Governance and the making and breaking of social-ecological traps

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dana M. Baker

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have areas of significant ecological importance that overlap with pressing development needs and high levels of natural resource dependence. This makes the design of effective natural resource governance and management systems both challenging and critical. In Ghana, this challenge is made more complex by the necessity of connecting formal, state-led systems of governance with Ghana's informal governance systems through which customary authorities exert considerable control over land and resources. We present findings from two multimethod research projects in two regions of Ghana that have significant issues related to resource exploitation and that have experienced extensive management interventions. The goals of the research were to characterize the social-ecological traps from a local perspective, to describe how governance and management structures interact with and relate to those traps, and to discuss the strategies used and challenges encountered when community-based natural resource management initiatives seek to reverse persistent social-ecological traps. In both case studies, participants described persistent cycles of resource dependence, overexploitation, and unsustainable land-use practices, which are exacerbated by illegal logging, intensive agricultural development, and population growth. Findings highlight how natural resource management is constrained by a lack of capacity to implement and enforce state policies, ongoing tension between customary and state institutions, and ambiguity regarding management responsibility and resource tenure. Interventions included targeted governance reform that centred on improving linkages between customary and state institutions, new and nonlocal actors, and complementary investments in capacity building and training. We conclude with a discussion of implications for the design of effective natural resource governance regimes in Ghana and beyond.

Integration of ecological-biological thresholds in conservation decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Mavrommati, Georgia; Bithas, Kostas; Borsuk, Mark E; Howarth, Richard B

2016-12-01

In the Anthropocene, coupled human and natural systems dominate and only a few natural systems remain relatively unaffected by human influence. On the one hand, conservation criteria based on areas of minimal human impact are not relevant to much of the biosphere. On the other hand, conservation criteria based on economic factors are problematic with respect to their ability to arrive at operational indicators of well-being that can be applied in practice over multiple generations. Coupled human and natural systems are subject to economic development which, under current management structures, tends to affect natural systems and cross planetary boundaries. Hence, designing and applying conservation criteria applicable in real-world systems where human and natural systems need to interact and sustainably coexist is essential. By recognizing the criticality of satisfying basic needs as well as the great uncertainty over the needs and preferences of future generations, we sought to incorporate conservation criteria based on minimal human impact into economic evaluation. These criteria require the conservation of environmental conditions such that the opportunity for intergenerational welfare optimization is maintained. Toward this end, we propose the integration of ecological-biological thresholds into decision making and use as an example the planetary-boundaries approach. Both conservation scientists and economists must be involved in defining operational ecological-biological thresholds that can be incorporated into economic thinking and reflect the objectives of conservation, sustainability, and intergenerational welfare optimization. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

VALUE OF ECOLOGIC COMPONENT IN FOREST MANAGEMENT DECISION MAKING. CASE STUDY: FORESTS ADJACENT TO BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Valentina RADULESCU

2016-06-01

Full Text Available To say environment management is, nowadays, of outmost importance for any ecosystem concerned in an understatement; nevertheless, in Romania, especially – as least, since the present paper analyses Romanian ecologic statu quo – improving forest management, so to speak, in Romania, is all the more important, since social and economic decisionmaking as to forests (e.g. forests close to Romania’s capital, Bucharest includes necessarily an ecologic component. The main issue is how to make this component as visible and important as posible, without simultaneously reducing the economic and social components.

WTO approves TRIPS amendment on importing under compulsory licensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Herget, Greg

2006-04-01

On 6 December 2005, the World Trade Organization (WTO) amended the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement to allow WTO member states to produce, under compulsory licences, lower-cost generic pharmaceutical products for export to countries that lack domestic production capacity to make such products. The amendment makes permanent the previous decision of 30 August 2003, which has not yet proven to be an effective mechanism to encourage the supply of more affordable medicines and other pharmaceutical products to countries in need.

The draft Mission Plan Amendment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gale, R.W.

1987-01-01

The draft Mission Plan Amendment provides an opportunity for States and Indian Tribes and other involved parties to participate in a process that no other nation affords its citizens. More than just a comment period on a Department of Energy document, the amendment that is to be submitted later this year will lay before Congress, the documentary basis on which to make decisions about the scope and timing of the high-level waste program in what Secretary Herrington has called a ''crossroads'' years. The Amendment will distill the view of the participants and also preset them to Congress as an integral part of the document. After four years of effort, the Nation is being afforded an opportunity to ask itself again whether the Act passed in 1982 is working and remains the best way to protect the public interest

Studying the neurobiology of human social interaction: Making the case for ecological validity.

Science.gov (United States)

Hogenelst, Koen; Schoevers, Robert A; aan het Rot, Marije

2015-01-01

With this commentary we make the case for an increased focus on the ecological validity of the measures used to assess aspects of human social functioning. Impairments in social functioning are seen in many types of psychopathology, negatively affecting the lives of psychiatric patients and those around them. Yet the neurobiology underlying abnormal social interaction remains unclear. As an example of human social neuroscience research with relevance to biological psychiatry and clinical psychopharmacology, this commentary discusses published experimental studies involving manipulation of the human brain serotonin system that included assessments of social behavior. To date, these studies have mostly been laboratory-based and included computer tasks, observations by others, or single-administration self-report measures. Most laboratory measures used so far inform about the role of serotonin in aspects of social interaction, but the relevance for real-life interaction is often unclear. Few studies have used naturalistic assessments in real life. We suggest several laboratory methods with high ecological validity as well as ecological momentary assessment, which involves intensive repeated measures in naturalistic settings. In sum, this commentary intends to stimulate experimental research on the neurobiology of human social interaction as it occurs in real life.

Ecological function as a target for ecosystem-based management: Defining when change matters in decision making

Science.gov (United States)

Ecosystem-based management (EBM) accounts for both direct and indirect drivers of ecological change for decision making. Just as with direct management of a resource, EBM requires a definition of management thresholds that define when change in function is sufficient to merit ma...

Post-ecological discourse in the making.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeyer, Albert; Roth, Wolff-Michael

2013-01-01

This article analyses the discourse of 15- to16-year-old Swiss junior high school students in order to understand public discourse on the environment and environmental protection. Discourse analysis reveals four interpretive repertoires as the building blocks for the so-called post-ecological discourse, which can be used to describe important aspects of current ways of talking about ecological issues in Europe. We show that 10 theoretically identifiable dimensions of this discourse can be understood in terms of a mutual interplay between the four interpretive repertoires. Post-ecological discourse in today's (Swiss) society appears to be at its core a loss-of-control-discourse, which leads (in our students) to a latent eco-depression. Thus, the public understanding of science can be affected by unintended consequences of the talk itself (in this case an unintended environmental depression), that is, by the inherent characteristics of the involved repertoires, here especially the so-called folk science repertoire. Fostering public understanding of science is thus not merely a question of providing the public with scientific 'facts'. It is also an issue of paying attention to the available discursive repertoires. If necessary, viable alternative repertoires may have to be offered. In school, for example, conversations about the nature of science, and about complexity and applied ethics might help students learn new interpretive repertoires and how to mobilize these in talking about the environment and environmental protection.

Linking science and decision making to promote an ecology for the city: practices and opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan Grove; Daniel L. Childers; Michael Galvin; Sarah J. Hines; Tischa Munoz-Erickson; Erika S. Svendsen

2016-01-01

To promote urban sustainability and resilience, there is an increasing demand for actionable science that links science and decision making based on social–ecological knowledge. Approaches, frameworks, and practices for such actionable science are needed and have only begun to emerge. We propose that approaches based on the co- design and co- production of knowledge...

Mass Media and the First Amendment

Science.gov (United States)

Hanks, William E.

1975-01-01

Discusses five Supreme Court decisions that relate to the First Amendment and freedom of the press. Includes small group decision-making exercises and discussion questions focusing on these interpretations for use in a college speech communication class. (MH)

Using ecological production functions to link ecological ...

Science.gov (United States)

Ecological production functions (EPFs) link ecosystems, stressors, and management actions to ecosystem services (ES) production. Although EPFs are acknowledged as being essential to improve environmental management, their use in ecological risk assessment has received relatively little attention. Ecological production functions may be defined as usable expressions (i.e., models) of the processes by which ecosystems produce ES, often including external influences on those processes. We identify key attributes of EPFs and discuss both actual and idealized examples of their use to inform decision making. Whenever possible, EPFs should estimate final, rather than intermediate, ES. Although various types of EPFs have been developed, we suggest that EPFs are more useful for decision making if they quantify ES outcomes, respond to ecosystem condition, respond to stressor levels or management scenarios, reflect ecological complexity, rely on data with broad coverage, have performed well previously, are practical to use, and are open and transparent. In an example using pesticides, we illustrate how EPFs with these attributes could enable the inclusion of ES in ecological risk assessment. The biggest challenges to ES inclusion are limited data sets that are easily adapted for use in modeling EPFs and generally poor understanding of linkages among ecological components and the processes that ultimately deliver the ES. We conclude by advocating for the incorporation into E

Emerging Beliefs Frustrate Ecological Literacy and Meaning-Making for Students

Science.gov (United States)

Fleischer, Stuart

2011-01-01

In their treatise, Mitchell and Mueller extend David Orr's notions of ecological literacy (2005) to include biophilia (Wilson "1984") and ecojustice (Mueller "2009"). In his writings, David Orr claims that the US is in an "ecological crisis" and that this stems from a crisis of education. The authors outline Orr's theory of ecological literacy as…

Overview: Microbial amendment of remediated soils for effective recycling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kim Soo-Bin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, various methods are being considered with appropriate amendments, not with conventional reclamation to recycle deteriorated soils after remediation as agricultural addition, backfilling and construction materials etc. Among these amendments, microbial amendments with effective microorganism(EMs are known to improve soil qualities such as fertility, strength and toxicity to be recycled into possible utilizations. This study indicates the possibility of recycling the remediated soils by using these EMs most efficiently. Soil samples will be collected from contaminated sites with either heavy metals or petroleum and will be remediated by bench-scale soil washing and thermal desorption. And then the remediated soils will be treated with easily obtainable inocula, substrates (culture media near our life and they are compared with commercial EM products in terms of the cost and efficiency. Also, after treating with a number of mixing ratios, soil properties of (1 fresh, (2 contaminated, (3 remediated (4 amended soils will be evaluated based on soil quality indicators depending on demands and the optimal mixing ratios which are effective than commercial EM products will be determined. The ratio derived from pre-tests could be applied on the remediated soils with pilot-scale in order to assess suitability for recycling and characterize correlation between soil properties and microbial amendments regarding contaminants and remediation, and furthermore for modelling. In conclusion, application of the established models on recycling remediated soils may help to dispose the remediated soils in future, including environmental and ecological values as well as economical values.

Ecological dynamics of continuous and categorical decision-making: the regatta start in sailing.

Science.gov (United States)

Araújo, Duarte; Davids, Keith; Diniz, Ana; Rocha, Luis; Santos, João Coelho; Dias, Gonçalo; Fernandes, Orlando

2015-01-01

Ecological dynamics of decision-making in the sport of sailing exemplifies emergent, conditionally coupled, co-adaptive behaviours. In this study, observation of the coupling dynamics of paired boats during competitive sailing showed that decision-making can be modelled as a self-sustained, co-adapting system of informationally coupled oscillators (boats). Bytracing the spatial-temporal displacements of the boats, time series analyses (autocorrelations, periodograms and running correlations) revealed that trajectories of match racing boats are coupled more than 88% of the time during a pre-start race, via continuous, competing co-adaptions between boats. Results showed that both the continuously selected trajectories of the sailors (12 years of age) and their categorical starting point locations were examples of emergent decisions. In this dynamical conception of decision-making behaviours, strategic positioning (categorical) and continuous displacement of a boat over the course in match-race sailing emerged as a function of interacting task, personal and environmental constraints. Results suggest how key interacting constraints could be manipulated in practice to enhance sailors' perceptual attunement to them in competition.

The fetus as person: Possible legal consequences of the Hogan-Helms Amendment.

Science.gov (United States)

Pilpel, H F

1974-01-01

This article enumerates the possible legal questions that would have to be faced should the Hogan-Helms amendment to the U.S. Constitution be passed. The purpose of the amendment is to make all abortions illegal; the fetus is defined as a human being "from the moment of conception." Beyond the problems of defing the "moment of conception" and of the amendment increasing the number of abortions performed illegally, dangerously, and expensively, the passing of the amendment would result in chaos in terms of constitutional law, criminal law, tort law, laws of property and inheritance, tax questions, immigration, and naturalization laws.

34 CFR 5b.7 - Procedures for correction or amendment of records.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... necessary to accomplish a Department function. A subject individual making a request to amend or correct his... official's decision on the request within that 10 day period. (c) If the responsible Department official... correction, amendment, or deletion and, if accounting was made of prior disclosures of the record, all...

45 CFR 5b.7 - Procedures for correction or amendment of records.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... making a request to amend or correct his record shall address his request to the responsible Department... informed of the responsible Department official's decision on the request within that 10 day period. (c) If... individual will be informed in writing of the correction, amendment, or deletion and, if accounting was made...

Ecological Risk Assessment of Genetically Modified Higher Plants (GMHP)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjær, C.; Damgaard, C.; Kjellsson, G.

Preface This publication is a first version of a manual identifying the data needs for ecological risk assessment of genetically modified higher plants (GMHP). It is the intention of the authors to stimulate further discussion of what data are needed in order to conduct a proper ecological risk...... of the project Biotechnology: elements in environmental risk assessment of genetically modified plants. December 1999 Christian Kjær Introduction In ecological risk assessment of transgenic plants, information on a wide range of subjects is needed for an effective and reliable assessment procedure...... in the amendment to the directive. This report suggests a structured way to identify the type of data needed to perform a sound ecological risk assessment for genetically modified higher plants (GMHP). The identified data types are intended to support the evaluation of the following risks: risk of invasion...

A systematic approach for watershed ecological restoration strategy making: An application in the Taizi River Basin in northern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mengdi; Fan, Juntao; Zhang, Yuan; Guo, Fen; Liu, Lusan; Xia, Rui; Xu, Zongxue; Wu, Fengchang

2018-05-15

Aiming to protect freshwater ecosystems, river ecological restoration has been brought into the research spotlight. However, it is challenging for decision makers to set appropriate objectives and select a combination of rehabilitation acts from numerous possible solutions to meet ecological, economic, and social demands. In this study, we developed a systematic approach to help make an optimal strategy for watershed restoration, which incorporated ecological security assessment and multi-objectives optimization (MOO) into the planning process to enhance restoration efficiency and effectiveness. The river ecological security status was evaluated by using a pressure-state-function-response (PSFR) assessment framework, and MOO was achieved by searching for the Pareto optimal solutions via Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) to balance tradeoffs between different objectives. Further, we clustered the searched solutions into three types in terms of different optimized objective function values in order to provide insightful information for decision makers. The proposed method was applied in an example rehabilitation project in the Taizi River Basin in northern China. The MOO result in the Taizi River presented a set of Pareto optimal solutions that were classified into three types: I - high ecological improvement, high cost and high benefits solution; II - medial ecological improvement, medial cost and medial economic benefits solution; III - low ecological improvement, low cost and low economic benefits solution. The proposed systematic approach in our study can enhance the effectiveness of riverine ecological restoration project and could provide valuable reference for other ecological restoration planning. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Religion and Politics: The Intentions of the Authors of the First Amendment.

Science.gov (United States)

Malbin, Michael J.

The author demonstrates why he thinks the Supreme Court has misinterpreted the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." The author claims that the Supreme Court, based on flawed reading of the…

Testing the ecological site group concept

Science.gov (United States)

The 2016 “Ecological Sites for Landscape Management” special issue of Rangelands recommended an update to our thinking of Ecological Sites, suggesting that in our desire to make Ecological Sites more quantitative, we abandoned consideration of Ecological Sites’ spatial context. In response, Ecologic...

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 - Implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radford, N.D. Jr.

1991-01-01

On November 15, 1991 the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 were signed into law. The Amendments include eleven titles. They are: Title I specifies the requirements for attainment and maintenance of the national ambient air quality standards; Title II provides for more stringent motor vehicle emission limits and cleaner vehicle fuels; Title III addresses the release of air toxics; Title IV creates an acid deposition control program; Title V imposes a new comprehensive operating permit system for stationary sources; Title VI provides for stratospheric ozone protection; Title VII imposes increased civil and criminal penalties and liability; Title VIII contains miscellaneous provisions. Title IX provides for air quality research projects; Title X directs the EPA to make ten percent of research funds available to disadvantaged businesses; and Title XI amends the Job Training Partnership Act

31 CFR 50.21 - Make available.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... definition of act of terrorism. An insurer must make available coverage for insured losses in a policy of property and casualty insurance consistent with the definition of an act of terrorism as amended by the... possible following January 1, 2008. (ii) Not consistent with amended definition of act of terrorism. If an...

Clarifying amendments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1978-01-01

When Section 20.103 of the Commission's Standards for Protection Against Radiation was amended recently the amendments did not indicate that radon-222 and its daughters may be averaged over 1 year, as specified in footnote 3 to appendix B of the Standards for Protection Against Radiation. This is clarified by the (amendments set forth below. Minor editorial changes also are made

Ecological sustainability and personal behavior: relations demonstrated by the decision-making process of selecting a certain transportation mean

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Priewasser, Reinhold [Linz Univ., Inst. for Environmental Management in Enterprises and Regions, Linz (Austria)

1999-07-01

Facing the aim of ecological sustainability only little emphasis has been placed on the fact that the extent of environmental stresses is not only a consequence of certain factual or structural conditions but also essentially determined by varying human behaviour patterns. Technologies and structures are not ecologically effective by themselves, their environmental relevance strongly depends on the persons' way of acting within the prevailing system. Recognising the importance of that perspective psychological and social theories about the generation of personal behaviour as well as the theoretical models of learning can offer useful indications concerning the interpersonal and extrapersonal preconditions of environmentally oriented acting. With reference to the decision-making process of selecting a certain transportation mean, the influences of rational and emotional factors and obstacles to an ecologically sustainable personal act should be exemplary demonstrated. At the same time very effective points of departure for behavioural change can be identified. (Author)

78 FR 63408 - Petition To Amend Animal Welfare Act Regulations To Prohibit Public Contact With Big Cats, Bears...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-24

... Inspection Service 9 CFR Parts 2 and 3 [Docket No. APHIS-2012-0107] Petition To Amend Animal Welfare Act... the comment period for a petition requesting amendments to the Animal Welfare Act regulations and... notice \\1\\ making available for comment a petition requesting amendments to the Animal Welfare Act...

