer feedback The Critical Friend-method has been used in various educational settings to facilitate the process of continuous improvement in teaching. The aim of this study was to implement Critical Friends, and to find out if this method could be used for feedback on teaching as part of a librarians' professional development. The project was carried out within the Library Unit of the Faculty of Medicine at Lund University, Sweden, in collaboration with the faculty's Centre for Teaching and Learning. Seven librarians and an educational consultant from the Centre for Teaching and Learning participated; the educational consultant played an essential role in supervising and structuring the project and the evaluation process, preparing readings as well as being an active participant. The participants worked in pairs; the performance of one teacher and the associated classroom activities were observed by the critical friend, and then evaluated and discussed. Evaluation and results After two preparatory group meetings, a final meeting was held where all pairs reported what they had done and how they perceived the critical friend process. The experiences of the participating librarians were explored using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was analyzed using content analysis by one librarian and the educational consultant independently. The results suggested that use of the critical friend method could have a positive impact by achieving the following: strengthening shared values concerning teaching issues; promoting self-reflection on teaching; facilitating communication with colleagues; and reducing the sense of 'loneliness‘ in teaching. The difficulties in the implementation were lack of time and competing duties. It was perceived as an advantage to work in close partnership with the faculty's educational consultants, who were familiar with the organization.

Performance Analysis of Solar Combined Ejector-Vapor Compression Cycle Using Environmental Friendly Refrigerants

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A. B. Kasaeian

2013-04-01

Full Text Available In this study, a new model of a solar combined ejector-vapor compression refrigeration system has been considered. The system is equipped with an internal heat exchanger to enhance the performance of the cycle. The effects of working fluid and operating conditions on the system performance including COP, entrainment ratio (ω, compression ratio (rp and exergy efficiency were investigated. Some working fluids suggested are: R114, R141b, R123, R245fa, R600a, R365mfc, R1234ze(e and R1234ze(z. The results show that R114 and R1234ze(e yield the highest COP and exergy efficiency followed by R123, R245fa, R365mfc, R141b, R152a and R600a. It is noticed that the COP value of the new solar ejector-vapor compression refrigeration cycle is higher than that of the conventional ejector cycle with R1234ze(e for all operating conditions. This paper also demonstrates that R1234ze(e will be a suitable refrigerant in the solar combined ejector-vapor compression refrigeration system, due to its environmental friendly properties and better performance. ABSTRAK: Kajian ini menganalisa model baru sistem penyejukan mampatan gabungan ejektor-wap solar.Sistem ini dilengkapi dengan penukar haba dalaman untuk meningkatkan prestasi kitaran.Kesan bendalir bekerja dan keadaan operasi pada prestasi sistem termasuk COP, nisbah pemerangkapan (ω, nisbah mampatan (rp dan kecekapan eksergi telah disiasat.Beberapa bendalir bekerja yang dicadangkan adalah: R114, R141b, R123, R245fa, R600a, R365mfc, R1234ze(e dan R1234ze(z.Hasil kajian menunjukkan R114 dan R1234ze(e menghasilkan COP dan kecekapan eksergi tertinggi diikuti oleh R123, R245fa, R365mfc, R141b, R152a dan R600a.Didapati nilai COP kitaran penyejukan mampatan bagi ejektor-wap solar baru adalah lebih tinggi daripada kitaran ejektor konvensional dengan R1234ze(e bagi semua keadaan operasi.Kertas kerja ini juga menunjukkan bahawa R1234ze(e boleh menjadi penyejuk yang sesuai dalam sistem penyejukan mampatan gabungan ejektor

Decision-Making Tool for Cost-Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Wood Mobilisation

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Matevž Triplat

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Background and Purpose: With development of forest management technologies, the efficiency of wood production was significantly improved, and thus the impact on forests has changed as well. The article presents a practical decision-making tool for selection of most suitable harvesting system, considering given terrain as well as expected soil conditions on harvesting sites. The decision-making tool should support cost-efficient and environmentally friendly mobilisation of wood. Materials and Methods: The presented decision-making tool is based on ground bearing capacities (relevant environmental parameter and nominal ground pressure (harvesting system characteristics. Soil and terrain (slope characteristics were taken into account for selection of the most suitable harvesting system. Three-step methodological approach was suggested, where soil and terrain conditions were defined in first step, while harvesting system were described using wood process charts (“functiogramms” in second step. In final step ecological and technological requirements were matched. Results: To exemplify the three-step methodology, a decision-making tool was prepared for the three selected harvesting systems. The proposed harvesting systems differ in technological, ecological and economic aspects, but each is limited by at least one of the aspect. Conclusions: The decision-making tool in combination with the presented wood process charts (“functiogramms” can simplify and facilitate forest production planning, although it can also be used in case of unforeseen event e.g. changing of soil moisture, machinery failure and insufficient current capacities. Considering the envisaged quantities and types of forest wooden assortments, it is possible to use the decision-making tool for a basic selection of most appropriate harvesting systems. The main idea behind the suggested three step methodological approach is that forest workers can prepare individual decision

Choice of organic foods is related to perceived consequences for human health and to environmentally friendly behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Magnusson, Maria K; Arvola, Anne; Hursti, Ulla Kaisa Koivisto; Aberg, Lars; Sjödén, Per-Olow

2003-04-01

We designed a questionnaire concerned with attitudes and behaviour towards organic foods, environmentally friendly behaviour (EFB), and perceived consequences of organic food choice in terms of human health, the environment and animal welfare. It was mailed in 1998 to a random nation-wide sample of 2000 Swedish citizens, ages 18-65 years, and 1154 (58%) responded. Self-reported purchase of organic foods was most strongly related to perceived benefit for human health. Performance of EFBs such as refraining from car driving was also a good predictor of purchase frequency. The results indicate that egoistic motives are better predictors of the purchase of organic foods than are altruistic motives.

Environmentally friendly ionic liquid-in-water microemulsions for extraction of hydrophilic and lipophilic components from Flos Chrysanthemi.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jue; Cao, Jun; Gao, Wen; Qi, Lian-Wen; Li, Ping

2013-10-21

Ionic liquids (ILs) have numerous chemical applications as environmentally green solvents that are extending into microemulsion applications. In this work, a novel benign IL-in-water microemulsion system modified by an IL surfactant has been proposed for simultaneous extraction of hydrophilic and lipophilic constituents from Flos Chrysanthemi (Chrysanthemum morifolium). Constituents were analyzed by rapid-resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A mixture-design approach was used to optimize the IL surfactant and the IL oil phase in the microemulsion system. Microemulsions consisting of 6.0% 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate, 0.1% 1-vinyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate and 93.9% water offered the acceptable extract efficiency that are comparable to or even better than conventional volatile organic solvents. This assay was fully validated with respect to the linearity of response (r(2) > 0.999 over two orders of magnitude), precision (intra-RSD < 0.49 and inter-day RSD < 2.21), and accuracy (recoveries ranging from 93.73% to 101.84%). The proposed IL-in-water microemulsion method provided an environmentally friendly alternative for efficient extraction of compounds from Flos Chrysanthemi and could be extended to complex environmental and pharmaceutical samples.

PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIORS IN THE HOUSEHOLD AND HOLIDAY SETTING. AN EXPLORATORY STUDY AMONG BRASOV CITIZENS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ELENA-NICOLETA Untaru

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The present paper aims to investigate Brasov citizens’ pro-environmental behavior both in their household and holiday setting. In this sense, we conducted a qualitative research using the in-depth interview method on a 13 respondent sample which included self-declared environmentally friendly residents from the city of Brasov, Romania. Among them, six respondents are members of ecological NGOs and can be considered environmental activists. The interview guide was structured in two sections. First, we considered respondents' pro-environmental behaviors, the description of their activities, aimed at protecting the environment, as well as the tools and resources developed by public authorities in order to facilitate and stimulate citizens’ involvement in environmental protection. The second section was focused on the description of respondents’ last holiday, the choice of tourism destination, transportation, accommodation unit and activities in the destination; respondents’ pro-environmental behaviors; and the tools and instruments developed by local public authorities or hoteliers in order to facilitate tourists’ environmentally friendly behavior. The results of the present study outline the fact that respondents’ involvement in environmentally friendly activities is identical, or almost identical, in both household and holiday setting. For the environmental activists, such a behavior is difficult to change, even in a holiday setting, where environmental protection is one the individuals ‘priority’. The outcomes of our research can be used by both tourist services providers in order to adapt their offer to consumers’ pro-environmental behavior and local authorities who can identify the actions which have to be undertaken in order to facilitate such behavior.

Environmentally friendly procedure based on VA-MSPD for the determination of booster biocides in fish tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Vieira, Augusto A; Caldas, Sergiane S; Escarrone, Ana Laura Venquiaruti; Arias, Jean Lucas de Oliveira; Primel, Ednei Gilberto

2018-03-01

Booster biocides have been widely applied to ships and other submerged structures. These compounds can be released into the marine environment as the result of vessel hull leaching and may remain in different environmental compartments. This study aimed at introducing an environmentally friendly procedure for the extraction of irgarol and diuron from fish samples by vortex-assisted matrix solid phase dispersion (VA-MSPD) with detection by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Different types of solid supports and solvents were evaluated. The best results were found when 0.5g mussel shell, 0.5g sodium sulfate and 5mL ethanol were used. Analytical recoveries ranged from 81 to 110%, with RSD below 10%, whereas the matrix effect was between -17 and 1% (for all samples under study). LOQ values of irgarol and diuron were 5 and 50ngg -1 , respectively. The method under investigation proved to be a promising alternative to controlling contamination of fish by booster biocides, with low consumption of biodegradable reagents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental and Individual Correlates of Various Types of Physical Activity among Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Elderly Japanese

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Yoshinobu Saito

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Recent studies have suggested the importance of the neighborhood environment in determining the specific type of physical activity. However, few studies on this topic have been undertaken in Japan. This study examined the association of three types of physical activity and their associations with individual and neighborhood environmental factors among middle-aged and elderly Japanese. Participants were 2,449 adults aged 40–69 living in Fujisawa city who had undergone health checkups and responded to our survey by mail. Individual factors, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (long form, and its environmental module acted as inputs to the study. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs of high levels of moderate-to-vigorous intensity leisure-time physical activity (LTPA, walking for active recreation, and transportation were calculated in relation to individual and neighborhood environmental factors through multiple logistic regression models. Not working and good self-rated health were significantly associated with a higher level of each physical activity outcome. According to the adjusted ORs, higher educational attainment, higher economic status, good access to exercise facilities, and owning motor vehicles were associated with longer LTPA time. However, different sets of factors were associated with longer walking times for recreation and transportation. The results suggest that diverse individual and neighborhood environmental characteristics are associated with different physical activity outcomes. Therefore, customizing environments to become activity-friendly is necessary to increase physical activity effectively among middle-aged and elderly Japanese.

Functionalization and Dispersion of Carbon Nanomaterials Using an Environmentally Friendly Ultrasonicated Ozonolysis Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeo, Eudora S Y; Mathys, Gary I; Brack, Narelle; Thostenson, Erik T; Rider, Andrew N

2017-05-30

Functionalization of carbon nanomaterials is often a critical step that facilitates their integration into larger material systems and devices. In the as-received form, carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), may contain large agglomerates. Both agglomerates and impurities will diminish the benefits of the unique electrical and mechanical properties offered when CNTs or GNPs are incorporated into polymers or composite material systems. Whilst a variety of methods exist to functionalize carbon nanomaterials and to create stable dispersions, many the processes use harsh chemicals, organic solvents, or surfactants, which are environmentally unfriendly and may increase the processing burden when isolating the nanomaterials for subsequent use. The current research details the use of an alternative, environmentally friendly technique for functionalizing CNTs and GNPs. It produces stable, aqueous dispersions free of harmful chemicals. Both CNTs and GNPs can be added to water at concentrations up to 5 g/L and can be recirculated through a high-powered ultrasonic cell. The simultaneous injection of ozone into the cell progressively oxidizes the carbon nanomaterials, and the combined ultrasonication breaks down agglomerates and immediately exposes fresh material for functionalization. The prepared dispersions are ideally suited for the deposition of thin films onto solid substrates using electrophoretic deposition (EPD). CNTs and GNPs from the aqueous dispersions can be readily used to coat carbon- and glass-reinforcing fibers using EPD for the preparation of hierarchical composite materials.

Social support for youth physical activity: Importance of siblings, parents, friends and school support across a segmented school day

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Kolt Gregory S

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Whilst evidence exists for the influence of encouragement on physical activity participation, the diversity of support sources and the type of physical activity examined previously is limited. This study examined the importance of perceived encouragement from parents, siblings/cousins, friends, and schools on participation levels across three time-specific activity opportunities that are available during a school day (after-school physical activities, lunchtime activity, and active transportation to and from school. Methods A cross-sectional sample of 12–18 year old high school students (n = 3,471 were recruited from low SES schools within South Auckland, New Zealand and categorised as either Junior (Years 9–11 or Senior (Years 12 & 13 students. Participants reported their physical activity levels and quantity of encouragement received from their parent(s, friend(s, sibling(s/cousin(s, and school to be active. For each physical activity variable participants were dichotomized as being either "active" or "less active". For each social support source, participants were grouped into either receiving "high" or "low" levels of support. Binary logistic regression analyzes were conducted to calculate odd ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results Low parental support (Juniors, OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.38–0.58; Seniors, OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.29–0.60 and low peer support (Juniors, OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.51–0.74; Seniors, OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.35–0.69 were associated with reduced odds of being regularly active after school. For lunchtime activity, low peer support (Juniors, OR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.32–0.48; Seniors, OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.29–0.57 was associated with reduced odds of being categorized as active. While no variables were significantly related to active transportation among senior students, low peer support was associated with reduced odds of actively commuting for Junior students (OR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.66–0.92. Irrespective

Enhancing Environmental Friendliness through Mobile Phone ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Enhancing Environmental Friendliness through Mobile Phone Learning. ... Journal Home > Vol 18, No 1 (2014) > ... Environmental friendly or eco-friendly refers to products or processes that are not harmful to the environment and people who ...

Environmentally friendly preparation of pectins from agricultural byproducts and their structural/rheological characterization.

Science.gov (United States)

Min, Bockki; Lim, Jongbin; Ko, Sanghoon; Lee, Kwang-Geun; Lee, Sung Ho; Lee, Suyong

2011-02-01

Apple pomace which is the main waste of fruit juice industry was utilized to extract pectins in an environmentally friendly way, which was then compared with chemically-extracted pectins. The water-based extraction with combined physical and enzymatic treatments produced pectins with 693.2 mg g(-1) galacturonic acid and 4.6% yield, which were less than those of chemically-extracted pectins. Chemically-extracted pectins exhibited lower degree of esterification (58%) than the pectin samples obtained by physical/enzymatic treatments (69%), which were also confirmed by FT-IR analysis. When subjected to steady-shear rheological conditions, both pectin solutions were shown to have shear-thinning properties. However, decreased viscosity was observed in the pectins extracted by combined physical/enzymatic methods which could be mainly attributed to the presence of more methyl esters, thus limiting polymer chain interactions. Moreover, the pectins which were extracted by combined physical/enzymatic treatments, showed less elastic properties under high shear rate conditions, compared to the chemically-extracted pectins. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PAN-Immobilized PVC-NPOE Membrane for Environmentally Friendly Sensing of Cd(II Ions

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Moersilah Moersilah

2017-04-01

Full Text Available A simple, cheap and environmentally friendly analytical method of Cd(II in the aqueous system has been developed by immobilization of 1-(2-pyridilazo-2-naphtol (PAN in poly vinyl chloride (PVC matrix and nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE as a plasticizer. Upon contact with Cd(II in solution, the color of sensor membrane changes from dark yellow to dark red, which is due to the formation of Cd(II–PAN complex. The best sensing results were obtained at pH 8.0 and λmax 558 nm. The dimension of the proposed sensor membrane was 0.8 cm x 2 cm with a thickness of 0.05 mm, the volume of sample was 2 mL with the Cd(II concentration range of  0 – 1.2 ppm. The limit of detection of the method was found to be 0.432 + 0.104 ppm, which was reversible. The proposed methods have been applied in the determination of Cd(II in water samples after addition of internal standard.

Parental Strategies for Knowledge of Adolescents’ Friends: Distinct from Monitoring?

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Brenda A.; Duke, Michael R.; Ames, Genevieve M.

2012-01-01

Parental monitoring is defined as a set of behaviors used to gain knowledge about an adolescent’s whereabouts, friends and associates, and activities. However, can knowledge of adolescents’ whereabouts/activities, and friends all be attained through the same strategies? Or do they require their own strategies? This study used qualitative interviews with 173 parents of older adolescents from 100 families. Emergent themes described strategies by which parents gain information about their adolescents’ friends and the substance use of those friends. The strategies included direct interaction with the friend, gaining information from the teen, using second-hand sources, and making assumptions. Some of these strategies were consistent with previous research, while others raise new questions and provide interesting new directions to pursue. Primarily, additional consideration needs to be given to assessments of parental monitoring that include strategies for gaining knowledge of adolescents’ friends and their substance use. PMID:23209361

Geothermal and Trigeneration Systems as Innovative and EnvironmentallyFriendly Solutions for Telecommunication Plant Cooling

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Paolo Trotta

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with a model-based analysis of innovative cooling systems, to be deployed in telecommunication (TLC plants in consideration of their size, geographical location and typology (e.g. central Offices or data-centers. Environmentally friendly systems, such as geothermal heat pumps and trigeneration plants, were considered. The trade-off between the investment and operating costs was first analyzed, followed by a comparative evaluation of economic savings achievable via each candidate solution with respect to reference benchmarks, here represented by traditional air-water heat pump and conventional interaction with electrical grid. In this way, a preliminary macroscopic assessment of the best solutions was accomplished, according to the different scenarios (i.e. small or big TLC plant under investigation. A more detailed analysis, concerning the comparison between traditional and geothermal systems, was specifically carried out to evaluate savings as a function of the external temperature and, consequently, of geographical location.

Application and Development of an Environmentally Friendly Blast Hole Plug for Underground Coal Mines

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Donghui Yang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Drilling and blasting technology is one of the main methods for pressure relief in deep mining. The traditional method for blasting hole blockage with clay stemming has many problems, which include a large volume of transportation, excess loading time, and high labor intensity. An environmentally friendly blast hole plug was designed and developed. This method is cheap, closely blocks the hole, is quickly loaded, and is convenient for transportation. The impact test on the plug was carried out using an improved split Hopkinson pressure bar test system, and the industrial test was carried out in underground tunnel of coal mine. The tests results showed that, compared with clay stemming, the new method proposed in this paper could prolong the action time of the detonation gas, prevent premature detonation gas emissions, reduce the unit consumption of explosives, improve the utilization ratio, reduce the labor intensity of workers, and improve the effect of rock blasting with low cost of rock breaking.

The influence of friends and siblings on the physical activity and screen viewing behaviours of children aged 5-6 years: a qualitative analysis of parent interviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, M J; Jago, R; Sebire, S J; Kesten, J M; Pool, L; Thompson, J L

2015-05-14

The present study uses qualitative data to explore parental perceptions of how their young child's screen viewing and physical activity behaviours are influenced by their child's friends and siblings. Telephone interviews were conducted with parents of year 1 children (age 5-6 years). Interviews considered parental views on a variety of issues related to their child's screen viewing and physical activity behaviours, including the influence that their child's friends and siblings have over such behaviours. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using deductive content analysis. Data were organised using a categorisation matrix developed by the research team. Coding and theme generation was iterative and refined throughout. Data were entered into and coded within N-Vivo. Parents were recruited through 57 primary schools located in Bristol and the surrounding area that took part in the B-ProAct1v study. Fifty-three parents of children aged 5-6 years. Parents believe that their child's screen viewing and physical activity behaviours are influenced by their child's siblings and friends. Friends are considered to have a greater influence over the structured physical activities a child asks to participate in, whereas the influence of siblings is more strongly perceived over informal and spontaneous physical activities. In terms of screen viewing, parents suggest that their child's friends can heavily influence the content their child wishes to consume, however, siblings have a more direct and tangible influence over what a child watches. Friends and siblings influence young children's physical activity and screen viewing behaviours. Child-focused physical activity and screen viewing interventions should consider the important influence that siblings and friends have over these behaviours. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Performance appraisal for green/environmental friendliness of a supply chain department

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Solomon Olasunkanmi Odeyale

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This paper aims at proposing a method for evaluating the environmental friendliness of a supply chain department in any organization. Supply chain involves activities that could affect the natural environment and if these activities are not properly evaluated and monitored, it could affect the natural environment and also generate ecological performance change. Design/methodology/approach: The model for the appraisal consists of 5 criteria and 30 subcriteria. The method is applied at 3 level; beginning with finding the relative weight of the subcriteria under each criterion using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP, followed by computing the value associated with each level descriptor in a scale. Some subcriteria have 5 level descriptors (very strong/moderate /weak/very weak / no, some subcriteria have 3 level descriptors (always / sometimes/ never and some have 2 levels descriptor (yes/no. Finally the method is concluded by the means of an additive model, whereby the weight associated with each subcriteria is multiplied by the corresponding level descriptor and summed up to get the limit/state. This methodology is called the weighing multiplication and additive model (WMAAM. Finding: Supply chain (SC involves operational activities and for these activities to be environmental friendly, they have been categorized under criteria namely; green design, green procurement, green manufacturing, environmental management and green marketing. These criteria which consist of 30 subcriteria are evaluated in other to compute the overall environmental friendly appraisal of the SC department. Practical Implication: The study plays important role in understanding various areas to be monitored and considered during supply chain activities in order to achieve a green supply chain management or an environmental friendly supply chain. Originality/value: The main contribution of this work is to propose an effective methodology that guides SC practitioners on

Promoting energy-saving and environmentally friendly generation dispatching model in China: Phase development and case studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, Yi; Yang, Hongliang

2013-01-01

Energy saving and environmental protection are important conditions for the sustainable development of Chinese economy. However current widely used generation scheduling model based on predefined production quota and tariff results in heavy energy consumption and severe environment pollution. From 2007, as concerns over energy shortage and environmental pollution, the Chinese authorities introduced the implementation of energy-saving generation dispatching model, which is an important approach to facilitating energy-saving and reduction of pollutant emission. The objective of implementing energy-saving generation dispatching model is to prioritize the use of renewable energy resources and new power plants with high efficiency without compromising power system security and reliability. This paper analyzes the necessity and feasibility of implementing energy-efficient and environmentally friendly generation scheduling models in China. The institutional and technical barriers impeding the implementation of energy-saving generation dispatching model are identified. The development of advanced energy-saving generation scheduling models towards competitive market models and phased planning programs are emphasized in this paper. The effectiveness and experience of provinces piloted energy-saving generation dispatching projects are also discussed. - Highlights: ► Introducing problems of current power generation scheduling model in China. ► Discussing necessity of implementing ESGD model and corresponding barriers. ► Proposing phased planning programs for developing ESGD models. ► Discussing the effectiveness and experience of provinces piloted ESGD projects

Global environmental technologies in the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, M.

1994-01-01

This paper outlines the activities of New Energy and industrial Technology Development Organization's (NEDO) 'Research and Development of Industrial Technology' projects which are related to global environmental technologies. Then, it describes four new material programs and two biotechnology ones, and presents a list of a few environmentally-friendly technologies. These national projects are carried out by private companies which are consigned by NEDO in conformity with MITI's fundamental Research and Development policy. (TEC)

Nuclear power: an eco friendly energy source for sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obaidurrahman, K.; Singh, Om Pal

2009-01-01

When viewed from a large set of criteria such as abundance of energy resources, environmental impacts, low fuel inventory, quantum of waste generated and green house gas emissions, nuclear power can be considered as a large scale sustainable energy source. Among all energy sources, nuclear energy has perhaps the lowest impact on the environment, especially in relation to kilowatt-hr produced, because nuclear plants do not emit harmful gases and produce small quantity of waste. In other words, nuclear energy is the most environmental friendly electricity source. There are no significant adverse effects to water, land, habitat, species and air resources. The present paper discusses the sustainability and feasibility of nuclear power as an eco friendly energy source in the changing and challenging competitive power market. (author)

Daily well-being of older adults with friends and family.

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, R; Mannell, R; Zuzanek, J

1986-06-01

Family members are the major source of physical and emotional support for older adults, yet researchers suggest that friendships have a stronger bearing on subjective well-being. In this research we sought an explanation for this inconsistency in older adults' immediate experiences with friends. Retired adults provided self-reports on their subjective states at random moments during a typical week. Analyses of these reports confirmed the prediction that older adults have more favorable experiences with their friends than with family members. The difference is partly attributable to the greater frequency of active leisure activities with friends, but is also due to unique qualities of interactions with friends that facilitate transcendence of mundane daily realities. We propose that friends provide an immediate situation of openness, reciprocity, and positive feedback that engenders enjoyment and subjectively meaningful exchanges.

Environmental guidance for public participation in environmental restoration activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-11-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is issuing this document, entitled Guidance on Public Participation for US Department of Energy Environmental Restoration Activities, to summarize policy and provide guidance for public participation in environmental restoration activities at DOE Headquarters, Field Offices, facilities, and laboratories. While the Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) has environmental restoration responsibility for the majority of DOE sites and facilities, other DOE Project Offices have similar responsibilities at their sites and facilities. This guidance is applicable to all environment restoration activities conducted by or for DOE under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA); the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) as amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HSWA) (corrective actions only); and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). This guidance also is applicable to CERCLA remedial action programs under the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 and the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program, where DOE is the designated lead. The primary objectives of this guidance document are as follows: acclimate DOE staff to a changing culture that emphasizes the importance of public participation activities; provide direction on implementing these public participation activities; and, provide consistent guidance for all DOE Field Offices and facilities. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance on conducting effective public participation activities for environmental restoration activities under CERCLA; RCRA corrective actions under sections 3004(u), 3004(v), and 3008(h); and NEPA public participation activities.

Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges Philippines An Eco-Friendly School Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr. Jose Ariel R. Ibarrientos

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Academic institutions can become more environmentally responsible through the implementation of various conservation initiative. Along this the study attempt to transform the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges into living models of an ecologically sustainable learning institutions. Data was gathered from among the six administrators 336 students 62 teaching and 31 non-teaching personnel from school year 2013-2014. Questionnaire supported by interview and ocular inspection was utilized to assess the college practices along its environmental policy resource management curriculum project and budget. Results revealed that the college has an Eco Friendly Program and has implemented guidelines along solid Waste Management in Classrooms and Laboratories. Awareness on environmental policy resource management in classrooms buildings and grounds purchasing use of lights and electricity paper conservation water conservation waste management were highly implemented HI. Maintenance on air quality and waste management in the canteen were moderately implemented MI in the college. Generally the college are Aware A along environmental programs and highly implement HI its environmental practices. T-test result shows that there was no significant difference between the level of awareness and implementation on environmental practices. The proposed Eco-Friendly School Model developed by the researcher must be adopted by the college.

Local Environmental Grassroots Activism: Contributions from Environmental Psychology, Sociology and Politics

Science.gov (United States)

Mihaylov, Nikolay L.; Perkins, Douglas D.

2015-01-01

Local environmental grassroots activism is robust and globally ubiquitous despite the ebbs and flows of the general environmental movement. In this review we synthesize social movement, environmental politics, and environmental psychology literatures to answer the following questions: How does the environment emerge as a topic for community action and how a particular environmental discourse (preservation, conservation, public health, Deep Ecology, justice, localism and other responses to modernization and development) becomes dominant? How does a community coalesce around the environmental issue and its particular framing? What is the relationship between local and supralocal (regional, national, global) activism? We contrast “Not in My Back Yard” (NIMBY) activism and environmental liberation and discuss the significance of local knowledge and scale, nature as an issue for activism, place attachment and its disruption, and place-based power inequalities. Environmental psychology contributions to established scholarship on environmental activism are proposed: the components of place attachment are conceptualized in novel ways and a continuous dweller and activist place attachment is elaborated. PMID:25806672

Local environmental grassroots activism: contributions from environmental psychology, sociology and politics.

Science.gov (United States)

Mihaylov, Nikolay L; Perkins, Douglas D

2015-03-23

Local environmental grassroots activism is robust and globally ubiquitous despite the ebbs and flows of the general environmental movement. In this review we synthesize social movement, environmental politics, and environmental psychology literatures to answer the following questions: How does the environment emerge as a topic for community action and how a particular environmental discourse (preservation, conservation, public health, Deep Ecology, justice, localism and other responses to modernization and development) becomes dominant? How does a community coalesce around the environmental issue and its particular framing? What is the relationship between local and supralocal (regional, national, global) activism? We contrast "Not in My Back Yard" (NIMBY) activism and environmental liberation and discuss the significance of local knowledge and scale, nature as an issue for activism, place attachment and its disruption, and place-based power inequalities. Environmental psychology contributions to established scholarship on environmental activism are proposed: the components of place attachment are conceptualized in novel ways and a continuous dweller and activist place attachment is elaborated.

Dye sensitized solar cell based on environmental friendly eosin Y dye and Al doped titanium dioxide nano particles

Science.gov (United States)

Kulkarni, Swati S.; Bodkhe, Gajanan A.; Shirsat, Sumedh M.; Hussaini, S. S.; Shejwal, N. N.; Shirsat, Mahendra D.

2018-03-01

Present communication deals with the development of cost effective dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with eco-friendly materials. Eco-friendly Eosin Y dye was used to sensitize photo anode which was fabricated using undoped and Aluminium doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. Undoped and Aluminium doped TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by simple and cost effective sol-gel method. Aluminium doped and undoped TiO2 nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible, FT-IR spectroscopy, x-ray Diffraction, and Scanning Electron Micrograph with EDX. The photo-voltaic activity of the cell was studied under light irradiation of 100 milliwatt cm-2. Aluminium doped TiO2 nanoparticle photo electrode exhibits more than 60% increase in cell efficiency as compared to the undoped TiO2 nanoparticle photo electrode.

Going green with eco-friendly dentistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Avinash, Bhagyalakshmi; Avinash, B S; Shivalinga, B M; Jyothikiran, S; Padmini, M N

2013-07-01

Eco-friendly dentistry is currently transforming the medical and dental field to decrease its affect on our natural environment and reduce the amount of waste being produced. Eco-friendly dentistry uses a sustainable approach to encourage dentists to implement new strategies to try and reduce the energy being consumed and the large amount of waste being produced by the industry. Many reasonable, practical and easy alternatives do exist which would reduce the environmental footprint of a dental office were it to follow the 'green' recommendations. Dentist should take a leading role in the society by implementing 'green' initiatives to lessen their impact on the environment. This article provides a series of 'green' recommendations that dentists around the world can implement to become a leading Stewards of the environment.

A Two-Wheeled, Self-Balancing Electric Vehicle Used As an Environmentally Friendly Individual Means of Transport

Science.gov (United States)

Bździuch, D.; Grzegożek, W.

2016-09-01

This paper shows a concept of a model of a two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle with an electric motor drive as an environmentally-friendly personal transporter. The principle of work, modelling of construction and performing a simulation are presented and discussed. The visualization of the designed vehicle was made thanks to using Solid Works a computer-aided design program. The vehicle was modelled as an inverted pendulum. The stability of the mechanism in the equilibrium position was studied. An exemplary steering system was also subjected to the analysis that compared two controllers: PID and LQR which enabled to monitor the balance of the vehicle when the required conditions were fulfilled. Modelling of work of the controllers and the evaluation of the obtained results in required conditions were performed in the MATLAB environment.

Friend suggestion in social network based on user log

Science.gov (United States)

Kaviya, R.; Vanitha, M.; Sumaiya Thaseen, I.; Mangaiyarkarasi, R.

2017-11-01

Simple friend recommendation algorithms such as similarity, popularity and social aspects is the basic requirement to be explored to methodically form high-performance social friend recommendation. Suggestion of friends is followed. No tags of character were followed. In the proposed system, we use an algorithm for network correlation-based social friend recommendation (NC-based SFR).It includes user activities like where one lives and works. A new friend recommendation method, based on network correlation, by considering the effect of different social roles. To model the correlation between different networks, we develop a method that aligns these networks through important feature selection. We consider by preserving the network structure for a more better recommendations so that it significantly improves the accuracy for better friend-recommendation.

Investigation of environmental friendly Te-free SiSb material for applications of phase-change memory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Ting; Song Zhitang; Liu Bo; Feng Songlin

2008-01-01

Te-free environmental friendly Si x Sb 100−x phase-change materials are investigated. The binary material, which is compatible with the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor manufacturing process, is outstanding in various properties. Si x Sb 100−x shows a much better data retention as compared with Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 . The density change for Si 10 Sb 90 and Si 16 Sb 84 is only about 3% and 3.8%, respectively. The failure times for Si 10 Sb 90 and Si 16 Sb 84 are about 10 3 and 10 6 times longer than that of Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 at 110 °C. The crystallization temperature of Si x Sb 100−x increases with silicon content within the material. Si x Sb 100−x materials are good candidates for the phase-change memory applications

arXiv Candidate eco-friendly gas mixtures for MPGDs

CERN Document Server

Benussi, L.; Saviano, G.; Muhammad, S.; Ferrini, M.; Primavera, F.; Parvis, M.; Grassing, S.; Colafranceschi, S.; Kjøbro, J.; Sharma, A.; Yang, D.; Chen, G.; Ban, Y.; Li, Q.

2018-01-01

Modern gas detectors for detection of particles require F-based gases for optimal performance. Recent regulations demand the use of environmentally unfriendly F-based gases to be limited or banned. This review studies properties of potential eco-friendly gas candidate replacements.

Development of Environment-Friendly Insecticides Based on Enantioselectivity: Bifenthrin as a Case.

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Yi; Zhou, Peixue; Zhang, Quan

2017-01-01

Chiral insecticides significantly contribute to the environmental pollutions recently. As the development of industry and agriculture, increasing number of chiral insecticides are to be introduced into the market. However, their enantioselective toxicology to ecosystem still remains uncertain. In this review, we embarked on a structured search of bibliographic databases for peer-reviewed articles regarding the enantioselective effects of bifenthrin, a typical chiral insecticide, on both target and non-target species. With this enantioselective property of chiral insecticides, they often exhibit adverse effects on non-target species enantioselectively. Specifically, the enantioselective effects of bifenthrin on target and non-target organisms were discussed. In target species, R-bifenthrin exerts more significant activities in deinsectization, compared with S-bifenthrin. On the other hand, Sbifenthrin is more toxic to non-target species than R-bifenthrin, which suggests that the application of sole enantiomer is more efficient and environment-friendly than that of racemate. This review confirms the choice of environment-friendly insecticides from the perspective of the enantioselectivity of chiral insecticides. To make insecticides more efficient to target species and less toxic to non-target species, further research should be done to investigated the potential effects of targetactive enantiomers on non-target organisms as well as the enantioselective fate of enantiomers in multiple environmental matrix.

Intermediate peer contexts and educational outcomes: Do the friends of students' friends matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Carbonaro, William; Workman, Joseph

2016-07-01

Sociologists of education have long been interested in the effects of peer relations on educational outcomes. Recent theory and research on adolescence suggest that peers on the boundaries of students' friendship networks may play an important role in shaping behaviors and educational outcomes. In this study, we examine the importance of a key "intermediate peer context" for students' outcomes: the friends of a student's friends. Our findings indicate both friends' and friends' friends' characteristics independently predict students' college expectations and their risk of dropping out of high school (although only friends' characteristics predict GPA). Our models suggest the magnitude of students' friends-of-friends' characteristics are at least as large their friends' characteristics. Together, the association between the peer context and students outcomes is considerably larger when accounting for both the characteristics of students' friends and the friends of their friends. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Auditing the socio-environmental determinants of motivation towards physical activity or sedentariness in work-aged adults: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Keegan, Richard; Middleton, Geoff; Henderson, Hannah; Girling, Mica

2016-05-26

There is a lack of understanding of work aged adults' (30-60 years old) perspectives on the motivation of physical activity versus sedentariness. This study aims to: (1) identify which socio-environmental factors motivate physical activity and/or sedentary behavior, in adults aged 30-60 years; and (2) explore how these motivators interact and combine. Fifteen work-aged adults who, were able to engage in physical activity (Mean age = 43.9 years; SD 9.6, range 31-59), participated in semi-structured interviews. Inductive content analysis was used to generate an inventory of socio-environmental factors and their specific influences on motivation towards physical activity or sedentariness. Key socio-environmental agents found to influence motivation included: Spouse/partner, parents, children, siblings, whole family, grandchildren, friends, work-mates, neighbors, strangers, team-mates and class-mates, instructors, health care professionals, employers, gyms and health companies, governments, media and social media, cultural norms, and the physical environment. Mechanisms fell into five broad themes of socio-environmental motivation for both physical activity and sedentariness: (1) competence and progress; (2) informational influences, (3) emotional influences, (4) pragmatics and logistics, and (5) relationships. Similar socio-environmental factors were frequently reported as able to motivate both activity and sedentariness. Likewise, individual categories of influence could also motivate both behaviors, depending on context. The findings of this paper 'unpack' theoretical concepts into specific and targeted behavioral recommendations. The data suggested no simple solutions for promoting physical activity or reducing sedentariness, but rather complex and interacting systems surrounding work-aged adults. Findings also suggest that health professionals should be encouraged to support adults' health by examining the socio-environmental motivational influences, or

Tribological Evaluation of Date Palm Fruit Syrup–A Potential Environmental-Friendly Lubricant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Samad Mohammed

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Date palm is one of the most cultivated palms mostly found in the Middle Eastern regions of the world. The date palm fruits are not only nutritionally rich, but also have a good amount of fatty acids such as oleic acid, palmitic acid, and linoleic acids, which have excellent anti-wear and lubricating properties, making it a potentially good candidate to be used as an environmentally-friendly lubricant. This study is a preliminary effort to explore the lubricating properties of date palm fruit syrup by conducting ball-on-disc wear tests on mild steel samples. Different concentrations (50, 75, and 100 vol % of the syrup in water were tested at a normal load of 50 N and a sliding linear speed of 0.1 m/s. Scanning electron microscopy and optical profilometry were used to characterize the wear tracks and estimate the wear rates. 100 vol % date syrup with a viscosity of 16.95 mPa·s showed excellent results by reducing the coefficient of friction of steel-on-steel from 0.6 (dry conditions to a value of ~0.1. The depth of the wear track reduced from ~152 µm (dry conditions to ~11 µm, signifying a considerable reduction in wear.

Design of environmentally friendly products using indicators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenau, Torben Anker; Bey, Niki

2001-01-01

The paper describes the requirements of product designers towards methods for environmental evaluation; it argues that indicators can be used for rough environmental evaluations and it presents experiences made with the indicator-based Oil Point Method (OPM). This method is illustrated by means...

Analyzing the impact on consumer satisfaction, behavior and at-titudes by using eco-friendly practices and products in Surfers Paradise/Gold Coast city hotels, Australia.

OpenAIRE

Chikita, Maria

2012-01-01

This study explores customer attitude towards environmentally friendly practices by hotels and the impact on customer satisfaction. The research investigates individual’s behavior, attitude, knowledge, satisfaction and willingness to support eco-friendly prac-tices. The hotel industry contributes to the global environmental challenges. Consumers are becoming more aware of the environmental impacts by the hotels and a new market segment of eco-friendly customers has developed. In addition ...

Environmental Sustainability In The Thai Hotel Industry

OpenAIRE

Jirawat Anuwichanont; Panisa Mechinda; Sirivan Serirat; Aurathai Lertwannawit; Nongluck Popaijit

2011-01-01

Nowadays, the growing concern of environmental sustainability does not only influence consumers demand but also how companies run their own business. Consumers are more conscious about the environment and demanding environmental friendly products and services. Consequently, the tourism industry currently faces increasing demands from consumers to achieve levels of environmental responsiveness. Thus, companies strive to implement environmentally friendly and socially responsible practices to g...

Finding friends online: online activities by deaf students and their well-being.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helen Blom

Full Text Available Generally, deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH children have fewer friends than hearing peers and their friendships are of a lower quality. The research hypothesis was that using the computer to communicate with new online friends through social network sites or playing games with offline friends is associated with D/HH friendship qualities, because it removes certain communication barriers D/HH face in offline communication settings. With online questionnaires the relation between computer use and online, mixed (offline friend who you also speak in online settings, and offline friendship quality of D/HH and hearing students (18-25 years was compared in both the Netherlands (n = 100 and the United States (n = 122. In addition, the study examined whether the different friendship qualities were related to the participants' well-being. Results showed that, in general, D/HH students' friendship qualities and levels of well-being were similar to their hearing peers. The quality of the mixed friendships was positively related to well-being. Furthermore, the frequency of pc use with both online and offline friends was positively related to friendships qualities in both hearing and D/HH students. A combination of the online and offline friendship seems to be the most important friendship type for both hearing and D/HH students and it is worthwhile to encourage this friendship type.

Finding friends online: online activities by deaf students and their well-being.

Science.gov (United States)

Blom, Helen; Marschark, Marc; Vervloed, Mathijs P J; Knoors, Harry

2014-01-01

Generally, deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) children have fewer friends than hearing peers and their friendships are of a lower quality. The research hypothesis was that using the computer to communicate with new online friends through social network sites or playing games with offline friends is associated with D/HH friendship qualities, because it removes certain communication barriers D/HH face in offline communication settings. With online questionnaires the relation between computer use and online, mixed (offline friend who you also speak in online settings), and offline friendship quality of D/HH and hearing students (18-25 years) was compared in both the Netherlands (n = 100) and the United States (n = 122). In addition, the study examined whether the different friendship qualities were related to the participants' well-being. Results showed that, in general, D/HH students' friendship qualities and levels of well-being were similar to their hearing peers. The quality of the mixed friendships was positively related to well-being. Furthermore, the frequency of pc use with both online and offline friends was positively related to friendships qualities in both hearing and D/HH students. A combination of the online and offline friendship seems to be the most important friendship type for both hearing and D/HH students and it is worthwhile to encourage this friendship type.

Report on the fiscal 1993 investigational study of the environmental technology development trend in Japan. Trend survey of the introduction policy of environmentally friendly products; 1993 nendo Nippon ni okeru kankyo gijutsu kaihatsu doko nado ni kansuru chosa kenkyu hokokusho. Kankyo chowagata seihin no donyu hosaku nado doko chosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-05-01

An investigation was conducted into the systematical scheme for the introduction and promotion of environmentally friendly products mostly to the U.S., Europe and China. In the U.S., the introduction policy is given to one and all fields of the industry. The introduction policy of the U.S. has a characteristic that the introduction is left to the market principle by DSM or permit dealing, etc. except the preferential tax system and systematical finance in which the government is concerned. The policy of European countries is characterized by the idea preceding, standards or rules are first given, and the whole is pushed on to them. Accordingly, it seems that there is few atmosphere of expecting to receive the government side economic incentives from the corporate side. Legal regulations on the environment in China were prepared in a comparatively early time (1979), but the supervision of obeying the regulations and the appearance/spread of environmentally friendly product menus have just started. Accordingly, as the introduction policy on environmentally friendly products, there was found nothing valuable but the regulations. 12 refs., 3 figs., 15 tabs.

The influence of friends and siblings on the physical activity and screen viewing behaviours of children aged 5–6 years: a qualitative analysis of parent interviews

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, M J; Jago, R; Sebire, S J; Kesten, J M; Pool, L; Thompson, J L

2015-01-01

Objectives The present study uses qualitative data to explore parental perceptions of how their young child's screen viewing and physical activity behaviours are influenced by their child's friends and siblings. Design Telephone interviews were conducted with parents of year 1 children (age 5–6 years). Interviews considered parental views on a variety of issues related to their child's screen viewing and physical activity behaviours, including the influence that their child's friends and siblings have over such behaviours. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using deductive content analysis. Data were organised using a categorisation matrix developed by the research team. Coding and theme generation was iterative and refined throughout. Data were entered into and coded within N-Vivo. Setting Parents were recruited through 57 primary schools located in Bristol and the surrounding area that took part in the B-ProAct1v study. Participants Fifty-three parents of children aged 5–6 years. Results Parents believe that their child's screen viewing and physical activity behaviours are influenced by their child's siblings and friends. Friends are considered to have a greater influence over the structured physical activities a child asks to participate in, whereas the influence of siblings is more strongly perceived over informal and spontaneous physical activities. In terms of screen viewing, parents suggest that their child's friends can heavily influence the content their child wishes to consume, however, siblings have a more direct and tangible influence over what a child watches. Conclusions Friends and siblings influence young children's physical activity and screen viewing behaviours. Child-focused physical activity and screen viewing interventions should consider the important influence that siblings and friends have over these behaviours. PMID:25976759

Best Friends: Alliances, Friend Ranking, and the MySpace Social Network.

Science.gov (United States)

DeScioli, Peter; Kurzban, Robert; Koch, Elizabeth N; Liben-Nowell, David

2011-01-01

Like many topics of psychological research, the explanation for friendship is at once intuitive and difficult to address empirically. These difficulties worsen when one seeks, as we do, to go beyond "obvious" explanations ("humans are social creatures") to ask deeper questions, such as "What is the evolved function of human friendship?" In recent years, however, a new window into human behavior has opened as a growing fraction of people's social activity has moved online, leaving a wealth of digital traces behind. One example is a feature of the MySpace social network that allows millions of users to rank their "Top Friends." In this study, we collected over 10 million people's friendship decisions from MySpace to test predictions made by hypotheses about human friendship. We found particular support for the alliance hypothesis, which holds that human friendship is caused by cognitive systems that function to create alliances for potential disputes. Because an ally's support can be undermined by a stronger outside relationship, the alliance model predicts that people will prefer partners who rank them above other friends. Consistent with the alliance model, we found that an individual's choice of best friend in MySpace is strongly predicted by how partners rank that individual. © The Author(s) 2011.

Auditing the socio-environmental determinants of motivation towards physical activity or sedentariness in work-aged adults: a qualitative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Keegan

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is a lack of understanding of work aged adults’ (30–60 years old perspectives on the motivation of physical activity versus sedentariness. This study aims to: (1 identify which socio-environmental factors motivate physical activity and/or sedentary behavior, in adults aged 30–60 years; and (2 explore how these motivators interact and combine. Method Fifteen work-aged adults who, were able to engage in physical activity (Mean age = 43.9 years; SD 9.6, range 31–59, participated in semi-structured interviews. Inductive content analysis was used to generate an inventory of socio-environmental factors and their specific influences on motivation towards physical activity or sedentariness. Results Key socio-environmental agents found to influence motivation included: Spouse/partner, parents, children, siblings, whole family, grandchildren, friends, work-mates, neighbors, strangers, team-mates and class-mates, instructors, health care professionals, employers, gyms and health companies, governments, media and social media, cultural norms, and the physical environment. Mechanisms fell into five broad themes of socio-environmental motivation for both physical activity and sedentariness: (1 competence and progress; (2 informational influences, (3 emotional influences, (4 pragmatics and logistics, and (5 relationships. Similar socio-environmental factors were frequently reported as able to motivate both activity and sedentariness. Likewise, individual categories of influence could also motivate both behaviors, depending on context. Conclusion The findings of this paper ‘unpack’ theoretical concepts into specific and targeted behavioral recommendations. The data suggested no simple solutions for promoting physical activity or reducing sedentariness, but rather complex and interacting systems surrounding work-aged adults. Findings also suggest that health professionals should be encouraged to support adults’ health

Parents and friends both matter: simultaneous and interactive influences of parents and friends on European schoolchildren's energy balance-related behaviours - the ENERGY cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

te Velde, Saskia J; ChinAPaw, Mai J M; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Bere, Elling; Maes, Lea; Moreno, Luis; Jan, Nataša; Kovacs, Eva; Manios, Yannis; Brug, Johannes

2014-07-08

The family, and parents in particular, are considered the most important influencers regarding children's energy-balance related behaviours (EBRBs). When children become older and gain more behavioural autonomy regarding different behaviours, the parental influences may become less important and peer influences may gain importance. Therefore the current study aims to investigate simultaneous and interactive associations of family rules, parent and friend norms and modelling with soft drink intake, TV viewing, daily breakfast consumption and sport participation among schoolchildren across Europe. A school-based cross-sectional survey in eight countries across Europe among 10-12 year old schoolchildren. Child questionnaires were used to assess EBRBs (soft drink intake, TV viewing, breakfast consumption, sport participation), and potential determinants of these behaviours as perceived by the child, including family rules, parental and friend norms and modelling. Linear and logistic regression analyses (n = 7811) were applied to study the association of parental (norms, modelling and rules) and friend influences (norm and modelling) with the EBRBs. In addition, potential moderating effects of parental influences on the associations of friend influences with the EBRBs were studied by including interaction terms. Children reported more unfavourable friend norms and modelling regarding soft drink intake and TV viewing, while they reported more favourable friend and parental norms and modelling for breakfast consumption and physical activity. Perceived friend and parental norms and modelling were significantly positively associated with soft drink intake, breakfast consumption, physical activity (only modelling) and TV time. Across the different behaviours, ten significant interactions between parental and friend influencing variables were found and suggested a weaker association of friend norms and modelling when rules were in place. Parental and friends norm and

College Men's Involvement in Friends with Benefits Relationships

Science.gov (United States)

Olmstead, Spencer B.; Pasley, Kay; Fincham, Frank D.

2016-01-01

Friends with benefits relationships (FWBRs) occur when two friends who are not in a committed romantic relationship engage in ongoing sexual activity (i.e., oral sex and/or intercourse) over a period of time. The purpose of this study was to examine the demographic and psychosocial characteristics of college men involved in FWBRs (N = 407) using s…

Leisure activities in an environmental perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Røpke, Inge; Godskesen, Mirjam Irene

2006-01-01

Leisure activities in an environmental perspective In spite of the growing literature on consumption and environment, few studies have focused on leisure activities in an environmental perspective – the main exception being the relatively numerous studies on tourism. The neglect of leisure...... activities in environmental studies is surprising, as leisure-related consumption is increasing rapidly, and some of the environmental impacts are obvious. Of course, some of these impacts are indirectly analysed in research on consumption areas such as mobility, food and household electricity use, but new...... for a focus on time use and activities rather than various categories of consumer spending. In this paper we consider, in particular, how a time use perspective can inform the discussion on the environmental impacts of leisure....

Feasibility survey of the environmentally-friendly coal utilization system. Feasibility survey of the environmentally-friendly coal utilization system in Indonesia; Kankyo chowagata sekitan riyo system kanosei chosa. Indonesia ni okeru kankyo chowagata sekitan riyo system kanosei chosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-03-01

With relation to the coal of Indonesia, where the expansion of the use of coal as a substitute for petroleum/plant fuel is aimed at, the paper grasped the situation of coal production/distribution/utilization and environmental problems, and analyzed the situation of the coal utilization/spread by industry including the commercial/residential use. The purpose of the survey is to work out a comprehensive master plan including Japan`s international cooperation for introducing the environmentally-friendly coal utilization system to Indonesia. Coal utilization systems, the introduction of which Indonesia should study in future, were picked up, according to the surveys in fiscal 1993 and 1994. In commercial/residential and small-scale industry sectors, needed is improvement of carbonization technology for production of coal carbonization briquette. Moreover, the introduction of bio-briquette should be studied in the future. In the power generation sector, studies should be made on the introduction of technology for SOx/NOx reduction and technology for coal ash treatment including the effective use of coal ash. For the introduction of coal boilers, the combustion mixed with bagasse, which is abundant in amount, is also necessary. In the coal production sector, coal preparation technology is studied, and a method to select the optimum process was proposed through the simulation. 76 figs., 43 tabs.

Antivirion Effects of Streptovaricin Complex Against Friend Virus

Science.gov (United States)

Horoszewicz, Julius S.; Leong, Susan S.; Byrd, Daniel M.; Carter, William A.

1974-01-01

The in vitro antivirion activities of five different streptovaricin complex lots against the polycythemic strain of the Friend virus were evaluated. The assay system was based on the inhibition of the Friend virus-induced spleen foci. The virus inactivation process was shown to be susceptible to variation in temperature, pH, and time. The antivirion activity and the acute toxicity for mice, as well as the optical properties of these streptovaricin complexes, do not co-vary; this suggests that their biological activities are not associated with a single molecular structure. In addition, the antivirion activity of the five preparations of streptovaricin complex differs about 30-fold, indicating that this activity does not reside in a major component of the complex. PMID:15825311

Sustainable Regeneration of Nanoparticle Enhanced Activated Carbon in Water

Science.gov (United States)

The regeneration and reuse of exhausted granular activated carbon (GAC) is an appropriate method for lowering operational and environmental costs. Advanced oxidation is a promising environmental friendly technique for GAC regeneration. The main objective of this research was to ...

It is a moral issue : The relationship between environmental self-identity, obligation-based intrinsic motivation and pro-environmental behaviour

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Werff, Ellen; Steg, Linda; Keizer, Kees

2013-01-01

In order to effectively mitigate climate change, people need to adopt environmentally-friendly actions. We argue that some people act in an environmentally-friendly manner without external incentives to do so, but rather because they are intrinsically motivated to do so. There is some initial

Effect of Hydraulic Activity on Crystallization of Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC) for Eco-Friendly Paper

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jung-Ah; Han, Gi-Chun; Lim, Mihee; You, Kwang-Suk; Ryu, Miyoung; Ahn, Ji-Whan; Fujita, Toyohisa; Kim, Hwan

2009-01-01

Wt% of aragonite, a CaCO3 polymorph, increased with higher hydraulic activity (°C) of limestone in precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) from the lime-soda process (Ca(OH)2-NaOH-Na2CO3). Only calcite, the most stable polymorph, was crystallized at hydraulic activity under 10 °C, whereas aragonite also started to crystallize over 10 °C. The crystallization of PCC is more dependent on the hydraulic activity of limestone than CaO content, a factor commonly used to classify limestone ores according to quality. The results could be effectively applied to the determination of polymorphs in synthetic PCC for eco-friendly paper manufacture. PMID:20087470

Elementary Environmental Activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, Robert J.

This guide presents suggestions for field trips, out-of-doors activities, material for centers, and individualized activities in the teaching of elementary school science and particularly environmental education at the elementary level. The guide includes a section on preparation and procedures for conducting field trips, including sample…

Fiscal 1996 survey report on the environmentally friendly type coal utilization system feasibility study. Feasibility study of the environmentally friendly type coal utilization system in Malaysia and Vietnam; Kankyo chowagata sekitan riyo system kanosei chosa. Malaysia Vietnam ni okeru kankyo chowagata sekitan riyo system kanosei chosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-03-01

This survey arranged the status of coal utilization technology and the status of coal production, supply, etc. in Malaysia and Vietnam, examined/studied coal utilization systems in both countries, and finally assessed feasibility of introducing the environmentally friendly type coal utilization system. As a country of primary energy source which is abundant in crude oil, natural gas, hydroelectric power, coal, etc., Malaysia now depends on crude oil and natural gas for 80% of its energy, and places emphasis on exploration of natural gas and oil refining. In electric power and cement industries where coal is consumed, effectiveness and environmental issues in association with coal utilization are future subjects. In Vietnam, the north is abundant in hydroelectric power and anthracite, and the south in oil and gas resource, but the north and central districts are in a state of undevelopment. Coal is used for coal thermal power generation, cement industry, and residential/commercial fuel. In the future, effective coal utilization and environmental issues will be subjects. 16 refs., 38 figs., 75 tabs.

Remediation of lead and cadmium from simulated groundwater in loess region in northwestern China using permeable reactive barrier filled with environmentally friendly mixed adsorbents.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Chunhui; Gao, Yalin; Zhang, Yingchao; Dong, Wanqing; Lai, Miao

2018-01-01

Permeable reactive barrier (PRB) is potentially effective for groundwater remediation, especially using environmentally friendly mixed fillers in representative areas, such as semi-arid loess region in northwestern China. The mixed materials, including corn straw (agricultural wastes), fly ash (industrial wastes), zeolite synthesized from fly ash (reutilized products), and iron-manganese nodule derived from loess (materials with regional characteristics) in northwestern China, were chosen as PRB media to reduce the contents of lead and cadmium in simulated groundwater. A series of lab-scale column experiments were investigated, and the response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the working process; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were applied to further reveal the reaction mechanism. It shows that the purification efficiencies are more acceptable when the concentrations of lead and cadmium are approximately 7 and 0.7 mg/L, respectively, at 25 °C in weakly acidic solution, and functional groups of -OH and C=C play an important role for contaminants removal. The mixed adsorbents used are effective to remove lead and cadmium in groundwater. This is the first report on the removal of lead and cadmium from groundwater in loess region in northwestern China using PRB filled with environmentally friendly mixed adsorbents.

Phil Friend julgustab riske võtma / Phil Friend ; interv. Harda Roosna

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Friend, Phil

2003-01-01

Suurbritannia koolitus- ja konsultatsioonifirma Churchill & Friend juhataja Phil Friend vastab küsimustele oma firma missiooni kohta Hiiumaal, puuetega inimeste elu erinevuste kohta Hiiumaal ja Suurbritannias. Vt. samas: Phil Friend julgustas tööandjaid puuetega inimesi tööle võtma

Eco-Friendly Insecticide Discovery via Peptidomimetics: Design, Synthesis, and Aphicidal Activity of Novel Insect Kinin Analogues.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chuanliang; Qu, Yanyan; Wu, Xiaoqing; Song, Dunlun; Ling, Yun; Yang, Xinling

2015-05-13

Insect kinin neuropeptides are pleiotropic peptides that are involved in the regulation of hindgut contraction, diuresis, and digestive enzyme release. They share a common C-terminal pentapeptide sequence of Phe(1)-Xaa(2)-Yaa(3)-Trp(4)-Gly(5)-NH2 (where Xaa(2) = His, Asn, Phe, Ser, or Tyr; Yaa(3) = Pro, Ser, or Ala). Recently, the aphicidal activity of insect kinin analogues has attracted the attention of researchers. Our previous work demonstrated that the sequence-simplified insect kinin pentapeptide analogue Phe-Phe-[Aib]-Trp-Gly-NH2 could retain good aphicidal activity and be the lead compound for the further discovery of eco-friendly insecticides which encompassed a broad array of biochemicals derived from micro-organisms and other natural sources. Using the peptidomimetics strategy, we chose Phe-Phe-[Aib]-Trp-Gly-NH2 as the lead compound, and we designed and synthesized three series, including 31 novel insect kinin analogues. The aphicidal activity of the new analogues against soybean aphid was determined. The results showed that all of the analogues exhibited aphicidal activity. Of particular interest was the analogue II-1, which exhibited improved aphicidal activity with an LC50 of 0.019 mmol/L compared with the lead compound (LC50 = 0.045 mmol/L) or the commercial insecticide pymetrozine (LC50 = 0.034 mmol/L). This suggests that the analogue II-1 could be used as a new lead for the discovery of potential eco-friendly insecticides.