Evaluation of Cement, Lime, and Asphalt Amended Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator Residues

Science.gov (United States)

1989-09-01

the lime column over time ( Atlas & Bartha , 1987). Certainly, a more extensive evaluation of the lime amended residue’s microbial activity is required...4.02 ASTM D 1559 (1988) Annual Book of ASTM Standards: Road & Paving Materials; Traveled Surface Characteristics, Sec 4, Vol 4.03 Atlas , R. & R. Bartha ...1987) Microbial Ecology : Fundamentals & Applications, Benjamin-Cummings, Menlo, CA Barrow N., J. Bowden, A. Posner, & J. Quirk (1981) Describing the

Fate of {sup 14}C-triclocarban in biosolids-amended soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Snyder, Elizabeth Hodges, E-mail: lizah@ufl.edu [Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, 408 Newell Hall, Gainesville, Florida, 32611 (United States); Department of Health Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, DPL 404, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508-4614 (United States); O' Connor, George A., E-mail: gao@ufl.edu [Soil and Water Science Department, P.O. Box 110510, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-01519 (United States); McAvoy, Drew C., E-mail: mcavoy.dc@pg.com [Environmental Safety Department, P.O. Box 538707, The Procter and Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH, 45253-8707 (United States)

2010-06-01

Triclocarban (TCC) is an antibacterial compound commonly detected in biosolids at parts-per-million concentrations. Approximately half of the biosolids produced in the United States are land-applied, resulting in a systematic release of TCC into the soil environment. The extent of biosolids-borne TCC environmental transport and potential human/ecological exposures will be greatly affected by its bioavailability and the rate of degradation in amended soils. To investigate these factors, radiolabeled TCC ({sup 14}C-TCC) was incorporated into anaerobically digested biosolids, amended to two soils, and incubated under aerobic conditions. The evolution of {sup 14}CO2 (biodegradation) and changes in chemical extractability (bioavailability) was measured over time. Water extractable TCC over the study period was low and significantly decreased over the first 3 weeks of the study (from 14% to 4% in a fine sand soil and from 3 to < 1% in a silty clay loam soil). Mineralization (i.e. ultimate degradation), as measured by evolution of {sup 14}CO{sub 2}, was < 4% over 7.5 months. Methanol extracts of the amended soils were analyzed by radiolabel thin-layer chromatography (RAD-TLC), but no intermediate degradation products were detected. Approximately 20% and 50% of the radioactivity in the amended fine sand and silty clay loam soils, respectively, was converted to bound residue as measured by solids combustion. These results indicate that biosolids-borne TCC becomes less bioavailable over time and biodegrades at a very slow rate.

A Multi-Criteria Index for Ecological Evaluation of Tropical Agriculture in Southeastern Mexico

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huerta, E.; Kampichler, C.; Ochoa-Gaona, S.; Jong, de B.; Hernandez-Daumas, S.; Geissen, V.

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to generate an easy to use index to evaluate the ecological state of agricultural land from a sustainability perspective. We selected environmental indicators, such as the use of organic soil amendments (green manure) versus chemical fertilizers, plant biodiversity

48 CFR 750.7106-2 - Amendments without consideration.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... consideration. 750.7106-2 Section 750.7106-2 Federal Acquisition Regulations System AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL... Foreign Policy Interests of the United States 750.7106-2 Amendments without consideration. (a) Where an... of performance, considerations of fairness may make appropriate some adjustment in the contract. ...

POSSIBLE DIRECTIONS FOR AMENDMENTS OF CROATIAN COMPANY LAW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomislav Jakšić

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This contribution aims to provide directions for some possible future amendments of domestic company law regulation. Intent of such amendments is to facilitate creation of a more competitive and understandable legal framework that will be equally attractive to both domestic and foreign investors. Establishment of such legal framework can contribute to the strengthening of economy and legal certainty as well as creation of a favourable investment environment. Contribution is divided into two distinct parts. First part provides suggestions relating to amendments in the field of company incorporation. For example, consideration is given to establishment of one stop shop service as well as online incorporation, introduction of the limited liability company without the minimal share capital requirement and other similar areas which can contribute to the simplification of company incorporation procedure (e.g. abolition of the founder’s statement of tax debt non-existence. Second part provides suggestions for amendments aimed at improvement of existing legal solutions and removal of ambiguities that undermine legal certainty which can result in non-uniform application in business dealings and judicial practice. For example, suggestions are given in regard to the clearance given to the management and supervisory board members of a private company limited by shares, decision making by shareholders through use of means that do not require them to be physically present at the general meeting of a private company limited by shares, fee approval to the members of the first supervisory board of a public company limited by shares, attendance of management board members at the supervisory board meetings and making counter-proposals by company shareholders before and during the general meeting of the company.

Styles of making a living and ecological change on the Fon and Adja plateaux in South Bénin, ca. 1600-1990

OpenAIRE

Wartena, D.

2006-01-01

This study is a comparative analysis of the joint development of the Fon and Adja styles of making a living as well as the ecological changes between the two adjacent plateaux in South Bénin on which they live. The period of analysis is between ca. 1600 and 1990. The South Béninese plateaux are usually described as a homogeneous category. However, popular opinion also holds that the Fon plateau is ecologically more degraded than the other plateaux, and that the Fon are socially more organised...

Emerging beliefs frustrate ecological literacy and meaning-making for students

Science.gov (United States)

Fleischer, Stuart

2011-03-01

In their treatise, Mitchell and Mueller extend David Orr's notions of ecological literacy (2005) to include biophilia (Wilson 1984) and ecojustice (Mueller 2009). In his writings, David Orr claims that the US is in an "ecological crisis" and that this stems from a crisis of education. The authors outline Orr's theory of ecological literacy as a lens to understand Earth's ecology in view of long-term survival. In their philosophical analysis of Orr's theory, Mitchell and Mueller argue that we move beyond the "shock doctrine" perspective of environmental crisis. By extending Orr's concept of ecological literacy to include biophilia and ecojustice, and by recognizing the importance of experience-in-learning, the authors envision science education as a means to incorporate values and morals within a sustainable ideology of educational reform. Through this forum, I reflect on the doxastic logic and certain moral and social epistemological concepts that may subsequently impact student understanding of ecojustice, biophilia, and moral education. In addition, I assert the need to examine myriad complexities of assisting learners to become ecologically literate at the conceptual and procedural level (Bybee in Achieving scientific literacy: from purposes to practices, Heinemann Educational Books, Portsmouth, 1997), including what Kegan (In over our heads: the mental demands of modern life, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1994) refers to as "Third Order" and "Fourth Order" thinking: notions of meaning-construction or meaning-organizational capacity to understand good stewardship of the Earth's environment. Learners who are still in the process of developing reflective and metacognitive skills "cannot have internal conversation about what is actual versus what is possible, because no `self' is yet organized that can put these two categories together" (p. 34). Mitchell and Mueller indicate that middle school learners should undergo a transformation in order to reflect

Making the ecosystem approach operational-Can regime shifts in ecological- and governance systems facilitate the transition?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Österblom, H.; Gårdmark, A.; Bergström, L.

2010-01-01

Effectively reducing cumulative impacts on marine ecosystems requires co-evolution between science, policy and practice. Here, long-term social–ecological changes in the Baltic Sea are described, illustrating how the process of making the ecosystem approach operational in a large marine ecosystem...... stimulating innovations and re-organizing governance structures at drainage basin level to the Baltic Sea catchment as a whole. Experimentation and innovation at local to the regional levels is critical for a transition to ecosystem-based management. Establishing science-based learning platforms at sub...

[Ecological carrying capacity and Chongming Island's ecological construction].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kaiyun; Zou, Chunjing; Kong, Zhenghong; Wang, Tianhou; Chen, Xiaoyong

2005-12-01

This paper overviewed the goals of Chongming Island's ecological construction and its background, analyzed the current eco-economic status and constraints of the Island, and put forward some scientific issues on its ecological construction. It was suggested that for the resources-saving and sustainable development of the Island, the researches on its ecological construction should be based on its ecological carrying capacity, fully take the regional characteristics into consideration, and refer the successful development modes at home and abroad. The carrying capacity study should ground on systemic and dynamic views, give a thorough evaluation of the Island's present carrying capacity, simulate its possible changes, and forecast its demands and risks. Operable countermeasures to promote the Island's carrying capacity should be worked out, new industry structure, population scale, and optimized distribution projects conforming to regional carrying capacity should be formulated, and effective ecological security alarming and control system should be built, with the aim of providing suggestions and strategic evidences for the decision-making of economic development and sustainable environmental resources use of the region.

Matrimonial Causes Amendment Act, 1987 (No. 11 of 1987).

Science.gov (United States)

1987-01-01

This Act amends the Matrimonial Causes Act, 1985, a) to extend the grounds for divorce applicable to civil marriages to marriages solemnized in terms of the African Marriages Act; and b) to widen the powers of the court to make a division of assets on divorce by authorizing it to make consequential and supplemental provisions necessary to give full effect to any order it makes and to make an order relating to the property of one or another spouse that is held by another person and thereby order that person to transfer the property as the court directs. full text

Policy-Making Structures and Their Biases Towards Political Economy and Ecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Lauber, Volkmar

The author suggests that the ecology movement in Western Europe has reached the limits of reactive politics and cannot achieve more unless it adopts a different strategy. Surveys and referenda show that the public has an overwhelmingly good opinion of the ecology movement but that few will vote on it in elections. Thus, the movement has had little…

Ecological Applications of Qualitative Reasoning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bredeweg, B.; Salles, P.; Neumann, M.; Recknagel, F.

2006-01-01

Representing qualitative ecological knowledge is of great interest for ecological modelling. QR provides means to build conceptual models and to make qualitative knowledge explicit, organized and manageable by means of symbolic computing. This chapter discusses the main characteristics of QR using

The Lautenberg Amendment and Its Impact on the U.S. Army

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Joseph, James

1998-01-01

In 1996, Senator Frank Lautenberg introduced an amendment to the-Gun Control Act of 1968, which makes it a crime for any person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence to ship, transport...

Making Sense of Biodiversity: The Affordances of Systems Ecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersson, Erik; McPhearson, Timon

2018-01-01

We see two related, but not well-linked fields that together could help us better understand biodiversity and how it, over time, provides benefits to people. The affordances approach in environmental psychology offers a way to understand our perceptual appraisal of landscapes and biodiversity and, to some extent, intentional choice or behavior, i.e., a way of relating the individual to the system s/he/it lives in. In the field of ecology, organism-specific functional traits are similarly understood as the physiological and behavioral characteristics of an organism that informs the way it interacts with its surroundings. Here, we review the often overlooked role of traits in the provisioning of ecosystem services as a potential bridge between affordance theory and applied systems ecology. We propose that many traits can be understood as the basis for the affordances offered by biodiversity, and that they offer a more fruitful way to discuss human-biodiversity relations than do the taxonomic information most often used. Moreover, as emerging transdisciplinary studies indicate, connecting affordances to functional traits allows us to ask questions about the temporal and two-way nature of affordances and perhaps most importantly, can serve as a starting point for more fully bridging the fields of ecology and environmental psychology with respect to how we understand human-biodiversity relationships.

32 CFR 1665.4 - Requests to amend records.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., the individual making the request will be informed within 10 days of the extended date for a decision... records are inaccurate may bring this to the attention of SSS. (b) Procedures. (1)(i) The requests to... the extent possible, a decision, upon a request to amend a record will be made within 10 days...

Ecological risk estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartell, S.M.; Gardner, R.H.; O'Neill, R.V.

1992-01-01

Ecological risk assessment, the process that evaluates the likelihood that adverse ecological effects may occur or are occurring as a result of exposure to one or more stressors, is being developed by the US EPA as a tool for decision making. This book presents one approach to risk assessment-that of applying laboratory toxicity data within an ecosystem model to predict the potential ecological consequences of toxic chemicals. Both Standard Water Column Model (SWACOM), using zooplankton and fish, and Monte Carlo simulations are discussed in detail, along with quantitative explanations for many responses. Simplifying assumptions are explicitly presented. The final chapter discusses strengths, weaknesses, and future directions of the approach. The book is appropriate for anyone who does or uses ecological risk assessment methodologies

A Policy Analysis Perspective on Ecological Restoration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susan Baker

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Using a simple stages model of the policy process, we explore the politics of ecological restoration using an array of examples drawn across sector, different size and scale, and from different countries. A policy analysis perspective reveals how, at both the program and project levels, ecological restoration operates within a complex and dynamic interplay between technical decision making, ideologies, and interest politics. Viewed through the stages model, restoration policy involves negotiating nature across stages in the policy making process, including agenda setting, policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation. The stages model is a useful heuristic devise; however, this linear model assumes that policy makers approach the issue rationally. In practice, ecological restoration policy takes place in the context of different distributions of power between the various public and private actors involved at the different stages of restoration policy making. This allows us to reiterate the point that ecological restoration is best seen not only as a technical task but as a social and political project.

The Constitutional Amendment Process

Science.gov (United States)

Chism, Kahlil

2005-01-01

This article discusses the constitutional amendment process. Although the process is not described in great detail, Article V of the United States Constitution allows for and provides instruction on amending the Constitution. While the amendment process currently consists of six steps, the Constitution is nevertheless quite difficult to change.…

A methodology for eliciting, representing, and analysing stakeholder knowledge for decision making on complex socio-ecological systems: from cognitive maps to agent-based models.

Science.gov (United States)

Elsawah, Sondoss; Guillaume, Joseph H A; Filatova, Tatiana; Rook, Josefine; Jakeman, Anthony J

2015-03-15

This paper aims to contribute to developing better ways for incorporating essential human elements in decision making processes for modelling of complex socio-ecological systems. It presents a step-wise methodology for integrating perceptions of stakeholders (qualitative) into formal simulation models (quantitative) with the ultimate goal of improving understanding and communication about decision making in complex socio-ecological systems. The methodology integrates cognitive mapping and agent based modelling. It cascades through a sequence of qualitative/soft and numerical methods comprising: (1) Interviews to elicit mental models; (2) Cognitive maps to represent and analyse individual and group mental models; (3) Time-sequence diagrams to chronologically structure the decision making process; (4) All-encompassing conceptual model of decision making, and (5) computational (in this case agent-based) Model. We apply the proposed methodology (labelled ICTAM) in a case study of viticulture irrigation in South Australia. Finally, we use strengths-weakness-opportunities-threats (SWOT) analysis to reflect on the methodology. Results show that the methodology leverages the use of cognitive mapping to capture the richness of decision making and mental models, and provides a combination of divergent and convergent analysis methods leading to the construction of an Agent Based Model. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Complex adaptive systems ecology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sommerlund, Julie

2003-01-01

In the following, I will analyze two articles called Complex Adaptive Systems EcologyI & II (Molin & Molin, 1997 & 2000). The CASE-articles are some of the more quirkyarticles that have come out of the Molecular Microbial Ecology Group - a groupwhere I am currently making observational studies....... They are the result of acooperation between Søren Molin, professor in the group, and his brother, JanMolin, professor at Department of Organization and Industrial Sociology atCopenhagen Business School. The cooperation arises from the recognition that bothmicrobial ecology and sociology/organization theory works...

Trends and driving forces of ecological training and education in the context of ecological education environment of the technical university

OpenAIRE

Danilenkova V. A.

2017-01-01

common patterns of ecological training and education in the technical university are analyzed in this article, their descriptions are defined. Driving forces of ecological training and education in the context of ecological education environment are discovered and proved. According to conducted research the author makes a proposition to point out at ecological risks as driving forces, searching for which improves the efficiency and effectiveness of ecological education environment. The resear...

Styles of making a living and ecological change on the Fon and Adja plateaux in South Bénin, ca. 1600-1990

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wartena, D.

2006-01-01

This study is a comparative analysis of the joint development of the Fon and Adja styles of making a living as well as the ecological changes between the two adjacent plateaux in South Bénin on which they live. The period of analysis is between ca. 1600 and 1990. The South Béninese plateaux are

Radiological Protection (Amendment) Act, 2002. Number 3 of 2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

This Act amends the Radiological Protection Acts, 1991 and 1995, and provides for the making of grants out of funds provided by the legislature for remediation works for houses having certain levels of radon gas and for the administration by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland of such grants and to provide for related matters

Ecology of root colonizing Massilia (Oxalobacteraceae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maya Ofek

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Ecologically meaningful classification of bacterial populations is essential for understanding the structure and function of bacterial communities. As in soils, the ecological strategy of the majority of root-colonizing bacteria is mostly unknown. Among those are Massilia (Oxalobacteraceae, a major group of rhizosphere and root colonizing bacteria of many plant species. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The ecology of Massilia was explored in cucumber root and seed, and compared to that of Agrobacterium population, using culture-independent tools, including DNA-based pyrosequencing, fluorescence in situ hybridization and quantitative real-time PCR. Seed- and root-colonizing Massilia were primarily affiliated with other members of the genus described in soil and rhizosphere. Massilia colonized and proliferated on the seed coat, radicle, roots, and also on hyphae of phytopathogenic Pythium aphanidermatum infecting seeds. High variation in Massilia abundance was found in relation to plant developmental stage, along with sensitivity to plant growth medium modification (amendment with organic matter and potential competitors. Massilia absolute abundance and relative abundance (dominance were positively related, and peaked (up to 85% at early stages of succession of the root microbiome. In comparison, variation in abundance of Agrobacterium was moderate and their dominance increased at later stages of succession. CONCLUSIONS: In accordance with contemporary models for microbial ecology classification, copiotrophic and competition-sensitive root colonization by Massilia is suggested. These bacteria exploit, in a transient way, a window of opportunity within the succession of communities within this niche.

Ecology of root colonizing Massilia (Oxalobacteraceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Ofek, Maya; Hadar, Yitzhak; Minz, Dror

2012-01-01

Ecologically meaningful classification of bacterial populations is essential for understanding the structure and function of bacterial communities. As in soils, the ecological strategy of the majority of root-colonizing bacteria is mostly unknown. Among those are Massilia (Oxalobacteraceae), a major group of rhizosphere and root colonizing bacteria of many plant species. The ecology of Massilia was explored in cucumber root and seed, and compared to that of Agrobacterium population, using culture-independent tools, including DNA-based pyrosequencing, fluorescence in situ hybridization and quantitative real-time PCR. Seed- and root-colonizing Massilia were primarily affiliated with other members of the genus described in soil and rhizosphere. Massilia colonized and proliferated on the seed coat, radicle, roots, and also on hyphae of phytopathogenic Pythium aphanidermatum infecting seeds. High variation in Massilia abundance was found in relation to plant developmental stage, along with sensitivity to plant growth medium modification (amendment with organic matter) and potential competitors. Massilia absolute abundance and relative abundance (dominance) were positively related, and peaked (up to 85%) at early stages of succession of the root microbiome. In comparison, variation in abundance of Agrobacterium was moderate and their dominance increased at later stages of succession. In accordance with contemporary models for microbial ecology classification, copiotrophic and competition-sensitive root colonization by Massilia is suggested. These bacteria exploit, in a transient way, a window of opportunity within the succession of communities within this niche.

A methodology for eliciting, representing, and analysing stakeholder knowledge for decision making on complex socio-ecological systems: From cognitive maps to agent-based models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

El-Sawah, Sondoss; Guillaume, Joseph H.A.; Filatova, Tatiana; Rook, Josefine; Jakeman, Anthony J.

2015-01-01

This paper aims to contribute to developing better ways for incorporating essential human elements in decision making processes for modelling of complex socio-ecological systems. It presents a step-wise methodology for integrating perceptions of stakeholders (qualitative) into formal simulation

Deliberative Ecological Economics for Sustainability Governance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard B. Howarth

2010-10-01

Full Text Available We discuss the recent emergence of ‘deliberative ecological economics’, a field that highlights the potential of deliberation for improving environmental governance. We locate the emergence of this literature in the long concern in ecological economics over the policy implications of limited views of human action and its encounter with deliberative democracy scholarship and the model of communicative rationality as an alternative to utilitarianism. Considering criticisms over methods used and the focus of research in deliberative decision-making, we put forward a research agenda for deliberative ecological economics. Given the promising potential of deliberative processes for improving the effectiveness and legitimacy of environmental decision-making, work in this area could help advance both theory and practice in environmental governance.

Sign my e-petition to make changes to misuse of drugs act.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, Matt

2012-02-29

My medicines management article (reflections February 8) highlighted legal muddles over the prescription of controlled drugs. The Medicines Act was amended four years ago to allow independent nurse prescribers to prescribe almost all controlled drugs. But the Misuse of Drugs Act needs to amended to make this legally possible.

Atomic Act amended

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drabova, D.