Egg extract of apple snail for eco-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their antibacterial activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Janthima, Ratima; Khamhaengpol, Arunrat; Siri, Sineenat

2018-03-01

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) provides the alternative method with cost effectiveness and the eco-friendly process by using natural biomolecules as reducing and stabilizing agents. Alternative to the most studies of plant extracts, this work demonstrated a use of egg extract of apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) for an eco-friendly production of AgNPs. The extract contained at least six proteins with the molecular weight in a range of 24-65 kDa that exhibited the reducing activity. The dispersive AgNPs were produced in the reaction containing only the extract and silver nitrate, as determined by the characteristic surface plasmon resonance peak of silver at 412 nm. The synthesized AgNPs were spherical with the average diameter of 9.0 ± 5.9 nm. The X-ray diffraction pattern and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analyses confirmed the face-cubic centre (fcc) unit cell structure of AgNPs. The synthesized AgNPs exhibited the antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli. Results of this work clearly showed the potential use of the egg extract of apple snail for a green synthesis of small size AgNPs exhibiting the antibacterial activity.

Environmentally Friendly Concept in Spatial Regulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T Taryono

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Spatial order of a region include purpose of structure and interrelatedness of spatial order which as a unity of development mechanism. Spatial order can’t be part from law basic that is UUD’45 and GBHN, in order to the management can be integrated and keep the environment. Spatial order also take note of physical factor and non physical factor. Physical factor consist of soil, water, flora, and fauna. Non physical factors consist of environment, social, economic, and soon. The principle of arrangement of spatial order in a region include national region, regional and local, and a region as an administrative baoundary, that is local government authority, like province, district, subdistrict, and village. The effort for spatial ordering of the environment, for example ordering resource, arrangement of allocation and location, arrangement of environmental aesthetic  and arrangement of environmental quality.

Environmentally Friendly Anticorrosion Coating for High Strength Fasteners

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

electroplated coatings followed by a hexavalent chrome rinse. The environmental and health hazards associated with cadmium and hexavalent chromium are...have been used with cadmium (Cd) electroplated coatings, followed by a hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) rinse. The environmental and human health hazards...followed by a hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) rinse. The environmental and human health hazards associated with both cadmium and chromates are well

Does better for the environment mean less tasty? Offering more climate-friendly meals is good for the environment and customer satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Visschers, Vivianne H M; Siegrist, Michael

2015-12-01

Food consumption comprises a significant portion of the total environmental impact of households. One way to reduce this impact may be to offer consumers more climate-friendly meal choices, such as when eating out. However, the environmental benefits of such an intervention will depend on not only consumers' liking of the climate-friendlier meals, but also on the perceived environmental impact. We therefore investigated the relationship between the global warming potential (GWP) of and consumers' liking of meals in two field studies in the same restaurant. Visitors to the restaurant were asked to rate the taste of the meal they had just consumed. These taste ratings were then related to the meals' GWP and number of purchases. In the second study, an intervention was tested consisting of a climate-friendly choice label and information posters. Contrary to expectations, it was found in both studies that the GWP of the meals was unrelated to the taste or the number of purchases. Offering more climate-friendly meals did not change consumer satisfaction. As expected, the introduction of the climate-friendly choice label increased the number of climate-friendly meal purchases. Therefore, offering more climate-friendly meals with a climate-friendly choice label can affect consumers' meal choices, but not their preferences or satisfaction, which is beneficial for the climate, consumers and gastronomic establishments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

When Do Friends Prevent Friends from Hooking Up Intoxicated? An Examination of Sex Differences and Hypothetical Intoxication in Peer Interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Savage, Matthew W; Menegatos, Lisa; Roberto, Anthony J

2017-08-01

Despite the risks involved when mixing alcohol with casual sexual activity, the majority of college students engage in hookups, and the majority of those hookups involve alcohol. This study focused on the protective role college students' peers can play and the situational factors that might influence their willingness to intervene when a close friend is about to hook up intoxicated. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study investigated differences in students' (N = 1270) attitudes, norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions to persuade a close friend not to engage in a hypothetical drunken hookup using a 2 (friend sex) × 2 (participant sex) × 2 (sober/intoxicated) factorial design. Results indicated significant differences in the TPB variables. Participants intended to intervene with female friends, but not male friends, and women were more likely to intervene than men. Participants in the sober condition had stronger intentions to intervene than those in the intoxicated condition, but this effect was driven by increases in men's intentions when sober. Implications for theory and prevention programming are discussed.

Development of advanced treatment technologies of radio-aqueous waste by an environmental friendly decomposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Kwang Wook; Lee, E. H.; Moon, J. K. and others

2006-01-15

This project was aimed at the technology developments of electrode fabrication, electrolytic reactor design and fabrication, electrolytic processes and the analyses of electroytic reaction mechanisms, which were essential elements for the development of electrolytic systems to decompose or teat environmentally- friendly the several salts contained in waste solutions which are to be generated in the fields of nuclear/non-nuclear industries. Major research items carried our in this project were as follows; - Development of technologies to choose and fabricate the anodes and cathodes for the treatments of waste solutions containing nitrogen compounds and organics. - Development of a membrane electrolyzer stacked by mono-polar unit cells with independent series flow path of electrolytes - Development of an electrolyzer with a self-pH adjustment and an electrolytic process for ammonia decomposition by using the electrolyzer - Analysis of electrolytic reaction mechanism of ammonia - Development of an ion exchange membrane electrolyzer with only one discharge of pH-controlled electrolyte solution - Development of electrolytic dechlorination technology for the treatment of chloride molten salt waste salt from pyroprocess. - Development of technologies for treatment of high concentration nitric acid and recovery of waste organic solvent.

An environmental friendly electrode and extended cathodic potential window for anodic stripping voltammetry of zinc detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dueraning, Anisah; Kanatharana, Proespichaya; Thavarungkul, Panote; Limbut, Warakorn

2016-01-01

This work reports on a novel polyeriochrome black T (poly(EBT) modified electrode for use as an environmentally-friendly electrode material that extends the cathodic potential window and improves the sensitivity and repeatability to detect zinc in industrial wastewater. The poly(EBT) film on the GCE surface was fabricated by electropolymerization. The surface morphology and electrochemical behavior of the modified electrode were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and anodic stripping voltammetry. Under optimal conditions, the poly(EBT)/GCE exhibited a high hydrogen overvoltage (extended cathodic potential window). It provided a high sensitivity, a wide linear range (1.0 to 400.0 μg L −1 ), a low detection limit (0.9 μg L −1 ), had excellent repeatability and good recoveries (95% to 105%). This proposed modified electrode was applied to the determination of zinc in wastewater samples, and the results were consistent with those of an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy analysis.

The relationship of eco-friendly attitudes with walking and biking to work.

Science.gov (United States)

Bopp, Melissa; Kaczynski, Andrew T; Wittman, Pamela

2011-01-01

Active commuting (AC) to work is an effective strategy for integrating regular physical activity (PA) into daily life routines, but limited research exists on influences of AC among adults. Current trends and interests toward environmental consciousness and sustainable forms of travel could impact transportation-related PA. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between eco-friendly attitudes (EFA) and several variables related to AC. A cross-sectional study of respondents to an online survey. Employed adults, physically able to walk or bicycle. The survey included questions about EFA, AC patterns, motivators and barriers for AC, and demographics. Eco-friendly attitudes were measured using a 9-item scale (eg, "I subscribe to ecological publications"). Participants were divided into quartiles on the basis of their EFA summary score (higher score = more ecologically friendly), and t tests and analyses of variance were used to make comparisons across groups on several variables related to AC. The sample (n = 375) was primarily young to middle-aged adults (mean age 39.4 ± 12.9 years), female (60.7%), and Caucasian (90.3%), with at least a high school education (94.6% with high school diploma or greater). Participants reported actively commuting an average of 2.4 ± 4.5 times per week and driving on average 8.4 ± 3.8 times per week. The mean EFA score was 33.4 ± 12.1 out of 63. Age was negatively related and education was positively related to EFA. Compared with those in the lower 3 quartiles, individuals in the top quartile of EFA scores were more likely to actively commute and less likely to drive and reported more self-efficacy, fewer barriers, and more motivators for AC. This study provides insight into potential influences on AC and possible strategies for intervention. Future studies should continue to investigate ecological attitudes as a possible moderator of AC behavior. Public health-based interventions to promote AC may use ecology

STARCH SULFURIC ACID: AN ALTERNATIVE, ECO-FRIENDLY CATALYST FOR BIGINELLI REACTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramin Rezaei

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The one-pot multicomponent synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidinone derivatives using starch sulfuric acid as an environmentally friendly biopolymer-based solid acid catalyst from aldehydes, β-keto esters and urea/ thiourea without solvent is described. Compared with classical Biginelli reaction conditions, this new method has the advantage of minimizing the cost operational hazards and environmental pollution, good yields, shorter reaction times and simple work-up.

Super Global Projects and Environmentally Friendly Technologies Used in Space Exploration: Realities and Prospects of the Space Age

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergey Krichevsky

2018-02-01

technologies within space exploration area, but it states the necessity of controlling and managing the transition towards such environmentally friendly options. A new wave of space awareness and exploration is currently arising in the world, whereas the boundaries of space activities are being constantly expanding. Consequently, the humanity is bound to reach a new level of space study by working out and implementing the global strategy aimed at synthesizing new super global programs and efficient eco-technologies and projects in the paradigm of balanced sustainable “green” development on Earth and in the Universe. To achieve these objectives successfully there is a need for anticipatory philosophical reflection and interdisciplinary examination of recent projects and technologies in space exploration in order to study and correct them

Environmentally friendly cellulose-based polyelectrolytes in wastewater treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Grenda, Kinga; Arnold, Julien; Gamelas, José A F; Rasteiro, Maria G

2017-09-01

Natural-based polyelectrolytes (PELs), with all the advantages coming from being produced from renewable and biodegradable sources, are a potential solution for the removal of dyes from wastewater. In this work, surplus Eucalyptus bleached cellulose fibres from a paper mill were modified to increase the charge and solubility of cellulose. First, reactive aldehyde groups were introduced in the cellulose backbone by periodate oxidation of cellulose. Further modification with alkylammonium produced positively charged cellulose-based PELs. The final products were characterized by several analytical techniques. The PEL with the highest substitution degree of cationic groups was evaluated for its performance in decolouration processes, bentonite being used as aid. This was found to be effective for colour removal of either anionic or cationic dyes. Bio-PELs can thus be considered as very favourable eco-friendly flocculation agents for decolouration of harsh effluents from several industries, considering their biodegradable nature and thus the ability to produce less sludge.

Green synthesis, characterization and antibacterial activity of copper ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Green synthesis, characterization and antibacterial activity of copper nanoparticles using L -ascorbic ... Journal Home > Vol 10, No 3 (2017) > ... In this study, simple, economical, convenient and environmentally-friendly chemical reduction ...

Young friendship in HFASD and typical development: friend versus non-friend comparisons.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauminger-Zviely, Nirit; Agam-Ben-Artzi, Galit

2014-07-01

This study conducted comparative assessment of friendship in preschoolers with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD, n = 29) versus preschoolers with typical development (n = 30), focusing on interactions with friends versus acquaintances. Groups were matched on SES, verbal/nonverbal MA, IQ, and CA. Multidimensional assessments included: mothers' and teachers' reports about friends' and friendship characteristics and observed individual and dyadic behaviors throughout interactions with friends versus non-friends during construction, drawing, and free-play situations. Findings revealed group differences in peer interaction favoring the typical development group, thus supporting the neuropsychological profile of HFASD. However, both groups' interactions with friends surpassed interactions with acquaintances on several key socio-communicative and intersubjective capabilities, thus suggesting that friendship may contribute to enhancement and practice of social interaction in HFASD.

Ecological-friendly pigments from fungi.

Science.gov (United States)

Durán, Nelson; Teixeira, Maria F S; De Conti, Roseli; Esposito, Elisa

2002-01-01

The dyestuff industry is suffering from the increases in costs of feedstock and energy for dye synthesis, and they are under increasing pressure to minimize the damage to the environment. The industries are continuously looking for cheaper, more environmentally friendly routes to existing dyes. The aim of this minireview is to discuss the most important advances in the fungal pigment area and its interest in biotechnological applications. Characteristic pigments are produced by a wide variety of fungi and the chemical composition of natural dyes are described. These pigments exhibit several biological activities besides cytotoxicity. The synthetic pigments authorized by the EC and in USA and the natural pigments available in the world market are discussed. The obstacle to the exploitation of new natural pigments sources is the food legislation, requesting costly toxicological research, manufacturing costs, and acceptance by consumers. The dislike for novel ingredients is likely to be the biggest impediment for expansion of the pigment list in the near future. If the necessary toxicological testing and the comparison with accepted pigments are made, the fungal pigments, could be acceptable by the current consumer. The potentiality of pigment production in Brazil is possible due to tremendous Amazonian region biodiversity.

A Lithium-Ion Battery with Enhanced Safety Prepared using an Environmentally Friendly Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Franziska; Loeffler, Nicholas; Kim, Guk-Tae; Diemant, Thomas; Behm, R Jürgen; Passerini, Stefano

2016-06-08

A new lithium-ion battery chemistry is presented based on a conversion-alloying anode material, a carbon-coated Fe-doped ZnO (TMO-C), and a LiNi1/3 Mn1/3 Co1/3 O2 (NMC) cathode. Both electrodes were fabricated using an environmentally friendly cellulose-based binding agent. The performance of the new lithium-ion battery was evaluated with a conventional, carbonate-based electrolyte (ethylene carbonate:diethyl carbonate-1 m lithium hexafluorophosphate, EC:DEC 1 m LiPF6 ) and an ionic liquid (IL)-based electrolyte (N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide-0.2 m lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, Pyr14 TFSI 0.2 m LiTFSI), respectively. Galvanostatic charge/discharge tests revealed a reduced rate capability of the TMO-C/Pyr14 TFSI 0.2 m LiTFSI/NMC full-cell compared to the organic electrolyte, but the coulombic efficiency was significantly enhanced. Moreover, the IL-based electrolyte substantially improves the safety of the system due to a higher thermal stability of the formed anodic solid electrolyte interphase and the IL electrolyte itself. While the carbonate-based electrolyte shows sudden degradation reactions, the IL exhibits a slowly increasing heat flow, which does not constitute a serious safety risk. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Walkable new urban LEED_Neighborhood-Development (LEED-ND community design and children's physical activity: selection, environmental, or catalyst effects?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stevens, Robert B

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Interest is growing in physical activity-friendly community designs, but few tests exist of communities explicitly designed to be walkable. We test whether students living in a new urbanist community that is also a pilot LEED_ND (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Neighborhood Development community have greater accelerometer-measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA across particular time periods compared to students from other communities. We test various time/place periods to see if the data best conform to one of three explanations for MVPA. Environmental effects suggest that MVPA occurs when individuals are exposed to activity-friendly settings; selection effects suggest that walkable community residents prefer MVPA, which leads to both their choice of a walkable community and their high levels of MVPA; catalyst effects occur when walking to school creates more MVPA, beyond the school commute, on schooldays but not weekends. Methods Fifth graders (n = 187 were sampled from two schools representing three communities: (1 a walkable community, Daybreak, designed with new urbanist and LEED-ND pilot design standards; (2 a mixed community (where students lived in a less walkable community but attended the walkable school so that part of the route to school was walkable, and (3 a less walkable community. Selection threats were addressed through controlling for parental preferences for their child to walk to school as well as comparing in-school MVPA for the walkable and mixed groups. Results Minutes of MVPA were tested with 3 × 2 (Community by Gender analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs. Community walkability related to more MVPA during the half hour before and after school and, among boys only, more MVPA after school. Boys were more active than girls, except during the half hour after school. Students from the mixed and walkable communities--who attended the same school--had similar in-school MVPA levels, and

Walkable new urban LEED_Neighborhood-Development (LEED-ND) community design and children's physical activity: selection, environmental, or catalyst effects?

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Interest is growing in physical activity-friendly community designs, but few tests exist of communities explicitly designed to be walkable. We test whether students living in a new urbanist community that is also a pilot LEED_ND (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Neighborhood Development) community have greater accelerometer-measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) across particular time periods compared to students from other communities. We test various time/place periods to see if the data best conform to one of three explanations for MVPA. Environmental effects suggest that MVPA occurs when individuals are exposed to activity-friendly settings; selection effects suggest that walkable community residents prefer MVPA, which leads to both their choice of a walkable community and their high levels of MVPA; catalyst effects occur when walking to school creates more MVPA, beyond the school commute, on schooldays but not weekends. Methods Fifth graders (n = 187) were sampled from two schools representing three communities: (1) a walkable community, Daybreak, designed with new urbanist and LEED-ND pilot design standards; (2) a mixed community (where students lived in a less walkable community but attended the walkable school so that part of the route to school was walkable), and (3) a less walkable community. Selection threats were addressed through controlling for parental preferences for their child to walk to school as well as comparing in-school MVPA for the walkable and mixed groups. Results Minutes of MVPA were tested with 3 × 2 (Community by Gender) analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs). Community walkability related to more MVPA during the half hour before and after school and, among boys only, more MVPA after school. Boys were more active than girls, except during the half hour after school. Students from the mixed and walkable communities--who attended the same school--had similar in-school MVPA levels, and community groups

Environmentally-Friendly Geopolymeric Binders Made with Silica

Science.gov (United States)

Erdogan, S. T.

2013-12-01

Portland cement (PC) is the ubiquitous binding material for constructions works. It is a big contributor to global warming and climate change since its production is responsible for 5-10 % of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Half of this emission arises from the calcination of calcareous raw materials and half from kiln fuel burning and cement clinker grinding. Recently there have been efforts to develop alternative binders with lower greenhouse gas emissions. One such class of binders is geopolymers, formed by activating natural or waste materials with suitable alkaline or acidic solutions. These binders use natural or industrial waste raw materials with a very low CO2 footprint from grinding of the starting materials, and some from the production of the activating chemicals. The total CO2 emissions from carefully formulated mixtures can be as low as 1/10th - 1/5th of those of PC concrete mixtures with comparable properties. While use of industrial wastes as raw materials is environmentally preferable, the variability of their chemical compositions over time renders their use difficult. Use of natural materials depletes resources but can have more consistent properties and can be more easily accepted. Silica sand is a natural material containing very high amounts of quartz. Silica fume is a very fine waste from silicon metal production that is mostly non-crystalline silica. This study describes the use of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solutions to yield mortars with mechanical properties comparable to those of portland cement mortars and with better chemical and thermal durability. Strength gain is slower than with PC mixtures at room temperature but adequate ultimate strength can be achieved with curing at slightly elevated temperatures in less than 24 h. The consistency of the chemical compositions of these materials and their abundance in several large, developing countries makes silica attractive for producing sustainable concretes with reduced carbon

Detritiation technologies - A way to make the nuclear power environmental friendly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popescu, Gh.; Ana, G.

2008-01-01

Full text: Nowadays, at global level speaking, the radioactive pollution tends to reach the critic limits, putting into danger all life because of the accumulation of radioactivity. Radioisotopes are introduced into the environment as part of authorized nuclear activities. Special interest exists today for tritium because of the great penetration mobility through various materials and their respective spread in the neighboring clean spaces with great impact on health and environmental protection. (authors)

Environment-friendly, flame retardant thermoplastic elastomer-magnesium hydroxide composites

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Hao; Chen, Kunfeng; Li, Xiaonan; Ao, Man; Guo, Xinwen; Xue, Dongfeng

Halogen-free and environment-friendly magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) was synthesized to enhance the flame retardant properties of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). When the Mg(OH)2 content was optimized to 35wt.%, the TPE-Mg(OH)2 composites exhibited the best flame retardant properties. The results showed that there was a delay of ignition time of the samples containing Mg(OH)2; compared with the samples without Mg(OH)2, the heat release rate and total heat release decrease by 31.4% and 35.6%, while total smoke production and mass loss rate reduce by 56% and 34.2%, respectively. This work opens a door to manufacture fire-resistant polymer-based composites with environmental-friendly flame retardant additives by controllable crystallization and chemical strategies.

Technology Application of Environmental Friendly Refrigeration (Green Refrigeration) on Cold Storage for Fishery Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Rasta, IM; Susila, IDM; Subagia, IWA

2018-01-01

The application of refrigeration technology to postharvest fishery products is an very important. Moreover, Indonesia is a tropical region with relatively high temperatures. Fish storage age can be prolonged with a decrease in temperature. Frozen fish can even be stored for several months. Fish freezing means preparing fish for storage in low-temperature cold storage. The working fluid used in cold storage to cool low-temperature chambers and throw heat into high-temperature environments is refrigerant. So far refrigerant used in cold storage is Hydrochloroflourocarbons (HCFC) that is R-22. Chlor is a gas that causes ODP (Ozone Depleting Potential), while Flour is a gas that causes GWP (Global Warming Potential). Government policy began in 2015 to implement Hydrochloroflourocarbons Phase-Out Management Plan. Hydrocarbon (HC) is an alternative substitute for R-22. HC-22 (propane ≥ 99.5%) has several advantages, among others: environmentally friendly, indicated by a zero ODP value, and GWP = 3 (negligible), thermophysical property and good heat transfer characteristics, vapor phase density Which is low, and good solubility with mineral lubricants. The use of HC-22 in cold storage is less than R-22. From the analysis results obtained, cold storage system using HC-22 has better performance and energy consumption is more efficient than the R-22.

Eco-friendly synthesis of Solanum trilobatum extract-capped silver nanoparticles is compatible with good antimicrobial activities

Science.gov (United States)

Ramanathan, Santheraleka; Gopinath, Subash C. B.; Anbu, Periasamy; Lakshmipriya, Thangavel; Kasim, Farizul Hafiz; Lee, Choul-Gyun

2018-05-01

This study focused on the evaluation of antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) after their green synthesis by means of a Solanum trilobatum bark extract. The obtained product with an intense surface plasmon resonance band at ∼442 nm with UV-visible spectroscopic analysis indicated the formation of AgNPs. The morphology of AgNPs was observed under transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy, displayed that the eco-friendly synthesized AgNPs have a spherical shape with an average size of ∼25 nm in diameter. X-ray powder diffraction and selected area electron diffraction analyses confirmed that the AgNPs are crystalline in nature. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that the AgNPs capped with active ingredients of the bark extract. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed elemental composition of the AgNPs. The performance of S. trilobatum bark extract-capped AgNPs in terms of inhibition of microbial growth was studied by disc diffusion and well diffusion assays. Eco-friendly synthesized S. trilobatum extract-capped AgNPs were found to possess enhanced antimicrobial properties: growth inhibition of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and of fungal species. These results demonstrated the potential applications of the indigenous medicinal plants to the field of nanotechnology.

Waste management strategy for cost effective and environmentally friendly NPP decommissioning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Per Lidar; Arne Larsson [Studsvik Nuclear AB (ndcon partner), Nykoping (Sweden); Niklas Bergh; Gunnar Hedin [Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB (ndcon partner), Vasteraas (Sweden)

2013-07-01

-necks in the process causes increased space requirements and will have negative impact on the project schedule, which increases not only the cost but also the dose exposure to personnel. For these reasons it is critical to create a process that transfers material into conditioned waste ready for disposal as quickly as possible. To a certain extent the decommissioning program should be led by the waste management process. With the objective to reduce time for handling of dismantled material at site and to efficiently and environmental-friendly use waste management methods (clearance for re-use followed by clearance for recycling), the costs for the plant decommissioning could be reduced as well as time needed for performing the decommissioning project. Also, risks for delays would be reduced with a well-defined handling scheme which limits surprises. Delays are a major cost driver for decommissioning projects. (authors)

Waste management strategy for cost effective and environmentally friendly NPP decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Per Lidar; Arne Larsson; Niklas Bergh; Gunnar Hedin

2013-01-01

-necks in the process causes increased space requirements and will have negative impact on the project schedule, which increases not only the cost but also the dose exposure to personnel. For these reasons it is critical to create a process that transfers material into conditioned waste ready for disposal as quickly as possible. To a certain extent the decommissioning program should be led by the waste management process. With the objective to reduce time for handling of dismantled material at site and to efficiently and environmental-friendly use waste management methods (clearance for re-use followed by clearance for recycling), the costs for the plant decommissioning could be reduced as well as time needed for performing the decommissioning project. Also, risks for delays would be reduced with a well-defined handling scheme which limits surprises. Delays are a major cost driver for decommissioning projects. (authors)

Effects of benzotriazole on anodized film formed on AZ31B magnesium alloy in environmental-friendly electrolyte

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Xinghua; An Maozhong; Yang Peixia; Li Haixian; Su Caina

2009-01-01

An environmental-friendly electrolyte of silicate and borate, which contained an addition agent of 1H-benzotriazole (BTA) with low toxicity (LD50 of 965 mg/kg), was used to prepare an anodized film on AZ31B magnesium alloy under the constant current density of 1.5 A/dm 2 at room temperature. Effects of BTA on the properties of the anodized film were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersion spectrometry (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), loss weight measurement, potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), respectively. The results demonstrated that anodized growth process, surface morphology, thickness, phase structure and corrosion resistance of the anodized film were strongly dependant on the BTA concentration, which might be attributed to the formation of an BTA adsorption layer on magnesium substrate surface. When the BTA concentration was 5 g/L in the electrolyte, a compact and thick anodized film could provide excellent corrosion resistance for AZ31B magnesium alloy.

The determinants of household energy demand in rural Beijing: Can environmentally friendly technologies be effective?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jingchao; Kotani, Koji

2012-01-01

use transition. ► Renewable technologies accelerate the transition, and improve energy efficiency. ► Renewable technologies contribute to more environmental-friendly energy consumption.

Hydration characteristics and environmental friendly performance of a cementitious material composed of calcium silicate slag

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Na; Li, Hongxu [School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Beijing Key Laboratory of Rare and Precious Metals Green Recycling and Extraction, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Zhao, Yazhao [School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Liu, Xiaoming, E-mail: liuxm@ustb.edu.cn [School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Beijing Key Laboratory of Rare and Precious Metals Green Recycling and Extraction, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China)

2016-04-05

Highlights: • Cementitious material was designed according to [SiO{sub 4}] polymerization degree of raw materials. • The cementitious material composed of calcium silicate slag yields excellent physical and mechanical properties. • Amorphous C–A–S–H gel and rod-like ettringite are predominantly responsible for the strength development. • Leaching toxicity and radioactivity tests show the cementitious material is environmentally acceptable. - Abstract: Calcium silicate slag is an alkali leaching waste generated during the process of extracting Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} from high-alumina fly ash. In this research, a cementitious material composed of calcium silicate slag was developed, and its mechanical and physical properties, hydration characteristics and environmental friendly performance were investigated. The results show that an optimal design for the cementitious material composed of calcium silicate slag was determined by the specimen CFSC7 containing 30% calcium silicate slag, 5% high-alumina fly ash, 24% blast furnace slag, 35% clinker and 6% FGD gypsum. This blended system yields excellent physical and mechanical properties, confirming the usefulness of CFSC7. The hydration products of CFSC7 are mostly amorphous C–A–S–H gel, rod-like ettringite and hexagonal-sheet Ca(OH){sub 2} with small amount of zeolite-like minerals such as CaAl{sub 2}Si{sub 2}O{sub 8}·4H{sub 2}O and Na{sub 2}Al{sub 2}Si{sub 2}O{sub 8}·H{sub 2}O. As the predominant hydration products, rod-like ettringite and amorphous C–A–S–H gel play a positive role in promoting densification of the paste structure, resulting in strength development of CFSC7 in the early hydration process. The leaching toxicity and radioactivity tests results indicate that the developed cementitious material composed of calcium silicate slag is environmentally acceptable. This study points out a promising direction for the proper utilization of calcium silicate slag in large quantities.

Political discussions with family and friends

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Levinsen, Klaus; Yndigegn, Carsten

2015-01-01

Young people's engagement in political discussions with parents and friends represents a significant component of the political socialization process and can be seen as an activity where they learn some very basic democratic skills. Based on data from qualitative interviews and a questionnaire su...

Eco-friendly synthesis of 4-4-diaminodiphenylurea, a dye intermediate and direct dyes derived from it

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amjad, R.; Khan, S.R.; Naeem, M.; Sohaib, M.; Munawar, M.A.

2011-01-01

A rapid, environmental friendly and highly efficient method for the synthesis of 4-4/sup '/-diaminodiphenyl- urea and direct dyes derived form it has been reported. The reported method is environmentally friendly, as it doesn't involve the usage of environmentally hazardous material like phosgene and tri phosgene. Novel azo dyes have been prepared by the coupling of 4-4/sup '/-Diamino diphenylurea with various couplers. Structure elucidation of the synthesized dyes was carried out by IR, NMR, Elemental analysis, and confirmation was made by Mass Spectrometry. The dyeing performance of these dyes was assessed on cotton fabric. The dye bath exhaustion, sublimation and fastness properties were also determined. The dyed fabric showed moderate to good light fastness and very good to excellent fastness properties for washing, rubbing, perspiration, and sublimation. (author)

Friend versus foe: Neural correlates of prosocial decisions for liked and disliked peers.

Science.gov (United States)

Schreuders, Elisabeth; Klapwijk, Eduard T; Will, Geert-Jan; Güroğlu, Berna

2018-02-01

Although the majority of our social interactions are with people we know, few studies have investigated the neural correlates of sharing valuable resources with familiar others. Using an ecologically valid research paradigm, this functional magnetic resonance imaging study examined the neural correlates of prosocial and selfish behavior in interactions with real-life friends and disliked peers in young adults. Participants (N = 27) distributed coins between themselves and another person, where they could make selfish choices that maximized their own gains or prosocial choices that maximized outcomes of the other. Participants were more prosocial toward friends and more selfish toward disliked peers. Individual prosociality levels toward friends were associated negatively with supplementary motor area and anterior insula activity. Further preliminary analyses showed that prosocial decisions involving friends were associated with heightened activity in the bilateral posterior temporoparietal junction, and selfish decisions involving disliked peers were associated with heightened superior temporal sulcus activity, which are brain regions consistently shown to be involved in mentalizing and perspective taking in prior studies. Further, activation of the putamen was observed during prosocial choices involving friends and selfish choices involving disliked peers. These findings provide insights into the modulation of neural processes that underlie prosocial behavior as a function of a positive or negative relationship with the interaction partner.

Quantifying environmental performance using an environmental footprint calculator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, D.B.; Loney, A.C.; Chan, V. [Conestoga-Rovers & Associates, Waterloo, Ontario (Canada)

2009-07-01

This paper provides a case study using relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the environmental performance of a business. Using recognized calculation and reporting frameworks, Conestoga-Rovers & Associates (CRA) designed the Environmental Footprint Calculator to quantify the environmental performance of a Canadian construction materials company. CRA designed the Environmental Footprint calculator for our client to track and report their environmental performance in accordance with their targets, based on requirements of relevant guidance documents. The objective was to design a tool that effectively manages, calculates, and reports environmental performance to various stakeholders in a user-friendly format. (author)

Quantifying environmental performance using an environmental footprint calculator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.B.; Loney, A.C.; Chan, V.

2009-01-01

This paper provides a case study using relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the environmental performance of a business. Using recognized calculation and reporting frameworks, Conestoga-Rovers & Associates (CRA) designed the Environmental Footprint Calculator to quantify the environmental performance of a Canadian construction materials company. CRA designed the Environmental Footprint calculator for our client to track and report their environmental performance in accordance with their targets, based on requirements of relevant guidance documents. The objective was to design a tool that effectively manages, calculates, and reports environmental performance to various stakeholders in a user-friendly format. (author)

Simple and environmentally friendly preparation and size control of silver nanoparticles using an inhomogeneous system with silver-containing glass powder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, Yasutaka; Tagawa, Toshio; Fujita, Masanori; Kuno, Toyohiko; Suzuki, Satoshi; Matsui, Takemi; Ishihara, Masayuki

2011-01-01

A simple, environmentally friendly method for preparing highly size-controlled spherical silver nanoparticles was developed that involved heating a mixture of silver-containing glass powder and an aqueous solution of glucose. The stabilizing agent for silver nanoparticles was found to be caramel, which was generated from glucose when preparing the nanoparticles. The particle size was independent of the reaction time, but it increased proportionally with the square root of the glucose concentration in the range 0.25–8.0 wt% (corresponding to particle sizes of 3.48 ± 1.83 to 20.0 ± 2.76 nm). Difference of the generation mechanism of silver nanoparticles between this inhomogeneous system and a system in which Ag + was homogeneously dispersed was discussed.

Fiscal 1997 survey report. Feasibility study of the environmentally friendly type coal utilization system (feasibility study of the environmentally friendly type coal utilization system in India); 1997 nendo chosa hokokusho. Kankyo chowagata sekitan riyo system kanosei chosa (Indo ni okeru kankyo chowagata sekitan riyo system kanosei chosa)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-03-01

The survey was conducted of the present situation of coal utilization and the present coal situation such as the environmental state of India which is a coal producing/consuming country next to China in Asia. The paper studied a feasibility of the introduction of the environmental friendly type coal utilization system` to be planned in India. The items for survey are the present situation of economy and energy and the future trend, environmental problems on coal utilization, the present status of the coal distribution system and study subjects, the present status of coal utilization by field and study subjects, a possibility of briquette use, a possibility of coal fluidization, electric power development plans and coal combustion technology in each industry, etc. The subjects are the obligation of coal preparation to coal thermal power plants 1000 km away from coal mines starting 2001, measures taken for effective ash use, measures taken for superannuated gas furnaces, etc. Based on the results of these site surveys and reports of the investigation under consignment from CMPDI, the paper studied/analyzed possibilities of introducing the coal utilization system having actual introduction results in Japan to India, and made an investigational report. 39 refs., 12 figs., 56 tabs.

Parents and friends both matter: simultaneous and interactive influences of parents and friends on European schoolchildren’s energy balance-related behaviours – the ENERGY cross-sectional study

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background The family, and parents in particular, are considered the most important influencers regarding children’s energy-balance related behaviours (EBRBs). When children become older and gain more behavioural autonomy regarding different behaviours, the parental influences may become less important and peer influences may gain importance. Therefore the current study aims to investigate simultaneous and interactive associations of family rules, parent and friend norms and modelling with soft drink intake, TV viewing, daily breakfast consumption and sport participation among schoolchildren across Europe. Methods A school-based cross-sectional survey in eight countries across Europe among 10–12 year old schoolchildren. Child questionnaires were used to assess EBRBs (soft drink intake, TV viewing, breakfast consumption, sport participation), and potential determinants of these behaviours as perceived by the child, including family rules, parental and friend norms and modelling. Linear and logistic regression analyses (n = 7811) were applied to study the association of parental (norms, modelling and rules) and friend influences (norm and modelling) with the EBRBs. In addition, potential moderating effects of parental influences on the associations of friend influences with the EBRBs were studied by including interaction terms. Results Children reported more unfavourable friend norms and modelling regarding soft drink intake and TV viewing, while they reported more favourable friend and parental norms and modelling for breakfast consumption and physical activity. Perceived friend and parental norms and modelling were significantly positively associated with soft drink intake, breakfast consumption, physical activity (only modelling) and TV time. Across the different behaviours, ten significant interactions between parental and friend influencing variables were found and suggested a weaker association of friend norms and modelling when rules were in place

Environmental Argumentation as Sociocultural Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Alandeom W.; Akerson, Valarie L.; Oldfield, Martha

2012-01-01

While environmental argumentation has recently received much attention from science educators, little consideration has been given to how personal identities and social relationships can either support or constrain student argumentation. This study attends to this issue by examining environmental argumentation as a sociocultural activity (how…

Easy, fast and environmental friendly method for the simultaneous extraction of the 16 EPA PAHs using magnetic molecular imprinted polymers (mag-MIPs).

Science.gov (United States)

Villar-Navarro, Mercedes; Martín-Valero, María Jesús; Fernández-Torres, Rut Maria; Callejón-Mochón, Manuel; Bello-López, Miguel Ángel

2017-02-15

An easy and environmental friendly method, based on the use of magnetic molecular imprinted polymers (mag-MIPs) is proposed for the simultaneous extraction of the 16 U.S. EPA polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) priority pollutants. The mag-MIPs based extraction protocol is simple, more sensitive and low organic solvent consuming compared to official methods and also adequate for those PAHs more retained in the particulate matter. The new proposed extraction method followed by HPLC determination has been validated and applied to different types of water samples: tap water, river water, lake water and mineral water. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Eco-Friendly Magnetic Iron Oxide Pillared Montmorillonite for Advanced Catalytic Degradation of Dichlorophenol

Science.gov (United States)

Eco-friendly pillared montmorillonites, in which the pillars consist of iron oxide are expected to have interesting and unusual magnetic properties that are applicable for environmental decontamination. Completely “green” and effective composite was synthesized using mild reactio...

Correlates of socio-economic inequalities in women's television viewing: a study of intrapersonal, social and environmental mediators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teychenne Megan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Socio-economically disadvantaged women are at a greater risk of spending excess time engaged in television viewing, a behavior linked to several adverse health outcomes. However, the factors which explain socio-economic differences in television viewing are unknown. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of intrapersonal, social and environmental factors to mediating socio-economic (educational inequalities in women's television viewing. Methods Cross-sectional data were provided by 1,554 women (aged 18-65 who participated in the 'Socio-economic Status and Activity in Women study' of 2004. Based on an ecological framework, women self-reported their socio-economic position (highest education level, television viewing, as well as a number of potential intrapersonal (enjoyment of television viewing, preference for leisure-time sedentary behavior, depression, stress, weight status, social (social participation, interpersonal trust, social cohesion, social support for physical activity from friends and from family and physical activity environmental factors (safety, aesthetics, distance to places of interest, and distance to physical activity facilities. Results Multiple mediating analyses showed that two intrapersonal factors (enjoyment of television viewing and weight status and two social factors (social cohesion and social support from friends for physical activity partly explained the educational inequalities in women's television viewing. No physical activity environmental factors mediated educational variations in television viewing. Conclusions Acknowledging the cross-sectional nature of this study, these findings suggest that health promotion interventions aimed at reducing educational inequalities in television viewing should focus on intrapersonal and social strategies, particularly providing enjoyable alternatives to television viewing, weight-loss/management information, increasing social cohesion in the

Using conjoint analysis to determine customer willingness to pay for environmental initiatives in hotels in Helsinki

OpenAIRE

Valkama, Aino

2014-01-01

Environmental initiatives have growing demand from many stakeholders in the hotel industry. Customers are constantly looking for more information about environmental activities when looking for hotels. The aim of this thesis is to find out whether customers are willing to pay a price premium to stay at environmentally friendly hotels. The scope of this thesis is set at the environmental part of sustainability. This thesis is research based with a literature review and an empirical part. T...

Environmental monitoring activities in JAERI at JCO accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Takenori

2001-01-01

The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) was involved in a various environmental monitoring activities, such as environmental radiation monitoring by monitoring post and monitoring car, air dust, soil, green vegetables and water sampling and measurements, neutron and gamma radiation dose rate survey around the JCO site for emergency response actions to the JCO accident on September 30, 1999. These activities were performed from Sep. 30 to Oct. 2, and were the initial and first stage activities in the emergency environmental monitoring activities. JAERI has been assigned to the public organization to support the government by Disaster Prevention Fundamental Law. These activities were performed to ensure the public safety to avoid the effluent of the accident. Through the environmental monitoring activities, I recognized that the importance of the accident information to make the best use for the initial environmental monitoring, and the monitoring information exchange is important to perform the effective monitoring activities for taking the early countermeasures such as evacuation to the public. (author)

Simulating the potential for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) reduction by the application of environmentally friendly transportation (case study: Gatot Subroto Street, Medan City)

Science.gov (United States)

Suryati, Isra; Turmuzi Lubis, Muhammad; Mawaddah, Nurul

2018-03-01

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is one of the greenhouse gases. One source of greenhouse gases comes from the use of fossil fuels from the transport sector. The transportation sector is one of the dominant sectors in contributing to the greenhouse effect. This study aims to calculate the amount of CO2 from transportation activities by using mobile six equations in Gatot Subroto Street, Medan City. A sampling of CO2 concentration was done using Carbon Dioxide Monitor with Non-Dispersive Infra Red (NDIR) Analyzer method. Also, a simulation of the reduction of the number of private vehicles to mass transportation such as BRT gas-fired. The results showed CO2 emissions calculations with mobile six ranged from 47.2 kg CO2 - 978.2 kg CO2. Meanwhile, measurements range from 3,004 ppm - 3,405 ppm. Implementation of the concept of environmentally friendly transportation such as BRT in Gatot Subroto Street, Medan City will be able to reduce the average emissions load CO2 by 42.75% -78.80%. Based on the calculation simulation in this study is estimated the number of BRT required approximately 71 units.

Environmental policy and the energy efficiency of vertically differentiated consumer products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brzeskot, Magdalena; Haupt, Alexander

2013-01-01

We analyse optimal environmental policies in a market that is vertically differentiated in terms of the energy efficiency of products. Considering energy taxes, subsidies to firms for investment in more eco-friendly products, and product standards, we are particularly interested in how distributional goals in addition to environmental goals shape the choice of policy instruments. We find that an industry-friendly government levies an energy tax to supplement a lax product standard, but shies away from subsidies to firms. By contrast, a consumer-friendly government relies heavily on a strict product standard and additionally implements a moderate subsidy to firms, but avoids energy taxes. - Highlights: ► We analyse how distributional goals shape environmental policy. ► Firms invest in the energy efficiency of their products and compete in prices. ► An industry-friendly government implements an energy tax and a lax product standard. ► A consumer-friendly government chooses a subsidy to firms instead of an energy tax. ► A consumer-friendly government implements a strict energy efficiency standard

Friend Finder (Game)

Science.gov (United States)

... for a spot on the Friend Finder All-Star List. Earn your spot by showing you're savvy when it comes to making friends online . Downloads Please download and share our ... Email Updates Blog Feed Facebook YouTube Twitter The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the ...

A Study on improvement of comprehensive environmental management system - activation of liberalized environmental management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chung, Hweu Sung; Kang, Chul Goo [Korea Environment Institute, Seoul (Korea)

1998-12-01

As a part of improvement on a comprehensive environmental management system, this study was attempted to find an activating policy for a liberalized environmental management. This study provided an activation plan of reasonable environmental regulation reform and liberalized environmental management through the analysis of foreign examples and domestic situation. Furthermore, it analyzed an institutional mechanism for a smooth operation of liberalized environmental management. 68 refs., 5 figs., 51 tabs.

Environmental Impact Assessment and Space Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Viikari, L.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a common tool for environment a l protection and management on Earth today, as prior assessment of the environmental consequences of planned activities. It is meant to provide the decision-makers with as comprehensive as possible information about the different environmental effects the proposed activity would entail, including alternative courses of action and the zero-alternative (i.e. the no action alternative). Additionally, plans for mitigation in respect of each alternative are to be outlined. The assessments take account of i.a. environmental impacts on ecosystems, diminution of aesthetic and scientific values, long-term or cumulative effects, as well as transfrontier implications. They also consider issues such as pollution control, environmental protection measures, reporting, post-project analysis, rehabilitation and so on. Also uncertainties in the assessment process are to be expressly presented. Most importantly, a common requirement also is that the results of the impact studies are presented in a way comprehensible to the g neral public,e too. Although the central aspect of the EIA is to provide the decision-makers with scientific information, the process also has other important implications. One of the most relevant of them is the involvement of those people potentially affected in some way by the proposed activity: most EIA systems require in some way the participation of the public, alongside with the relevant governmental authorities and other stake-holders. Such public involvement has various aims and goals: it may serve as a testimony to good governance in general, or be considered in more practical terms as improved planning, due to the concrete contribution of the public to the decision-making process. Obviously, it also is a tool for reducing conflict and developing wider support for the eventual decisions. In short, it enables the public to gain information about planned activities and influence

Environmental groups in politics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lowe, P.; Goyder, J.

1983-01-01

The subject is covered in chapters, entitled: introduction; (Part I) the environmental movement (environmental groups and the attentive public; the episodic development of the environmental movement; the underlying values of environmentalism; the roots of environmental concern; the social limits to growth; elite manipulation of values); the organisation of environmental groups; environmental groups in national politics; environmental groups in local politics; (Part II) the Henley Society; Friends of the Earth; the National Trust; the Royal Society for Nature Conservation; the European Environmental Bureau. (U.K.)

Lobbying friends and foes in climate policy: The case of business and environmental interest groups in the European Union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gullberg, Anne Therese

2008-01-01

Drawing on two conflicting hypotheses from the theoretical literature on lobbying, I consider the strategies applied by interest groups lobbying to influence climate policy in the European Union (EU). The first hypothesis claims that interest groups lobby their 'friends', decision-makers with positions similar to their own. The second claims that interest groups lobby their 'foes', decision-makers with positions opposed to their own. Using interviews with lobbyists and decision-makers, I demonstrate that in the field of climate policy, interest groups in the EU lobby both friends and foes, but under different conditions. Moreover, I find that the interest groups' motives are not always in line with the theoretical hypotheses. Interest groups lobby their friends on single policy decisions to exchange information, to further a common cause and to exert pressure, and their foes because a foe on one issue might prove to be a friend on another issue. Interest groups direct general lobbying towards both friends and foes. This paper provides a new empirical contribution to a literature that has so far been heavily dominated by studies focusing on lobbying in the US

An environmental friendly animal waste disposal process with ammonia recovery and energy production: Experimental study and economic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Ye; Tan, Michelle Ting Ting; Chong, Clive; Xiao, Wende; Wang, Chi-Hwa

2017-10-01

Animal manure waste is considered as an environmental challenge especially in farming areas mainly because of gaseous emission and water pollution. Among all the pollutants emitted from manure waste, ammonia is of greatest concern as it could contribute to formation of aerosols in the air and could hardly be controlled by traditional disposal methods like landfill or composting. On the other hand, manure waste is also a renewable source for energy production. In this work, an environmental friendly animal waste disposal process with combined ammonia recovery and energy production was proposed and investigated both experimentally and economically. Lab-scale feasibility study results showed that 70% of ammonia in the manure waste could be converted to struvite as fertilizer, while solid manure waste was successfully gasified in a 10kW downdraft fixed-bed gasifier producing syngas with the higher heating value of 4.9MJ/(Nm 3 ). Based on experimental results, economic study for the system was carried out using a cost-benefit analysis to investigate the financial feasibility based on a Singapore case study. In addition, for comparison, schemes of gasification without ammonia removal and incineration were also studied for manure waste disposal. The results showed that the proposed gasification-based manure waste treatment process integrated with ammonia recovery was most financially viable. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Proposals for the mitigation of the environmental impact of clinical laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Joseph B; Badrick, Tony

2012-03-24

Laboratories should be aware of the carbon footprint resulting from their activities and take steps to mitigate it as part of their societal responsibilities. Once committed to a mitigation programme, they should announce an environmental policy, secure the support of senior management, initiate documentation, institute a staff training programme, schedule environmental audits and appoint an environmental manager. Laboratories may aspire to be accredited to one of the standards for environmental management, such as the ISO 14000. As environmental and quality issues are linked, the improvement in the environmental management of an organisation will ultimately lead to improved quality system performance. Indeed, environmental management could conceivably come under overall quality management. Although there will be initial costs, good environmental practices can bring savings. Environmental improvement should be based on the 3R concept to reduce, reuse and recycle. Several policy initiatives may be introduced. These include a green purchasing policy for equipment, laboratory furniture and reagents as well as the management of packaging wastes. There are several ways to reduce energy, water usage and wastage. A reduction of test numbers and collection tubes should be attempted. Paper management involves all aspects of 3R. The recycling of solvents and general wastes should be practised where feasible. The construction new laboratories or renovations to existing ones are opportunities to make them more environmentally-friendly. The advocacy of policies to associates and the inclusion of environmentally-friendly conditions on contractors are integral parts of the programme.

Environmentally-Friendly Synthesis of Carbonate-Type Macrodiols and Preparation of Transparent Self-Healable Thermoplastic Polyurethanes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seon-Mi Kim

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Carbonate-type macrodiols synthesized by base-catalyzed polycondensation of co-diols and dimethyl carbonate as an environmentally-friendly route were subsequently utilized for the preparation of transparent and self-healable thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs containing a carbonate-type soft segment. Three types of macrodiols, obtained from mono, dual and triple diol-monomers for target molecular weights of 1 and 1.5 kg mol−1, were analyzed by 1H NMR integration and the OH titration value. Colorless transparent macrodiols in a liquid state at a room temperature of 20 °C were obtained, except the macrodiol from mono 1,6-hexanediol. Before TPU synthesis, macrodiols require pH neutralization to prevent gelation. TPUs synthesized by a solution pre-polymer method with 4,4′-methylene(bisphenyl isocyanate and 1,4-butanediol as a chain extender exhibited moderate molecular weights, good transparencies and robust mechanical properties. Especially, the incorporation of 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol within carbonate-type macrodiols enhanced the transparency of the resultant TPUs by decreasing the degree of microphase separation evidenced by ATR-FTIR and DSC. Interestingly, packing density of hard segments and the degree of microphase separation determined the self-healing efficiency of TPUs, which showed good performances in the case of sourced macrodiols from triple diol-monomers.

Dispersion stability and thermophysical properties of environmentally friendly graphite oil–based nanofluids used in machining

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Su

2016-01-01

Full Text Available As environmentally friendly cutting fluids, vegetable-based oil and ester oil are being more and more widely used in metal cutting industry. However, their cooling and lubricating properties are required to be further improved in order to meet more cooling and lubricating challenges in high-efficiency machining. Nanofluids with enhanced heat carrying and lubricating capabilities seem to give a promising solution. In this article, graphite oil–based nanofluids with LB2000 vegetable-based oil and PriEco6000 unsaturated polyol ester as base fluids were prepared by ultrasonically assisted two-step method, and their dispersion stability and thermophysical properties such as viscosity and thermal conductivity were experimentally and theoretically investigated at different ultrasonication times. The results indicate that graphite-PriEco6000 nanofluid showed better dispersion stability, higher viscosity, and thermal conductivity than graphite-LB2000 nanofluid, which made it more suitable for application in high-efficiency machining as coolant and lubricant. The theoretical classical models showed good agreement with the thermal conductivity values of graphite oil–based nanofluids measured experimentally. However, the deviation between the experimental values of viscosity and the theoretical models was relatively big. New empirical correlations were proposed for predicting the viscosity of graphite oil–based nanofluids at various ultrasonication times.

Rehabilitation of Problem Soils Through Environmental Friendly Technologies-I: Effect of Sabins and Farmyard Manure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baig, Mirza B.; Ziaeldin, Mohammad S.; Mahler, Robert L.

2004-01-01

Environmental problem due to land degradation in the developing countries have been a matter of great cocern for the decades. The rehabilitation of problem land has been through many chemical means and engineering approaches, that have resulted in enhancing the gravity and the magnitude of problems. The present studies were undertaken to examine the role of environmental friendly practices to address the salinity issue. the effect of organic manuring (green manure and farmyard manure) or rice was investigated in a field study on a saline-sodic soil of the Saline Agriculture Research Station, Sadhuke, Pakistan. Sesbania was grown as a green manuring crop for two months and then incorporated into soil. farmyard manure (FYM) was applied at the rate of 0, 5, 10 and 20/ha before the sowing of Sesbania. Rice,Cv. Basmati 385 was used as the indicator/test crop. Results revealed that both paddy and straw yields were significantly improved by the application of sesbina and FYM. Green manure with sesbina improved the paddy and straw yields by 15.4% and 14.5% respectively. Productive tillers were also increased by the application of FYM but difference were not significant between 10 and 20ha/ of FYM application. FYM application also improved the paddy and straw yield significantly. The incrase in paddy yield due to application of 5, 10 and 20/ha of FYM were 6.8%, 24.4% and 37.6% over control, respectively. Nitrogen and phosphprus utilizationn by rice were also significantly improved with the application of green manure. Nitrogen uptake by rice was incresed by 17.8% and that of phosphorus by 21.9% with the green manuring. Nitrogen uptake was significantlty increased by the application of different rates of FYM. Also phosphorus uptake was increased significantly with the application of FYM. (author)

Environmentally Friendly Luxury Hotel : case: Grand Palace Hotel, Riga, Latvia

OpenAIRE

Losanwe, Ieva

2013-01-01

Chemical pollution, loss of biodiversity, ecological and other to environmental issues addressing words are often heard in todays’ society. Sustainability and especially its environmental aspect are growing trend. Environmental sustainability is considerable issues as well in tourism industry. Hotels can decrease their negative impact on environment by following and implementing environmentally sustainable practices at their business. Any step towards sustainability benefits both the environm...

LiNbO3 Coating on Concrete Surface: A New and Environmentally Friendly Route for Artificial Photosynthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ranjit K. Nath

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The addition of a photocatalyst to ordinary building materials such as concrete creates environmentally friendly materials by which air pollution or pollution of the surface can be diminished. The use of LiNbO3 photocatalyst in concrete material would be more beneficial since it can produce artificial photosynthesis in concrete. In these research photoassisted solid-gas phases reduction of carbon dioxide (artificial photosynthesis was performed using a photocatalyst, LiNbO3, coated on concrete surface under illumination of UV-visible or sunlight and showed that LiNbO3 achieved high conversion of CO2 into products despite the low levels of band-gap light available. The high reaction efficiency of LiNbO3 is explained by its strong remnant polarization (70 µC/cm2, allowing a longer lifetime of photoinduced carriers as well as an alternative reaction pathway. Due to the ease of usage and good photocatalytic efficiency, the research work done showed its potential application in pollution prevention.

Ionic Liquids: An Environmentally Friendly Media for Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jorapur, Yogesh R.; Chi, Dae Yoon

2006-01-01

Ionic liquids are alternative reaction media of increasing interest and are regarded as an eco-friendly alternatives, of potential use in place of the volatile organic solvents typically used in current chemical processing methods. They are emerging as the smart and excellent solvents, which are made of positive and negative ions that they are liquids near room temperature. The nucleophilic substitution reaction is one of the important method for inserting functional groups into a carbon skeleton. Many nucleophilic substitution reactions have been found with enhanced reactivity and selectivity in ionic liquid. In this review, some recent interesting results of nucleophilic substitution reactions such as hydroxylations, ether cleavages, carbon-X (X = carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, fluorine) bond forming reactions, and ring opening of epoxides in ionic liquids are discussed

ICT for environmental sustainability. Green ICT roadmap

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahola, J.; Ahlqvist, T.; Ermes, M.; Myllyoja, J.; Savola, J.

2010-03-15

This report presents a VTT roadmap on ICT for environmental sustainability, based on the assessments and evaluations made by VTT technology experts. We adopt a broad and systemic view to the issue; in other words, we believe that ICT's effectiveness depends on mutual understanding and changing the system level activities, i.e. the complex web of behaviour of people, institutions, organisations and political jurisdictions, like nation-states. We use the term ICT for environmental sustainability or environmentally sustainable ICT, instead of green ICT, and defined it as: The optimal use of ICT for managing the environmental sustainability of societal activities. The roadmap is divided into three themes. Empowering people means using ICT to raise people's awareness of the environmental impact of their actions and to channel their behaviour in a more environmentally-friendly direction. Extending natural resources involves reducing the use of diverse environmentally unsustainable resources through ICT-based solutions. Optimising systems refers to minimising the environmental load of diverse systems by optimising their operation. As a synthesis, we identified four focal topics within the roadmap themes that are most promising for further investigation. These are: (1) environmentally sustainable consumption, (2) smart energy and buildings, (3) lifecycle efficient production, and (4) optimised and adaptive networks. (orig.)

Will biomass be the environmentally friendly fuel of the future?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, D.O.; Scrase, J.I.

1998-01-01

Many influential organisations foresee biomass playing a key role in a future, more sustainable, global energy supply matrix. Countries such as Austria, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, India, the USA and the UK are actively encouraging the use of biomass for energy, and pushing forward the development of the necessary knowledge and technology for modern biomass energy systems. There is a growing consensus that renewable energy must progressively displace the use of fossil fuels, with fears of global climate change adding urgency to this need. Among the available types of renewable energy biomass is unique in its ability to provide solid, liquid and gaseous fuels which can be stored and transported. The potential resource for bioenergy is large, especially in forest-rich nations, in richer countries where there is a surplus of agricultural land, and in many low latitude countries where high biomass yields are possible. Therefore we expect biomass to be an important fuel of the future, but this cannot be taken for granted. The systems adopted must demonstrate clear environmental and social benefits relative to alternatives if the potential is to be realised. These benefits are not inherent to biomass energy, but depend on site- and fuel cycle-specific factors. Life-cycle analysis and evaluation of external costs are important means for assessing the social and environmental pros and cons of bioenergy systems. (author)

Environmental Education Activities to Enhance Decision-Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Yambert, Paul A.; And Others

This document contains a set of 10 activities that teachers may use with students (ages 10 to adult) to enhance environmental knowledge and environmentally responsible behavior. Sample worksheets are included when applicable. The activities focus on: renewable and nonrenewable resources; recycling; population growth; wildlife; recycling in a…

Forty years of environmentally conscious building technology design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lorenzo Matteoli

2013-05-01

Full Text Available This short essay analyzes the environmental approach throughout the history of Architectural Technology, starting from building details up to the present attention to the smart city, land maintenance and urban retrofit, seen as complex research activities, political strategies, design and entrepreneurial actions which have the scope to transform present day urban crusts into organic textures, climatologically consistent, reactive, user-friendly, efficient and with a low environmental impact. The exercise identifies some research and teaching trends for Architectural Technology in order to promote debate and the analysis of the historical perspective and present situation of the discipline.