2002-01-01

In the paper by the chairwoman of the Czech nuclear regulatory authority, the history of Czech nuclear legislation is outlined, the reasons for the amendment of the Atomic Act (Act No. 18/1997) are explained, and the amendments themselves are highlighted. The Act No. 13/2002 of 18 December 2001 is reproduced from the official Collection of Acts of the Czech Republic in the facsimile form. The following acts were thereby amended: Atomic Act No. 18/1997, Metrology Act No. 505/1990, Public Health Protection Act No. 258/2000, and Act No. 2/1969 on the Establishment of Ministries and Other Governmental Agencies of the Czech Republic. (P.A.)

Challenges of ecological restoration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Halme, Panu; Allen, Katherine A.; Aunins, Ainars

2013-01-01

we introduce northern forests as an ecosystem, discuss the historical and recent human impact and provide a brief status report on the ecological restoration projects and research already conducted there. Based on this discussion, we argue that before any restoration actions commence, the ecology......The alarming rate of ecosystem degradation has raised the need for ecological restoration throughout different biomes and continents. North European forests may appear as one of the least vulnerable ecosystems from a global perspective, since forest cover is not rapidly decreasing and many...... on Biological Diversity. Several northern countries are now taking up this challenge by restoring forest biodiversity with increasing intensity. The ecology and biodiversity of boreal forests are relatively well understood making them a good model for restoration activities in many other forest ecosystems. Here...

Meta-analysis in applied ecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Gavin

2010-02-23

This overview examines research synthesis in applied ecology and conservation. Vote counting and pooling unweighted averages are widespread despite the superiority of syntheses based on weighted combination of effects. Such analyses allow exploration of methodological uncertainty in addition to consistency of effects across species, space and time, but exploring heterogeneity remains controversial. Meta-analyses are required to generalize in ecology, and to inform evidence-based decision-making, but the more sophisticated statistical techniques and registers of research used in other disciplines must be employed in ecology to fully realize their benefits.

Amendment 80 Permit Program

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Amendment 80 Program was adopted by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) in June 2006. The final rule implementing Amendment 80 published in...

Restoration of rare earth mine areas: organic amendments and phytoremediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Lingyan; Li, Zhaolong; Liu, Wen; Liu, Shenghong; Zhang, Limin; Zhong, Liyan; Luo, Ximei; Liang, Hong

2015-11-01

Overexploitation of rare earth mine has caused serious desertification and various environmental issues, and ecological restoration of a mining area is an important concern in China. In this study, experiments involving dry grass landfilling, chicken manure broadcasting, and plant cultivation were carried out to reclaim a rare earth mine area located in Heping County, Guangdong Province, China. The prime focus was to improve soil quality in terms of nutrients, microbial community, enzyme activity, and physicochemical properties so as to reclaim the land. After 2 years of restoration, an increase of organic matter (OM), available potassium (K), available phosphorus (P) levels, and acid phosphatase (ACP) activity and a reduction of the available nitrogen (N) level and urease (URE) activity in soil were achieved compared to the original mined land. The nutrients and enzyme activities in soil with 5 years of restoration were close to or surpass those in the unexploited land as control. The bulk density, total porosity, water holding capacity, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC) of soil were improved, and the number of cultivable microorganisms and the bacterial diversity in soil were greatly increased with time during ecological restoration, especially for surface soil. Furthermore, the artificial vegetation stably grew at the restored mining sites. The results indicated that organic amendments and phytoremediation could ecologically restore the rare earth mining sites and the mined land could finally be planted as farmland.

the ecology of an ecology project and some suggested adaptations

African Journals Online (AJOL)

be ineffective in making the classroom teaching of ecology more meaningful. It may be ... schooling and certification offer a route to a more fulfilling life. It is perhaps too easy .... begin to say 11The way school is, is a problem and we want to do ...

Computational modeling for eco engineering: Making the connections between engineering and ecology (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Bowles, C.

2013-12-01

Ecological engineering, or eco engineering, is an emerging field in the study of integrating ecology and engineering, concerned with the design, monitoring, and construction of ecosystems. According to Mitsch (1996) 'the design of sustainable ecosystems intends to integrate human society with its natural environment for the benefit of both'. Eco engineering emerged as a new idea in the early 1960s, and the concept has seen refinement since then. As a commonly practiced field of engineering it is relatively novel. Howard Odum (1963) and others first introduced it as 'utilizing natural energy sources as the predominant input to manipulate and control environmental systems'. Mtisch and Jorgensen (1989) were the first to define eco engineering, to provide eco engineering principles and conceptual eco engineering models. Later they refined the definition and increased the number of principles. They suggested that the goals of eco engineering are: a) the restoration of ecosystems that have been substantially disturbed by human activities such as environmental pollution or land disturbance, and b) the development of new sustainable ecosystems that have both human and ecological values. Here a more detailed overview of eco engineering is provided, particularly with regard to how engineers and ecologists are utilizing multi-dimensional computational models to link ecology and engineering, resulting in increasingly successful project implementation. Descriptions are provided pertaining to 1-, 2- and 3-dimensional hydrodynamic models and their use at small- and large-scale applications. A range of conceptual models that have been developed to aid the in the creation of linkages between ecology and engineering are discussed. Finally, several case studies that link ecology and engineering via computational modeling are provided. These studies include localized stream rehabilitation, spawning gravel enhancement on a large river system, and watershed-wide floodplain modeling of

World-Ecology and Ireland: The Neoliberal Ecological Regime

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharae Deckard

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Since the collapse of the Celtic Tiger, the socio-economic particularity of neoliberal capitalism in its Irish manifestation has increasingly been critiqued, but little attention has been paid to neoliberalism as ecology within Ireland. This article conducts an exploratory survey of the characteristics of the Irish neoliberal ecological regime during and after the Celtic Tiger, identifying the opening of new commodity frontiers (such as fracking, water, agro-biotechnology, and biopharma constituted in the neoliberal drive to appropriate and financialize nature. I argue for the usefulness of applying not only the tools of world-systems analysis, but also Jason W. Moore’s world-ecological paradigm, to analysis of Ireland as a semi-periphery. What is crucial to a macro-ecological understanding of Ireland’s role in the neoliberal regime of the world-ecology is the inextricability of its financial role as a tax haven and secrecy jurisdiction zone from its environmental function as a semi-peripheral pollution and water haven. We can adapt Jason W. Moore’s slogan that “Wall Street…becomes a way of organizing all of nature, characterized by the financialization of any income-generating activity” (Moore 2011b: 39 to say that to say that the “IFSC is a way of organizing nature,” with pernicious consequences for water, energy, and food systems in Ireland. Financial service centers and pharmaceutical factories, plantations and cattle ranches, tax havens and pollution havens, empires and common markets are all forms of environment-making that constellate human relations and extra-human processes into new ecological regimes. More expansive, dialectical understandings of “ecology” as comprising the whole of socio-ecological relations within the capitalist world-ecology—from farming to pharma to financialization—are crucial to forming configurations of knowledge able not only to take account of Ireland’s role in the environmental

Population Ecology (Organizational Ecology): An Experiential Exercise Demonstrating How Organizations in an Industry Are Born, Change, and Die

Science.gov (United States)

MacMillan, Karen; Komar, Jennifer

2018-01-01

This article describes a classroom exercise that is designed to help students understand the basic tenets of population ecology (also known as organizational ecology). The macro-level, longitudinal approach to understanding organizations can be difficult for students to conceptualize as it involves systems thinking. This exercise makes the theory…

Influence of flooding and metal immobilising soil amendments on availability of metals for willows and earthworms in calcareous dredged sediment-derived soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vandecasteele, Bart, E-mail: bart.vandecasteele@ilvo.vlaanderen.b [Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Scientific Institute of the Flemish Government, Burg. Van Gansberghelaan 109, B-9820 Merelbeke (Belgium); Du Laing, Gijs [Ghent University, Department of Applied Analytical and Physical Chemistry, Coupure 653, B-9000 Ghent (Belgium); Lettens, Suzanna [Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Scientific Institute of the Flemish Government, Gaverstraat 4, B-9500 Geraardsbergen (Belgium); Jordaens, Kurt [Department of Biology, Evolutionary Biology Group, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp (Belgium); Tack, Filip M.G. [Ghent University, Department of Applied Analytical and Physical Chemistry, Coupure 653, B-9000 Ghent (Belgium)

2010-06-15

Soil amendments previously shown to be effective in reducing metal bioavailability and/or mobility in calcareous metal-polluted soils were tested on a calcareous dredged sediment-derived soil with 26 mg Cd/kg dry soil, 2200 mg Cr/kg dry soil, 220 mg Pb/kg dry soil, and 3000 mg Zn/kg dry soil. The amendments were 5% modified aluminosilicate (AS), 10% w/w lignin, 1% w/w diammonium phosphate (DAP, (NH{sub 4}){sub 2}HPO{sub 4}), 1% w/w MnO, and 5% w/w CaSO{sub 4}. In an additional treatment, the contaminated soil was submerged. Endpoints were metal uptake in Salix cinerea and Lumbricus terrestris, and effect on oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) in submerged soils. Results illustrated that the selected soil amendments were not effective in reducing ecological risk to vegetation or soil inhabiting invertebrates, as metal uptake in willows and earthworms did not significantly decrease following their application. Flooding the polluted soil resulted in metal uptake in S. cinerea comparable with concentrations for an uncontaminated soil. - Some soil amendments resulted in higher metal uptake by earthworms and willows than when the polluted soil was not amended but submersion of the polluted soil resulted in reduced Cd and Zn uptake in Salix cinerea.

The consideration of ecological safety in judicial practice-also on the ecological safety legislation

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

L(U) Zhongmei

2006-01-01

Ecological safety has been one of the hot issues of environmental law in recent years.The maintenance of ecological safety has become one of the legislative principles,as exemplified by the revision of the Law of Sand Prevention and Sand.Management and the Law against Solid Waste Environmental Pollution,and the relevant rules that will be established.However actual cases will still happen,whether the legislators have made the statutory law or not.While scholars and legislators are debating,the judges have to handle cases and render judgments.Through the analysis of a case,this article will discuss the feasibility for judges to make ecological safety considerations in the judicial process by applying the principle of good faith and will also discuss the legislative issues related to ecological safety.

Theoretical ecology as etiological from the start.

Science.gov (United States)

Donhauser, Justin

2016-12-01

The world's leading environmental advisory institutions look to ecological theory and research as an objective guide for policy and resource management decision-making. In addition to the theoretical and broadly philosophical merits of doing so, it is therefore practically significant to clear up confusions about ecology's conceptual foundations and to clarify the basic workings of inferential methods used in the science. Through discussion of key moments in the genesis of the theoretical branch of ecology, this essay elucidates a general heuristic role of teleological metaphors in ecological research and defuses certain enduring confusions about work in ecology. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosby, R.C.

1991-01-01

The natural gas liquids industry and specifically the gas processing business has not been rosy the last several years. processors have been faced with low NGL prices, high inventories and more regulations which have forced product margins to all time lows and have resulted in plant closings, mergers and a determined search for those processors that are left for ways to make ends meet until times get better. Whether a barometer for the future or merely a fluke in the economy, things got better in 1990. Last year represented a change for the positive in all the indicators characterizing the gas processing business. An early winter in 1989, propane distribution problems, overall increases in petrochemical demand for NGLs and the fear brought on by events in Kuwait all contributed to changes in the marketplace. For the gas processor, these events combined with relatively low natural gas prices to produce wider processing margins and a degree of prosperity. The biggest regulatory event in 1990 however was without a doubt the Clean Air Act Amendments. These sweeping changes to the 1970 Clean Air Act promise to affect the economy and public health well into the next century. The purpose of this paper is to examine first the major provisions of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and then relate those anticipated changes to the gas processing industry. As will be examined later, the Amendments will create both threats and opportunities for gas processors

Human Rights in Indonesian Constitutional Amendments

OpenAIRE

Kharlie, Ahmad Tholabi

2013-01-01

Human Rights in Indonesian Constitutional Amendments. Indonesian constitutional amendments incorporated human rights principles into the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia 1945 (UUD NRI), especially in the second amendment in 2000. Under that amendment, the UUD NRI currently stipulates human rights principles as provided for in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). However, there are some important notes, which at its core is a lack of emphasis on the vision and mission of ...

[Impact of biochar amendment on the sorption and dissipation of chlorantraniliprole in soils].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ting-Ting; Yu, Xiang-Yang; Shen, Yaen; Zhang, Chao-Lan; Liu, Xian-Jin

2012-04-01

The effects of biochar amendment on sorption and dissipation of chlorantraniliprole (CAP) in 5 different agricultural soils were studied. Red gum wood (Eucalyptus spp.) derived biochar was amended into a black soil, a yellow soil, a red soil, a purplish soil, and a fluvo-aquic soil at the rate of 0.5% (by weight). The sorption and dissipation behaviors of CAP in soils with and without biochar amendment were measured by batch equilibration technique and dissipation kinetic experiment, respectively. The objective was to investigate the impact of biochar application on the environmental fate of pesticides in agricultural soils with different physical-chemical properties, and evaluate the potential ecological impacts of field application of biochar materials. The results showed that biochar application in soils could enhance the sorption of CAP, but the magnitudes were varied among soils with different properties. Amendment of 0.5% (by weight) biochar in the black soil, which have high content of organic matter (4.59%), resulted in an increase of sorption coefficient (K(d)) by 2.17%; while for the fluvo-aquic soil with organic matter content of 1.16%, amendment of biochar at the same level led to an increase of 139.13%. The sorption capacity of biochar was partially suppressed when biochar was mixed with soils. The calculated K(Fbiochar) of biochar after mixed in the black soil, yellow soil, red soil, purplish soil, and fluvo-aquic soil were decreased by 96.94%, 90.6%, 91.31%, 68.26%, and 34.59%, respectively, compared to that of the original biochar. The half-lives of CAP in black soil, yellow soil, red soil, purplish soil, and fluvo-aquic soil were 115.52, 133.30, 154.03, 144.41 and 169.06 d, respectively. In soils amended with biochar, the corresponding half-lives of CAP were extended by 20.39, 35.76, 38.51, 79.19, and 119.75 d, respectively. Similar to the effects of biochar on CAP sorption, in soil with higher content of organic matter, the retardation of CAP

Molecular speciation of phosphorus in organic amendments and amended soils using nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray absorption spectroscopies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ajibove, B.

2007-01-01

Characterization of phosphorus (P) in organic amendments is essential for environmentally sustainable fertilization of agricultural soils. The sequential chemical extraction (SCE) technique commonly used for P characterization does not provide any direct molecular information about P species. Studies were conducted to characterize P species in organic amendments and amended soils at a molecular level. The SCE was used to fractionate P in organic amendments including biosolids, hog, dairy and beef cattle manures, and poultry litter. The extracts were analyzed for total P and P species using inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and solution 31 P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, respectively. The relative proportions of P species in intact organic amendments and residues after each extraction, and calcareous soils amended with organic amendments and monoammonium phosphate (MAP) were estimated using the synchrotron-based P 1s X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. The solution 31 P NMR provided a detailed characterization of organic P in the non-labile NaOH and HCl fractions of organic amendments, but was limited in characterizing the labile fractions of most of these organic amendments due to their proneness to alkaline hydrolysis. The XANES analysis, however, identified the actual chemical species constituting the labile P that was only characterized as inorganic P or orthophosphates by sequential extraction and solution 31 P NMR. In the amended Vertisolic and Chernozemic soils, XANES analysis estimated 'soluble and adsorbed P' as the dominant P species. For the Vertisolic soil, both the unamended and soil amended with biosolids and MAP contained hydroxyapatite (HAP). In addition, soil amended with biosolids, hog and dairy manures contained β-tricalcium phosphate (TRICAL), a more soluble CaP than HAP. TRICAL was found in all amended soils except in that amended with hog manure, while HAP was present

Urban Ecology Solutions - Status of Knowledge and Experience

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elle, Morten; Jensen, Jesper Ole

The book describes the history of urban ecology in Denmark, criterias for 'good' urban ecology and a vast number of methods and technologies that have the potential of making the built environment more sustainable - based on the present knowledge and experience....

The natural ecological value of wilderness

Science.gov (United States)

H. Ken Cordell; Danielle Murphy; Kurt H. Riitters; J.E. Harvard

2005-01-01

In Chapters 7 through 10 of this book, we examined the social and economic benefits or values from Wilderness. In this chapter, we attempt to examine the natural ecological values of Wilderness. We define ecological value generally as the level of benefits that the space. water, minerals, biota, and all other factors that make up natural ecosystems provide to support...

21 CFR 312.31 - Information amendments.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... amendment essential information on the IND that is not within the scope of a protocol amendment, IND safety... toxicology, chemistry, or other technical information; or (2) A report regarding the discontinuance of a... required to bear prominent identification of its contents (e.g., “Information Amendment: Chemistry...

[Effects of biochar on microbial ecology in agriculture soil: a review].

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Yan-Li; Liu, Jie; Wang, Ying-Ying

2013-11-01

Biochar, as a new type of soil amendment, has been obtained considerable attention in the research field of environmental sciences worldwide. The studies on the effects of biochar in improving soil physical and chemical properties started quite earlier, and already covered the field of soil microbial ecology. However, most of the studies considered the soil physical and chemical properties and the microbial ecology separately, with less consideration of their interactions. This paper summarized and analyzed the interrelationships between the changes of soil physical and chemical properties and of soil microbial community after the addition of biochar. Biochar can not only improve soil pH value, strengthen soil water-holding capacity, increase soil organic matter content, but also affect soil microbial community structure, and alter the abundance of soil bacteria and fungi. After the addition of biochar, the soil environment and soil microorganisms are interacted each other, and promote the improvement of soil microbial ecological system together. This review was to provide a novel perspective for the in-depth studies of the effects of biochar on soil microbial ecology, and to promote the researches on the beneficial effects of biochar to the environment from ecological aspect. The methods to improve the effectiveness of biochar application were discussed, and the potential applications of biochar in soil bioremediation were further analyzed.

33 CFR 104.415 - Amendment and audit.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Amendment and audit. 104.415 Section 104.415 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY: VESSELS Vessel Security Plan (VSP) § 104.415 Amendment and audit. (a) Amendments. (1) Amendments to a Vessel Security Plan...

33 CFR 105.415 - Amendment and audit.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Amendment and audit. 105.415 Section 105.415 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY: FACILITIES Facility Security Plan (FSP) § 105.415 Amendment and audit. (a) Amendments. (1) Amendments to a Facility Securit...

Ecological support for rural land-use planning.

Science.gov (United States)

David M. Theobald; Thomas Spies; Jeff Kline; Bruce Maxwell; N. T. Hobbs; Virginia H. Dale

2005-01-01

How can ecologists be more effective in supporting ecologically informed rural land-use planning and policy? Improved decision making about rural lands requires careful consideration of how ecological information and analyses can inform specific planning and policy needs. We provide a brief overview of rural land-use planning, including recently developed approaches to...

Evolving Approaches and Technologies to Enhance the Role of Ecological Modeling in Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

Eric Gustafson; John Nestler; Louis Gross; Keith M. Reynolds; Daniel Yaussy; Thomas P. Maxwell; Virginia H. Dale

2002-01-01

Understanding the effects of management activities is difficult for natural resource managers and decision makers because ecological systems are highly complex and their behavior is difficult to predict. Furthermore, the empirical studies necessary to illuminate all management questions quickly become logistically complicated and cost prohibitive. Ecological models...

75 FR 48564 - Navigation and Navigable Waters; Technical, Organizational, and Conforming Amendments, Sector...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-11

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard 33 CFR Parts 3 and 165 [Docket No. USCG-2010-0351] RIN 1625-ZA25 Navigation and Navigable Waters; Technical, Organizational, and Conforming Amendments, Sector Columbia River, WA AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This rule makes non-substantive...