Sexual Communication Between Early Adolescents and Their Dating Partners, Parents, and Best Friends

Science.gov (United States)

Widman, Laura; Choukas-Bradley, Sophia; Helms, Sarah W.; Golin, Carol E.; Prinstein, Mitchell J.

2014-01-01

This study assessed early adolescents' sexual communication with dating partners, parents, and best friends about six sexual health topics: condoms, birth control, STDs, HIV/AIDS, pregnancy, and abstinence/waiting. Using a school-based sample of 603 youth (ages = 12–15; 57% female; 46% Caucasian), we examined communication differences across demographic and developmental factors, tested whether communication with parents and best friends was associated with greater communication with partners, and examined associations between communication and condom use. Over half of participants had not discussed any sexual topics with their dating partners (54%), and many had not communicated with parents (29%) or best friends (25%). On average, communication was more frequent among adolescents who were female, African American, older, and sexually active, despite some variation in subgroups across partner, parent, and friend communication. Importantly, communication with parents and friends – and the interaction between parent and friend communication – was associated with increased communication with dating partners. Further, among sexually active youth, increased sexual communication with partners was associated with more frequent condom use. Results highlight the importance of understanding the broader family and peer context surrounding adolescent sexual decision-making and suggest a possible need to tailor sexual communication interventions. PMID:24354655

Sexual communication between early adolescents and their dating partners, parents, and best friends.

Science.gov (United States)

Widman, Laura; Choukas-Bradley, Sophia; Helms, Sarah W; Golin, Carol E; Prinstein, Mitchell J

2014-01-01

This study assessed early adolescents' sexual communication with dating partners, parents, and best friends about six sexual health topics: condoms, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), pregnancy, and abstinence/waiting. Using a school-based sample of 603 youth (ages 12 to 15; 57% female; 46% Caucasian), we examined communication differences across demographic and developmental factors, tested whether communication with parents and best friends was associated with greater communication with partners, and examined associations between communication and condom use. More than half of participants had not discussed any sexual topics with their dating partners (54%), and many had not communicated with parents (29%) or best friends (25%). On average, communication was more frequent among adolescents who were female, African American, older, and sexually active, despite some variation in subgroups across partner, parent, and friend communication. Importantly, communication with parents and friends--and the interaction between parent and friend communication--was associated with increased communication with dating partners. Further, among sexually active youth, increased sexual communication with partners was associated with more frequent condom use. Results highlight the importance of understanding the broader family and peer context surrounding adolescent sexual decision making and suggest a possible need to tailor sexual communication interventions.

Swedish Upper Secondary School Students’ Conceptions of Negative Environmental Impact and Pricing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cecilia Lundholm

2013-03-01

Full Text Available This study explores relationships between upper secondary school students’ understanding of prices and environmental impacts. The study uses responses from 110 students to problems in which they were asked to explain differences in prices and also to express and justify opinions on what should be the difference in prices. Very few students expressed an environmental dimension in their understanding of price. A few students suggested that environmental impact influenced price by raising demand for “Environmentally friendly products”. A few students suggested that ‘environmentally friendly products’ had higher prices because they were more costly to produce. We found no examples of students combining both lines of explanation. However, nearly half of the students believed that prices should reflect environmental effects, and this reasoning was divided between cases where the point was justified by a broad environmental motivation and cases where the point was justified in relation to incentives–to get consumers to act in a more environmentally friendly way.

"Friends" of Anglican Cathedrals: Norms and Values. Befriending, Friending or Misnomer?

Science.gov (United States)

Muskett, Judith A.

2013-01-01

Loyal supporters of Anglican cathedrals first subscribed to "Friends" associations in the late 1920s. Yet, in 1937, a journalist in "The Times" portrayed cathedrals as a "queer thing to be a friend of." Drawing on theories of friendship from a range of disciplines, and surveys of what has been proclaimed in the public…

Is agritourism eco-friendly? A comparison between agritourisms and other farms in Italy using farm accountancy data network dataset.

Science.gov (United States)

Mastronardi, Luigi; Giaccio, Vincenzo; Giannelli, Agostino; Scardera, Alfonso

2015-01-01

This paper presents the results of research regarding the environmental performances of Italian farms with agritourism compared with farms without agritourism. In Italy, agritourism is considered an agricultural activity and can only be performed by a farmer. Moreover, Italian national legislation forces the farmer to dedicate himself mainly to traditional farming, rather than to tourism activities. For this reason, environmental performances have been highlighted by analyzing only features and production systems of the farms. By utilizing the most frequent indicators used in studies regarding sustainability, the authors show how Italian agritourisms tend to develop more environmentally friendly agricultural methods, which have a positive impact on biodiversity, landscape and natural resources. The empirical analysis is based on the Italian FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) dataset. The European FADN was created to represent farms' technical and economic operation in the European Union and on which it drafts the agricultural and rural policies. The dichotomous structure of the dependent variable (presence or absence of agritourism at the farm) has a propensity for an assessment method based on Binary Response Model Regression.

Wider action plan and multidisciplinar approach could be a wining idea in creation of friendly environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Gojkovic-Bukvic, Natasa; Bukvic, Nenad

2012-01-01

Herein, we proposed planning of wide transdisciplinary actions, which bring a solution for economic activity such as transportation, strongly related to pollution output with possible repercussions on climate change and public health. To solve logistics problem by introduction of common intermodal policy, and creation of more friendly transport solution, it is possible to obtain sustainable development, climate change prevention, government policy, and regulation which are all related to human health and creation of health-supportive environment. This approach permits environmental and biological monitoring same as economic results measurement by key performance indicators. This approach implementing emerging scientific knowledge in environmental health science such as genetic epidemiology aimed at understanding how genomic variation impacts phenotypic expression and how genes interact with the environment at the population level with subsequent translation into practical information for clinicians as well as for public health policy creation.

Green dentistry, a metamorphosis towards an eco-friendly dentistry: a short communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Rastogi, Varun; Sharma, Rachna; Yadav, Lalita; Satpute, Pranali; Sharma, Vandana

2014-07-01

Dentistry is most importantly and foremost a healing profession. In today's world, it is very necessary to understand the importance of being eco-friendly in every facet of our lives, including dental practice which has a huge impact on the environment due to the large amount of metallic waste generated by various dental procedures along with excessive use of water and electricity, which specifically emphasis the thrust to move towards 'Green dentistry'. Green dentistry is an innovative way of dental practice which is environment friendly and at the same time conserves money and time by reducing waste, conserving energy and decreasing pollution with the use of latest techniques and procedures. Green dentistry therefore, protects the environment and mankind from the hazards of rapid urbanisation in developing countries. The authors wish to emphasize the practice of eco-friendly, green dentistry in a developing country like India which needs to conserve resources and curb environmental pollution.

Corporate environmentalism and sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aslam, A.I.

2005-01-01

For generations environmental degradation was considered as a normal course and by-product of business activity but this has gradually changed during the last thirty years as environment has gradually move up on the international agenda forcing corporations to take the environment seriously. The last thirty years witnessed environmental laws becoming stringent and enforcement more rigorous, transformation in business models and operating procedures for the protection of the environment, as well as a gradual increase in influence of environmentalists and environmental pressure groups in decision making processes. The paper describes how businesses during the last 30 years changed their operating strategies from emphasis on pure financials to triple bottom line for addressing sustainability issues and in doing so positioned their brands and products as environmentally friendly. The paper explores major drivers and factors like environmental protection mechanism and regimes, pressure from stake holders and corporate social responsibility behind this change. It then establishes a link between regulatory requirements and current practices on environmental disclosures especially in financial statements and environmental reports. The paper also highlights shortcomings in business models as well as accounting standards and explains how those shortcomings have contributed to environmental degradation. (author)

Eco-friendly synthesis of TiO2, Au and Pt doped TiO2 nanoparticles for dye sensitized solar cell applications and evaluation of toxicity

Science.gov (United States)

Gopinath, K.; Kumaraguru, S.; Bhakyaraj, K.; Thirumal, S.; Arumugam, A.

2016-04-01

Driven by the demand of pure TiO2, Au and Pt doped TiO2 NPs were successfully synthesized using Terminalia arjuna bark extract. The eco-friendly synthesized NPs were characterized by UV-Vis-DRS, ATR-FT-IR, PL, XRD, Raman, SEM with EDX and TEM analysis. The synthesized NPs were investigation for dye sensitized solar cell applications. UV-Vis-Diffused Reflectance Spectra clearly showed that the expected TiO2 inter band absorption below 306 nm, incorporation of gold shows surface plasma resonant (SPR) near 555 nm and platinum incorporated TiO2 NPs shows absorbance at 460 nm. The energy conversion efficiency for Au doped TiO2 NPs when compared to pure and Pt doped TiO2 NPs. In addition to that, Au noble metal present TiO2 matrix and an improve open-circuit voltage (Voc) of DSSC. Synthesized NPs was evaluated into antibacterial and antifungal activities by disk diffusion method. It is observed that NPs have not shown any activities in all tested bacterial and fungal strains. In this eco-friendly synthesis method to provide non toxic and environmental friendly nanomaterials can be used for solar energy device application.

Environmentally friendly animal litter

Science.gov (United States)

Chett, Boxley; McKelvie, Jessica

2013-08-20

A method of making an animal litter that includes geopolymerized ash, wherein, the animal litter is made from a quantity of a pozzolanic ash mixed with a sufficient quantity of water and an alkaline activator to initiate a geopolymerization reaction that forms geopolymerized ash. After the geopolymerized ash is formed, it is dried, broken into particulates, and sieved to a desired size. These geopolymerized ash particulates are used to make a non-clumping or clumping animal litter. Odor control may be accomplished with the addition of a urease inhibitor, pH buffer, an odor eliminating agent, and/or fragrance.

Annual report 2009. Results and activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

In 2009 Enova entered into agreements which together will provide 3.03 TWh saved and produced renewable energy. So far, Enova has supported energy projects equivalent to 13.8 TWh in the period to 2009. High activity in the industrial energy efficiency and environmentally friendly heat have contributed positively. (eb)

Annual report 2009. Results and activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-07-01

In 2009 Enova entered into agreements which together will provide 3.03 TWh saved and produced renewable energy. So far, Enova has supported energy projects equivalent to 13.8 TWh in the period to 2009. High activity in the industrial energy efficiency and environmentally friendly heat have contributed positively. (eb)

[Microbial "friend-foe" identification in human intestine microsymbiocenosis].

Science.gov (United States)

Bukharin, O V; Petrunova, N B

2011-01-01

Development of methodical approach of evaluation of microbial "friend-foe" identification in human intestine microsymbiocenosis. 9 bifidobacteria cultures (dominants) and 18 opportunistic microorganism strains (associants) isolated from patients during examination for intestine dysbiosis and identified by conventional methods were used. Evaluation of microbial "friend-foe" identification in microsymbiocenosis was performed by author developed technique that is based on determination of growth factors (GF), anti-lysozyme activity (ALA) and formation of biofilms (BFF) of associants co-incubated with exometabolites of dominants. GF, ALA, BFF were studied photometrically (Bukharin O.V., 1999, 2009; O'Toole G.A., 2000). The data were statistically analyzed by Fisher-Student criteria. The detected opposite (increase/reduction) phenomenon of the "dominant-associant" pair allowed realization of the "friend-foe" identification in microsymbiocenosis. Associants (E. coli and Enterococcus faecium) were "friend" species, in which bifidobacteria exometabolites did not change growth properties and stimulated ALA (by 17,5--32%) and BFF (by 25 - 39%). Associants (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans) were "foe" microsymbiont species, in which bifidoflora exometabolites decreased GF (by 20,7--68%), ALA (by 22,7--54%) and BFF (by 22,5 --39%). Indigenous microflora during microsymbiocenosis formation can participate in "friend-foe" identification, the basis of which is determined by microsymbiont exometabolites. The data obtained open a perspective of understanding mechanisms of intramicrobial interactions and can be used for both diagnostics and optimal selection of "candidates" during creation of new probiotics and synbiotics.

A Canadian perspective on environmental issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emmett, B.

1993-01-01

The leading environmental concerns in Canada are acid rain, ozone depletion, toxic substances, climate change, and biodiversity. These concerns have a number of elements in common, including a need for international actions for their solution, a high degree of scientific complexity, long life cycles from a policy point of view, and large differences in priorities between developing and developed countries. Canadians have favorable attitudes toward sustainable development and expect government and industry to be active in protecting the environment. Canadians also demand and expect a secure supply of competitively priced energy. Although industry may be concerned that incorporating environmental considerations into their business may impede competitiveness, this view is shown to be unsound for the following reasons: productivity is closely linked to a healthy environment; pollution prevention is less costly than cleanup; environmental protection can create new business opportunities; and the market is demanding more environmentally friendly industries. In the energy sector, a number of successful initiatives are under way to integrate environmental considerations into their decision making. The challenge is for industries to go beyond individual activities and build a case for sustainable energy development. The role of government includes informing Canadians about environmental risks and government priorities, ensuring that environmental assessment rules are clear and fair, streamlining regulatory processes, and using a balanced mix of legislation and regulation with market-based approaches to environmental protection

Single, binary and multi-component adsorption of some anions and heavy metals on environmentally friendly Carpobrotus edulis plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiban, Mohamed; Soudani, Amina; Sinan, Fouad; Persin, Michel

2011-02-01

A low-cost adsorbent and environmentally friendly adsorbent from Carpobrotus edulis plant was used for the removal of NO(3)(-), H(2)PO(4)(-), Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) ions from single, binary and multi-component systems. The efficiency of the adsorbent was studied using batch adsorption technique under different experimental conditions by varying parameters such as pH, initial concentration and contact time. In single component systems, the dried C. edulis has the highest affinity for Pb(2+), followed by NO(3)(-), Cd(2+) and H(2)PO(4)(-), with adsorption capacities of 175mg/g, 125mg/g, 28mg/g and 26mg/g, respectively. These results showed that the adsorption of NO(3)(-) and H(2)PO(4)(-) ions from single and binary component systems can be successfully described by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Freundlich adsorption model, showed the best fit to the single and binary experimental adsorption data. These results also indicated that the adsorption yield of Pb(2+) ion was reduced by the presence of Cd(2+) ion in binary metal mixture. The competitive adsorption of NO(3)(-), H(2)PO(4)(-), Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) ions on dried C. edulis plant shows that NO(3)(-) and H(2)PO(4)(-) anions are able to adsorb on different free binding sites and Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) cations are able to adsorb on the same active sites of C. edulis particles. The dried C. edulis was found to be efficient in removing nitrate, phosphate, cadmium and lead from aqueous solution as compared to other adsorbents already used for the removal of these ions. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

International research cooperation in fiscal 1997. Report on the research, development, and evaluation of environmentally-friendly combustion technologies; Kokusai kyoryoku jigyo. Kankyo chowagata nensho gijutsu ni kansuru kenkyu kaihatsu hyoka hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-03-01

Concerning the research and development of environmentally-friendly combustion technologies that had been conducted for six years beginning in 1992, analysis and discussion were made by a special committee dedicated to the evaluation of the efforts, and the outcome is stated. In the study of zeolite-base catalysts, a highly active catalyst was developed which assumes a multilayer structure of mordenite, etc., with titanium introduced thereinto using an NO-selective reducing catalyst. As for metal complex oxide-base catalysts, various catalysts high in activity were developed, based on saponite which is a laminar, clayey compound. As for alumina-base catalysts, details were learned of the reaction mechanism and catalysis activation sites and, helped by the findings, a silver-supporting alumina catalyst was produced. In the study of direct decomposition type NOx removing catalysts, a success was achieved in causing NO to be decomposed with high selectivity in an oxygen atmosphere by use of new-type electrodes, functional layers, and solid electrolytes. In the field of catalytic combustion, a PdO-Pt/Ba-Al2O3 catalyst was developed, which is to serve for a hybrid type catalytic combustion method. 19 refs., 112 figs., 25 tabs.

Environmentally-friendly animal litter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boxley, Chett; McKelvie, Jessica

2012-08-28

An animal litter composition including geopolymerized ash particulates having a network of repeating aluminum-silicon units is described herein. Generally, the animal litter is made from a quantity of a pozzolanic ash mixed with a sufficient quantity of water and an alkaline activator to initiate a geopolymerization reaction that forms geopolymerized ash. After the geopolymerized ash is formed, it is dried, broken into particulates, and sieved to a desired size. These geopolymerized ash particulates are used to make a non-clumping or clumping animal litter. Odor control is accomplished with the addition of a urease inhibitor, pH buffer, an odor eliminating agent, and/or fragrance.

Environmentally-friendly animal litter

Science.gov (United States)

Boxley, Chett; McKelvie, Jessica

2013-09-03

An animal litter composition that includes geopolymerized ash particulates having a network of repeating aluminum-silicon units is described herein. Generally, the animal litter is made from a quantity of a pozzolanic ash mixed with an alkaline activator to initiate a geopolymerization reaction that forms geopolymerized ash. This geopolymerization reaction may occur within a pelletizer. After the geopolymerized ash is formed, it may be dried and sieved to a desired size. These geopolymerized ash particulates may be used to make a non-clumping or clumping animal litter or other absorbing material. Aluminum sulfate, clinoptilolite, silica gel, sodium alginate and mineral oil may be added as additional ingredients.

Marketing animal-friendly products

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Riemsdijk, van Lenka; Ingenbleek, Paul T.M.; Trijp, van Hans C.M.; Veen, van der Gerrita

2017-01-01

This article presents a conceptual framework that aims to encourage consumer animal-friendly product choice by introducing positioning strategies for animal-friendly products. These strategies reinforce the animal welfare with different types of consumption values and can therefore reduce

Realizing a facile and environmental-friendly fabrication of high-performance multi-crystalline silicon solar cells by employing ZnO nanostructures and an Al2O3 passivation layer

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hong-Yan; Lu, Hong-Liang; Sun, Long; Ren, Qing-Hua; Zhang, Hao; Ji, Xin-Ming; Liu, Wen-Jun; Ding, Shi-Jin; Yang, Xiao-Feng; Zhang, David Wei

2016-01-01

Nowadays, the multi-crystalline silicon (mc-Si) solar cells dominate the photovoltaic industry. However, the current acid etching method on mc-Si surface used by firms can hardly suppress the average reflectance value below 25% in the visible light spectrum. Meanwhile, the nitric acid and the hydrofluoric contained in the etching solution is both environmental unfriendly and highly toxic to human. Here, a mc-Si solar cell based on ZnO nanostructures and an Al2O3 spacer layer is demonstrated. The eco-friendly fabrication is realized by low temperature atomic layer deposition of Al2O3 layer as well as ZnO seed layer. Moreover, the ZnO nanostructures are prepared by nontoxic and low cost hydro-thermal growth process. Results show that the best passivation quality of the n+ -type mc-Si surface can be achieved by balancing the Si dangling bond saturation level and the negative charge concentration in the Al2O3 film. Moreover, the average reflectance on cell surface can be suppressed to 8.2% in 400–900 nm range by controlling the thickness of ZnO seed layer. With these two combined refinements, a maximum solar cell efficiency of 15.8% is obtained eventually. This work offer a facile way to realize the environmental friendly fabrication of high performance mc-Si solar cells. PMID:27924911

From Family to Friends: Does Witnessing Interparental Violence Affect Young Adults’ Relationships with Friends?

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Mahua; Hindin, Michelle J.

2013-01-01

Purpose Childhood exposure to violence in one’s family of origin has been closely linked to subsequent perpetration and victimization of intimate partner violence. There is, however, little research on the relationship between witnessing violence and subsequent peer violence. This study investigates the effects of witnessing interparental violence among Filipino young adults on their use and experience of psychological aggression with friends. Methods The data source for this study was the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. Recent perpetration and victimization of friend psychological aggression among young adults ages 21–22 years was assessed through self-reports from the 2005 survey, and witnessing interparental violence during childhood was assessed through self-reports from the 2002 survey. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the effects of witnessing interparental violence on subsequent use and experience of friend psychological aggression. Analyses were stratified by gender. Results About 13% of females and 4% of males perpetrated psychological aggression towards close friends, and about 4% of females and males were victims. Fourteen percent of females and 3% of males experienced bidirectional psychological aggression. About 44% of females and 47% of males had, during childhood, witnessed their parents physically hurt one another. Witnessing maternal and reciprocal interparental violence during childhood significantly predicted bidirectional friend psychological aggression among males. Among females, witnessing interparental violence did not significantly predict involvement with friend psychological aggression. Conclusions Violence prevention programs should consider using family-centered interventions, and apply a gendered lens to their application. Further research on gender differences in friend aggression is recommended. PMID:23697789

Future batteries will be environment-friendly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larcher, D.; Tarascon, J.M.

2012-01-01

Since the beginning of the nineties, efficient batteries have been built thanks to lithium. The use of nano-materials for the electrodes have recently opened the way to a cheaper and more environmental friendly technologies like lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO 4 ) batteries instead of classical lithium-ion batteries. Nano-materials enable the batteries to use more efficiently the electrode and to store more energy. Sustainable development requires the elaboration of clean processes to produce nano-materials, it appears that micro-organisms might be able to produce nano-metric minerals through bio-mineralisation, it is particularly true for FePO 4 because iron and phosphates are abundant biological components. (A.C.)

Dermatology Depictions in Friends/ Descripciones dermatológicas en Friends

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Skyler M White

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Health?related topics are frequently referenced on screen in movies and television. Friends was on?air for 10 seasonsand is one of the most watched television shows of all time. Dermatology was referenced more than any otherhealth?related topic throughout the series. Beliefs about attractiveness and the stigma of skin conditions are furtherpropagated in this program. Reviewing the depictions of dermatology in Friends will aid in understanding the public’sideas and stereotypes regarding skin and dermatologic diseases.

Friendly network robotics; Friendly network robotics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-03-01

This paper summarizes the research results on the friendly network robotics in fiscal 1996. This research assumes an android robot as an ultimate robot and the future robot system utilizing computer network technology. The robot aiming at human daily work activities in factories or under extreme environments is required to work under usual human work environments. The human robot with similar size, shape and functions to human being is desirable. Such robot having a head with two eyes, two ears and mouth can hold a conversation with human being, can walk with two legs by autonomous adaptive control, and has a behavior intelligence. Remote operation of such robot is also possible through high-speed computer network. As a key technology to use this robot under coexistence with human being, establishment of human coexistent robotics was studied. As network based robotics, use of robots connected with computer networks was also studied. In addition, the R-cube (R{sup 3}) plan (realtime remote control robot technology) was proposed. 82 refs., 86 figs., 12 tabs.

How to Make Financial Aid "Freshman-Friendly"

Science.gov (United States)

Pugh, Susan L.; Johnson, David B.

2011-01-01

Ultimately, making financial aid "freshman friendly" also makes financial aid "sophomore friendly," "junior friendly," and "senior friendly." Indiana University has in place an Office of Enrollment Management (OEM) model that includes focused financial aid packaging strategies complemented by unique contact…

Wider Action Plan and Multidisciplinary Approach Could Be a Wining Idea in Creation of Friendly Environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gojkovic-Bukvic, N.; Gojkovic-Bukvic, N.; Bukvic, N.

2012-01-01

Herein, we proposed planning of wide trans disciplinary actions, which bring a solution for economic activity such as transportation, strongly related to pollution output with possible repercussions on climate change and public health. To solve logistics problem by introduction of common inter modal policy, and creation of more friendly transport solution, it is possible to obtain sustainable development, climate change prevention, government policy, and regulation which are all related to human health and creation of health-supportive environment. This approach permits environmental and biological monitoring same as economic results measurement by key performance indicators. This approach implementing emerging scientific knowledge in environmental health science such as genetic epidemiology aimed at understanding how genomic variation impacts phenotypic expression and how genes interact with the environment at the population level with subsequent translation into practical information for clinicians as well as for public health policy creation

Natural compounds with herbicidal activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariano Fracchiolla

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Research about phytotoxic activity of natural compounds could lead both to find new herbicidal active ingredients and to plan environmental friendly weed control strategies. Particularly, living organisms could be a source of compounds that are impossible, for their complexity, to synthesize artificially. More over, they could have alternative sites of action respect to the known chemical herbicides and, due to their origin, they should be more environmental safe. Many living organism, such as bacteria, fungi, insects, lichens and plants, are able to produce bioactive compounds. They generally are secondary metabolites or simply waste molecules. In this paper we make a review about these compounds, highlighting potential and constraints.

Natural compounds with herbicidal activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pasquale Montemurro

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Research about phytotoxic activity of natural compounds could lead both to find new herbicidal active ingredients and to plan environmental friendly weed control strategies. Particularly, living organisms could be a source of compounds that are impossible, for their complexity, to synthesize artificially. More over, they could have alternative sites of action respect to the known chemical herbicides and, due to their origin, they should be more environmental safe. Many living organism, such as bacteria, fungi, insects, lichens and plants, are able to produce bioactive compounds. They generally are secondary metabolites or simply waste molecules. In this paper we make a review about these compounds, highlighting potential and constraints.

Application of eco-friendly tools and eco-bio-social strategies to control dengue vectors in urban and peri-urban settings in Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Kittayapong, Pattamaporn; Thongyuan, Suporn; Olanratmanee, Phanthip; Aumchareoun, Worawit; Koyadun, Surachart; Kittayapong, Rungrith; Butraporn, Piyarat

2012-12-01

Dengue is considered one of the most important vector-borne diseases in Thailand. Its incidence is increasing despite routine implementation of national dengue control programmes. This study, conducted during 2010, aimed to demonstrate an application of integrated, community-based, eco-bio-social strategies in combination with locally-produced eco-friendly vector control tools in the dengue control programme, emphasizing urban and peri-urban settings in eastern Thailand. Three different community settings were selected and were randomly assigned to intervention and control clusters. Key community leaders and relevant governmental authorities were approached to participate in this intervention programme. Ecohealth volunteers were identified and trained in each study community. They were selected among active community health volunteers and were trained by public health experts to conduct vector control activities in their own communities using environmental management in combination with eco-friendly vector control tools. These trained ecohealth volunteers carried out outreach health education and vector control during household visits. Management of public spaces and public properties, especially solid waste management, was efficiently carried out by local municipalities. Significant reduction in the pupae per person index in the intervention clusters when compared to the control ones was used as a proxy to determine the impact of this programme. Our community-based dengue vector control programme demonstrated a significant reduction in the pupae per person index during entomological surveys which were conducted at two-month intervals from May 2010 for the total of six months in the intervention and control clusters. The programme also raised awareness in applying eco-friendly vector control approaches and increased intersectoral and household participation in dengue control activities. An eco-friendly dengue vector control programme was successfully implemented in

Application of eco-friendly tools and eco-bio-social strategies to control dengue vectors in urban and peri-urban settings in Thailand

Science.gov (United States)

Kittayapong, Pattamaporn; Thongyuan, Suporn; Olanratmanee, Phanthip; Aumchareoun, Worawit; Koyadun, Surachart; Kittayapong, Rungrith; Butraporn, Piyarat

2012-01-01

Background Dengue is considered one of the most important vector-borne diseases in Thailand. Its incidence is increasing despite routine implementation of national dengue control programmes. This study, conducted during 2010, aimed to demonstrate an application of integrated, community-based, eco-bio-social strategies in combination with locally-produced eco-friendly vector control tools in the dengue control programme, emphasizing urban and peri-urban settings in eastern Thailand. Methodology Three different community settings were selected and were randomly assigned to intervention and control clusters. Key community leaders and relevant governmental authorities were approached to participate in this intervention programme. Ecohealth volunteers were identified and trained in each study community. They were selected among active community health volunteers and were trained by public health experts to conduct vector control activities in their own communities using environmental management in combination with eco-friendly vector control tools. These trained ecohealth volunteers carried out outreach health education and vector control during household visits. Management of public spaces and public properties, especially solid waste management, was efficiently carried out by local municipalities. Significant reduction in the pupae per person index in the intervention clusters when compared to the control ones was used as a proxy to determine the impact of this programme. Results Our community-based dengue vector control programme demonstrated a significant reduction in the pupae per person index during entomological surveys which were conducted at two-month intervals from May 2010 for the total of six months in the intervention and control clusters. The programme also raised awareness in applying eco-friendly vector control approaches and increased intersectoral and household participation in dengue control activities. Conclusion An eco-friendly dengue vector control

Isocyanides Derived from α,α-Disubstituted Amino Acids: Synthesis and Antifouling Activity Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Inoue, Yuki; Takashima, Shuhei; Nogata, Yasuyuki; Yoshimura, Erina; Chiba, Kazuhiro; Kitano, Yoshikazu

2018-03-01

Herein, we contribute to the development of environmentally friendly antifoulants by synthesizing eighteen isocyanides derived from α,α-disubstituted amino acids and evaluating their antifouling activity/toxicity against the cypris larvae of the Balanus amphitrite barnacle. Almost all isocyanides showed good antifouling activity without significant toxicity and exhibited EC 50 values of 0.07 - 7.30 μg/mL after 120-h exposure. The lowest EC 50 values were observed for valine-, methionine-, and phenylalanine-derived isocyanides, which achieved > 95% cypris larvae settlement inhibition at concentrations of less than 30 μg/mL without exhibiting significant toxicity. Thus, the prepared isocyanides should be useful for further research focused on the development of environmentally friendly antifouling agents. © 2018 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.