76 FR 79050 - Federal Home Loan Bank Housing Goals: Mortgage Reporting Amendments

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-21

... FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY 12 CFR Part 1281 RIN 2590-AA48 Federal Home Loan Bank Housing Goals... governing housing goals for the Federal Home Loan Banks (Banks) to make those requirements consistent with... Section 1205 of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) amended the Federal Home Loan Bank...

New ecological insights through the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON)

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Paul C.Hanson

2008-01-01

Sensor networks are playing an increasingly important role in ecology.Continual advances in affordable sensors and wireless communication are making the development of automated sensing systems with remote communication (i.e.,sensor networks) affordable for many ecological research programs (Porter et al.2005)[1].These in situ instruments provide high-frequency data of key variables that previously were measured intermittently and by hand.A number of federal research organizations have realized the potential of environmental sensor networks, and large-scale initiatives are under development.Independent of these initiatives,small sensor networks have emerged to meet the needs of the individual or small teams of ecologists.Ecologists are entering (or already have entered,in some cases) an era in which high temporal and spatial resolution in situ measurements are generating data at unprecedented rates.The use of sensor networks will dramatically increase the volume of ecological data generated in the next decade.

77 FR 37287 - Implementation of Statutory Amendments Requiring the Qualification of Manufacturers and Importers...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-21

... Permit Requirements, and the Expanded Definition of Roll-Your-Own Tobacco AGENCY: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Treasury. ACTION: Final rule; Treasury decision. SUMMARY: The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is making permanent, with some changes, temporary regulatory amendments...

Potential Environmental Benefits from Blending Biosolids with Other Organic Amendments before Application to Land.

Science.gov (United States)

Paramashivam, Dharini; Dickinson, Nicholas M; Clough, Timothy J; Horswell, Jacqui; Robinson, Brett H

2017-05-01

Biosolids disposal to landfill or through incineration is wasteful of a resource that is rich in organic matter and plant nutrients. Land application can improve soil fertility and enhance crop production but may result in excessive nitrate N (NO-N) leaching and residual contamination from pathogens, heavy metals, and xenobiotics. This paper evaluates evidence that these concerns can be reduced significantly by blending biosolids with organic materials to reduce the environmental impact of biosolids application to soils. It appears feasible to combine organic waste streams for use as a resource to build or amend degraded soils. Sawdust and partially pyrolyzed biochars provide an opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of biosolids application, with studies showing reductions of NO-N leaching of 40 to 80%. However, other organic amendments including lignite coal waste may result in excessive NO-N leaching. Field trials combining biosolids and biochars for rehabilitation of degraded forest and ecological restoration are recommended. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Effect of organic amendments and compost extracts on tomato production and storability in ecological production systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ghorbani reza

2009-06-01

Full Text Available A field experiment was conducted in Shiravan, Iran, during 2005 in order to investigate the effects of organic amendments, synthetic fertilizers and compost extracts on crop health, productivity and storability of commonly used tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.. Treatments included different fertilizers of cattle, sheep and poultry manures, house-hold compost and chemical fertilizers, and five aqueous extracts from cattle manure, poultry manures, green-waste and house-hold composts and water as control. The effect of fertilizer type on tomato yield and marketable yield was significant (P

The New Zealand Construction Contracts Amendment Act 2015 - For Better or Worse?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Finnie

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Adjudication has been statutorily introduced as an alternative dispute resolution method in 14 jurisdictions including New Zealand. Whilst adjudication under the New Zealand Construction Contracts Act 2002 has been hailed a success, further refinements were proposed in the Construction Contracts Amendment Bill first published in 2013. As part of the legislative process, 48 submissions were made to the Commerce Committee. There was general support for most of the amendments, but some parties expressed concerns on some of the changes. A documentary analysis of the Amendment Bills and submissions to the Commerce Committee was made to critically evaluate the changes proposed and establish if they were improvements. The findings show the major changes proposed include (i removing most of the distinctions between the treatment of residential and commercial contracts under the Act, (ii extending the scope of the Act to apply to contracts for certain professional services, (iii removing the distinction between enforcement of payment determinations and of those relating to rights and obligations, and (iv making the enforcement process more efficient. The findings also show that during a period of over two years from when the Bill was first introduced in January 2013, one other significant improvement for retentions to be held in trust was made. A few proposals to further refine the Bill such as the suggestion to mandate retentions to be kepts in a separate trust account were however not accepted. The Construction Contract Amendment Bill (Bill 97-3 was uninanimously passed during the third and final reading in Parliament on 20 October 2015 with most of the amendments coming into force on 1 December 2015, those incorporating professional services on 1 September 2016, and the retention provisions on 31 March 2017. Royal assent was given on 11 October 2015 leading to the enactment of the Construction Contracts Amendment Act 2015.

The New Zealand Construction Contracts Amendment Act 2015 - For Better or Worse?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Finnie

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Adjudication has been statutorily introduced as an alternative dispute resolution method in 14 jurisdictions including New Zealand. Whilst adjudication under the New Zealand Construction Contracts Act 2002 has been hailed a success, further refinements were proposed in the Construction Contracts Amendment Bill first published in 2013. As part of the legislative process, 48 submissions were made to the Commerce Committee. There was general support for most of the amendments, but some parties expressed concerns on some of the changes. A documentary analysis of the Amendment Bills and submissions to the Commerce Committee was made to critically evaluate the changes proposed and establish if they were improvements. The findings show the major changes proposed include (i removing most of the distinctions between the treatment of residential and commercial contracts under the Act, (ii extending the scope of the Act to apply to contracts for certain professional services, (iii removing the distinction between enforcement of payment determinations and of those relating to rights and obligations, and (iv making the enforcement process more efficient. The findings also show that during a period of over two years from when the Bill was first introduced in January 2013, one other significant improvement for retentions to be held in trust was made. A few proposals to further refine the Bill such as the suggestion to mandate retentions to be kept in a separate trust account were however not accepted. The Construction Contract Amendment Bill (Bill 97-3 was uninanimously passed during the third and final reading in Parliament on 20 October 2015 with most of the amendments coming into force on 1 December 2015, those incorporating professional services on 1 September 2016, and the retention provisions on 31 March 2017. Royal assent was given on 11 October 2015 leading to the enactment of the Construction Contracts Amendment Act 2015.

[Ecology and ecologies].

Science.gov (United States)

Valera, Luca

2011-01-01

Ecology (from the Greek words οιχοσ, "house" and λογια "study of") is the science of the "house", since it studies the environments where we live. There are three main ways of thinking about Ecology: Ecology as the study of interactions (between humans and the environment, between humans and living beings, between all living beings, etc.), Ecology as the statistical study of interactions, Ecology as a faith, or rather as a science that requires a metaphysical view. The history of Ecology shows us how this view was released by the label of "folk sense" to gain the epistemological status of science, a science that strives to be interdisciplinary. So, the aim of Ecology is to study, through a scientific methodology, the whole natural world, answering to very different questions, that arise from several fields (Economics, Biology, Sociology, Philosophy, etc.). The plurality of issues that Ecology has to face led, during the Twentieth-century, to branch off in several different "ecologies". As a result, each one of these new approaches chose as its own field a more limited and specific portion of reality.

Developing conservation targets in social-ecological systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Phillip S. Levin

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The development of targets is foundational in conservation. Although progress has been made in setting targets, the diverse linkages among ecological and social components make target setting for coupled social-ecological systems extremely challenging. Developing integrated social-ecological targets is difficult because it forces policy makers to consider how management actions propagate throughout social-ecological systems, and because ultimately it is society, not scientists, that defines targets. We developed an interdisciplinary approach for identifying management targets and illustrate this approach using an example motivated by Puget Sound, USA. Our approach blends ecological modeling with empirical social science to articulate trade-offs and reveal societal preferences for different social-ecological states. The framework aims to place information in the hands of decision makers and promote discussion in the appropriate forums. Our ultimate objective is to encourage the informed participation of citizens in the development of social-ecological targets that reflect their values while also protecting key ecosystem attributes.

Iterative near-term ecological forecasting: Needs, opportunities, and challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Dietze, Michael C.; Fox, Andrew; Beck-Johnson, Lindsay; Betancourt, Julio L.; Hooten, Mevin B.; Jarnevich, Catherine S.; Keitt, Timothy H.; Kenney, Melissa A.; Laney, Christine M.; Larsen, Laurel G.; Loescher, Henry W.; Lunch, Claire K.; Pijanowski, Bryan; Randerson, James T.; Read, Emily; Tredennick, Andrew T.; Vargas, Rodrigo; Weathers, Kathleen C.; White, Ethan P.

2018-01-01

Two foundational questions about sustainability are “How are ecosystems and the services they provide going to change in the future?” and “How do human decisions affect these trajectories?” Answering these questions requires an ability to forecast ecological processes. Unfortunately, most ecological forecasts focus on centennial-scale climate responses, therefore neither meeting the needs of near-term (daily to decadal) environmental decision-making nor allowing comparison of specific, quantitative predictions to new observational data, one of the strongest tests of scientific theory. Near-term forecasts provide the opportunity to iteratively cycle between performing analyses and updating predictions in light of new evidence. This iterative process of gaining feedback, building experience, and correcting models and methods is critical for improving forecasts. Iterative, near-term forecasting will accelerate ecological research, make it more relevant to society, and inform sustainable decision-making under high uncertainty and adaptive management. Here, we identify the immediate scientific and societal needs, opportunities, and challenges for iterative near-term ecological forecasting. Over the past decade, data volume, variety, and accessibility have greatly increased, but challenges remain in interoperability, latency, and uncertainty quantification. Similarly, ecologists have made considerable advances in applying computational, informatic, and statistical methods, but opportunities exist for improving forecast-specific theory, methods, and cyberinfrastructure. Effective forecasting will also require changes in scientific training, culture, and institutions. The need to start forecasting is now; the time for making ecology more predictive is here, and learning by doing is the fastest route to drive the science forward.

Iterative near-term ecological forecasting: Needs, opportunities, and challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Dietze, Michael C; Fox, Andrew; Beck-Johnson, Lindsay M; Betancourt, Julio L; Hooten, Mevin B; Jarnevich, Catherine S; Keitt, Timothy H; Kenney, Melissa A; Laney, Christine M; Larsen, Laurel G; Loescher, Henry W; Lunch, Claire K; Pijanowski, Bryan C; Randerson, James T; Read, Emily K; Tredennick, Andrew T; Vargas, Rodrigo; Weathers, Kathleen C; White, Ethan P

2018-02-13

Two foundational questions about sustainability are "How are ecosystems and the services they provide going to change in the future?" and "How do human decisions affect these trajectories?" Answering these questions requires an ability to forecast ecological processes. Unfortunately, most ecological forecasts focus on centennial-scale climate responses, therefore neither meeting the needs of near-term (daily to decadal) environmental decision-making nor allowing comparison of specific, quantitative predictions to new observational data, one of the strongest tests of scientific theory. Near-term forecasts provide the opportunity to iteratively cycle between performing analyses and updating predictions in light of new evidence. This iterative process of gaining feedback, building experience, and correcting models and methods is critical for improving forecasts. Iterative, near-term forecasting will accelerate ecological research, make it more relevant to society, and inform sustainable decision-making under high uncertainty and adaptive management. Here, we identify the immediate scientific and societal needs, opportunities, and challenges for iterative near-term ecological forecasting. Over the past decade, data volume, variety, and accessibility have greatly increased, but challenges remain in interoperability, latency, and uncertainty quantification. Similarly, ecologists have made considerable advances in applying computational, informatic, and statistical methods, but opportunities exist for improving forecast-specific theory, methods, and cyberinfrastructure. Effective forecasting will also require changes in scientific training, culture, and institutions. The need to start forecasting is now; the time for making ecology more predictive is here, and learning by doing is the fastest route to drive the science forward.

1990 Amendments: The federal partner steps forward

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

In October of 1990, Congress enacted a new set of amendments to the Clean Air Act. These amendments are longer and more complex than any previous environmental legislation. In enacting the 1990 Amendments, Congress did not evaluate the results of earlier efforts at air quality regulation. Rather, Congress accepted what it had created in 1970 and reinforced in 1977, and proceeded to build on that foundation. As a result, the 1990 Amendments create substantial new regulatory responsibilities, while leaving in place most of the pre-existing system of air quality control. The chapter highlights the key provisions of the 1990 Amendments, and discusses their relationship to the 1970 and 1977 Amendments to the Act. Included are changes in the requirements for the control of carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen oxides, particulates, mobile sources, air toxics and acid rain

Educating for Freedom and Responsibility: Lessons From the First Amendment Schools Project

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Cynthia

2016-01-01

The First Amendment Schools project holds rich lessons in how to change school cultures into "laboratories of democracy"--as well as in how to increase the odds of success for any school reform effort. School reform programs of any sort need to make sure to build in sustainability, to provide ways to spread their lessons beyond the…

Atomic Energy Commission (Amendment) Law, 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-02-01

The Atomic Energy Commission (Amendment) Law, 1993 (P.N.D.C.L. 308) seeks to amend the Atomic Energy Commission Act of 1963 (Act 204) so as to provide for the establishment of a Radiation Protection Board and other institutes under the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission. The Law further repeats the Atomic Energy Commission (Amendment) Law of 1982 (P.N.D.C.L. 37). (EAA)

Ecological modernisation: origins, dilemmas and future directions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Mikael Skou; Massa, Ilmo

2000-01-01

In essence, ecological modernization refers to a specific type of foresighted and preventive environmental policy, which is closely related to the precautionary principle and, therefore, involves long-term structural change of the patterns of production and consumption. The agenda for ecological......’ by economists, who tend to perceive it in the vein of conventional efficiency measures. In view of the serious environmental problems facing the global community in the 21st century, ecological modernization as a concept, in our opinion, only makes sense if reserved for a reference to more radical structural...

BMC Ecology image competition: the winning images

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

BMC Ecology announces the winning entries in its inaugural Ecology Image Competition, open to anyone affiliated with a research institute. The competition, which received more than 200 entries from international researchers at all career levels and a wide variety of scientific disciplines, was looking for striking visual interpretations of ecological processes. In this Editorial, our academic Section Editors and guest judge Dr Yan Wong explain what they found most appealing about their chosen winning entries, and highlight a few of the outstanding images that didn’t quite make it to the top prize. PMID:23517630

BMC Ecology image competition: the winning images.

Science.gov (United States)

Harold, Simon; Wong, Yan; Baguette, Michel; Bonsall, Michael B; Clobert, Jean; Royle, Nick J; Settele, Josef

2013-03-22

BMC Ecology announces the winning entries in its inaugural Ecology Image Competition, open to anyone affiliated with a research institute. The competition, which received more than 200 entries from international researchers at all career levels and a wide variety of scientific disciplines, was looking for striking visual interpretations of ecological processes. In this Editorial, our academic Section Editors and guest judge Dr Yan Wong explain what they found most appealing about their chosen winning entries, and highlight a few of the outstanding images that didn't quite make it to the top prize.

Public ecology: an environmental science and policy for global society

Science.gov (United States)

David P. Robertson; R. Bruce Hull

2003-01-01

Public ecology exists at the interface of science and policy. Public ecology is an approach to environmental inquiry and decision making that does not expect scientific knowledge to be perfect or complete. Rather, public ecology requires that science be produced in collaboration with a wide variety of stakeholders in order to construct a body of knowledge that will...

Immobilization of pentachlorophenol in soil using carbonaceous material amendments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wen Bei [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085 (China)], E-mail: bwen@rcees.ac.cn; Li Ruijuan; Zhang Shuzhen [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085 (China); Shan Xiaoquan [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085 (China)], E-mail: xiaoquan@rcees.ac.cn; Fang Jing; Xiao Ke [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085 (China); Khan, Shahamat U. [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, MSN 3E2, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444 (United States)

2009-03-15

In this study, three pentachlorophenol (PCP) laboratory-spiked and one field-contaminated soil were amended with 2.0% char, humic acid (HA) and peat, respectively. The amended soils were aged for either 7 or 250 days. After amendment, CaCl{sub 2} extractability of PCP was significantly decreased. Desorption kinetics indicated that the proposed amendment could lead to a strong binding and slow desorption of PCP in soils. Amendment with char reduced the bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of PCP most significantly for earthworms (Eisenia fetida) in all soils studied. The results of both physicochemical and biological tests suggested that amendment reduced PCP bioavailability quickly and enduringly, implying that carbonaceous material amendment, especially char amendment, was a potentially attractive in situ remediation method for sequestration of PCP in contaminated soil. - Carbonaceous material amendment was a potential in situ remediation method for pentachlorophenol contaminated soil.

Remedial investigation report for J-Field, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Volume 3: Ecological risk assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hlohowskyj, I.; Hayse, J.; Kuperman, R.; Van Lonkhuyzen, R.

2000-02-25

The Environmental Management Division of the U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland, is conducting a remedial investigation (RI) and feasibility study (FS) of the J-Field area at APG, pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended. As part of that activity, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) conducted an ecological risk assessment (ERA) of the J-Field site. This report presents the results of that assessment.

Remedial investigation report for J-Field, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Volume 3: Ecological risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hlohowskyj, I.; Hayse, J.; Kuperman, R.; Van Lonkhuyzen, R.

2000-01-01

The Environmental Management Division of the U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland, is conducting a remedial investigation (RI) and feasibility study (FS) of the J-Field area at APG, pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended. As part of that activity, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) conducted an ecological risk assessment (ERA) of the J-Field site. This report presents the results of that assessment

Ecological science and transformation to the sustainable city

Science.gov (United States)

S.T.A. Pickett; Christopher G. Boone; Brian P. McGrath; M.L. Cadenasso; Daniel L. Childers; Laura A. Ogden; Melissa McHale; J. Morgan. Grove

2013-01-01

There is growing urgency to enhance the sustainability of existing and emerging cities. The science of ecology, especially as it interacts with disciplines in the social sciences and urban design, has contributions to make to the sustainable transformation of urban systems. Not all possible urban transformations may lead toward sustainability. Ecological science helps...

Do plant-based amendments improve soil physiochemical and microbiological properties and plant growth in dryland ecosystems?

Science.gov (United States)

Kneller, Tayla; Harris, Richard; Muñoz-Rojas, Miriam

2017-04-01

, these include Triodia wiseana, Triodia wiseana and Acacia ancistrocarpa and a combination of the former species with Grevillia wickhamii. Pots were filled with soil materials and allocated plant community treatments. Plant growth and morphology, soil physiochemical (pH, electrical conductivity, N and organic C) and biological (microbial activity) properties were measured after 12 months to assess the suitability of the amendments. Results Our results have demonstrated a general decline in plant survival over the duration of 12 months, where pots with amended mine soils displaying the lowest survival rates compared to the topsoil. However, soil microbial activity of pots containing amendments was greater than those without, although there was no significant difference in microbial activity across vegetation communities (p ldr.2660 Muñoz-Rojas M, Erickson TE, Dixon KW, Merritt DJ. 2016. Soil quality indicators to assess functionality of restored soils in degraded semiarid ecosystems. Restoration Ecology 24, 43-52. DOI: 10.1111/rec.12368

The ecological atlas. 3. rev. ed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seager, J.