Fermilab Friends for Science Education | Welcome

Science.gov (United States)

Fermilab Friends for Science Education FFSE Home About Us Join Us Support Us Contact Us Fermilab Friends for Science Education photo Fermilab Friends for Science Education supports innovative science education programs at Fermilab. Its mission is to: Enhance the quality of precollege science education in

Environmentally friendly, high-performance generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalmari, A.

2003-01-01

The project developer, owner, and operator of the new 45 MWth BFB-based cogeneration plant in Iisalmi is Termia Oy, part of the Atro Group (formerly Savon Voima Oy). Fired on peat and wood waste and handed over to the customer in November 2002, the plant's electrical output is sold to the parent company and heat locally to customers in Iisalmi. When the construction decision was made, one of the main objectives was to utilise as high a level of indigenous fuels (peat and biomass) as possible, at a high level of efficiency. An environmental impact analysis was carried out, taking into account the impact of various fuels and emissions in terms of combustion and logistics. One main benefit of the type of plant ultimately selected was that the bulk of the fuel can be supplied from the surrounding area. This is very important in terms of fuel supply security and local employment. The government provided a EUR 2.7 million grant for the project, equivalent to 13% of the total EUR 21 million investment budget. Before the plant was built, Termia used approximately 95 GWh of indigenous fuels annually. Today, this figure is 220 GWh. The main fuel used is milled peat. Up to 30% green chips from logging residues can be used. Recycled waste fuel can cover up to 3% of the total fuel requirement

Gender Norms and Institutional Culture: The Family-Friendly versus the Father-Friendly University

Science.gov (United States)

Sallee, Margaret W.

2013-01-01

This article investigates the role that gender norms and expectations about parenting play in establishing the family-friendly versus the father-friendly university. Using interviews with 51 male faculty at three research universities, the article considers how faculty and administrators' actions perpetuate cultures that promote or hinder…

A basic plan for the environment-friendly aspects of improved Korean standard nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Hoon-Seok; Lee, Yong-Koo; Kim, Kwang-Ho

2006-01-01

The Improved Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plant (KSNP+) design has been made possible on the basis of engineering experiences and referring to an in-depth analysis of the design and construction of all the domestic nuclear power plants in operation. The KSNP+ is designed for improved safety, better economics, operability and maintainability by means of advanced technology expecting to demonstrate enhanced performance. The plant also has incorporated several environmentally friendly features through the restoration of excavated areas using an ecological approach, external coloring, figure of turbine generator building and landscaping around nuclear power plant. This is the first time that KOPEC has embarked on inducing environmentally friendly features into the basic plan. This is expected to mitigate the negative perceptions held by the residents in the vicinity of nuclear power plants and will contribute to a new and improved image of nuclear power plants. (authors)

Analysis of DOE international environmental management activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ragaini, R.C.

1995-09-01

The Department of Energy`s (DOE) Strategic Plan (April 1994) states that DOE`s long-term vision includes world leadership in environmental restoration and waste management activities. The activities of the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) can play a key role in DOE`s goals of maintaining U.S. global competitiveness and ensuring the continuation of a world class science and technology community. DOE`s interest in attaining these goals stems partly from its participation in organizations like the Trade Policy Coordinating Committee (TPCC), with its National Environmental Export Promotion Strategy, which seeks to strengthen U.S. competitiveness and the building of public-private partnerships as part of U.S. industrial policy. The International Interactions Field Office task will build a communication network which will facilitate the efficient and effective communication between DOE Headquarters, Field Offices, and contractors. Under this network, Headquarters will provide the Field Offices with information on the Administration`s policies and activities (such as the DOE Strategic Plan), interagency activities, as well as relevant information from other field offices. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) will, in turn, provide Headquarters with information on various international activities which, when appropriate, will be included in reports to groups like the TPCC and the EM Focus Areas. This task provides for the collection, review, and analysis of information on the more significant international environmental restoration and waste management initiatives and activities which have been used or are being considered at LLNL. Information gathering will focus on efforts and accomplishments in meeting the challenges of providing timely and cost effective cleanup of its environmentally damaged sites and facilities, especially through international technical exchanges and/or the implementation of foreign-development technologies.

Green hypocrisy? Environmental attitudes and residential space heating expenditure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Traynor, Laura; Lange, Ian; Moro, Mirko [Stirling Univ. (United Kingdom). Division of Economics

2012-06-15

In the UK, the largest proportion of household energy use is for space heating. Popular media make claims of a green hypocrisy: groups which have the strongest attitude towards the environment have the highest emissions. This study examines whether environmental attitudes and behaviours are associated with space heating energy use using data from the British Household Panel Survey. Results find that environmentally friendly attitudes generally do not lead to lower heating expenditures though environmentally friendly behaviours are associated with lower heating expenditure. Also, the effect of these attitudes and behaviours do not change as income increase.

Facile and eco-friendly fabrication of AgNPs coated silk for antibacterial and antioxidant textiles using honeysuckle extract.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yuyang; Tang, Ren-Cheng

2018-01-01

Recently, there is a growing trend towards the functionalization of silk through nanotechnology for the prevention of fiber damage from microbial attack and the enhancement of hygienic aspects. Considering sustainable development and environmental protection, the eco-friendly fabrication of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)-modified silk using natural extracts has currently become a hot research area. This study presents a facile strategy for the fabrication of colorful and multifunctional silk fabric using biogenic AgNPs prepared by honeysuckle extract as natural reductant and stabilizing agents. The influences of pH and reactant concentrations on the AgNPs synthesis were investigated. The color characteristics and functionalities of AgNPs treated silk were evaluated. The results revealed that the particle size of AgNPs decreased with increasing pH. The diameter of AgNPs decreased with increasing amount of honeysuckle extract and reducing amount of silver nitrate. The transmission electron microscopy image showed that the AgNPs were spherical in shape with a narrow size distribution. The treated silk showed excellent antibacterial activities against E. coli and S. aureus, and certain antioxidant activity. Both of the antibacterial and antioxidant activities were well maintained even after 30 washing cycles. This work provides a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to the fabrication of AgNPs coated silk for colorful and long-term multifunctional textiles using honeysuckle extract. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Individual, social and physical environmental correlates of children's active free-play: a cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ball Kylie

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Children's unstructured outdoor free-play (or active free-play has the potential to make an important contribution to children's overall physical activity levels. Limited research has, however, examined physical activity in this domain. This study examined associations between individual, social and physical environmental factors and the frequency with which children play in particular outdoor locations outside school hours. This study also investigated whether the frequency of playing in outdoor locations was associated with children's overall physical activity levels. Methods Participants including 8-9 year old children and their parents (n = 187 were recruited from a selection of primary schools of varying socioeconomic status across metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Parents completed a survey and children's overall physical activity levels were measured by accelerometry. Regression models examined the odds of children playing in various outdoor settings according to particular correlates. Results Inverse associations were found between preference for activities not involving physical activity, and the likelihood of children playing in the yard at home on the weekend (OR = 0.65; CI = 0.45,0.95. Positive correlates of children playing in their own street included: parental perceptions that it was safe for their child to play in their street (weekdays [OR = 6.46; CI = 2.84,14.71], weekend days [OR = 6.01; CI = 2.68,13.47]; children having many friends in their neighbourhood (OR = 2.63; CI = 1.21,5.76; and living in a cul-de-sac (weekdays [OR = 3.99; CI = 1.65,9.66], weekend days [OR = 3.49; CI = 1.49,8.16]. Positive correlates of more frequent play in the park/playground on weekdays included family going to the park together on a weekly basis on weekdays (OR = 6.8; CI = 3.4,13.6; and on weekend days (OR = 7.36; CI = 3.6,15.0. No differences in mean mins/day of moderate-vigorous physical activity were found between children

Conceptualizing age-friendly community characteristics in a sample of urban elders: an exploratory factor analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Richard J; Lehning, Amanda J; Dunkle, Ruth E

2013-01-01

Accurate conceptualization and measurement of age-friendly community characteristics would help to reduce barriers to documenting the effects on elders of interventions to create such communities. This article contributes to the measurement of age-friendly communities through an exploratory factor analysis of items reflecting an existing US Environmental Protection Agency policy framework. From a sample of urban elders (n = 1,376), we identified 6 factors associated with demographic and health characteristics: access to business and leisure, social interaction, access to health care, neighborhood problems, social support, and community engagement. Future research should explore the effects of these factors across contexts and populations.

Uncovering Students' Environmental Identity: An Exploration of Activities in an Environmental Science Course

Science.gov (United States)

Blatt, Erica

2014-01-01

This study at a public high school in the Northeastern United States explores how students' environmental identities are affected by various activities in an Environmental Science course. Data was collected as part of an ethnographic study involving an Environmental Science teacher and her tenth-twelfth grade students. The results focus on…

MOIRA Software Framework - Integrated User-friendly Shell for The Environmental Decision Support Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofman, Dmitry; Nordlinder, Sture

2003-01-01

MOIRA DSS is a model-based computerised system for the identification of optimal remedial strategies to restore radionuclide contaminated fresh water environment The examples of the questions which decision-maker could address to the system are 'Is lake liming effective in reducing the radiocesium uptake by fish?', C an control of catchment run-off be an effective measure against further redistribution of radionuclides by river?', 'Is sediment removal worthwhile to reduce further contamination of the aquatic environment?'. The MOIRA system could help decision-maker to avoid implementation of inappropriate and expensive countermeasures. MOIRA gives the possibility to predict effeas of implementation of different types of the countermeasures and evaluate both 'ecological' and 'social' effect of the countermeasures. Decision support process using MOIRA DSS can be subdivided to the following steps: Definition of the site-specific environmental and socio-economic parameters using GIS-based data. Unknown site-specific data could be estimated using GIS-based models, default data for the socio-economic parameters, data directly provided by user. Providing data about fallout of the radionuclides. Definition of the time interval for which prognosis will be made. Definition of the alternative strategies of the countermeasures. Evaluation of the sequences of the implementation of the user-defined strategies and 'no actions' strategy using predictive models. Ranking strategies using Multi-Attribute Analysis Module (MAA) Preparation of the recommendations in the form of report. This process requires usage of several computerised tools such as predictive models, multi-attribute analysis software, geographical information system, data base. MOIRA software framework could be used as the basis for the creation of the wide range of the user-friendly and easy-to-learn decision support systems. It can also provide the advanced graphical user interface and data checking system for the

Biodegradable and bio-based polymers: future prospects of eco-friendly plastics.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwata, Tadahisa

2015-03-09

Currently used plastics are mostly produced from petrochemical products, but there is a growing demand for eco-friendly plastics. The use of bio-based plastics, which are produced from renewable resources, and biodegradable plastics, which are degraded in the environment, will lead to a more sustainable society and help us solve global environmental and waste management problems. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Response of international shipping to the current environmental challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popek Marzenna

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The international shipping industry directly facilitates the growth of the world trade, economic development and improvement of the global living standards. As the world economy and population continue to expand, the volume of maritime trade is expected to increase significantly as well. Maritime transport already contributes significantly to the three pillars of sustainable development – social, environmental and economic. Maritime transportation is generally considered environmental friendly when compared to other transportation means, especially if the energy efficiency is measured per tonne transported/per mile. Nevertheless, emissions from the growing maritime transport sector represent a significant and growing source of air pollution. One of future goals in international shipping is to reduce CO2 emissions. The International Maritime Organization is the United agency responsible for the protection of the environment from the impact of maritime transport. All parts of shipping industry are examining a number of ways to reduce CO2 emissions, which are primarily linked to reducing fuel consumption. The paper identifies the main areas that should be addressed if maritime sustainable development is to be achieved. It presents analysis of activities focused on environmentally friendly solutions as a form of IMO support for realization of the strategy of sustainable development.

Advanced Environment Friendly Nanotechnologies

Science.gov (United States)

Figovsky, O.; Beilin, D.; Blank, N.

The economic, security, military and environmental implications of molecular manufacturing are extreme. Unfortunately, conflicting definitions of nanotechnology and blurry distinctions between significantly different fields have complicated the effort to understand those differences and to develop sensible, effective policy for each. The risks of today's nanoscale technologies cannot be treated the same as the risks of longer-term molecular manufacturing. It is a mistake to put them together in one basket for policy consideration — each is important to address, but they offer different problems and will require far different solutions. As used today, the term nanotechnology usually refers to a broad collection of mostly disconnected fields. Essentially, anything sufficiently small and interesting can be called nanotechnology. Much of it is harmless. For the rest, much of the harm is of familiar and limited quality. Molecular manufacturing, by contrast, will bring unfamiliar risks and new classes of problems. The advanced environment friendly nanotechnologies elaborated by Israel Company Polymate Ltd. — International Research Center are illustrated.

When action speaks louder than words: The effect of parenting on young consumers' pro-environmental behaviour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grønhøj, Alice; Thøgersen, John

The present study examines intergenerational transfers of pro-environmental behaviours between parents and children. In a survey study involving 600 Danish families, we examine whether children's pro-environmental behaviours can be determined by their parents' attitudes and behaviours with respect...... to three "green" consumption activities: buying organic/environmentally friendly products, handling waste responsibly, and energy saving activities. In addition, we examine the effect of parenting on adolescents' pro-environmental behaviours by including a particular aspect of parenting style: parental...... autonomy support. Results show that the adolescents are influenced by their parents' behaviour, and especially how they perceive parents' behaviour, which seems to depend on how visible these behaviours are to them. Furthermore, parenting style influences the adolescents' behaviour in various ways....

Transforming psychotherapy in order to succeed with adolescent boys: male-friendly practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiselica, Mark S

2003-11-01

The purpose of this article is to describe a "male-friendly" therapeutic process with troubled adolescent boys. A male-friendly process is one in which the therapist employs a wide variety of strategies and activities that are likely to appeal to male youth and that facilitate the establishment and maintenance of rapport. The nuances of practicing a male-friendly approach are highlighted and then applied in a case study of psychotherapy with a depressed adolescent boy. The implications of this approach for redefining professional conceptions about boundaries in the client-therapist relationship and reexamining inaccurate stereotypes about the emotional lives of boys are discussed. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PGC1α: Friend or Foe in Cancer?

Science.gov (United States)

Mastropasqua, Francesca; Girolimetti, Giulia; Shoshan, Maria

2018-01-22

The PGC1 family (Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) coactivators) of transcriptional coactivators are considered master regulators of mitochondrial biogenesis and function. The PGC1α isoform is expressed especially in metabolically active tissues, such as the liver, kidneys and brain, and responds to energy-demanding situations. Given the altered and highly adaptable metabolism of tumor cells, it is of interest to investigate PGC1α in cancer. Both high and low levels of PGC1α expression have been reported to be associated with cancer and worse prognosis, and PGC1α has been attributed with oncogenic as well as tumor suppressive features. Early in carcinogenesis PGC1α may be downregulated due to a protective anticancer role, and low levels likely reflect a glycolytic phenotype. We suggest mechanisms of PGC1α downregulation and how these might be connected to the increased cancer risk that obesity is now known to entail. Later in tumor progression PGC1α is often upregulated and is reported to contribute to increased lipid and fatty acid metabolism and/or a tumor cell phenotype with an overall metabolic plasticity that likely supports drug resistance as well as metastasis. We conclude that in cancer PGC1α is neither friend nor foe, but rather the obedient servant reacting to metabolic and environmental cues to benefit the tumor cell.

Structure Study of Cellulose Fibers Wet-Spun from Environmentally Friendly NaOH/Urea Aqueous Solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen,X.; Burger, C.; Wan, F.; Zhang, J.; Rong, L.; Hsiao, B.; Chu, B.; Cai, J.; Zhang, L.

2007-01-01

In this study, structure changes of regenerated cellulose fibers wet-spun from a cotton linter pulp (degree of polymerization {approx}620) solution in an NaOH/urea solvent under different conditions were investigated by simultaneous synchrotron wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). WAXD results indicated that the increase in flow rate during spinning produced a better crystal orientation and a higher degree of crystallinity, whereas a 2-fold increase in draw ratio only affected the crystal orientation. When coagulated in a H{sub 2}SO{sub 4}/Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4} aqueous solution at 15 {sup o}C, the regenerated fibers exhibited the highest crystallinity and a crystal orientation comparable to that of commercial rayon fibers by the viscose method. SAXS patterns exhibited a pair of meridional maxima in all regenerated cellulose fibers, indicating the existence of a lamellar structure. A fibrillar superstructure was observed only at higher flow rates (>20 m/min). The conformation of cellulose molecules in NaOH/urea aqueous solution was also investigated by static and dynamic light scattering. It was found that cellulose chains formed aggregates with a radius of gyration, R{sub g}, of about 232 nm and an apparent hydrodynamic radius, R{sub h}, of about 172 nm. The NaOH/urea solvent system is low-cost and environmentally friendly, which may offer an alternative route to replace more hazardous existing methods for the production of regenerated cellulose fibers.

A Proposal for an Active/Passive Signature Enhancer for Identification Friend-or-Foe

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Sola, Marcos

1997-01-01

...) for identification friend or foe (IFF). For military use, the APSE, interrogated with QA sensors on a platform such as a reconnaissance helicopter, will allow positive IFF between opposing forces at tactical range...

Friends of the Earth case against the PWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyle, S.

1987-01-01

Friends of the Earth's case against Sizewell B has been summarised in a report entitled 'Critical Decision: Should Britain buy the Pressurised Water Reactor?'. This showed that on economic and safety grounds, Sizewell B would not be a good choice for the electricity consumer or the country at large. Events since the end of the Inquiry, particularly those affecting the economic case, have confirmed this conclusion. This paper will summarise the case, both during the Inquiry and subsequent to this, as well as make reference to the long-term environmental implications of the Central Electricity Generating Board's PWR programme. (author)

Best friends' interactions and substance use: The role of friend pressure and unsupervised co-deviancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsakpinoglou, Florence; Poulin, François

2017-10-01

Best friends exert a substantial influence on rising alcohol and marijuana use during adolescence. Two mechanisms occurring within friendship - friend pressure and unsupervised co-deviancy - may partially capture the way friends influence one another. The current study aims to: (1) examine the psychometric properties of a new instrument designed to assess pressure from a youth's best friend and unsupervised co-deviancy; (2) investigate the relative contribution of these processes to alcohol and marijuana use; and (3) determine whether gender moderates these associations. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires completed by 294 Canadian youths (62% female) across two time points (ages 15-16). Principal component analysis yielded a two-factor solution corresponding to friend pressure and unsupervised co-deviancy. Logistic regressions subsequently showed that unsupervised co-deviancy was predictive of an increase in marijuana use one year later. Neither process predicted an increase in alcohol use. Results did not differ as a function of gender. Copyright © 2017 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmentally Friendly Zirconium Oxide Pretreatment

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-01

Society for Testing and Materials AVCRAD Aviation Classification Repair Activity Depot Chrome (VI) Hexavalent Chromium CRS Cold Rolled Steel...are being used commercially in automotive and other industrial operations as replacements to hexavalent chromium-based and zinc phosphate...application over CRS and aluminum with water-borne and solvent-borne Mil-Spec primers gave results in corrosion performance similar to the chrome

Environmental risk concern and preferences for energy-saving measures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poortinga, W; Steg, L.; Vlek, C.A.J.

It is often assumed that higher environmental concern goes with more positive attitudes toward environmental management strategies and more environmentally friendly behavior. Cultural theory argues this relationship is more complex. Cultural theory distinguishes four ways of life, involving distinct

Genetic and environmental sources of individual religiousness: the roles of individual personality traits and perceived environmental religiousness.

Science.gov (United States)

Kandler, Christian; Riemann, Rainer

2013-07-01

In the current study, we examined the genetic and environmental sources of the links between individual religiousness and individual personality traits, perceived parental religiousness, and perceived peer religiousness. Data from 870 individuals (incl. 394 twin pairs) were analyzed. Variance in individual religiousness was significantly influenced by genetic effects, environmental influences shared by twins reared together, and individual-specific environmental influences. Individual religiousness showed significant associations with age, sex, specific personality traits (e.g., agreeableness, openness to values), and perceived religiousness of important social interaction partners, such as parents, best friends, and spouses. The links to personality traits were relatively small and primarily genetically mediated. The associations between individual religiousness and parental religiousness were substantial and mediated by shared environmental effects. These links significantly decreased across age accompanying a significant decrease of shared environmental influences on individual religiousness. The correlations between individual religiousness and perceived religiousness of spouses and best friends were relatively moderate but increased with age. These associations were mediated by genetic as well as nonshared environmental sources accompanying an increase of nonshared environmental influences on individual religiousness with age. The results suggest that inter-individual differences in religiousness are due to multiple sources.

Environmental risk assessment of registered insecticides in Iran using Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ index

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Moinoddini

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In the last decades, pesticides have been used extensively, in order to control pests and plant diseases, but negative impacts of pesticides caused several environmental problems and put human health in danger. In order to decrease environmental hazards of pesticide, risk of pesticide application should be measured briefly and precisely. In this study environmental impacts of registered insecticides in Iran which applied in 2001-2002, 2003-2004, 2004-2005, are considered using environmental impact quotient (EIQ index. Results showed that among considered insecticides, Imidacloprid, Fipronil and Tiodicarb, potentially (EIQ were the most hazardous insecticides, respectively. Taking rate of application and active ingredient of insecticide in to account, environmental impact (practical toxicity per cultivated hectare (EIQ Field of each provinces were investigated. In this regard, among different province of Iran, Kerman, Mazandaran and Golestan were in danger more than the others, respectively. Besides, considering the amount of agricultural production in provinces, environmental impact per ton of production were calculated for each provinces which three northern provinces of Mazandaran, Golestan and Guilan, respectively endure the most environmental impact per ton of production. Eventually based on environmental impact quotient, results demonstrated that majority of environmental impacts of insecticide in Iran were due to inadequate knowledge and also overuse of a few number of insecticides. Therefore, by improving knowledge about environmental impact of pesticides and also developing environmental friendly and ecological based methods, negative environmental impacts of insecticides will be reduced significantly.

Environmental accounting of eco-innovations through environmental input-output analysis : The case of hydrogen and fuel cells buses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cantono, Simona; Heijungs, Reinout; Kleijn, Réne

The introduction of environmentally friendly innovations in both transport and energy sectors are included in the list of priorities of the European Union political agenda. This paper investigates the environmental consequences of the introduction of hydrogen and fuel cells technology in the

Waste minimization through process optimization/integration and resource management at eco-friendly Heavy Water Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nageshri, Jagdish; Gupta, S.K.

2004-01-01

Heavy Water Board has celebrated 2003 as Environmental Conservation Year captivating a range of enviro-friendly measures. This article attempts to give a brief overview of the outcome of systems and adapted procedures for waste minimization through process integration and resource management at Heavy Water Plants

Environmental Print Activities for Teaching Mathematics and Content Areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Rule, Audrey C., Ed.; McIntyre, Sandra, Ed.; Ranous, Meg, Ed.

Twenty-three mathematics activities that use environmental print materials are presented, along with two activities that focus on music education, one that highlights history concepts, and five science activities. The environmental print materials are words and images cut from food or other product packaging and mounted on mat board cards.…

OS Friendly Microprocessor Architecture

Science.gov (United States)

2017-04-01

NOTES Patrick La Fratta is now affiliated with Micron Technology, Inc., Boise, Idaho. 14. ABSTRACT We present an introduction to the patented ...Operating System Friendly Microprocessor Architecture (OSFA). The software framework to support the hardware-level security features is currently patent ...Army is assignee. OS Friendly Microprocessor Architecture. United States Patent 9122610. 2015 Sep. 2. Jungwirth P, inventor; US Army is assignee

Environmentally friendly AND cheap?

CERN Multimedia

2009-01-01

In the context of the initiative to make CERN a greener laboratory (see the Word from the DG in issue 20-21/2009 of the Bulletin), the Safety Commission’s General Safety Group has acquired CERN’s first electric bicycle. Picture of a cyclist wearing personal protective equipment riding the new bike at CERN.What with the Medical Service’s "Be active" health campaign, the emphasis placed on two-wheel safety this spring and the sheds for two-wheeled vehicles that are springing up all over the CERN site, it’s time to get on your bike… or one of the bikes available to the personnel, such as the DG/SCG’s new electric cycle. On Tuesday, 21 July, Building 57 welcomed CERN’s first electric bicycle, and the message to the DG/SCG group is clear: "Use it rather than taking one of the CERN cars as often as you can". With this new means of transport that’s easy on the environment (no direct gas emissions) as well as on the walle...

Sericins of mulberry and non-mulberry silkworms for eco-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaisabai, Wanna; Khamhaengpol, Arunrat; Siri, Sineenat

2018-05-01

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has received many interests as a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method. This study reported the use of sericins extracted from non-mulberry (Samia cynthia ricini) and mulberry (Bombyx mori) silkworms for green syntheses of AgNPs. Both sericins possessed the reducing activity, which the reducing activity of S. c. ricini sericin was significantly higher than that of B. mori sericin. The formation of AgNPs facilitated by S. c. ricini sericin was greater than B. mori sericin as determined by the intensity of the surfacing plasmon resonance peak of silver at 412 nm. The synthesized AgNPs using both sericins were spherical and uniform in size with the average diameter of ∼13 nm. The silver component and the crystalline structure was determined by energy-dispersive X-ray and X-ray diffraction analyses. The synthesized AgNPs exhibited the antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli, suggesting their potential application as an effective antibacterial agent.

Eco-friendly Energy Storage System: Seawater and Ionic Liquid Electrolyte.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jae-Kwang; Mueller, Franziska; Kim, Hyojin; Jeong, Sangsik; Park, Jeong-Sun; Passerini, Stefano; Kim, Youngsik

2016-01-08

As existing battery technologies struggle to meet the requirements for widespread use in the field of large-scale energy storage, novel concepts are urgently needed concerning batteries that have high energy densities, low costs, and high levels of safety. Here, a novel eco-friendly energy storage system (ESS) using seawater and an ionic liquid is proposed for the first time; this represents an intermediate system between a battery and a fuel cell, and is accordingly referred to as a hybrid rechargeable cell. Compared to conventional organic electrolytes, the ionic liquid electrolyte significantly enhances the cycle performance of the seawater hybrid rechargeable system, acting as a very stable interface layer between the Sn-C (Na storage) anode and the NASICON (Na3 Zr2 Si2 PO12) ceramic solid electrolyte, making this system extremely promising for cost-efficient and environmentally friendly large-scale energy storage. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Thinking with friends

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Emmeche, Claus

2017-01-01

cognitive phenomenon, and bringing together observations and concepts from interdisciplinary studies of interpersonal relationships allows for a notion of relational attention to be developed. At least for some forms of friendships, the agents not merely attend to common interests; their perception...... is shared, mediated by the very relationship as an embodied activity of distributed cognition. An important example of this is collaboration in science and art, as when friends or colleagues work close together to solve problems or develop new forms of creative expression.......Can research in situated and embodied cognition inform the study of interpersonal relations like friendship? And conversely, can friendship studies from disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives inspire research in cognitive science? These are the guiding questions for this chapter. Compared...

Friends, Porn, and Punk: Sensation Seeking in Personal Relationships, Internet Activities, and Music Preference among College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Weisskirch, Robert S.; Murphy, Laurel C.

2004-01-01

One hundred thirty-eight college students completed a questionnaire assessing level of sensation seeking, number of close and casual friends, Internet usage, liking certain styles of music, and genre of music listened to most often. It was found that the number of casual and close friends was positively associated with sensation seeking.…

FY 1999 report on the potential survey of the environmentally friendly type coal utilization system. Potential survey of the environmentally friendly type coal utilization system in the Philippines; 1999 nendo chosa hokokusho. Kankyo chowa gata sekitan riyo system kanosei chosa (Firipin ni okeru kankyo chowa gata system kanosei chosa)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-03-01

For the purpose of contributing to working out a master plan for the introduction of the environmentally friendly type coal utilization system in the Philippines, analysis was made of the state of coal use/the state of spread by industry mostly including the electric power industry, cement industry and residential/commercial use fuel sector. In the Philippines, the amount of coal use has rapidly been increasing since coal-fired power plants started operation. For the promotion of the use of domestic coals, it is important to reform low grade coal. Moreover, the technology is required which copes with the reinforced regulation against SOx emissions. In the cement industry, coal and coal ash have not yet been effectively used. Therefore, the following measures should be taken to increase the competitive force: energy conservation measures, reinforcement of environmental measures such as dust prevention, and effective use of the fly ash emitted from power plants. In general households and small-/medium-sized industries such as tobacco drying, they still use a large amount of charcoals and firewood, which is approximately 86% of the residential/commercial use energy. There is a growing tendency for the development/spread of coal briquette as substituting energy. (NEDO)

Antisocial boys and their friends in early adolescence: relationship characteristics, quality, and interactional process.