1993-01-01

''The ecological atlas'' translates expert knowledge in a way that makes it accessable to the general public. In 37 double sided maps in four colours it gives information about the health of our planet and the quality of human life. Under 8 different angles: (the earth's habitat, food and drinking water, housing, energy, industry, armament, consumer needs and 'green politics'). ''The ecological atlas'' describes the effects of worldwide ecological effects: climatic disasters, the greenhouse effect, the hole in the ozone layer, destruction of the tropical rainforests, the effects of extensive farming and increasing urbanization. Pages of comprehensive commentaries complement the maps and aid understanding of their problem areas. (orig./DG) [de

Wasteland ecologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoag, Colin Brewster; Bertoni, Filippo; Bubandt, Nils Ole

2018-01-01

landscapes, this article argues, are the result of unheralded multispecies collaboration that can be traced empirically by attending ethnographically to multispecies forms of “gain-making,” the ways in which humans and other species leverage difference to find economic and ecological opportunity....... in the 1970s, when prevailing perceptions were that the entire mining area was a polluted wasteland, the AFLD Fasterholt waste and recycling plant has since changed in response to new EU waste management regulations, as well as the unexpected proliferation of non-human life in the area. Based on field...... research at this site—an Anthropocene landscape in the heartland of an EU-configured welfare state — this article is a contribution to the multispecies ethnography and political ecology of wastelands. We argue that “waste” is a co-species, biopolitical happening — a complex symbolic, political, biological...

Agent-based modeling in ecological economics.

Science.gov (United States)

Heckbert, Scott; Baynes, Tim; Reeson, Andrew

2010-01-01

Interconnected social and environmental systems are the domain of ecological economics, and models can be used to explore feedbacks and adaptations inherent in these systems. Agent-based modeling (ABM) represents autonomous entities, each with dynamic behavior and heterogeneous characteristics. Agents interact with each other and their environment, resulting in emergent outcomes at the macroscale that can be used to quantitatively analyze complex systems. ABM is contributing to research questions in ecological economics in the areas of natural resource management and land-use change, urban systems modeling, market dynamics, changes in consumer attitudes, innovation, and diffusion of technology and management practices, commons dilemmas and self-governance, and psychological aspects to human decision making and behavior change. Frontiers for ABM research in ecological economics involve advancing the empirical calibration and validation of models through mixed methods, including surveys, interviews, participatory modeling, and, notably, experimental economics to test specific decision-making hypotheses. Linking ABM with other modeling techniques at the level of emergent properties will further advance efforts to understand dynamics of social-environmental systems.

Graduate students navigating social-ecological research: insights from the Long-Term Ecological Research Network

Science.gov (United States)

Sydne Record; Paige F. B. Ferguson; Elise Benveniste; Rose A. Graves; Vera W. Pfeiffer; Michele Romolini; Christie E. Yorke; Ben Beardmore

2016-01-01

Interdisciplinary, collaborative research capable of capturing the feedbacks between biophysical and social systems can improve the capacity for sustainable environmental decision making. Networks of researchers provide unique opportunities to foster social-ecological inquiry. Although insights into interdisciplinary research have been discussed elsewhere,...

Advances in Ecological Speciation: an integrative approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Faria, Rui; Renaut, Sebastien; Galindo, Juan; Pinho, Catarina; Melo-Ferreira, José; Melo, Martim; Jones, Felicity; Salzburger, Walter; Schluter, Dolph; Butlin, Roger

2014-02-01

The role of natural selection in promoting reproductive isolation has received substantial renewed interest within the last two decades. As a consequence, the study of ecological speciation has become an extremely productive research area in modern evolutionary biology. Recent innovations in sequencing technologies offer an unprecedented opportunity to study the mechanisms involved in ecological speciation. Genome scans provide significant insights but have some important limitations; efforts are needed to integrate them with other approaches to make full use of the sequencing data deluge. An international conference 'Advances in Ecological Speciation' organized by the University of Porto (Portugal) aimed to review current progress in ecological speciation. Using some of the examples presented at the conference, we highlight the benefits of integrating ecological and genomic data and discuss different mechanisms of parallel evolution. Finally, future avenues of research are suggested to advance our knowledge concerning the role of natural selection in the establishment of reproductive isolation during ecological speciation. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Amended Silicated for Mercury Control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

James Butz; Thomas Broderick; Craig Turchi

2006-12-31

Amended Silicates{trademark}, a powdered, noncarbon mercury-control sorbent, was tested at Duke Energy's Miami Fort Station, Unit 6 during the first quarter of 2006. Unit 6 is a 175-MW boiler with a cold-side electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The plant burns run-of-the-river eastern bituminous coal with typical ash contents ranging from 8-15% and sulfur contents from 1.6-2.6% on an as-received basis. The performance of the Amended Silicates sorbent was compared with that for powdered activated carbon (PAC). The trial began with a period of baseline monitoring during which no sorbent was injected. Sampling during this and subsequent periods indicated mercury capture by the native fly ash was less than 10%. After the baseline period, Amended Silicates sorbent was injected at several different ratios, followed by a 30-day trial at a fixed injection ratio of 5-6 lb/MMACF. After this period, PAC was injected to provide a comparison. Approximately 40% mercury control was achieved for both the Amended Silicates sorbent and PAC at injection ratios of 5-6 lbs/MMACF. Higher injection ratios did not achieve significantly increased removal. Similar removal efficiencies have been reported for PAC injection trials at other plants with cold-side ESPs, most notably for plants using medium to high sulfur coal. Sorbent injection did not detrimentally impact plant operations and testing confirmed that the use of Amended Silicates sorbent does not degrade fly ash quality (unlike PAC). The cost for mercury control using either PAC or Amended Silicates sorbent was estimated to be equivalent if fly ash sales are not a consideration. However, if the plant did sell fly ash, the effective cost for mercury control could more than double if those sales were no longer possible, due to lost by-product sales and additional cost for waste disposal. Accordingly, the use of Amended Silicates sorbent could reduce the overall cost of mercury control by 50% or more versus PAC for locations where

Energy in tension between economy and ecology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goergmaier, D.

1982-01-01

It is necessary to take all measures in order to make the application of energy harmless and to prevent harmful influences on our environment and ourselves. Only if we use the chances of new technologies for improving the application of energy and for efficient utilisation of energy, but also for improving the quality of environment and if we succeed in reducing unreasonable fears among the citizens we will be able to solve the future problems of energy and environment. Only then we will succeed in making decision which consider ecology as well as economy. Resources and atmosphere are not preserved by waiving technological progress, but by making use of technological developments and increasing productivity. In doing so the industrial society will be able to find the way into the future between the threatening ecological catastrophe and a social disaster. (orig./HSCH) [de

Educating for the First Amendment.

Science.gov (United States)

Click, J. William

1995-01-01

This paper stresses the importance of researching, teaching, discussing, practicing, and understanding the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The paper also examines what the First Amendment means to students in America's schools and colleges and discusses freedom of expression and censorship for students and student…

Feasibility of biochar application on a landfill final cover-a review on balancing ecology and shallow slope stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xun-Wen; Wong, James Tsz-Fung; Ng, Charles Wang-Wai; Wong, Ming-Hung

2016-04-01

Due to the increasing concerns on global warming, scarce land for agriculture, and contamination impacts on human health, biochar application is being considered as one of the possible measures for carbon sequestration, promoting higher crop yield and contamination remediation. Significant amount of researches focusing on these three aspects have been conducted during recent years. Biochar as a soil amendment is effective in promoting plant performance and sustainability, by enhancing nutrient bioavailability, contaminants immobilization, and microbial activities. The features of biochar in changing soil physical and biochemical properties are essential in affecting the sustainability of an ecosystem. Most studies showed positive results and considered biochar application as an effective and promising measure for above-mentioned interests. Bio-engineered man-made filled slope and landfill slope increasingly draw the attention of geologists and geotechnical engineers. With increasing number of filled slopes, sustainability, low maintenance, and stability are the major concerns. Biochar as a soil amendment changes the key factors and parameters in ecology (plant development, soil microbial community, nutrient/contaminant cycling, etc.) and slope engineering (soil weight, internal friction angle and cohesion, etc.). This paper reviews the studies on the production, physical and biochemical properties of biochar and suggests the potential areas requiring study in balancing ecology and man-made filled slope and landfill cover engineering. Biochar-amended soil should be considered as a new type of soil in terms of soil mechanics. Biochar performance depends on soil and biochar type which imposes challenges to generalize the research outcomes. Aging process and ecotoxicity studies of biochar are strongly required.

The ecological research needs of business.

Science.gov (United States)

Armsworth, Paul R; Armsworth, Anastasia N; Compton, Natalie; Cottle, Phil; Davies, Ian; Emmett, Bridget A; Fandrich, Vanessa; Foote, Matthew; Gaston, Kevin J; Gardiner, Phil; Hess, Tim; Hopkins, John; Horsley, Nick; Leaver, Natasha; Maynard, Trevor; Shannon, Delia

2010-04-01

Businesses have an unrivalled ability to mobilize human, physical and financial capital, often manage large land holdings, and draw on resources and supply products that impact a wide array of ecosystems. Businesses therefore have the potential to make a substantial contribution to arresting declines in biodiversity and ecosystem services. To realize this potential, businesses require support from researchers in applied ecology to inform how they measure and manage their impacts on, and opportunities presented to them by, biodiversity and ecosystem services.We reviewed papers in leading applied ecology journals to assess the research contribution from existing collaborations involving businesses. We reviewed applications to, and grants funded by, the UK's Natural Environment Research Council for evidence of public investment in such collaborations. To scope opportunities for expanding collaborations with businesses, we conducted workshops with three sectors (mining and quarrying, insurance and manufacturing) in which participants identified exemplar ecological research questions of interest to their sector.Ten to fifteen per cent of primary research papers in Journal of Applied Ecology and Ecological Applications evidenced business involvement, mostly focusing on traditional rural industries (farming, fisheries and forestry). The review of UK research council funding found that 35% of applications mentioned business engagement, while only 1% of awarded grants met stricter criteria of direct business involvement.Some questions identified in the workshops aim to reduce costs from businesses' impacts on the environment and others to allow businesses to exploit new opportunities. Some questions are designed to inform long-term planning undertaken by businesses, but others would have more immediate commercial applications. Finally, some research questions are designed to streamline and make more effective those environmental policies that affect businesses

Meaning Emergence in the Ecology of Dialogical Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trasmundi, S. B.; Steffensen, S. V.

2016-01-01

This article is an empirically based theoretical contribution to the investigation of meaningmaking in the ecology of human interaction and interactivity. It presents an ecological perspective on meaning-making that pivots on how agents pick up information directly in their organism...... Analysis to investigate how the agents oscillate between being a multi-agent-system with shared, tightly coordinated agency and a loosely coupled dialogical system where the individuals bring forth an understanding based on their professional backgrounds and expertise. On this view, an ecological approach...

32 CFR 635.13 - Amendment of records.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Amendment of records. 635.13 Section 635.13 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTING Release of Information § 635.13 Amendment of records. (a) Policy. An amendment of records is...

Draft 1988 mission plan amendment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-06-01

This draft 1988 amendment to the Mission Plan for the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program has been prepared by the US Department of Energy (DOE). The purpose is to inform the Congress of the DOE's plans for implementing the provisions of the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987 (P.L. 100-203) for the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program. This document is being submitted in draft form to Federal agencies, states, previously affected Indian Tribes, affected units of local government, and the public. After the consideration of comments, this amendment will be revised as appropriate and submitted to the Congress. 39 refs., 7 figs., 4 tabs

Influence of soil amendments made from digestate on soil physics and the growth of spring wheat

Science.gov (United States)

Dietrich, Nils; Knoop, Christine; Raab, Thomas; Krümmelbein, Julia

2016-04-01

Every year 13 million tons of organic wastes accumulate in Germany. These wastes are a potential alternative for the production of energy in biogas plants, especially because the financial subventions for the cultivation of renewable resources for energy production were omitted in 2014. The production of energy from biomass and organic wastes in biogas plants results in the accumulation of digestate and therefore causes the need for a sustainable strategy of the utilization of these residues. Within the scope of the BMBF-funded project 'VeNGA - Investigations for recovery and nutrient use as well as soil and plant-related effects of digestate from waste fermentation' the application of processed digestate as soil amendments is examined. Therefore we tested four different mechanical treatment processes (rolled pellets, pressed pellets, shredded compost and sieved compost) to produce soil amendments from digestate with regard to their impact on soil physics, soil chemistry and the interactions between plants and soil. Pot experiments with soil amendments were performed in the greenhouse experiment with spring wheat and in field trials with millet, mustard and forage rye. After the first year of the experiment, preliminary results indicate a positive effect of the sieved compost and the rolled pellets on biomass yield of spring wheat as compared to the other variations. First results from the Investigation on soil physics show that rolled pellets have a positive effect on the soil properties by influencing size and distribution of pores resulting in an increased water holding capacity. Further ongoing enhancements of the physical and chemical properties of the soil amendments indicate promising results regarding the ecological effects by increased root growth of spring wheat.

Ecological stability of landscape - ecological infrastructure - ecological management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

The Field Workshop 'Ecological Stability of Landscape - Ecological Infrastructure - Ecological Management' was held within a State Environmental Programme financed by the Federal Committee for the Environment. The objectives of the workshop were to present Czech and Slovak approaches to the ecological stability of the landscape by means of examples of some case studies in the field, and to exchange ideas, theoretical knowledge and practical experience on implementing the concept of ecological infrastructure in landscape management. Out of 19 papers contained in the proceedings, 3 items were inputted to the INIS system. (Z.S.)

The Hyde Amendment and the future.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosoff, J I

1980-01-01

The U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed the constitutionality of the Hyde Amendment prohibiting federal funding for virtually all abortions for indigent women eligible for medical assistance. The Hyde Amendment represents a compromise on the politically sensitive issue of legality of all abortions. Despite the political controversy, however, real gains have been made since the Court decision legalizing abortion in 1973, in providing abortions services and lowering their costs. With the cutoff of Federal funds, however, most states will probably not support abortion services, thus rendering the poor and young especially vulnerable to the consequences of unwanted pregnancies. Barring the restoration of public funding, and noting that the cost of replacing it with private philanthropy is too high to be realistic, the author suggests some ways in which the cost of abortion services could be held down. Among these are setting up low cost clinic services in areas where no such services exist, thus alleviating substantial travel expenses for poor rural women; advertising the availability of such services and making other efforts to assure earlier, safer, less expensive procedures; encouraging clinics and hospitals to bill Medicaid for medical services related to (but not involved in) the abortion procedure; instituting outpatient abortion services in hospitals; and establishing satellite and mobile services by larger facilities to serve outlying areas.

EVALUATION OF ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF STEEL-MAKING SLAG IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. K. Коstenkо

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The paper provides an estimation of ecological and economic efficiency of utilization of the electric steel-melting slag of the Belarussian Steel Works in the road construction. The obtained results  give us a reason to consider that involvement of this type of industrial waste into economic turnover is an economically expedient and ecologically justified measure that will allow road-construction enterprises to reduce the cost of installation and construction works and enlarge their resource potential as well as to help the producer of wastes to release funds for innovation development and solve the problem of waste accumulation in the near future.

40 CFR 1048.220 - How do I amend the maintenance instructions in my application?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... step for engines in severe-duty applications. (c) You need not request approval if you are making only... ENGINES Certifying Engine Families § 1048.220 How do I amend the maintenance instructions in my... certification for an engine family if you want to change the emission-related maintenance instructions in a way...

Improving Ecological Forecasting: Data Assimilation Enhances the Ecological Forecast Horizon of a Complex Food Web

Science.gov (United States)

Massoud, E. C.; Huisman, J.; Benincà, E.; Bouten, W.; Vrugt, J. A.

2017-12-01

Species abundances in ecological communities can display chaotic non-equilibrium dynamics. A characteristic feature of chaotic systems is that long-term prediction of the system's trajectory is fundamentally impossible. How then should we make predictions for complex multi-species communities? We explore data assimilation (DA) with the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) to fuse a two-predator-two-prey model with abundance data from a long term experiment of a plankton community which displays chaotic dynamics. The results show that DA improves substantially the predictability and ecological forecast horizon of complex community dynamics. In addition, we show that DA helps provide guidance on measurement design, for instance on defining the frequency of observations. The study presented here is highly innovative, because DA methods at the current stage are almost unknown in ecology.

Meaning Emergence in the Ecology of Dialogical Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trasmundi Sarah Bro

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This article is an empirically based theoretical contribution to the investigation of meaningmaking in the ecology of human interaction and interactivity. It presents an ecological perspective on meaning-making that pivots on how agents pick up information directly in their organism-environment-system; i.e. as an activity that does not presuppose inner cognitive operations. We pursue this line of thought by presenting an analysis of how a doctor and a nurse make a decision about a specific medical procedure (catheterisation based on meaning-making activity. As we do not see meaning as a linguistic (symbolic or a cognitive (representational phenomenon external to an agent/user, but as emergent in coordinated interaction, we zoom in on how the practitioners recalibrate the organism-environmentsystem by shift ing between a multi-agentive mode and an individual mode. We use Cognitive Event Analysis to investigate how the agents oscillate between being a multi-agent-system with shared, tightly coordinated agency and a loosely coupled dialogical system where the individuals bring forth an understanding based on their professional backgrounds and expertise. On this view, an ecological approach to meaning-making takes a starting point in how local interaction is constrained by previous events, emergent affordances in the environment, and real-time inter-bodily dynamics. Accordingly, meaning-making is seen as a joint activity emerging from the system’s coordinative actions rather than as a result of individual interpretation of symbolic content.

Some directions in ecological theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Kendall, Bruce E

2015-12-01

The role of theory within ecology has changed dramatically in recent decades. Once primarily a source of qualitative conceptual framing, ecological theories and models are now often used to develop quantitative explanations of empirical patterns and to project future dynamics of specific ecological systems. In this essay, I recount my own experience of this transformation, in which accelerating computing power and the widespread incorporation of stochastic processes into ecological theory combined to create some novel integration of mathematical and statistical models. This stronger integration drives theory towards incorporating more biological realism, and I explore ways in which we can grapple with that realism to generate new general theoretical insights. This enhanced realism, in turn, may lead to frameworks for projecting ecological responses to anthropogenic change, which is, arguably, the central challenge for 21st-century ecology. In an era of big data and synthesis, ecologists are increasingly seeking to infer causality from observational data; but conventional biometry provides few tools for this project. This is a realm where theorists can and should play an important role, and I close by pointing towards some analytical and philosophical approaches developed in our sister discipline of economics that address this very problem. While I make no grand prognostications about the likely discoveries of ecological theory over the coming century, you will find in this essay a scattering of more or less far-fetched ideas that I, at least, think are interesting and (possibly) fruitful directions for our field.

37 CFR 2.74 - Form and signature of amendment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 37 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Form and signature of... signature of amendment. (a) Form of Amendment. Amendments should be set forth clearly and completely... record. (b) Signature. A request for amendment of an application must be signed by the applicant, someone...

77 FR 14979 - Transportation Conformity Rule Restructuring Amendments

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-14

... Transportation Conformity Rule Restructuring Amendments AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: EPA is amending the transportation conformity rule to finalize provisions that were proposed on August 13, 2010. These amendments restructure several sections of the transportation conformity...

Effect of ageing on the availability of heavy metals in soils amended with compost and biochar: evaluation of changes in soil and amendment properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Venegas, A; Rigol, A; Vidal, M

2016-10-01

Remediation strategies using soil amendments should consider the time dependence of metal availability to identify amendments that can sustainably reduce available pollutant concentrations over time. Drying-wetting cycles were applied on amendments, soils and soil + amendment mixtures, to mimic ageing at field level and investigate its effect on extractable Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn concentrations from three contaminated soils. The amendments investigated were municipal waste organic compost and biochars. The amendments, soils and mixtures were characterised by their physicochemical properties at different ageing times. The amendments were also characterised in terms of sorption capacity for Cd and Cu. The sorption capacity and the physicochemical properties of the amendments remained constant over the period examined. When mixed with the soils, amendments, especially the compost, immediately reduced the extractable metals in the soils with low pH and acid neutralisation capacity, due to the increase in pH and buffering capacity of the mixtures. The amendments had a relatively minor impact on the metal availability concentrations for the soil with substantially high acid neutralisation capacity. The most important changes in extractable metal concentrations were observed at the beginning of the experiments, ageing having a minor effect on metal concentrations when compared with the initial effect of amendments.

Numerical ecology with R

CERN Document Server

Borcard, Daniel; Legendre, Pierre

2018-01-01

This new edition of Numerical Ecology with R guides readers through an applied exploration of the major methods of multivariate data analysis, as seen through the eyes of three ecologists. It provides a bridge between a textbook of numerical ecology and the implementation of this discipline in the R language. The book begins by examining some exploratory approaches. It proceeds logically with the construction of the key building blocks of most methods, i.e. association measures and matrices, and then submits example data to three families of approaches: clustering, ordination and canonical ordination. The last two chapters make use of these methods to explore important and contemporary issues in ecology: the analysis of spatial structures and of community diversity. The aims of methods thus range from descriptive to explanatory and predictive and encompass a wide variety of approaches that should provide readers with an extensive toolbox that can address a wide palette of questions arising in contemporary mul...

What makes ecological systems reactive?

Science.gov (United States)

Snyder, Robin E

2010-06-01

Although perturbations from a stable equilibrium must ultimately vanish, they can grow initially, and the maximum initial growth rate is called reactivity. Reactivity thus identifies systems that may undergo transient population surges or drops in response to perturbations; however, we lack biological and mathematical intuition about what makes a system reactive. This paper presents upper and lower bounds on reactivity for an arbitrary linearized model, explores their strictness, and discusses their biological implications. I find that less stable systems (i.e. systems with long transients) have a smaller possible range of reactivities for which no perturbations grow. Systems with more species have a higher capacity to be reactive, assuming species interactions do not weaken too rapidly as the number of species increases. Finally, I find that in discrete time, reactivity is determined largely by mean interaction strength and neither discrete nor continuous time reactivity are sensitive to food web topology. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ecological aspects in civil engineering and physical planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engelhardt, W.

1983-01-01

This book presents an introduction to aspects of ecology and has been quite purposefully restricted to the aspects of interest in connection with civil engineering and physical planning. The various chapters deal with soil, water bodies, air, plants and plant communities, trees in towns, animal life, noise and health, as well as high-energy radiation and its impact on man and environment. The book is intended to make engineers and other interested readers working in the technical professions familiar with ecologic principles and ecologically minded thinking in order to pave the way for ecology-mindedness in civil engineering and physical planning, hopefully contributing to avoiding mistakes and their harmful consequences. (orig.) [de

Application of round grating angle measurement composite error amendment in the online measurement accuracy improvement of large diameter

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Biao; Yu, Xiaofen; Li, Qinzhao; Zheng, Yu

2008-10-01

The paper aiming at the influence factor of round grating dividing error, rolling-wheel produce eccentricity and surface shape errors provides an amendment method based on rolling-wheel to get the composite error model which includes all influence factors above, and then corrects the non-circle measurement angle error of the rolling-wheel. We make soft simulation verification and have experiment; the result indicates that the composite error amendment method can improve the diameter measurement accuracy with rolling-wheel theory. It has wide application prospect for the measurement accuracy higher than 5 μm/m.

Screening and assessment of solidification/stabilization amendments suitable for soils of lead-acid battery contaminated site.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhuo; Guo, Guanlin; Teng, Yanguo; Wang, Jinsheng; Rhee, Jae Seong; Wang, Sen; Li, Fasheng

2015-05-15

Lead exposure via ingestion of soil and dust generally occurs at lead-acid battery manufacturing and recycling sites. Screening solidification/stabilization (S/S) amendments suitable for lead contaminated soil in an abandoned lead-acid battery factory site was conducted based on its chemical forms and environmental risks. Twelve amendments were used to immobilize the Pb in soil and assess the solidification/stabilization efficiency by toxicity leaching tests. The results indicated that three amendments, KH₂PO₄ (KP), KH₂PO₄:oyster shell power=1:1 (by mass ratio; SPP), and KH₂PO₄:sintered magnesia=1:1 (by mass ratio; KPM) had higher remediation efficiencies that led to a 92% reduction in leachable Pb with the addition of 5% amendments, while the acid soluble fraction of Pb (AS-Pb) decreased by 41-46% and the residual fraction (RS-Pb) increased by 16-25%. The S/S costs of the three selected amendments KP, SPP, and KPM could be controlled to $22.3 per ton of soil when the Pb concentration in soil ranged from 2000 to 3000 mg/kg. The results of this study demonstrated that KP, SPP, and KPM can effectively decrease bioavailability of Pb. These findings could provide basis for decision-making of S/S remediation of lead-acid battery contaminated sites. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Proposed Amendments to the Nuclear Liability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

This Memorandum issued by the Swedish Ministry of Justice contains proposed amendments to the 1968 Nuclear Liability Act which can be divided into two categories. Those in the first category are required to enable Sweden to ratify the draft Protocols to amend the Paris Convention and the Brussels Supplementary Convention. The second category of amendments propose that the nuclear operator's liability be raised from the present sum of 50 million Kroner to 500 million Kroner, to be covered by insurance; it is also proposed that a State liability be introduced over and above the compensation available, the aggregate amount being limited to 300 million Kroner. State indemnification would apply to the Nordic countries. The Annexes to the Memorandum contain the English and French texts of the draft Protocols to amend both above-mentioned Conventions (NEA) [fr

The 1990 Clean Air Act amendments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torrens, I.M.; Cichanowicz, J.E.; Platt, J.B.

1992-01-01

The impacts of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments on utilities are substantial, presenting a host of new technical challenges, introducing new business risks, changing costs of electric generation, creating new winners and losers, and calling for new organizational responses capable of dealing with the complexity and short time for decisions. The magnitude of costs and unknowns puts clean air compliance into a new league of energy issues, in which the decisions utilities must make are not simply technological or engineering economic choices, but rather are very complex business decisions with numerous stakeholders, pitfalls, and opportunities. This paper summarizes the key regulatory requirements of the CAAA, outlines compliance options and questions facing the utility industry, and addresses how utility strategic business decisions could be affected

Ecology and Education in Landscape Architecture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Miller

2004-06-01

make recommendations for increased integration of ecology in landscape architecture programmes.

Communicating Ecological Indicators to Decision Makers and the Public

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Schiller

2001-06-01

Full Text Available Ecological assessments and monitoring programs often rely on indicators to evaluate environmental conditions. Such indicators are frequently developed by scientists, expressed in technical language, and target aspects of the environment that scientists consider useful. Yet setting environmental policy priorities and making environmental decisions requires both effective communication of environmental information to decision makers and consideration of what members of the public value about ecosystems. However, the complexity of ecological issues, and the ways in which they are often communicated, make it difficult for these parties to fully engage such a dialogue. This paper describes our efforts to develop a process for translating the indicators of regional ecological condition used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency into common language for communication with public and decision-making audiences. A series of small-group sessions revealed that people did not want to know what these indicators measured, or how measurements were performed. Rather, respondents wanted to know what such measurements can tell them about environmental conditions. Most positively received were descriptions of the kinds of information that various combinations of indicators provide about broad ecological conditions. Descriptions that respondents found most appealing contained general reference to both the set of indicators from which the information was drawn and aspects of the environment valued by society to which the information could be applied. These findings can assist with future efforts to communicate scientific information to nontechnical audiences, and to represent societal values in ecological programs by improving scientist-public communication.

Integral statistical eco-indices - effective complementary tool for assessment of ecological state of and ecological risks for water ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bashamkova, I

2010-01-01

Eco-indices are successfully used for assessment of the ecological state and risks of water reservoirs. They allow, already at early stages, to detect negative effects on water ecosystems caused by progressive anthropogenic impacts and widening of the spectrum of pollutants, and to quantitatively evaluate ecological risks and damage for water reservoirs. Implementing these modern tools to water quality assessment is one of the lines to make decisions concerning challenging environmental problems.

40 CFR 265.54 - Amendment of contingency plan.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Amendment of contingency plan. 265.54... DISPOSAL FACILITIES Contingency Plan and Emergency Procedures § 265.54 Amendment of contingency plan. The contingency plan must be reviewed, and immediately amended, if necessary, whenever: (a) Applicable regulations...

Biochar amendment reduced methylmercury accumulation in rice plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shu, Rui; Wang, Yongjie [School of Environment, Nanjing University, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China (China); Zhong, Huan, E-mail: zhonghuan@nju.edu.cn [School of Environment, Nanjing University, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China (China); Environmental and Life Sciences Program (EnLS), Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario (Canada)

2016-08-05

Highlights: • Biochar amendment could evidently reduce methylmercury (MeHg) levels in rice grain. • Biochar could enhance microbial production of MeHg, probably by providing sulfate. • Biochar could immobilize MeHg in soil, and reduce MeHg availability to rice plants. • Biochar amendment increased grain biomass, leading to biodilution of MeHg in grain. - Abstract: There is growing concern about methylmercury (MeHg) accumulation in rice grains and thus enhanced dietary exposure to MeHg in Asian countries. Here, we explored the possibility of reducing grain MeHg levels by biochar amendment, and the underlying mechanisms. Pot (i.e., rice cultivation in biochar amended soils) and batch experiments (i.e., incubation of amended soils under laboratory conditions) were carried out, to investigate MeHg dynamics (i.e., MeHg production, partitioning and phytoavailability in paddy soils, and MeHg uptake by rice) under biochar amendment (1–4% of soil mass). We demonstrate for the first time that biochar amendment could evidently reduce grain MeHg levels (49–92%). The declines could be attributed to the combined effects of: (1) increased soil MeHg concentrations, probably explained by the release of sulfate from biochar and thus enhanced microbial production of MeHg (e.g., by sulfate-reducing bacteria), (2) MeHg immobilization in soils, facilitated by the large surface areas and high organosulfur content of biochar, and (3) biodilution of MeHg in rice grains, due to the increased grain biomass under biochar amendment (35–79%). These observations together with mechanistic explanations improve understanding of MeHg dynamics in soil-rice systems, and support the possibility of reducing MeHg phytoaccumulation under biochar amendment.

Biochar amendment reduced methylmercury accumulation in rice plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shu, Rui; Wang, Yongjie; Zhong, Huan

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Biochar amendment could evidently reduce methylmercury (MeHg) levels in rice grain. • Biochar could enhance microbial production of MeHg, probably by providing sulfate. • Biochar could immobilize MeHg in soil, and reduce MeHg availability to rice plants. • Biochar amendment increased grain biomass, leading to biodilution of MeHg in grain. - Abstract: There is growing concern about methylmercury (MeHg) accumulation in rice grains and thus enhanced dietary exposure to MeHg in Asian countries. Here, we explored the possibility of reducing grain MeHg levels by biochar amendment, and the underlying mechanisms. Pot (i.e., rice cultivation in biochar amended soils) and batch experiments (i.e., incubation of amended soils under laboratory conditions) were carried out, to investigate MeHg dynamics (i.e., MeHg production, partitioning and phytoavailability in paddy soils, and MeHg uptake by rice) under biochar amendment (1–4% of soil mass). We demonstrate for the first time that biochar amendment could evidently reduce grain MeHg levels (49–92%). The declines could be attributed to the combined effects of: (1) increased soil MeHg concentrations, probably explained by the release of sulfate from biochar and thus enhanced microbial production of MeHg (e.g., by sulfate-reducing bacteria), (2) MeHg immobilization in soils, facilitated by the large surface areas and high organosulfur content of biochar, and (3) biodilution of MeHg in rice grains, due to the increased grain biomass under biochar amendment (35–79%). These observations together with mechanistic explanations improve understanding of MeHg dynamics in soil-rice systems, and support the possibility of reducing MeHg phytoaccumulation under biochar amendment.

Study on the balance mechanism of interests in marine ecological compensation

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Cao; Hongjun, Cao; Hongcai, Yan

2017-11-01

From the point of view of game theory and through establishing the game model of the subject and object of marine ecological compensation, this paper makes a research on the balance mechanism the interests of marine ecological compensation. The results show that the optimal amount of capital investment of environmental protection enterprises for ecological compensation depends not only on energy conservation and emission reduction of itself as well as competition enterprises, but also on the policy support for ecological compensation. At the same time, it is limited by the public’s understanding and acceptance for ecological compensation.

Exergy method technical and ecological applications

CERN Document Server

Szargut, J

2005-01-01

The exergy method makes it possible to detect and quantify the possibilities of improving thermal and chemical processes and systems. The introduction of the concept ""thermo-ecological cost"" (cumulative consumption of non-renewable natural exergy resources) generated large application possibilities of exergy in ecology. This book contains a short presentation on the basic principles of exergy analysis and discusses new achievements in the field over the last 15 years. One of the most important issues considered by the distinguished author is the economy of non-renewable natural exergy.

Green waste compost as an amendment during induced phytoextraction of mercury-contaminated soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Smolinska, Beata

2015-03-01

Phytoextraction of mercury-contaminated soils is a new strategy that consists of using the higher plants to make the soil contaminant nontoxic. The main problem that occurs during the process is the low solubility and bioavailability of mercury in soil. Therefore, some soil amendments can be used to increase the efficiency of the Hg phytoextraction process. The aim of the investigation was to use the commercial compost from municipal green wastes to increase the efficiency of phytoextraction of mercury-contaminated soil by Lepidium sativum L. plants and determine the leaching of Hg after compost amendment. The result of the study showed that Hg can be accumulated by L. sativum L. The application of compost increased both the accumulation by whole plant and translocation of Hg to shoots. Compost did not affect the plant biomass and its biometric parameters. Application of compost to the soil decreased the leaching of mercury in both acidic and neutral solutions regardless of growing medium composition and time of analysis. Due to Hg accumulation and translocation as well as its potential leaching in acidic and neutral solution, compost can be recommended as a soil amendment during the phytoextraction of mercury-contaminated soil.

Air quality regulation: State implementation of the NAAQS and the nonattainment program of the 1990 Amendments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

The 1970 Amendments to the Clean Air Act required the EPA to establish 'national ambient air quality standards' (NAAQS) for substances that contribute to widespread and pervasive air pollution. Since many areas of the country had not met NAAQS by 1987 and since there was controversy over the EPA's authority to address these nonattainment problems administratively, the 1990 Amendments to the Act were a legal necessity. The new nonattainment requirements are extensive and complex, and will affect industry in a variety of ways. Existing sources could be required to reduce PM-10 precursors (e.g., SO 2 and NO x ), CO, and VOCs in nonattainment areas for those pollutants. The procedures that the EPA adopts to make decisions on nonattainment classifications and state plan revisions could affect control requirements. New and modified sources being permitted in nonattainment areas may face offset and stringent control requirements. These and other provisions of the nonattainment requirements of the Clean Air Act and the 1990 Amendments are discussed in this chapter

Fuel Receiving and Storage Station. License application, amendment 7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-02-01

Amendment No. 7 to Allied-General Nuclear Services application for licensing of the Fuel Receiving and Storage Station consists of revised pages for: Amendment No. 7 to AG-L 105, ''Technical Description in Support of Application for FRSS Operation''; Amendment No. 1 to AG-L 105A, ''Early Operation of the Service Concentrator''; and Amendment No. 2 to AG-L 110, ''FRSS Summary Preoperational Report.''

Biogenic coal-to-methane conversion efficiency decreases after repeated organic amendment

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Katherine J.; Barnhart, Elliott P.; Fields, Matthew W.; Gerlach, Robin

2018-01-01

Addition of organic amendments to coal-containing systems can increase the rate and extent of biogenic methane production for 60–80 days before production slows or stops. Understanding the effect of repeated amendment additions on the rate and extent of enhanced coal-dependent methane production is important if biological coal-to-methane conversion is to be enhanced on a commercial scale. Microalgal biomass was added at a concentration of 0.1 g/L to microcosms with and without coal on days 0, 76, and 117. Rates of methane production were enhanced after the initial amendment but coal-containing treatments produced successively decreasing amounts of methane with each amendment. During the first amendment period, 113% of carbon added as amendment was recovered as methane, whereas in the second and third amendment periods, 39% and 32% of carbon added as amendment was recovered as methane, respectively. Additionally, algae-amended coal treatments produced ∼38% more methane than unamended coal treatments and ∼180% more methane than amended coal-free treatments after one amendment. However, a second amendment addition resulted in only an ∼25% increase in methane production for coal versus noncoal treatments and a third amendment addition resulted in similar methane production in both coal and noncoal treatments. Successive amendment additions appeared to result in a shift from coal-to-methane conversion to amendment-to-methane conversion. The reported results indicate that a better understanding is needed of the potential impacts and efficiencies of repeated stimulation for enhanced coal-to-methane conversion.

30 CFR 938.16 - Required regulatory program amendments.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... consistent with section 510(d) of SMCRA by requiring that the restoration of prime farmland soil productivity... of the reclamation fee, as amended in § 86.17(e), will assure that the Surface Mining Conservation... current market value. (n) By November 1, 1991, Pennsylvania shall amend § 86.158(b)(2) or otherwise amend...

Terrestrial ecology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1977-01-01

The main effort of the Terrestrial Ecology Division has been redirected to a comprehensive study of the Espiritu Santo Drainage Basin located in northeastern Puerto Rico. The general objective are to provide baseline ecological data for future environmental assessment studies at the local and regional levels, and to provide through an ecosystem approach data for the development of management alternatives for the wise utilization of energy, water, and land resources. The interrelationships among climate, vegetation, soils, and man, and their combined influence upon the hydrologic cycle will be described and evaluated. Environmental management involves planning and decision making, and both require an adequate data base. At present, little is known about the interworkings of a complete, integrated system such as a drainage basin. A literature survey of the main research areas confirmed that, although many individual ecologically oriented studies have been carried out in a tropical environment, few if any provide the data base required for environmental management. In view of rapidly changing socio-economic conditions and natural resources limitations, management urgently requires data from these systems: physical (climatological), biological, and cultural. This integrated drainage basin study has been designed to provide such data. The scope of this program covers the hydrologic cycle as it is affected by the interactions of the physical, biological, and cultural systems

76 FR 59733 - Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Notice To Amend an Existing System of Records

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-27

..., as amended, the Department of the Interior (DOI) is issuing a public notice of its intent to amend... share in judgment fund distributions authorized by plans prepared pursuant to Federal legislation. It... individual's eligibility to share in judgment fund distributions authorized by plans prepared pursuant to 25...

Assessment and management of ecological integrity: Chapter 12

Science.gov (United States)

Kwak, Thomas J.; Freeman, Mary C.

2010-01-01

more general term, ecological condition, refers to the state of the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the environment and the processes and interactions that connect them. While the concept of ecological integrity may appear unambiguous, its assessment and practice are much less clear. Ecological integrity made its debut in the USA with the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972 (Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended through Public Law 107–303, November 27, 2002), which states only one objective, “to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” This legislation compelled resource managers to focus on chemical pollution from point effluent sources, such as industrial and municipal outflows, as well as give attention to diffuse, chronic, and watershed effects on ecological integrity. Further, the CWA allowed pursuit of restoration programs in degraded water bodies and catalyzed the science and practice of restoration ecology. The term ecosystem health is often raised in discussions of ecological integrity. Perhaps it is natural to anthropomorphize our concern for personal health to ecosystems, so it becomes a useful metaphor for understanding the concept of ecological integrity. However, whether or not an ecosystem should be considered an entity, such as a superorganism, is a debate without end that began with early ecologists and continues today (Clements 1916; Suter 1993; Simon 1999a). Regardless, the ecosystem is indeed a natural unit with a level of organization and properties beyond the collection of those species that occupy it and presents the most appropriate spatial and organizational scale in which to assess and study ecological integrity. Streams and rivers serve as integrators of chemical, physical, and biological conditions across the landscape, and while the theory and practice associated with ecological integrity of aquatic systems is easily applied to flowing waters and is

Integration of research infrastructures and ecosystem models toward development of predictive ecology

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Y.; Huang, Y.; Jiang, J.; MA, S.; Saruta, V.; Liang, G.; Hanson, P. J.; Ricciuto, D. M.; Milcu, A.; Roy, J.