Science.gov (United States)

Dishion, T J; Andrews, D W; Crosby, L

1995-02-01

This study examines the close friendships of early adolescent boys in relation to antisocial behavior. 186 13-14-year-old boys and their close friends were interviewed, assessed at school, and videotaped in a problem-solving task. Similarity was observed between the demographic characteristics and antisocial behavior of the boys and their close friends. There was a tendency for the close friends of antisocial boys to live within the same neighborhood block and to have met in unstructured, unsupervised activities. Direct observations of interactions with close friends revealed a reliable correlation between antisocial behavior, directives, and negative reciprocity. Positive interactions within the friendship were uncorrelated with antisocial behavior and relationship quality. Implications of these findings for clinical and developmental theory are discussed.

Radical Homemaking in Contemporary American Environmental Fiction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristin J. Jacobson

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Ursula K. Heise in ‘Ecocriticism and the Transnational Turn in American Studies’ critiques ‘the portrayal of multicultural and sometimes transnational nuclear families as the narrative solution to environmental and political problems’ (Heise, 2008: 383. This essay places Heise’s critique of the ‘ecological family romance’ in conversation with three other ecological domestic fictions: T. C. Boyle’s 'A Friend of the Earth' (2000, Jonathan Franzen’s 'Freedom' (2010, and Barbara Kingsolver’s 'Flight Behavior' (2012. Heise’s critique and Shannon Hayes’ 'Radical Homemakers' (2010 frame my close readings of the novels’ interconnected themes of radical homemaking, transnationalism, and environmentalism. My reading of the novels highlights their shared use of marginalized, racially-other characters to develop their entwined romantic and environmental plots (Lalitha in 'Freedom', several minor characters in 'A Friend of the Earth', and Ovid in 'Flight Behavior' and their use of sentimental deaths, especially of key female characters (Lalitha in Freedom, Sierra in A Friend of the Earth, and Dellarobia’s uncertain fate in Flight Behavior. By adopting the sentimental, domestic romance plot for ecological aims, the three novels highlight how environmental aims get stymied when cultural and ecological diversity are relegated to the margins. They also suggest that more is gained than lost through their use of ecological allegory. While the fictions do not offer solutions, they do push their readers to confront the Anthropocene’s ecological realities and their radical domestic-environmental politics.

Synthesis, characterization and evaluation cytotoxic activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized by Chinese herbal Cornus officinalis via environment friendly approach.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yangqing; Li, Xing; Wang, Ju; Yang, Qian; Yao, Binghua; Zhao, Yingjuan; Zhao, Aiming; Sun, Wenxing; Zhang, Qian

2017-12-01

Cornus officinalis has been widely used as a precious herb and as the tonic food to improve kidney function in China. Its fruits have been used in many traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions to treat kidney diseases, diabetes, cancer and shock. In this study, a new eco-friendly approach for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by using the fruits of Cornus officinalis aqueous extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The so-synthesized AgNPs showed quasi-spherical in shape with uniform dispersal and an average mean size of 11.7nm. Water soluble biomolecules such as flavonoids and/or anthocyanins from the extract played important roles in the nanoparticles formation. The AgNPs displayed distinctive cytotoxicity activities against human prostate cancer (PC-3) and human liver cancer (HepG2) cell lines. The results provided a low cost, nontoxic and eco-friendly approach for synthesizing metal nanoparticles to explore alternative anticancer agents on the way fighting against cancer in future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Natural gas: an environmental-friendly solution?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vermeire, J.

1994-01-01

Since 1970, the portion of natural gas in energy consumption in Western-Europe has grown by 6 percent per year on the average. About 20 percent of the energy demand in Western-Europe is now covered by natural gas. It is forecasted that this growth will continue at a rate of 2 percent per year until 2010. The natural gas consumption will increase from 325 billion cubic metres in 1993 to 450 billion cubic metres per year in 2010. For the coming 10 to 15 years, the natural gas demand is covered by long-term contracts with gas producing countries. From 2010 on, additional contracts, covering 70 to 120 billion cubic metres per year are required. A shift in geographic distribution of countries from which natural gas will be imported by Western-European countries is expected, which implies high investments and additional costs for transport and distribution of natural gas. Due to its qualities with respect to environmental impact, yield, availability, and advanced technology, natural gas is the energy vector of the 21 first century. (A.S.)

User friendly packaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Geert Jensen, Birgitte

2010-01-01

Most consumers have experienced occasional problems with opening packaging. Tomato sauce from the tinned mackerel splattered all over the kitchen counter, the unrelenting pickle jar lid, and the package of sliced ham that cannot be opened without a knife or a pair of scissors. The research project...... “User-friendly Packaging” aims to create a platform for developing more user-friendly packaging. One intended outcome of the project is a guideline that industry can use in development efforts. The project also points the way for more extended collaboration between companies and design researchers. How...... can design research help industry in packaging innovation?...

Earning capacity of environmentally friendly companies and social responsible investing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bjerk, Jan

2002-01-01

Firms on Dow Jones Sustainability Index yield over time the same return as the ''ordinary'' firms on the Dow Jones World Stock Index. There are several investment funds today that deal in shares with selected companies having a high environmental or ethical profile. This is Social Responsible Investing (SRI). When the Norwegian company Storebrand Kapitalforvaltning selects companies for SRI, they exclude immediately nuclear power stations, tobacco factories and manufacturers of land mines. In addition to the same return on invested capital, both investors and society get an environmental profit. The firms analysed and selected by Storebrand for SRI contributes significantly less negative environmental effects than the other firms, typically 33% less to the global heating and have on average 53% less toxic emissions and 45% less water consumption

75 FR 63851 - Draft Friends Organizations Policy

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-18

...] Draft Friends Organizations Policy AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior. ACTION... Service's mission through partnerships with Friends organizations (volunteer/advocate). Today, Friends organizations play a vital role in helping to fulfill the Service's mission of ``working with others, to...

SITO, Environmental Impact of Major Industrial Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazzini, M.; Oriolo, F.

1982-01-01

1 - Description of problem or function: SITO evaluates the impact of major industrial activities on the environment. The method applied accounts for the alterations of ecological, physico-chemical, aesthetical and social values caused by the development of the considered activity. Such values are usually considered as not quantifiable but very important for the quality of the environment. 2 - Method of solution: The territory affected by the industrial project is described in a one-dimensional (for example a coast development) or two-dimensional representation as a lattice of square meshes of equal size. A major feature of the model is that the impact factors are considered with reference to each single mesh. The following vectors and matrices are evaluated: a) Matrix of environmental quality characteristics. It is the product of the environmental quality index matrix and the vector of weighting factors. b) Vector of the initial environmental values. It is the sum of the columns of matrix (a). c) Matrix obtained when the environmental quality characteristics matrix is multiplied by the vector of project action factors, taking into account distance effects. d) Vector of the final environmental values. This is the sum of columns of matrix (c)

FAKIR: a user-friendly standard for decay heat and activity calculation of LWR fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pretesacque, P.; Nimal, J.C.; Huynh, T.D.; Zachar, M.

1993-01-01

The shipping casks owned by the transporters and the unloading and storage facilities are subjected by their design safety report to decay heat and activity limits. It is the responsibility of the consignor or the consignee to check the compliance of the fuel assemblies to the shipped or stored with regard to these limiting safety parameters. Considering the diversity of the parties involved in the transport and storage cycle, a standardization has become necessary. This has been achieved by the FAKIR code. The FAKIR development started in 1984 in collaboration between COGEMA, CEA-SERMA and NTL. Its main specifications were to be a user-friendly code, to use the contractual data given in the COGEMA transport and reprocessing sheet 1 as input, and to over-estimate decay heat and activity. Originally based on computerizable standards such as ANSI or USNRC, the FAKIR equations and data libraries are now based on the fully qualified PEPIN/APOLLO calculation codes. FAKIR is applicable to all patterns of irradiation histories, with burn up from 1000 MWd/TeU to 70.000 MWd/TeU and cooling times from 1 second to 100 years. (J.P.N.)

Radiation processing for environmental-friendly industrial applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majali, A.B.; Sabharwal, S.

1997-01-01

The Isotope Division of BARC is equipped with a 2-MeV electron beam (EB) accelerator and a 70,000 Ci Cobalt-60 source: these are mainly utilized to develop technologies of interest to our industries and needs. These include development of polyethylene 'O' rings having dimensional stability above the melting point, radiation degradation of PTFE and enhancement of colour in diamonds. The viscose rayon industry is an important industry in India. This industry faces stiff regulations from environmental pollution control agencies primarily due to the emission of toxic sulphur containing gases, and is in search of ways to reduce the pollution levels associated with the process. The irradiation of cellulose with ionizing radiation results in cellulose activation and reduction in the degree of polymerization (DP). There is a keen interest in utilizing radiation technology in viscose rayon production. We have utilized the 2-MeV electron beam accelerator for reducing the degree of polymerization (DP) of paper pulp. Laboratory scale tests have been carried out to standardize the conditions for processing of pulp having desired degree of polymerization. Our studies show that the use of irradiated pulp can significantly reduce the consumption of CS 2 and be beneficial in reducing pollution associated with the process. An electron-beam irradiation based process has been developed to convert the PTFE waste into a low molecular weight (1x10 4 -1x10 5 ) PTFE powder that can be easily processed into a fine micropowder having industrial demand. Even carbon or metal filled PTFE has been recycled using this process. The conventional method of crosslinking linear polymers by thermo-clinical method leads to the formation of homogeneously crosslinked materials which are extremely slow for industrial applications. Electron beam irradiation has been used to create inhomogeneous crosslinking of a temperature-sensitive polymer- poly(vinyl methyl ether)(PVME) so as to produce a fast response

Creation of an Innovation-Friendly Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Augustinas Maceika

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on identifying the methods useful for improving the process of creating an innovation ­friendly environment. For this purpose, conditions for innovation activity in industry were investigated, and the expert evaluation of the selected knowledge and the assessment of the importance of skills for the successful development of innovations were car­ ried out. The work referred to the analysis of the sources of scientific information, a sociological inquiry of the personnel of industrial enterprises, correlation analysis and expert evaluation. The study has found that for building the innovation ­friendly environment, knowledge of the psychology of creativity, personnel management, formation and implementation of the innova­ tion strategy, risk management, business development and sales organization are of a particular importance. Expert assessment has showed that abilities to work in a team, be an entrepreneur, use marketing tools, generate ideas and create new products play a crucial role in innovation development. A situation in industry companies has shown the currently existing various groups of employees with a different point of view on the surveyed parameter. Managers, workers, engineers and other staff have different opinions and knowledge, and therefore a well thought­out policy is required for wider innovative activities. The directives of such a policy must be available for everyone.

Mobile with renewable energy. Marketable solutions for climate-friendly electromobility; Erneuerbar mobil. Marktfaehige Loesungen fuer eine klimafreundliche Elektromobilitaet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-03-15

This publication presents the goals envisioned by the German Federal Environmental Ministry for electromobility, which are outlined by the four keywords clean, gentle, economic, and practical. It then reports on focal areas of state funding and on projects: field trials on electromobility in private automotive traffic; field trials on electromobility in commercial automotive traffic; hybrid busses for environmentally friendly public transport; accompanying scientific research; and battery recycling.

[Fostering LGBT-friendly healthcare services].

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Han-Ting; Chen, Mu-Hong; Ku, Wen-Wei

2015-02-01

LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) patients suffer from stigma and discrimination when seeking healthcare. A large LGBT healthcare survey revealed that 56% of gay patients and 70% of transgender patients suffered some type of discrimination while seeking healthcare in 2014. The fostering of LGBT-friendly healthcare services is not just an advanced step of gender mainstreaming but also a fulfillment of health equality and equity. Additionally, LGBT-friendly healthcare services are expected to provide new opportunities for healthcare workers. Therefore, proactive government policies, education, research, and clinical practice should all encourage the development of these healthcare services. We look forward to a well-developed LGBT-friendly healthcare system in Taiwan.

Preparation of Some Eco-friendly Corrosion Inhibitors Having Antibacterial Activity from Sea Food Waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussein, Mohamed H M; El-Hady, Mohamed F; Shehata, Hassan A H; Hegazy, Mohammad A; Hefni, Hassan H H

2013-03-01

Chitosan is one of the important biopolymers and it is extracted from exoskeletons of crustaceans in sea food waste. It is a suitable eco-friendly carbon steel corrosion inhibitor in acid media; the deacetylation degree of prepared chitosan is more than 85.16 %, and the molecular weight average is 109 kDa. Chitosan was modified to 2-N,N-diethylbenzene ammonium chloride N-oxoethyl chitosan (compound I), and 12-ammonium chloride N-oxododecan chitosan (compound II) as soluble water derivatives. The corrosion inhibition efficiency for carbon steel of compound (I) in 1 M HCl at varying temperature is higher than for chitosan and compound (II). However, the antibacterial activity of chitosan for Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans is higher than for its derivatives, and the minimum inhibition concentration and minimum bacterial concentration of chitosan and its derivatives were carried out with the same strain.

Selective leaching of Zn from spent alkaline batteries using environmentally friendly approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Maryam Sadeghi, S; Vanpeteghem, Guillaumme; Neto, Isabel F F; Soares, Helena M V M

2017-02-01

The main aim of this work was to evaluate the possibility of using microwave or ultrasound to assist the efficient and selective leaching of Zn from spent alkaline batteries and compare the results with those obtained using the conventional method. Two different strategies were applied: acid leaching of a washed residue and alkaline leaching of the original residue. In both (acid and alkaline) approaches, the use of microwave- or ultrasound-assisted leaching increased the extraction of Zn compared with the best results obtained using conventional leaching [acid leaching (1.5mol/L H 2 SO 4 , 3h, 80°C), 90% of Zn extracted; alkaline leaching (6mol/L NaOH, 3h, 80°C), 42% of Zn extracted]. With acid leaching, 94% of the Zn was extracted using microwave-assisted leaching (1 cycle, 30s, 1mol/L H 2 SO 4 ), and 92% of the Zn was extracted using ultrasound-assisted leaching (2min, 0.1p, 20% amplitude, 1mol/L H 2 SO 4 ). Ultrasound-assisted leaching resulted in a more selective (Zn/Mn ratio of 5.1) Zn extraction than microwave-assisted leaching (Zn/Mn ratio of 3.5); both processes generated a concentrated Zn solution (⩾18.7g/L) with a purity (83.3% and 77.7%, respectively) that was suitable for electrowinning. With alkaline leaching, microwave- (1 cycle, 3 min, 4mol/L NaOH) and ultrasound-assisted (14min, 0.1p, 20% amplitude, 4mol/L NaOH) leaching extracted about 80% of the Zn and less than 0.01% of the Mn, which resulted in lesser concentrated Zn solutions (approximately 16.5g/L) but with high purity (>99.5%) that was suitable for the recovery of Zn by precipitation. The microwave- and ultrasound-assisted leaching strategies used in this work proved to be efficient and environmentally-friendly approaches for the extraction of Zn from spent alkaline residues since a concentrated Zn solution with adequate purity for subsequent Zn recovery was obtained using significantly decreased leaching times and concentrations of chemicals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

Show me your friends and I will tell you what type of person you are: how own profile, number of friends, and type of friends influence impression formation on social network sites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Utz, S.

2010-01-01

This experiment examines how far extraversion of the target (self-generated information), extraversion of the target's friends (friends-generated information), and number of friends (system-generated information) influence the perceived popularity, communal orientation, and social attractiveness of

CH3NH3Pb1-xMgxI3 perovskites as environmentally friendly photovoltaic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Y. D.; Feng, J.

2018-01-01

In an effort to reduce the toxicity of Pb in perovskite solar cells, the band structures, electron and hole effective masses, and electronic and optical properties of the novel perovskites CH3NH3Pb1-xMgxI3 were predicted using density functional theory with the scalar relativistic generalized gradient approximation. The calculation results indicated that the introduction of the Mg component caused the band gaps of the CH3NH3Pb1-xMgxI3 compounds to exceed that of CH3NH3PbI3. The calculated absorption coefficients of the CH3NH3PbI3 and CH3NH3Pb1-xMgxI3 perovskites revealed that substituting 12.5 mol % of the Pb in CH3NH3PbI3 with Mg had little effect on the absorption ability. Surprisingly, it was also found that CH3NH3Pb0.75Mg0.25I3 retained up to 83% of the absorption performance relative to CH3NH3PbI3. This indicates that the amount of toxic Pb used in perovskite solar cells could be reduced by a quarter while retaining over 80% of the light-absorbing ability. In general, these novel CH3NH3Pb1-xMgxI3 (x ≤ 0.25) perovskites represent promising candidates for environmentally friendly light-harvesting materials for use in solar cells.

Quarterly Briefing Book on Environmental and Waste Management Activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, M.C.

1991-06-01

The purpose of the Quarterly Briefing Book on Environmental and Waste Management Activities is to provide managers and senior staff at the US Department of Energy-Richland Operations Office and its contractors with timely and concise information on Hanford Site environmental and waste management activities. Each edition updates the information on the topics in the previous edition, deletes those determined not to be of current interest, and adds new topics to keep up to date with changing environmental and waste management requirements and issues. Section A covers current waste management and environmental restoration issues. In Section B are writeups on national or site-wide environmental and waste management topics. Section C has writeups on program- and waste-specific environmental and waste management topics. Section D provides information on waste sites and inventories on the site. 15 figs., 4 tabs.

Quarterly Briefing Book on Environmental and Waste Management Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, M.C.

1991-06-01

The purpose of the Quarterly Briefing Book on Environmental and Waste Management Activities is to provide managers and senior staff at the US Department of Energy-Richland Operations Office and its contractors with timely and concise information on Hanford Site environmental and waste management activities. Each edition updates the information on the topics in the previous edition, deletes those determined not to be of current interest, and adds new topics to keep up to date with changing environmental and waste management requirements and issues. Section A covers current waste management and environmental restoration issues. In Section B are writeups on national or site-wide environmental and waste management topics. Section C has writeups on program- and waste-specific environmental and waste management topics. Section D provides information on waste sites and inventories on the site. 15 figs., 4 tabs

Hispanic Labor Friends Initiative: supporting vulnerable women.

Science.gov (United States)

Hazard, Cambria Jones; Callister, Lynn Clark; Birkhead, Ana; Nichols, Lisa

2009-01-01

To evaluate the qualitative aspects of the Hispanic Labor Friends Initiative. "Hispanic Labor Friends," bilingual Hispanic community women who were themselves mothers, were recruited by clinic and hospital personnel. Women who agreed were educated, received translation certification, and were oriented to the initiative. Pregnant Hispanic immigrant women seen in the health center who met criteria set by the multidisciplinary health care team were assigned a Hispanic Labor Friend by 32 weeks' gestation. Hispanic Labor Friends assisted women with communication with healthcare providers and provided social support. Qualitative evaluation of the program consisted of interviews with several groups: (1) Hispanic immigrant women who had a Hispanic Labor Friend, (2) Hispanic immigrant women who were not in the Hispanic Labor Friends program, (3) Hispanic Labor Friends, (4) healthcare providers for Hispanic women. Data saturation was reached, and data were analyzed by the research team using descriptive qualitative inquiry. The Hispanic immigrant women described positive outcomes from being involved in the Hispanic Labor Friends program, including feeling supported and comforted. "I felt as though my family were at my side." One woman who had standard care said, "It is hard for me to communicate. When I gave birth, the nurses asked me things, and I didn't understand anything. I stayed quiet." One of the nurses who was interviewed said: "I think they [the HLF patients] get better care. Sometimes we think we can communicate with them with their little bit of English and our little bit of Spanish. But you get an HLF and it's a totally different story. We can more adequately tell what's going on with them...They end up getting better care." One Hispanic Labor Friend said, "The women are very appreciative that I was there to help them through a critical time." Women who participated in the study identified the need to have a continuing association with Hispanic Labor Friends in

Reciprocal relationships between friends' and parental mediation of adolescents' media use and their sexual attitudes and behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikken, Peter; de Graaf, Hanneke

2013-11-01

Research has argued that adolescents are at risk for harmful effects of sexual media, but little is known about the role of parents and friends on adolescents' media use in regard of these effects. The present two-wave study investigated whether prior parental and friends' influences on adolescents' use of sexual media shape their sexual attitudes and behaviors, and vice versa if prior sexual attitudes and behaviors predict parental and friends' media mediation. At two measurement points 18 months apart, 528 adolescents (12-17 years; 51.3% girls) reported on permissive sexual attitudes, sexual experience, perceived parental and friends' mediation of sexual media use, and communication with parents and friends about sex. Structural Equation Modeling shows that parents' mediation activities on adolescents' media use were not followed by less sexual experience and less permissive attitudes. On the contrary, parental restrictive mediation of girls' media use unexpectedly was followed by somewhat more sexual experience. Friends' interventions with media use did not predict adolescents' sexual experience and attitudes neither. Inverse relationships showed that prior sexual experience was followed by less restrictive parental mediation among boys, and both among boys and girls that permissive sexual attitudes were followed by less restrictive and less active parental mediation. At the same time, sexually more experienced and more permissive boys and girls did report more media pressure from and sexual communication with their friends later on. Our study thus indicates that the opposite agent roles of parents and friends for adolescents also applies to their usage of sexual media.

Improved Eco-Friendly Recombinant Anabaena sp. Strain PCC7120 with Enhanced Nitrogen Biofertilizer Potential▿

Science.gov (United States)

Chaurasia, Akhilesh Kumar; Apte, Shree Kumar

2011-01-01

Photosynthetic, nitrogen-fixing Anabaena strains are native to tropical paddy fields and contribute to the carbon and nitrogen economy of such soils. Genetic engineering was employed to improve the nitrogen biofertilizer potential of Anabaena sp. strain PCC7120. Constitutive enhanced expression of an additional integrated copy of the hetR gene from a light-inducible promoter elevated HetR protein expression and enhanced functional heterocyst frequency in the recombinant strain. The recombinant strain displayed consistently higher nitrogenase activity than the wild-type strain and appeared to be in homeostasis with compatible modulation of photosynthesis and respiration. The enhanced combined nitrogen availability from the recombinant strain positively catered to the nitrogen demand of rice seedlings in short-term hydroponic experiments and supported better growth. The engineered strain is stable, eco-friendly, and useful for environmental application as nitrogen biofertilizer in paddy fields. PMID:21057013

Improved eco-friendly recombinant Anabaena sp. strain PCC7120 with enhanced nitrogen biofertilizer potential.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaurasia, Akhilesh Kumar; Apte, Shree Kumar

2011-01-01

Photosynthetic, nitrogen-fixing Anabaena strains are native to tropical paddy fields and contribute to the carbon and nitrogen economy of such soils. Genetic engineering was employed to improve the nitrogen biofertilizer potential of Anabaena sp. strain PCC7120. Constitutive enhanced expression of an additional integrated copy of the hetR gene from a light-inducible promoter elevated HetR protein expression and enhanced functional heterocyst frequency in the recombinant strain. The recombinant strain displayed consistently higher nitrogenase activity than the wild-type strain and appeared to be in homeostasis with compatible modulation of photosynthesis and respiration. The enhanced combined nitrogen availability from the recombinant strain positively catered to the nitrogen demand of rice seedlings in short-term hydroponic experiments and supported better growth. The engineered strain is stable, eco-friendly, and useful for environmental application as nitrogen biofertilizer in paddy fields.

Aluminium alloyed iron-silicide/silicon solar cells: A simple approach for low cost environmental-friendly photovoltaic technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar Dalapati, Goutam; Masudy-Panah, Saeid; Kumar, Avishek; Cheh Tan, Cheng; Ru Tan, Hui; Chi, Dongzhi

2015-12-03

This work demonstrates the fabrication of silicide/silicon based solar cell towards the development of low cost and environmental friendly photovoltaic technology. A heterostructure solar cells using metallic alpha phase (α-phase) aluminum alloyed iron silicide (FeSi(Al)) on n-type silicon is fabricated with an efficiency of 0.8%. The fabricated device has an open circuit voltage and fill-factor of 240 mV and 60%, respectively. Performance of the device was improved by about 7 fold to 5.1% through the interface engineering. The α-phase FeSi(Al)/silicon solar cell devices have promising photovoltaic characteristic with an open circuit voltage, short-circuit current and a fill factor (FF) of 425 mV, 18.5 mA/cm(2), and 64%, respectively. The significant improvement of α-phase FeSi(Al)/n-Si solar cells is due to the formation p(+-)n homojunction through the formation of re-grown crystalline silicon layer (~5-10 nm) at the silicide/silicon interface. Thickness of the regrown silicon layer is crucial for the silicide/silicon based photovoltaic devices. Performance of the α-FeSi(Al)/n-Si solar cells significantly depends on the thickness of α-FeSi(Al) layer and process temperature during the device fabrication. This study will open up new opportunities for the Si based photovoltaic technology using a simple, sustainable, and los cost method.

Does national scale economic and environmental indicators spur logistics performance? Evidence from UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Syed Abdul Rehman; Qianli, Dong

2017-12-01

The aim of this study is to examine the association between national economic and environmental indicators with green logistics performance in a time series data of UK since 1981 to 2016. The research used autoregressive distributed lag method to understand the long-run and short-run relationships of national scale economic (foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, per capita income) and environmental indicators (total greenhouse gases, fossil fuel, and renewable energy) on green logistics. In the short run, the research findings indicate that the green logistics and renewable energy have positive relationship, while fossil fuel is negatively correlated with green logistics operations. On the other hand, in the long run, the results show that FDI inflows, renewable energy sources, and per capita income have statistically significant and positive association with green logistics activities, while foreign investments attracted by environmental friendly policies and practices adopted in global logistics operations, which not only increase the environmental sustainability but also enhance economic activities with greater export opportunities in the region.

Properties of potential eco-friendly gas replacements for particle detectors in high-energy physics

Science.gov (United States)

Saviano, G.; Ferrini, M.; Benussi, L.; Bianco, S.; Piccolo, D.; Colafranceschi, S.; KjØlbro, J.; Sharma, A.; Yang, D.; Chen, G.; Ban, Y.; Li, Q.; Grassini, S.; Parvis, M.

2018-03-01

Gas detectors for elementary particles require F-based gases for optimal performance. Recent regulations demand the use of environmentally unfriendly F-based gases to be limited or banned. This work studies properties of potential eco-friendly gas replacements by computing the physical and chemical parameters relevant for use as detector media, and suggests candidates to be considered for experimental investigation.

Friend Effects and Racial Disparities in Academic Achievement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer Flashman

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Racial disparities in achievement are a persistent fact of the US educational system. An often cited but rarely directly studied explanation for these disparities is that adolescents from different racial and ethnic backgrounds are exposed to different peers and have different friends. In this article I identify the impact of friends on racial and ethnic achievement disparities. Using data from Add Health and an instrumental variable approach, I show that the achievement characteristics of youths’ friends drive friend effects; adolescents with friends with higher grades are more likely to increase their grades compared to those with lower-achieving friends. Although these effects do not differ across race/ethnicity, given differences in friendship patterns, if black and Latino adolescents had friends with the achievement characteristics of white students, the GPA gap would be 17 to 19 percent smaller. Although modest, this effect represents an important and often overlooked source of difference among black and Latino youth.

To friend or not to friend? Social networking and faculty perceptions of online professionalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Chretien, Katherine C; Farnan, Jeanne M; Greysen, S Ryan; Kind, Terry

2011-12-01

To assess faculty perceptions of professional boundaries and trainee-posted content on social networking sites (SNS). In June 2010, the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine conducted its annual survey of U.S. and Canadian member institutions. The survey included sections on demographics and social networking. The authors used descriptive statistics and tests of association to analyze the Likert scale responses and qualitatively analyzed the free-text responses. Of 110 institutional members, 82 (75%) responded to the survey. Of the 40 respondents who reported current or past SNS use, 21 (53%) reported receiving a "friend request" from a current student and 25 (63%) from a current resident. Of these, 4 (19%) accepted the student request and 12 (48%) accepted the resident request. Sixty-three of 80 (79%) felt it was inappropriate to send a friend request to a current student, 61 (76%) to accept a current student's request, 42 (53%) to become friends with a current resident, and 61 (81%) to become friends with a current patient. Becoming friends with a former student, former resident, or colleague was perceived as more appropriate. Younger respondents were less likely to deem specific student behaviors inappropriate (odds ratio [OR] 0.18-0.79; adjusted OR 0.12-0.86, controlling for respondents' sex, rank, and SNS use), although none reached statistical significance. Some internal medicine educators are using SNSs and interacting with trainees online. Their perceptions on the appropriateness of social networking behaviors provide some consensus for professional boundaries between faculty and trainees in the digital world.