2017-12-01

The past two decades have witnessed rapid development in sensor technology. Built upon the sensor development, large research infrastructure facilities, such as National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and FLUXNET, have been established. Through networking different kinds of sensors and other data collections at many locations all over the world, those facilities generate large volumes of ecological data every day. The big data from those facilities offer an unprecedented opportunity for advancing our understanding of ecological processes, educating teachers and students, supporting decision-making, and testing ecological theory. The big data from the major research infrastructure facilities also provides foundation for developing predictive ecology. Indeed, the capability to predict future changes in our living environment and natural resources is critical to decision making in a world where the past is no longer a clear guide to the future. We are living in a period marked by rapid climate change, profound alteration of biogeochemical cycles, unsustainable depletion of natural resources, and deterioration of air and water quality. Projecting changes in future ecosystem services to the society becomes essential not only for science but also for policy making. We will use this panel format to outline major opportunities and challenges in integrating research infrastructure and ecosystem models toward developing predictive ecology. Meanwhile, we will also show results from an interactive model-experiment System - Ecological Platform for Assimilating Data into models (EcoPAD) - that have been implemented at the Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Climatic and Environmental change (SPRUCE) experiment in Northern Minnesota and Montpellier Ecotron, France. EcoPAD is developed by integrating web technology, eco-informatics, data assimilation techniques, and ecosystem modeling. EcoPAD is designed to streamline data transfer seamlessly from research infrastructure

Effect of amendments addition on adsorption of landfill leachate

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, X. J.; Zhang, H. Y.; Wang, G. Q.; Gu, J.; Wang, J. H.; Duan, G. P.

2018-03-01

The disposal of leachate has become one of the most pressing problems for landfills. This study taking three kinds of amendments, corn straw, mushroom residue and garden waste as adsorbent materials, evaluates the different amendments on the leachate adsorption effect through analyzing indicators as the saturation adsorption ratio, sulfur containing odor emission, heat value. The results showed that all three kinds of amendments can effectively adsorb leachate, with saturation adsorption ratio between 1: 2 and 1: 4. Adding amendment could significantly reduce the sulfur containing odor emission of leachate. Compared the three kinds of amendments, mushroom residue could adsorb leachate at a maximize degree with a low concentration of sulfur containing odor emission. The industrial analysis showed that the heat values of the amendments after absorbing leachate are more than 14MJ/kg, and it can be utilized as a biomass fuel.

Introduction: New Frontiers of Ecological Knowledge: Co-producing Knowledge and Governance in Asia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shubhra Gururani

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This essay makes a case for centering the questions of ecological knowledge in order to understand how environmental governance and resource access are being remade in the frontier ecologies of Asia. These frontiers, consisting of the so-called uplands and coastal zones, are increasingly subject to new waves of extractive and conservation activities, prompted in part by rising values attached to these ecologies by new actors and actor coalitions. Drawing on recent writings in science and technology studies, we examine the coproduction (Jasanoff 2004 of ecological knowledge and governance at this conjuncture of neoliberal interventions, land grabs, and climate change. We outline the complex ways through which the involvement of new actors, new technologies, and practices of boundary work, territorialisation, scale-making, and expertise transform the dynamics of the coproduction of knowledge and governance. Drawing on long term field research in Asia, the articles in this special section show that resident peoples are often marginalised from the production and circulation of ecological knowledge, and thus from environmental governance. While attentive to the entry of new actors and to the shifts in relations of authority, control, and decision-making, the papers also present examples of how this marginalisation can be challenged, by highlighting the limits of boundary-work and expertise in such frontier ecologies.

Directed Selection of Biochars for Amending Metal ...

Science.gov (United States)

Approximately 500,000 abandoned mines across the U.S. pose a considerable, pervasive risk to human health and the environment. World-wide the problem is even larger. Lime, organic matter, biosolids and other amendments have been used to decrease metal bioavailability in contaminated mine wastes and to promote the development of a mine waste stabilizing plant cover. The demonstrated properties of biochar make it a viable candidate as an amendment for remediating metal contaminated mine soils. In addition to sequestering potentially toxic metals, biochar can also be a source of plant nutrients, used to adjust soil pH, improve soil water holding characteristics, and increase soil carbon content. However, methods are needed for matching biochar beneficial properties with mine waste toxicities and soil health deficiencies. In this presentation we will report on a study in which we used mine soil from an abandoned Cu and Zn mine to develop a three-step procedure for identifying biochars that are most effective at reducing heavy metal bioavailability. Step 1: a slightly acidic extract of the mine spoil soil was produced, representing the potentially available metals, and used to identify metal removal properties of a library of 38 different biochars (e.g., made from a variety of feedstocks and pyrolysis or gasification conditions). Step 2: evaluation of how well these biochars retained (i.e., did not desorb) previously sorbed metals. Step 3: laboratory evalua

Resilience Through Ecological Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grazia Brunetta

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The paper explores the strategic role that urban biodiversity and ecosystem services management, natural infrastructure and adaptive governance approaches can play in making our economies and societies more resilient and in linking human societies and the natural environment. Resilience – a concept that entered the debate on urban governance – means the ability of urban systems, considered as linear-systems, to react to external disturbances by returning to some socio-ecological equilibrium steady-state by overcoming a crisis period (Gunderson & al. 2010, Newman & al. 2009. In this view, green infrastructures can assume a strategic role in restoring and enhancing the ecological and environmental livability in urban areas. Starting from the International and European context, the paper discusses innovative programs and interdisciplinary projects and practices (some cases in Turin Metropolitan Area to demonstrate how green infrastructures can increase the adaptive capacity of urban systems in term of resilience. They can contribute to increase the ability of European cities to adapt to climate change and to reduce their ecological footprints, to enhance security and life quality.

Biochar amendment reduced methylmercury accumulation in rice plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Shu, Rui; Wang, Yongjie; Zhong, Huan

2016-08-05

There is growing concern about methylmercury (MeHg) accumulation in rice grains and thus enhanced dietary exposure to MeHg in Asian countries. Here, we explored the possibility of reducing grain MeHg levels by biochar amendment, and the underlying mechanisms. Pot (i.e., rice cultivation in biochar amended soils) and batch experiments (i.e., incubation of amended soils under laboratory conditions) were carried out, to investigate MeHg dynamics (i.e., MeHg production, partitioning and phytoavailability in paddy soils, and MeHg uptake by rice) under biochar amendment (1-4% of soil mass). We demonstrate for the first time that biochar amendment could evidently reduce grain MeHg levels (49-92%). The declines could be attributed to the combined effects of: (1) increased soil MeHg concentrations, probably explained by the release of sulfate from biochar and thus enhanced microbial production of MeHg (e.g., by sulfate-reducing bacteria), (2) MeHg immobilization in soils, facilitated by the large surface areas and high organosulfur content of biochar, and (3) biodilution of MeHg in rice grains, due to the increased grain biomass under biochar amendment (35-79%). These observations together with mechanistic explanations improve understanding of MeHg dynamics in soil-rice systems, and support the possibility of reducing MeHg phytoaccumulation under biochar amendment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

78 FR 44188 - Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, as Amended by Public Law 104-13; Proposed Collection, Comment...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-23

... TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, as Amended by Public Law 104-13; Proposed Collection, Comment Request AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority. ACTION: Proposed Collection... preference. The information is used to make comparative appraisals and to assist in selections. The affected...

75 FR 27863 - Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, as Amended by Public Law 104-13; Proposed Collection, Comment...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-18

... TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, as Amended by Public Law 104-13; Proposed Collection, Comment Request AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority. ACTION: Proposed collection... preference. The information is used to make comparative appraisals and to assist in selections. The affected...

Toward a Developmental Ecological Psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldfield, Eugene C.

1997-01-01

Discusses Adolph's research on locomotion with regard to the requirements of an ecological psychology, especially the use of control laws; her examination of individual styles and normative patterns as it reflects a dynamic systems perspective; and her use of cognitive processes of decision making in explaining why infants approach or avoid a…

Proposed general amendments to the atomic energy control regulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

Canada's Atomic Energy Control Act defines the powers and responsibilities of the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB). Among these is to make regulations to control the development, application and use of atomic energy. In these proposed general amendments to the Atomic Energy Control Regulations substantial changes are proposed in the designation of the authority of AECB staff, exemptions from licensing, international safeguards, duties of licensees and atomic radiation workers, security of information, and provision for hearings. The scope of the control of atomic energy has been redefined as relating to matters of health, safety, security, international safeguards, and the protection of the environment

Barnwell Nuclear Fuel Plant. License application, amendment 10

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-01-01

Amendment No. 10 provides the applicant's responses to questions raised by the AEC in letters dated November 6 and December 5, 1974. Amendment No. 3, dated February 1975, to the BNFP Separations Facility Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) is included. The amendment consists of revision pages for volumes 1 through 5 of the FSAR along with a deletion and insertion guide. (U.S.)

Bentonite-amended soils special study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-10-01

This report presents the results of a two-phased special study to evaluate the viability of soil amended with a high percentage of bentonite as an infiltration barrier in the cover of Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project disposal cells. Phase I of the study was initiated in order to examine the feasibility of using bentonite-amended soils as a cover component on sideslopes and topslopes. The Phase I objectives were to test a variety of materials to determine if low hydraulic conductivities were achievable in materials exhibiting sufficient strength and to select suitable materials for further testing. Phase II objectives were to (1) optimize designs -- test materials with various percentages of bentonite added; (2) provide design recommendations; (3) address constructibility concerns; and (4) evaluate long-term performance with respect to desiccation effects on the amended materials

76 FR 6694 - Disclosure of Medical Information to the Surrogate of a Patient Who Lacks Decision-Making Capacity

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-08

... pertaining to the release of information from VA records. We are adding definitions of ``decision-making... lacks decision-making capacity.'' Because the existing definition of ``surrogate'' is substantively... sections. 0 2. Amend Sec. 1.460 by adding, in alphabetical order, the definitions of ``decision-making...

Unifying Research on Social-Ecological Resilience and Collapse.

Science.gov (United States)

Cumming, Graeme S; Peterson, Garry D

2017-09-01

Ecosystems influence human societies, leading people to manage ecosystems for human benefit. Poor environmental management can lead to reduced ecological resilience and social-ecological collapse. We review research on resilience and collapse across different systems and propose a unifying social-ecological framework based on (i) a clear definition of system identity; (ii) the use of quantitative thresholds to define collapse; (iii) relating collapse processes to system structure; and (iv) explicit comparison of alternative hypotheses and models of collapse. Analysis of 17 representative cases identified 14 mechanisms, in five classes, that explain social-ecological collapse. System structure influences the kind of collapse a system may experience. Mechanistic theories of collapse that unite structure and process can make fundamental contributions to solving global environmental problems. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Effect of Organic Amendments and Chemical Fertilization in Production of Corn (Zea Mays L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabio Emilio Forero Ulloa

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Corn is grown in 135 countries, and because of its uses and nutritional benefits is the world's most important cereal. In Colombia it is grown in various agro-ecological conditions of production. The bagasse is an organic residue resulting from the grinding of sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L., used for the production of jaggery (solid resulting of boiling and evaporation of the juice from sugar cane, which can be used as an amendment and is a soil conditioner, as a rich source of phosphorus, calcium and nitrogen. The aim of the research was to evaluate the effect of bagasse against the application of other organic sources and chemical fertilization in maize, variety ICA-V-305. For this, a completely random statistical design with four treatments and absolute control was established. Results were subjected to analysis of variance and Tukey comparison test. Applying Bagasse + Abimgra® produced the greatest number of ears of corn, while the use of only bagasse, presented the second best results in terms of number of grains / ear and weight of 100 grains of corn, therefore bagasse becomes , through time, an important option as organic amendment, which would favor the production of corn, and an option as organic fertilizer.

Proposed Plan for an amendment to the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility Record of Decision, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-07-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington State Department of Ecology, and the U.S. Department of Energy (Tri- Parties) are proposing an amendment to the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility Record of Decision (ERDF ROD). EPA is the lead regulatory agency for the ERDF Project. This Proposed Plan includes two elements intended to promote Hanford Site cleanup activities by broadening utilization and operation of ERDF as follows: (1) Construct the planned Phase II of ERDF using the current disposal cell design and (2) enable centralized treatment of remediation waste at ERDF prior to disposal, as appropriate

75 FR 39323 - Amendment to the Biometric Visa Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-08

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice: 7047] Amendment to the Biometric Visa Program AGENCY: Department of State. ACTION: Notice of Amendment to the Biometric Visa Program. This public notice announces an amendment to the Biometric Visa Program. Section 303 of the Enhanced Border Security and Visa...

14 CFR 91.1017 - Amending program manager's management specifications.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Amending program manager's management... Ownership Operations Program Management § 91.1017 Amending program manager's management specifications. (a... specifications; or (2) The program manager applies for the amendment of any management specifications, and the...

A multi-criteria index for ecological evaluation of tropical agriculture in southeastern Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Huerta, Esperanza; Kampichler, Christian; Ochoa-Gaona, Susana; De Jong, Ben; Hernandez-Daumas, Salvador; Geissen, Violette

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to generate an easy to use index to evaluate the ecological state of agricultural land from a sustainability perspective. We selected environmental indicators, such as the use of organic soil amendments (green manure) versus chemical fertilizers, plant biodiversity (including crop associations), variables which characterize soil conservation of conventional agricultural systems, pesticide use, method and frequency of tillage. We monitored the ecological state of 52 agricultural plots to test the performance of the index. The variables were hierarchically aggregated with simple mathematical algorithms, if-then rules, and rule-based fuzzy models, yielding the final multi-criteria index with values from 0 (worst) to 1 (best conditions). We validated the model through independent evaluation by experts, and we obtained a linear regression with an r2 = 0.61 (p = 2.4e-06, d.f. = 49) between index output and the experts' evaluation.

Ecological footprint and food consumption in Minna, Nigeria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Razack, N T A A; Ludin, A N M

2014-01-01

Cities all over the world are growing and will continue to grow as development is tilted toward development at the expense of the rural area. As a result of this there is need for development of housing that constructed at the urban fringes. There are many tools to measure sustainability of a city and one of them is Ecological Footprint. This paper looked at the Ecological Footprint and food consumption Minna, Nigeria. The paper evaluates the effectiveness of Ecological Footprint in the context of urban development. The survey revealed that food contributed 38.77% of the Ecological Footprint of Minna. This is as a result of the lifestyle of the people. It was concluded that the Ecological Footprint of Minna (1.096gha) is lower than the national bio-capacity (1.24gha), which therefore make city sustainable. Therefore, the people of Minna have to develop a lifestyle that will be sustainable better than the present practice

Clarification of Employer’s Continuing Obligation To Make and Maintain an Accurate Record of Each Recordable Injury and Illness. Final rule.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-03

Under the Congressional Review Act, Congress has passed, and the President has signed, Public Law 115-21, a resolution of disapproval of OSHA's final rule titled, "Clarification of Employer's Continuing Obligation to Make and Maintain an Accurate Record of each Recordable Injury and Illness." OSHA published the rule, which contained various amendments to OSHA's recordkeeping regulations, on December 19, 2016. The amendments became effective on January 18, 2017. Because Public Law 115-21 invalidates the amendments to OSHA's recordkeeping regulations contained in the rule promulgated on December 19, 2016, OSHA is hereby removing those amendments from the Code of Federal Regulations.

Microbial ecology of coal mine refuse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cameron, R. E.; Miller, R. M.

1977-01-01

Baseline microbial and ecological studies of samples obtained from two abandoned coal mine refuse sites in the State of Illinois indicate that the unfavorable nature of refuse materials can be a very limiting factor for survival and growth of organisms. Despite the ''foothold'' obtained by some microorganisms, especially acidophilic fungi and some acidotolerant algae, the refuse materials should be amended or ameliorated to raise the pH, provide needed nutrients, especially nitrogen, and provide biodegradable organic matter, both for physical and biological purposes. Finally, the role of microbial populations, responses, and interactions in acid mine wastes must be put into larger perspective. Acid mine drainage amounts to over 4 million tons per year of acidity from active and abandoned mines. Microorganisms appear to be significantly responsible for this problem, but they also can play a beneficial and significant role in the amelioration or alleviation of this detrimental effect as abandoned mines are reclaimed and returned to useful productivity.

Factors influencing As(V) stabilization in the mine soils amended with iron-rich materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Mijin; Kim, Juhee; Kim, Minhee; Kim, Yong-Seong; Nam, Seung Mo; Moon, Deok Hyun; Hyun, Seunghun

2017-09-04

Chemical stability of As(V) in amended mine-impacted soils was assessed according to functions of incubation period (0, 1, 2, 4, and 6 months), amendment dose (2.5 and 5%), and application timing (0 and 3rd month). Six soils contaminated with 26-209 mg kg -1 of As(V) were collected from two abandoned mine sites and were treated with two alkaline iron-rich materials (mine discharge sludge (MS) and steel-making slag (SS)). Seventeen to 23% of As(V) in soils was labile. After each designated time, As(V) stability was assessed by the labile fractions determined with sequential extraction procedures (F1-F5). Over 6 months, a reduction (26.9-70.4%) of the two labile fractions (F1 and F2) and a quantitative increase (7.4-29.9%) of As(V) in F3 were observed (r 2  = 0.956). Two recalcitrant fractions (F4 and F5) remained unchanged. Temporal change of As(V) stability in a sample was well described by the two-domain model (k fast , k slow , and F fast ). The stabilization (%) correlated well with the fast-stabilizing domain (F fast ), clay content (%), and Fe oxide content (mg kg -1 ), but correlated poorly with kinetic rate constants (k fast and k slow ). Until the 3rd month, the 2.5%-MS amended sample resulted in lower As(V) stabilization (25-40%) compared to the 5% sample (50-60%). However, the second 2.5% MS addition on the 2.5% sample upon the lapse of the 3rd month led to a substantial reduction (up to 38%) of labile As(V) fraction in the following 4th and 6th months. As a result, an additional 15-25% of As(V) stability was obtained when splitting the amendment dose into 3-month intervals. In conclusion, the As(V) stabilization by Fe-rich amendment is time-dependent and its efficacy can be improved by optimizing the amendment dose and its timing.