Developing age-friendly cities: case studies from Brussels and Manchester and implications for policy and practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Buffel, Tine; McGarry, Paul; Phillipson, Chris; De Donder, Liesbeth; Dury, Sarah; De Witte, Nico; Smetcoren, An-Sofie; Verté, Dominique

2014-01-01

Developing environments responsive to the aspirations of older people has become a major concern for social and public policy. Policies and programs directed at achieving "age-friendly" communities are considered to require a wide range of interventions, including actions at the level of the social and physical environment. This article compares the age-friendly approaches of two European cities, Brussels and Manchester, with a particular focus on policies and initiatives that promote active aging in an urban context. The article examines, first, the demographic, social, and multicultural contexts of Brussels and Manchester; second, the way in which both cities became members of the World Health Organization Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities; third, similarities and differences in the age-friendly approaches and actions adopted by both cities; and fourth, opportunities and barriers to the implementation of age-friendly policies. The article concludes by discussing the key elements and resources needed to develop age-friendly cities.

An eco-friendly approach for sodium chloride free cotton dyeing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umer, T.

2014-01-01

Present study was conducted with an aim to develop an environmental friendly method of dyeing cotton as an alternative to standard reactive dyeing process that requires high level of salt. When dyeing was carried out in the absence of sodium chloride (NaCl), an extremely lighter depth of shade was experienced, and hence this particular research was focused on the reduction of the total colour difference (AE) to a minimum level. Instead of adding any other chemical or any additional process like cationization, salt-free reactive dyeing was carried out by varying three common process parameters (dyes, alkali, and process time) to achieve required depth of shade. The results obtained were compared with those of conventionally dyed fabrics in terms of depth of shade (AL), total colour difference (AE), washing fastness, and rubbing fastness. The results were found to be promising and comparable to those dyed with using NaCl. Moreover, the investigated method showed a significant reduction of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Electrical Conductivity (EC) in the wastewater, and thus proved to be an environment friendly process. (author)

Hanging Out with Which Friends? Friendship-Level Predictors of Unstructured and Unsupervised Socializing in Adolescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Siennick, Sonja E; Osgood, D Wayne

2012-12-01

Companions are central to explanations of the risky nature of unstructured and unsupervised socializing, yet we know little about whom adolescents are with when hanging out. We examine predictors of how often friendship dyads hang out via multilevel analyses of longitudinal friendship-level data on over 5,000 middle schoolers. Adolescents hang out most with their most available friends and their most generally similar friends, not with their most at-risk or similarly at-risk friends. These findings vary little by gender and wave. Together, the findings suggest that the risks of hanging out stem from the nature of hanging out as an activity, not the nature of adolescents' companions, and that hanging out is a context for friends' mutual reinforcement of pre-existing characteristics.

Control of heme synthesis during Friend cell differentiation: role of iron and transferrin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laskey, J.D.; Ponka, P.; Schulman, H.M.

1986-01-01

In many types of cells the synthesis of σ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) limits the rate of heme formation. However, results from this laboratory with reticulocytes suggest that the rate of iron uptake from 125 I-transferrin (Tf), rather than ALA synthase activity, limits the rate of heme synthesis in erythroid cells. To determine whether changes occur in iron metabolism and the control of heme synthesis during erythroid cell development Friend erythroleukemia cells induced to erythroid differentiation by dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) were studied. While added ALA stimulated heme synthesis in uninduced Friend cells (suggesting ALA synthase is limiting) it did not do so in induced cells. Therefore the possibility was investigated that, in induced cells, iron uptake from Tf limits and controls heme synthesis. Several aspects of iron metabolism were investigated using the synthetic iron chelator salicylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone (SIH). Both induced and uninduced Friend cells take up and utilize Fe for heme synthesis directly from Fe-SIH without the involvement of transferrin and transferrin receptors and to a much greater extent than from saturating levels or 59 Fe-Tf (20 μM). Furthermore, in induced Friend cells 100 μM Fe-SIH stimulated 2- 14 C-glycine incorporation into heme up to 3.6-fold as compared to the incorporation observed with saturating concentrations of Fe-Tf. These results indicate that some step(s) in the pathway of iron from extracellular Tf to protoporphyrin, rather than the activity of ALA synthase, limits and controls the overall rate of heme and possibly hemoglobin synthesis in differentiating Friend erythroleukemia cells

Baby-Friendly Practices Minimize Newborn Infants Weight Loss.

Science.gov (United States)

Procaccini, Diane; Curley, Ann L Cupp; Goldman, Martha

2018-04-01

It is accepted that newborns lose weight in the first few days of life. Baby-Friendly practices that support breastfeeding may affect newborn weight loss. The objective of this study were: 1) To determine whether Baby-Friendly practices are associated with term newborn weight loss day 0-2 in three feeding categories (exclusively breastfed, mixed formula fed and breastfed, and formula fed). 2) To determine whether Baby-Friendly practices increase exclusive breast feeding rates in different ethnic populations. This was a retrospective case-control study. Term newborn birth weight, neonatal weights days 0-2, feeding type, type of birth, and demographic information were collected for 1,000 births for the year before Baby-Friendly designation (2010) and 1,000 in 2013 (after designation). Ultimately 683 in the first group and 518 in the second met the inclusion criteria. Mean weight loss decreased day 0-2 for infants in all feeding types after the initiation of Baby-Friendly practices. There was a statistically significant effect of Baby-Friendly designation on weight loss for day 0-2 in exclusively breastfed infants (p Baby-Friendly practices were put in place. There was a decrease in mean weight loss day 0-2 regardless of feeding type after Baby-Friendly designation. Exclusive breast feeding increased in the presence of Baby-Friendly practices.

More Colleges Are Adding Family-Friendly Benefits

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Robin

2008-01-01

Results of a new survey of family-friendly benefits by the Center for the Education of Women at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor show that stopping the tenure clock has become the most common family-friendly benefit in higher education, following paid maternity leave. Other family-friendly policies that top the list in academe allow…

Age-friendly environments and life satisfaction among South Korean elders: person-environment fit perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sojung; Lee, Sangchul

2017-07-01

Drawing on the person-environment (P-E) fit perspective, this study examined the role of environment on the well-being of vulnerable older adults in a non-western context. Using the indicators from the World Health Organization's (WHO) framework for age friendly cities (ACF), we examined life satisfaction among South Korean older adults, exploring the extent to which multidimensional environmental characteristics are associated with low socioeconomic status (SES). Using the regionally representative data from the Seoul City-wide needs assessment of middle- and old-aged adults, an analytic sample (N = 1657) focused on community-living individuals aged 65 and older. Multilevel regression models examined interaction between SES subgroups and varying aspects of the environment (i.e. physical, social, and service environment) as related to life satisfaction. Consistent with the environmental docility hypothesis, members of the most vulnerable subgroup in the Korean context - older adults who are living alone and poor - are more likely to have higher life satisfaction when they have higher levels of support in physical and social environments. Interestingly, a higher level of support in the service environment was related to lower life satisfaction for this subgroup. This study provides an empirical foundation for efforts to identify age-friendly environmental characteristics as modifiable environmental resources that can improve older adults' psychological well-being. As the first attempt to use WHO ACF indicators within the P-E fit perspective in a non-Western context, our study provides a foundation for designing support services or programs that effectively meet the needs of vulnerable older adults.

Evaluation of Environmental Effects of Wave Energy Convertor Arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, C. A.

2015-12-01

Stakeholders and regulators in the U.S. are generally uncertain as to the potential environmental impacts posed by deployments of marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) devices, and in particular wave energy conversion (WEC) devices, in coastal waters. The first pilot-scale WEC deployments in the U.S. have had to absorb unsustainable costs and delays associated with permitting to get devices in the water. As such, there is an urgent industry need to streamline the technical activities and processes used to assess potential environmental impacts. To enable regulators and stakeholders to become more comfortable and confident with developing effective MHK environmental assessments, a better understanding of the potential environmental effects induced by arrays of WEC devices is needed. A key challenge in developing this understanding is that the assessment of the WEC effects must come prior to deployment. A typical approach in similar environmental assessments is to use numerical models to simulate the WEC devices and array layouts so that the appropriate environmental stressors and receptors can be identified and assessed. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the U.S. Department of Energy are fulfilling the industry-wide need to develop "WEC-friendly" open-source numerical modeling tools capable of assessing potential changes to the physical environment caused by the operation of WEC arrays. Studies using these tools will advance the nation's general knowledge of the interrelationships among the number, size, efficiency, and configuration of MHK arrays and the subsequent effects these relationships may have on the deployment environment. By better understanding these relationships, industry, stakeholders, and regulators will be able to work together to optimize WEC deployments such that environmental impacts are minimized while power output is maximized. The present work outlines the initial effort in coupling the SNL WEC-friendly tools with the environmental assessment

Process benchmarking for improvement of environmental restoration activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Celorie, J.A.; Selman, J.R.; Larson, N.B.

1995-01-01

A process benchmarking study was initiated by the Office of Environmental Management (EM) of the US Department of Energy (DOE) to analyze and improve the department's environmental assessment and environmental restoration (ER) processes. The purpose of this study was to identify specific differences in the processes and implementation procedures used at comparable remediation sites to determine best practices which had the greatest potential to minimize the cost and time required to conduct remedial investigation/ feasibility study (RI/FS) activities. Technical criteria were identified and used to select four DOE, two Department of Defense (DOD), and two Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) restoration sites that exhibited comparable characteristics and regulatory environments. By comparing the process elements and activities executed at the different sites for similar endpoints, best practices were identified for streamlining process elements and minimizing non-value-added activities. Critical measures that influenced process performance were identified and characterized for the sites. This benchmarking study focused on two processes and the internal/external review of documents and the development of the initial evaluation and data collection plan (IEDCP)--since these had a great potential for savings, a high impact on other processes, and a high probability for implementation

Environmental influences on food choice, physical activity and energy balance.

Science.gov (United States)

Popkin, Barry M; Duffey, Kiyah; Gordon-Larsen, Penny

2005-12-15

In this paper, the environment is defined as the macro- and community-level factors, including physical, legal and policy factors, that influence household and individual decisions. Thus, environment is conceived as the external context in which household and individual decisions are made. This paper reviews the literature on the ways the environment affects diet, physical activity, and obesity. Other key environmental factors discussed include economic, legal, and policy factors. Behind the major changes in diet and physical activity in the US and globally lie large shifts in food production, processing, and distribution systems as well as food shopping and eating options, resulting in the increase in availability of energy-dense foods. Similarly, the ways we move at home, work, leisure, and travel have shifted markedly, resulting in substantial reductions in energy expenditure. Many small area studies have linked environmental shifts with diet and activity changes. This paper begins with a review of environmental influences on diet and physical activity, and includes the discussion of two case studies on environmental influences on physical activity in a nationally representative sample of US adolescents. The case studies illustrate the important role of physical activity resources and the inequitable distribution of such activity-related facilities and resources, with high minority, low educated populations at strong disadvantage. Further, the research shows a significant association of such facilities with individual-level health behavior. The inequity in environmental supports for physical activity may underlie health disparities in the US population.

Speech Acts During Friends' and Non-friends' Spontaneous Conversations in Preschool Dyads with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder versus Typical Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauminger-Zviely, Nirit; Golan-Itshaky, Adi; Tubul-Lavy, Gila

2017-05-01

In this study, we videotaped two 10-min. free-play interactions and coded speech acts (SAs) in peer talk of 51 preschoolers (21 ASD, 30 typical), interacting with friend versus non-friend partners. Groups were matched for maternal education, IQ (verbal/nonverbal), and CA. We compared SAs by group (ASD/typical), by partner's friendship status (friend/non-friend), and by partner's disability status. Main results yielded a higher amount and diversity of SAs in the typical than the ASD group (mainly in assertive acts, organizational devices, object-dubbing, and pretend-play); yet, those categories, among others, showed better performance with friends versus non-friends. Overall, a more nuanced perception of the pragmatic deficit in ASD should be adopted, highlighting friendship as an important context for children's development of SAs.

Nordic Analysis of Climate Friendly Buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andresen, Inger; Thomsen, Kirsten Engelund; Wahlstrøm, Åsa

This report summarizes the findings of the work conducted within the project “Nordic Analysis of Climate Friendly Buildings”, financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The main goal of the project was to establish a knowledge and decision base for a Nordic innovation program that will promote...... the development and demonstration of low energy and climate friendly buildings. The innovation program should support a development that brings the Nordic countries to an international forefront with respect to business strongholds and market penetration of low energy and climate friendly buildings....

The Green Pages: Environmental Education Activities K-12.

Science.gov (United States)

Clearing, 1990

1990-01-01

Presented are 37 environmental science activities for students in grades K-12. Topics include water pollution, glaciers, protective coloration, shapes in nature, environmental impacts, recycling, creative writing, litter, shapes found in nature, color, rain cycle, waste management, plastics, energy, pH, landfills, runoff, watersheds,…

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN AND GREEN PURCHASING BEHAVIOR

OpenAIRE

Kasim Tatic; Merima Cinjarevic

2010-01-01

The aim of this paper was to establish the relationship between environmental concern and consumers’ green purchasing behavior. A survey instrument was developed that used scales to measure general environmental beliefs (HEP-NEP general environmental beliefs questions) and consumer’s intention to buy environmental friendly products. Data were collected from a convenient (non-probability sampling method) sample of 150 consumers in the Sarajevo region. The results indicated that significant pos...

Optimized Solvent for Energy-Efficient, Environmentally-Friendly Capture of CO{sub 2} at Coal-Fired Power Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farthing, G. A.; Rimpf, L. M.

2014-04-30

The overall goal of this project, as originally proposed, was to optimize the formulation of a novel solvent as a critical enabler for the cost-effective, energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly capture of CO{sub 2} at coal-fired utility plants. Aqueous blends of concentrated piperazine (PZ) with other compounds had been shown to exhibit high rates of CO{sub 2} absorption, low regeneration energy, and other desirable performance characteristics during an earlier 5-year development program conducted by B&W. The specific objective of this project was to identify PZ-based solvent formulations that globally optimize the performance of coal-fired power plants equipped with CO{sub 2} scrubbing systems. While previous solvent development studies have tended to focus on energy consumption and absorber size, important issues to be sure, the current work seeks to explore, understand, and optimize solvent formulation across the full gamut of issues related to commercial application of the technology: capital and operating costs, operability, reliability, environmental, health and safety (EH&S), etc. Work on the project was intended to be performed under four budget periods. The objective of the work in the first budget period has been to identify several candidate formulations of a concentrated PZ-based solvent for detailed characterization and evaluation. Work in the second budget period would generate reliable and comprehensive property and performance data for the identified formulations. Work in the third budget period would quantify the expected performance of the selected formulations in a commercial CO{sub 2} scrubbing process. Finally, work in the fourth budget period would provide a final technology feasibility study and a preliminary technology EH&S assessment. Due to other business priorities, however, B&W has requested that this project be terminated at the end of the first budget period. This document therefore serves as the final report for this project. It

Eco-friendly (green) synthesis of magnetically active gold nanoclusters

Science.gov (United States)

Kadasala, Naveen Reddy; Lin, Lu; Gilpin, Christopher; Wei, Alexander

2017-12-01

Au-FexOy composite nanoparticles (NPs) are of great technological interest due to their combined optical and magnetic properties. However, typical syntheses are neither simple nor ecologically friendly, creating a challenging situation for process scale-up. Here we describe conditions for preparing Au-FexOy NPs in aqueous solutions and at ambient temperatures, without resorting to solvents or amphiphilic surfactants with poor sustainability profiles. These magnetic gold nanoclusters (MGNCs) are prepared in practical yields with average sizes slightly below 100 nm, and surface plasmon resonances that extend to near-infrared wavelengths, and sufficient magnetic moment (up to 6 emu g-1) to permit collection within minutes by handheld magnets. The MGNCs also produce significant photoluminescence when excited at 488 nm. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis indicates a relatively even distribution of Fe within the MGNCs, as opposed to a central magnetic core.

Financial development and environmental quality: The way forward

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shahbaz, Muhammad; Shahzad, Syed Jawad Hussain; Ahmad, Nawaz; Alam, Shaista

2016-01-01

The present paper re-examines the asymmetric impact of financial development on environmental quality in Pakistan for the period 1985Q1 to 2014Q4. A comprehensive index of financial development is generated using Bank- and Stock market-based financial development indicators. The results show that inefficient use of energy adversely affects the environmental quality. This suggests adoption of energy efficient technology at both production and consumption levels. These technologies would be helpful to improve environmental quality, enhance the productivity in long-run and save energy. Bank-based financial development also impedes the environment. The government should encourage lenders to ease the funding for energy sector and allocate financial resources for environment friendly businesses rather than wasting them in consumer financing. - Highlights: • A positive shock in economic growth leads carbon emissions. • Energy consumption and financial development add in environmental degradation. • Financial resources should be allocated to environment friendly ventures.

Fashion design solutions for environmentally conscious consumers

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, M.; Chen, Y.; Curteza, A.; Thomassey, S.; Perwuelz, A.; Zeng, X.

2017-10-01

This paper intends to give an overview of the design solutions in fashion for environmentally conscious consumers, presenting green and ethical practices in contemporary clothing design. The results introduce the concept of slow fashion and discuss available fashion design solutions, giving most prominent examples of sustainable products and brands, these contain one or more design features. By this, the discussion extracts the main contemporary ideas. The presented examples of current offers are all envisioning less impact on the environment and society. Sustainable design solutions use more environmentally friendly materials such as organic cotton, incorporate circular design or design for recycling, e.g., replacing button closures with alternative closing possibilities or leather labels with printed versions, or ensure long product life through durability, among other methods. There are differing designs due to creators’ individuality. This overview can be beneficial for the future development of new solutions for more environmentally friendly fashion.

Achieving Child Friendly Justice through Child Friendly Methods: Let’s Start with the Right to Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helen Stalford

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Making the justice process ‘child friendly’ is a key priority for the children’s rights community. An abundance of commentary has been produced by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to highlight how justice proceedings can be made more accessible for children and, in 2010, the Council of Europe issued its comprehensive ‘Guidelines on Child Friendly Justice’. Despite these efforts, children remain ill-informed, not just about the nature of justice proceedings in which they may be implicated, but about the very existence and scope of their rights and how to enforce them. Despite unequivocal acknowledgement that the availability and accessibility of information is the crucial starting point in a children’s rights-based approach to dispensing justice, there has been surprisingly little attempt to scrutinise the availability, quality and accessibility of information about laws and policies affecting children. This article takes a closer look at what, exactly, ‘child friendly’ information means in practice. In doing so, we argue that attempts to develop child friendly information have yet to progress beyond adult-driven, largely tokenistic and superficial re-branding exercises. As such, efforts to develop child friendly resources are often of limited value in empowering young people to develop their legal literacy and realise their rights in practice. We reflect on our attempt to develop an explicitly children’s rights-based approach to the development of child friendly resources with a view to enhancing their purchase. This took place in the context of a pilot project, commissioned by the Council of Europe in June 2014, to create a child friendly version of their Child Friendly Justice Guidelines.

Youth friendly communication in a transition clinic aimed at adolescents with chronic illness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hanghøj, Signe; Boisen, Kirsten A; Schmiegelow, Kjeld

2018-01-01

, recognition, examples, asking for the adolescents' own expert knowledge and the décor. The health professionals actively negotiated power. Conclusion Positionings and linguistic tools were inspired by youth friendly tools including the HEADS (Home Education/Eating Activities Drugs Sex/Safety/Self harm...

User-Friendly Predictive Modeling of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Fluxes and Carbon Storage in Tidal Wetlands

Science.gov (United States)

Ishtiaq, K. S.; Abdul-Aziz, O. I.

2015-12-01

We developed user-friendly empirical models to predict instantaneous fluxes of CO2 and CH4 from coastal wetlands based on a small set of dominant hydro-climatic and environmental drivers (e.g., photosynthetically active radiation, soil temperature, water depth, and soil salinity). The dominant predictor variables were systematically identified by applying a robust data-analytics framework on a wide range of possible environmental variables driving wetland greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes. The method comprised of a multi-layered data-analytics framework, including Pearson correlation analysis, explanatory principal component and factor analyses, and partial least squares regression modeling. The identified dominant predictors were finally utilized to develop power-law based non-linear regression models to predict CO2 and CH4 fluxes under different climatic, land use (nitrogen gradient), tidal hydrology and salinity conditions. Four different tidal wetlands of Waquoit Bay, MA were considered as the case study sites to identify the dominant drivers and evaluate model performance. The study sites were dominated by native Spartina Alterniflora and characterized by frequent flooding and high saline conditions. The model estimated the potential net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) both in gC/m2 and metric tonC/hectare by up-scaling the instantaneous predicted fluxes to the growing season and accounting for the lateral C flux exchanges between the wetlands and estuary. The entire model was presented in a single Excel spreadsheet as a user-friendly ecological engineering tool. The model can aid the development of appropriate GHG offset protocols for setting monitoring plans for tidal wetland restoration and maintenance projects. The model can also be used to estimate wetland GHG fluxes and potential carbon storage under various IPCC climate change and sea level rise scenarios; facilitating an appropriate management of carbon stocks in tidal wetlands and their incorporation into a

Nuclear technology for sustainable development and FNCA activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Machi, Sueo

2004-01-01

Nuclear techniques have been contributing to sustainable development and human welfare through their applications in agriculture, health care, food supply, industry, water resources and environmental conservation. Nuclear techniques are more advantageous and/or complementary with other techniques to achieve goals. For many applications nuclear technique is more environmentally friendly because it does not need chemical agents to induce necessary reactions. This paper also illustrates successful applications of nuclear techniques and activities of the regional nuclear cooperation in Asia, FNCA (Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia) to achieve common goals with limited resources. (author)

The new heating. Environmental-friendly and effectively heating with natural gas, wood, electricity and solar power; Die neue Heizung. Umweltfreundlich und wirtschaftlich heizen mit Gas, Holz, Strom und Sonnenenergie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schulz, Marion; Westkaemper, Hubert

2013-02-01

Comfortable, climate-friendly and cost-effective heating technologies inclusive preparation of hot water and ventilation systems: Which technology is the best, most economical and most environmental one? Which fuel is economic as well as assured of a good future, if a new building or an energetically retrofitted old building is equipped with a heating system? These are the key issues for the house owners / building owners, planners, consultants and craftsmen. The book under consideration tries to answer these questions. Construction, planning benchmark figures and operational areas of modern heating technologies are described. The costs, the environmental pollutions and the economic efficiency of the most important systems are compared. The book contains hints on the decisive details of modern, energy saving system engineering including hot water preparation and ventilation technology. This handbook is suited for the selection and planning of energy saving and future-oriented heating systems.

Analysis of the environmental impact generated by nuclear activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazar, Roxana Elena; Dumitrescu, Maria

2000-01-01

Assessment of environmental impact represents one of the most formalized examples of interdisciplinary approach. After more then a century from the introduction of the concept of environmental impact assessment, this undertaking still represents an amalgamation of mini-studies based on pre-determined approaches rather than a genuine integrated document. This work presents the most important and adequate techniques of analysis of environmental impact generated by nuclear activities starting from identification of the events causing negative effects upon environment (by using checking list, the matrices and the cause-effect diagram) and radiation dose determination up to the decision making process. To preserve environment integrity the human factor should be re-evaluated as well as its active participation in formation and settling of an real environmental culture

Environmental tools in product development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wenzel, Henrik; Hauschild, Michael Zwicky; Jørgensen, Jørgen

1994-01-01

A precondition for design of environmentally friendly products is that the design team has access to methods and tools supporting the introduction of environmental criteria in product development. A large Danish program, EDIP, is being carried out by the Institute for Product Development, Technical...... University of Denmark, in cooperation with 5 major Danish companies aiming at the development and testing of such tools. These tools are presented in this paper...

The importance of message framing for providing information about sustainability and environmental aspects of energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van de Velde, Liesbeth; Verbeke, Wim; Van Huylenbroeck, Guido [Department of Agricultural Economics, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent (Belgium); Popp, Michael [Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Arkansas, 217 Agriculture Building, Fayetteville, AR 72701 (United States)

2010-10-15

With a looming energy crisis, energy conservation and attention to environmental problems are warranted. The transport sector experiences great challenges to introduce more environmental friendly renewable energy like biofuels. The majority of the Belgian people are asking for more information about this issue. Because individuals are sensitive to how information is presented, the choice of the message frame can significantly influence attitudes and behavioural intention. Because of the strengthening effect on both concern and PCE, our findings suggest that for the prevention of energy and environmental problems and the promotion of a more sustainable and environmental friendly energy consumption not the gravity of these problems and the possible disadvantages but the possibilities to overcome these problems (e.g. reduction of energy use, environmental friendly energy sources) have to be stressed. Men, higher educated people, people between 35 and 54 years old and people with the most pro-environmental attitude are less affected by the message frame, while the choice of the frame is more important when addressing women, people younger than 35 and older than 55 years, lower educated and less pro-environmental people. (author)

The importance of message framing for providing information about sustainability and environmental aspects of energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van de Velde, Liesbeth; Verbeke, Wim; Popp, Michael; Van Huylenbroeck, Guido

2010-01-01

With a looming energy crisis, energy conservation and attention to environmental problems are warranted. The transport sector experiences great challenges to introduce more environmental friendly renewable energy like biofuels. The majority of the Belgian people are asking for more information about this issue. Because individuals are sensitive to how information is presented, the choice of the message frame can significantly influence attitudes and behavioural intention. Because of the strengthening effect on both concern and PCE, our findings suggest that for the prevention of energy and environmental problems and the promotion of a more sustainable and environmental friendly energy consumption not the gravity of these problems and the possible disadvantages but the possibilities to overcome these problems (e.g. reduction of energy use, environmental friendly energy sources) have to be stressed. Men, higher educated people, people between 35 and 54 years old and people with the most pro-environmental attitude are less affected by the message frame, while the choice of the frame is more important when addressing women, people younger than 35 and older than 55 years, lower educated and less pro-environmental people.

Study questions environmental impact of fuel-cell vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Stafford, Ned

2015-09-01

Fuel-cell electric vehicles are seen by many as an environmentally friendly technology that can reduce greenhousegas emissions by producing no harmful emissions. But a new study has found that overall a fuel cell electric vehicle has about the same negative environmental impact as a luxury sports car.

Development of environmental-friendly wire and cable

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ueno, Keiji

1996-01-01

The electron beam technology has been used in many industrial fields as a method of conventional polymer modification or optimum processability. The main industrial fields of radiation crosslinking are wire and cable, heat shrinkable tubings, plastic foams, precuring of tires, floppy disk curing, foods packaging films, and so on. The radiation crosslinking of wire and cable was started in 1961 in Japan and 15 wire and cable companies are now using electron beam accelerators for production or R and D. The dominant characteristics of crosslinking of insulation materials are application at high temperature, good oil and chemical resistibility and high mechanical properties. These radiation crosslinking wire and cable are applied widely in electronics equipments and automobiles. Recently, electronics manufacturers have indicated deep concern over the effects on the environment. Wire and cable also are required to be applicable for environmental preservation. (J.P.N.)

Parental influences on memories of parents and friends.

Science.gov (United States)

Tani, Franca; Bonechi, Alice; Peterson, Carole; Smorti, Andrea

2010-01-01

The authors evaluated the role parent-child relationship quality has on two types of memories, those of parents and those of friends. Participants were 198 Italian university students who recalled memories during 4 separate timed memory-fluency tasks about their preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school and university years. Half were instructed to recall memories involving parents and the remainder memories involving friends. Moreover, parent-child relationships were assessed by the Network of Relationships Inventory (NRI; W. Furman & D. Buhrmester, 1985) and Adolescents' Report of Parental Monitoring (D. M. Capaldi & G. R. Patterson, 1989). Results showed that men with positive parent-son relationships had more memories of parents and more affectively positive memories of friends, supporting a consistency model positing similarity between parent-child relationships and memories of friends. Women with positive parental relationship quality had more affectively positive memories of parents but for friends, positive relationship quality only predicted positive memories when young. At older ages, especially middle school-aged children, negative parent-daughter relationships predicted more positive memories of friends, supporting a compensatory model. The gender of parent also mattered, with fathers having a more influential role on affect for memories of friends.

Soft antimicrobial agents: synthesis and activity of labile environmentally friendly long chain quaternary ammonium compounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Thorsteinsson, Thorsteinn; Másson, Már; Kristinsson, Karl G; Hjálmarsdóttir, Martha A; Hilmarsson, Hilmar; Loftsson, Thorsteinn

2003-09-11

A series of soft quaternary ammonium antimicrobial agents, which are analogues to currently used quaternary ammonium preservatives such as cetyl pyridinium chloride and benzalkonium chloride, were synthesized. These soft analogues consist of long alkyl chain connected to a polar headgroup via chemically labile spacer group. They are characterized by facile nonenzymatic and enzymatic degradation to form their original nontoxic building blocks. However, their chemical stability has to be adequate in order for them to have antimicrobial effects. Stability studies and antibacterial and antiviral activity measurements revealed relationship between activity, lipophilicity, and stability. Their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was as low as 1 microg/mL, and their viral reduction was in some cases greater than 6.7 log. The structure-activity studies demonstrate that the bioactive compounds (i.e., MIC for Gram-positive bacteria of <10 microg/mL) have an alkyl chain length between 12 and 18 carbon atoms, with a polar headgroup preferably of a small quaternary ammonium group, and their acquired inactivation half-life must be greater than 3 h at 60 degrees C.

Eco friendly expectations and limitations in daycare