The Dangerous Drugs Act Amendment in Jamaica: Reviewing goals, implementation, and challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Davenport, Steven; Pardo, Bryce

2016-11-01

After decades of internal discussion, the Government of Jamaica recently amended its laws to create a regulated and licensed cannabis industry for medical and scientific purposes. The new law also decriminalizes personal possession and use of cannabis; allows cannabis to be used by individuals for religious, medical, scientific and therapeutic purposes; and permits home cultivation of up to five plants. We first describe the statutory changes under the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act of 2015 and compare it with other jurisdictions. We provide an analytical framework for understanding how the DDA Amendment affects key populations and achieves its stated goals, drawing on publicly available information and unstructured interviews with non-governmental stakeholders in Jamaica. The Amendment's primary goals are to deliver economic impact and reduce criminal justice costs. A relaxed policy of enforcement toward possession and use seems to have occurred even before the law's passage; after the law's passage, enforcement remains limited. To access medical cannabis under the DDA residents must receive authorization from a certified health professional in Jamaica; tourists may self-declare their medical need; and Rastafarians may grow and exchange non-commercially for religious purposes. Internally, many see "ganja" as an industry sorely needed to drive economic growth in Jamaica. Indeed, the potential impacts could be large, especially if Jamaica draws additional tourism or creates a viable export industry. A growing cannabis-related tourism industry seems more realistic. We maintain that policymakers and observers should proceed in an orderly fashion, continuing to identify and resolve remaining uncertainties, initiate new types of data collection, and make decisions based on realistic assessments of potentials for economic impact. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Missing ecology: integrating ecological perspectives with the social-ecological system framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Graham Epstein

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The social-ecological systems framework was designed to provide a common research tool for interdisciplinary investigations of social-ecological systems. However, its origin in institutional studies of the commons belies its interdisciplinary ambitions and highlights its relatively limited attention to ecology and natural scientific knowledge. This paper considers the biophysical components of the framework and its epistemological foundations as it relates to the incorporation of knowledge from the natural sciences. It finds that the mixture of inductive and deductive reasoning associated with socially-oriented investigations of these systems is lacking on the ecological side, which relies upon induction alone. As a result the paper proposes the addition of a seventh core sub-system to the social-ecological systems framework, ecological rules, which would allow scholars to explicitly incorporate knowledge from the natural sciences for deductive reasoning. The paper shows, through an instructive case study, how the addition of ecological rules can provide a more nuanced description of the factors that contribute to outcomes in social-ecological systems.

Regulator process for the authorization of an amendment to the operation license of a nuclear power plant in Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez, R.; Espinosa V, J.M.; Salgado, J.R.; Mamani, Y.R.

2005-01-01

The regulator process by which an authorization is granted from an amendment to the License of Operation of a nuclear power station in Mexico is described. It makes an appointment the effective legal mark, the technical characteristics of the modification, the evaluation process and deposition upon oath of tests and finally the elaboration of the Safety report and the Technical Verdict that is a correspondent for the regulator organism to the Secretary of Energy, the one that in turn is the responsible of granting the amendment the License just as it establishes it the Law. (Author)

77 FR 38477 - IFR Altitudes; Miscellaneous Amendments

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-28

... MEA Sec. 95.6001 Victor Routes--U.S. Sec. 95.6016 VOR Federal Airway V16 is Amended to Delete TUCSON... NW 16500 Sec. 95.6366 VOR Federal Airway V366 is Amended to Read in Part HUGO, CO VOR/DME FALCON, CO...

Proposed Federal Gun-Control Amendment. Student Forum.

Science.gov (United States)

Mertz, Gayle; Mertz, David

1995-01-01

Presents an outline for a student-run forum on a proposed federal gun control amendment. Procedures include mandatory reading assignments and researching the issue. Students role-play fictional representative characters and later facilitate discussions. Concludes with a vote on the amendment. (MJP)

An ecologically based model of alcohol-consumption decision making: evidence for the discriminative and predictive role of contextual reward and punishment information.

Science.gov (United States)

Bogg, Tim; Finn, Peter R

2009-05-01

Using insights from Ecological Systems Theory and Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, the current study assessed the utility of a series of hypothetical role-based alcohol-consumption scenarios that varied in their presentation of rewarding and punishing information. The scenarios, along with measures of impulsive sensation seeking and a self-report of weekly alcohol consumption, were administered to a sample of alcohol-dependent and non-alcohol-dependent college-age individuals (N = 170). The results showed scenario attendance decisions were largely unaffected by alcohol-dependence status and variations in contextual reward and punishment information. In contrast to the attendance findings, the results for the alcohol-consumption decisions showed alcohol-dependent individuals reported a greater frequency of deciding to drink, as well as indicating greater alcohol consumption in the contexts of complementary rewarding or nonpunishing information. Regression results provided evidence for the criterion-related validity of scenario outcomes in an account of diagnostic alcohol problems. The results are discussed in terms of the conceptual and predictive gains associated with an assessment approach to alcohol-consumption decision making that combines situational information organized and balanced through the frameworks of Ecological Systems Theory and Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory.

31 CFR 355.15 - Can these regulations be amended?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Can these regulations be amended? 355.15 Section 355.15 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance (Continued... CHECKS § 355.15 Can these regulations be amended? We may, at any time, supplement, amend, or revise the...

Classifying the evolutionary and ecological features of neoplasms

Science.gov (United States)

Maley, Carlo C.; Aktipis, Athena; Graham, Trevor A.; Sottoriva, Andrea; Boddy, Amy M.; Janiszewska, Michalina; Silva, Ariosto S.; Gerlinger, Marco; Yuan, Yinyin; Pienta, Kenneth J.; Anderson, Karen S.; Gatenby, Robert; Swanton, Charles; Posada, David; Wu, Chung-I; Schiffman, Joshua D.; Hwang, E. Shelley; Polyak, Kornelia; Anderson, Alexander R. A.; Brown, Joel S.; Greaves, Mel; Shibata, Darryl

2018-01-01

Neoplasms change over time through a process of cell-level evolution, driven by genetic and epigenetic alterations. However, the ecology of the microenvironment of a neoplastic cell determines which changes provide adaptive benefits. There is widespread recognition of the importance of these evolutionary and ecological processes in cancer, but to date, no system has been proposed for drawing clinically relevant distinctions between how different tumours are evolving. On the basis of a consensus conference of experts in the fields of cancer evolution and cancer ecology, we propose a framework for classifying tumours that is based on four relevant components. These are the diversity of neoplastic cells (intratumoural heterogeneity) and changes over time in that diversity, which make up an evolutionary index (Evo-index), as well as the hazards to neoplastic cell survival and the resources available to neoplastic cells, which make up an ecological index (Eco-index). We review evidence demonstrating the importance of each of these factors and describe multiple methods that can be used to measure them. Development of this classification system holds promise for enabling clinicians to personalize optimal interventions based on the evolvability of the patient’s tumour. The Evo- and Eco-indices provide a common lexicon for communicating about how neoplasms change in response to interventions, with potential implications for clinical trials, personalized medicine and basic cancer research. PMID:28912577

Ecological literacy and beyond: Problem-based learning for future professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewinsohn, Thomas M; Attayde, José Luiz; Fonseca, Carlos Roberto; Ganade, Gislene; Jorge, Leonardo Ré; Kollmann, Johannes; Overbeck, Gerhard E; Prado, Paulo Inácio; Pillar, Valério D; Popp, Daniela; da Rocha, Pedro L B; Silva, Wesley Rodrigues; Spiekermann, Annette; Weisser, Wolfgang W

2015-03-01

Ecological science contributes to solving a broad range of environmental problems. However, lack of ecological literacy in practice often limits application of this knowledge. In this paper, we highlight a critical but often overlooked demand on ecological literacy: to enable professionals of various careers to apply scientific knowledge when faced with environmental problems. Current university courses on ecology often fail to persuade students that ecological science provides important tools for environmental problem solving. We propose problem-based learning to improve the understanding of ecological science and its usefulness for real-world environmental issues that professionals in careers as diverse as engineering, public health, architecture, social sciences, or management will address. Courses should set clear learning objectives for cognitive skills they expect students to acquire. Thus, professionals in different fields will be enabled to improve environmental decision-making processes and to participate effectively in multidisciplinary work groups charged with tackling environmental issues.

Principles and methods of ecological information science in the solution of ecological problems of the nuclear power industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vorob'ev, E.I.; Kokoreva, L.V.; Reznichenko, V.Y.

1989-01-01

The accident at Chernobyl' Atomic Power Plant has drawn attention to the ecological aspects of the development of the nuclear power industry. It has become clear that the stage of discussions of the importance of ecological problems and of the advisability of studying them further has passed. We now face the stage of carrying out specific tasks: the creation of regional and global monitoring systems; the collection and analysis of data on the effect of nuclear power on nature and humans; modeling and optimization of the strategy for developing the power industry with consideration for ecological aspects; ecological factoring in scientific and technical decisions related to atomic power plant design and siting; and so forth. Three main areas of application of ecological information science can be identified in the nuclear power industry: the creation of global data banks on the safety and reliability of enterprises involved in the nuclear fuel cycle; the development of standard tools for processing and analysis of ecological data; and the creation of tools to support decisions in the field of ecology. The authors' experience in working with information systems and various groups of untrained users (biologists, medical workers, ecologists, etc.) makes possible the conclusion that the most important requirement is a convenient interface that does not require a great deal of effort to master. In the systems discussed here, the authors used structured query languages and menus

Creating multithemed ecological regions for macroscale ecology: Testing a flexible, repeatable, and accessible clustering method

Science.gov (United States)

Cheruvelil, Kendra Spence; Yuan, Shuai; Webster, Katherine E.; Tan, Pang-Ning; Lapierre, Jean-Francois; Collins, Sarah M.; Fergus, C. Emi; Scott, Caren E.; Norton Henry, Emily; Soranno, Patricia A.; Filstrup, Christopher T.; Wagner, Tyler

2017-01-01

Understanding broad-scale ecological patterns and processes often involves accounting for regional-scale heterogeneity. A common way to do so is to include ecological regions in sampling schemes and empirical models. However, most existing ecological regions were developed for specific purposes, using a limited set of geospatial features and irreproducible methods. Our study purpose was to: (1) describe a method that takes advantage of recent computational advances and increased availability of regional and global data sets to create customizable and reproducible ecological regions, (2) make this algorithm available for use and modification by others studying different ecosystems, variables of interest, study extents, and macroscale ecology research questions, and (3) demonstrate the power of this approach for the research question—How well do these regions capture regional-scale variation in lake water quality? To achieve our purpose we: (1) used a spatially constrained spectral clustering algorithm that balances geospatial homogeneity and region contiguity to create ecological regions using multiple terrestrial, climatic, and freshwater geospatial data for 17 northeastern U.S. states (~1,800,000 km2); (2) identified which of the 52 geospatial features were most influential in creating the resulting 100 regions; and (3) tested the ability of these ecological regions to capture regional variation in water nutrients and clarity for ~6,000 lakes. We found that: (1) a combination of terrestrial, climatic, and freshwater geospatial features influenced region creation, suggesting that the oft-ignored freshwater landscape provides novel information on landscape variability not captured by traditionally used climate and terrestrial metrics; and (2) the delineated regions captured macroscale heterogeneity in ecosystem properties not included in region delineation—approximately 40% of the variation in total phosphorus and water clarity among lakes was at the regional

EVALUATION OF AMENDMENTS FOR MENDING THE INSITU REDOX MANIPULATION (ISRM) BARRIER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

PETERSEN, S.W.

2006-02-07

evaluation of the ISRM performance data and barrier longevity assessment corroborate the observations and findings of the March 2004 TAT. The March 2004 TAT recommended the collection of new aquifer characterization data in combination with the interpretation of existing data to develop a conceptual model of aquifer heterogeneity to enable design of the most appropriate barrier mending system. The current TAT was convened to examine the most promising amendment that could be applied to mend the ISRM barrier. The Technical Assistance Team (TAT) performed the following activities: (1) Evaluate the most appropriate single or combination of chemical/biological amendments suitable for increasing the reductive capacity of the ISRM barrier; (2) Evaluate the most practicable means of introducing chemical/biological amendments in the target zones along the current BRM barrier; (3) Provide recommendations for laboratory treatability-testing protocol development to evaluate the type and delivery mechanisms of amendments in the current ISRM barrier location. Sections of this report present analyses and recommendations of potential amendments and delivery options to improve performance of the ISRM barrier. The report covers the spectrum of passive barrier mending to chemical and biological amendments that have been shown to perform more efficiently in more active remedial design approaches. Because DOE/RL is considering significant aquifer characterization studies as additional time and cost investment to mending the barrier, the TAT strongly recommends that DOE/RL conduct cost-benefit analyses of alternative designs to mend the barrier. In this way, the value and extent of characterization studies, compared to passive amendment delivery, compared to engineering redesign, can be quantitatively estimated for decision-making purposes.

Urban Ecology in Cape Town: South African Comparisons and Reflections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarel S. Cilliers

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Little urban ecological research has been done in South Africa. The papers in the Ecology and Society special feature Urban Ecological and Social-Ecological Research in the City of Cape Town make, therefore, an important contribution to the development of urban ecology locally and globally. Different approaches have been used in the study of urban ecology of different urban areas in South Africa. Cape Town is situated in a biodiversity hotspot and is the only South African city which includes a national park. As a result the urban ecological studies were mainly driven by urban nature conservation concerns. In other cities such as Durban, open space planning and environmental management were the major issues which focused ecological studies on urban areas whereas other studies of urban areas in the Eastern Cape and North-West provinces included private and public open spaces and man-made habitats. We reflect on the Cape Town studies in a South African context and highlight conservation of biodiversity, protection of ecosystem services, management of control measures, and the conflict between humans and nature. A brief synthesis has also been given of South African urban ecological research in general.

Implicit Statistical Learning in Real-World Environments Leads to Ecologically Rational Decision Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Perkovic, Sonja; Orquin, Jacob Lund

2018-01-01

Ecological rationality results from matching decision strategies to appropriate environmental structures, but how does the matching happen? We propose that people learn the statistical structure of the environment through observation and use this learned structure to guide ecologically rational behavior. We tested this hypothesis in the context of organic foods. In Study 1, we found that products from healthful food categories are more likely to be organic than products from nonhealthful food categories. In Study 2, we found that consumers' perceptions of the healthfulness and prevalence of organic products in many food categories are accurate. Finally, in Study 3, we found that people perceive organic products as more healthful than nonorganic products when the statistical structure justifies this inference. Our findings suggest that people believe organic foods are more healthful than nonorganic foods and use an organic-food cue to guide their behavior because organic foods are, on average, 30% more healthful.

ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY AND ECOLOGICAL CULTURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kalimat M. Alilova

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. The aim of the research is to study environmental problems related to the decline of culture, the importance of philosophy in overcoming private and personal interests as well as the unilateral approach of man in his relationship to nature. The study shows how philosophy can participate in the formation of ecological culture, a new ecological consciousness in man, while ecological culture is called upon to resist technocratic stereotypes and the course of history was aimed at preventing the biosphere from becoming deserted. Discussion. On the basis of the analysis of literary sources, we used the method of socio-cultural and socio-natural approaches based on the possibility of philosophy to introduce a new life into culture, new ecological values and new ecological principles. To solve these problems, environmental philosophy develops new theories. Representatives of different cultures, ethnic groups, nations, religions must learn to coexist with each other. We consider philosophy as a means of teaching rapprochement between peoples and creating new opportunities for understanding and improving the environmental situation. Cultural development makes it possible to assess the level of a man’s knowledge of nature, himself and the world around him. Ecological culture is a way of connecting man with nature on the basis of deeper knowledge and understanding. Philosophy says that you cannot move away from nature and be lauded over it since this will destroy culture. Rational doctrines tend to put a person above other living beings so the synthesis of philosophy with culture can have a positive ecological meaning. Conclusion. The findings obtained can be recommended for practical use in schools, starting from primary school, as well as in secondary special educational institutions and universities. It is necessary to work on the motivation and values of people, develop a common and ecological culture. Only a cultured person can move from

On the methodology of feeding ecology in fish

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saikia Surjya Kumar

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Feeding ecology explains predator’s preference to some preys over others in their habitat and their competitions thereof. The subject, as a functional and applied biology, is highly neglected, and in case of fish, a uniform and consistent methodology is absent. The currently practiced methods are largely centred on mathematical indices and highly erroneous because of non-uniform outcomes. Therefore, it requires a relook into the subject to elucidate functional contributions and to make it more comparable and comprehensive science. In this article, approachable methodological strategies have been forwarded in three hierarchical steps, namely, food occurrence, feeding biology and interpretative ecology. All these steps involve wide ranges of techniques, within the scope of ecology but not limited to, and traverse from narrative to functional evolutionary ecology. The first step is an assumption-observation practice to assess food of fish, followed by feeding biology that links morphological, histological, cytological, bacteriological or enzymological correlations to preferred food in the environment. Interpretative ecology is the higher level of analysis in which the outcomes are tested and discussed against evolutionary theories. A description of possible pedagogics on the methods of feeding ecological studies has also been forwarded.

50 CFR 679.92 - Amendment 80 Program use caps and sideboard limits.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Amendment 80 Program use caps and... ECONOMIC ZONE OFF ALASKA Amendment 80 Program § 679.92 Amendment 80 Program use caps and sideboard limits. (a) Use caps—(1) General. Use caps limit the amount of Amendment 80 QS units and Amendment 80 species...

Amending America: Proposed Amendments to the United States Constitution, 1787 to 2014

Data.gov (United States)

National Archives and Records Administration — This dataset provides information about more than 11,000 proposed Constitutional amendments introduced in the United States Congress from 1787 to 2014. This dataset...

Focal point pricing: A challenge to the successful implementation of Section 10a (introduced by the Competition Amendment Act

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mike Holland

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The Competition Amendment Act introduced section 10A, which provides the Competition Commission with the powers to investigate complex monopoly conduct in a market and allows the Competition Tribunal, under certain conditions, to prohibit such behaviour. Although more than five years have elapsed since the Competition Amendment Act was promulgated, this provision has yet to come into force. However, when it eventually does so, it will mark a significant change in South African competition law, as it seeks to regulate firms’ consciously parallel conduct. This is coordinated conduct that occurs without communication or agreement, but results in the prevention or substantial lessening of competition. Examples of horizontal tacit coordination practices include price leadership and facilitating practices, such as information exchanges and price signaling. The successful implementation of the amendment poses problems for the competition authorities in assessing the competitive effects of complex monopoly conduct and in providing effective remedies. Oligopoly markets result in mutual interdependent decision-making by firms, which can lead to market outcomes similar to explicit collusion. However, a further and little noticed issue is that firms in oligopolistic markets have opportunities to use focal points to determine coordinated strategies. This paper explores the nature and role of focal point pricing, which can lead to prices that are above competitive levels. The South African banking industry is used as an example. We find that focal point pricing is difficult to control, making the successful implementation of section 10A even more problematic. Moreover, the proposed amendment provides scope for the imposition of structural remedies by the Competition Tribunal, a function that the Competition Tribunal is ill-suited to perform.

How Pollination Ecology research can help answer important questions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carvalheiro, Luisa G.

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Pollination Ecology is a dynamic field of scientific research constantly adopting novel methods and making progress in understanding the interactions between plants and their pollinators. A recent paper listed the main scientific questions in this field focussing on the ecological and biological system itself. Here, we follow up on that paper and present some ideas on how to broaden our perspective and explore the role that pollination research can play in answering both ecological and societal questions relevant to a range of different stakeholders. We hope this paper may be useful to researchers aiming at improving both the scientific and societal impact of their research.

21 CFR 207.26 - Amendments to registration.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... made for the purpose of changing the name of the manufacturer of a drug product under § 201.1 of this chapter. Changes in the names of officers and directors of the corporations do not require such amendment... Domestic Drug Establishments § 207.26 Amendments to registration. Changes in individual ownership...

15 CFR 923.83 - Mediation of amendments.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Mediation of amendments. 923.83... Programs § 923.83 Mediation of amendments. (a) Section 307(h)(2) of the Act provides for mediation of... management program. Accordingly mediation is available to states or federal agencies when a serious...

29 CFR 215.5 - Processing of amendments.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Processing of amendments. 215.5 Section 215.5 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor OFFICE OF LABOR-MANAGEMENT STANDARDS, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR GUIDELINES, SECTION 5333(b), FEDERAL TRANSIT LAW § 215.5 Processing of amendments. (a) Grant modifications in the form of...

77 FR 34784 - Removal of Six Month Line Check Requirement for Pilots Over Age 60; Technical Amendment

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-12

... U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to make the amendment effective upon publication to minimize any possible confusion... follows: Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 40119, 41706, 44101, 44701- 44702, 44705, 44709-44711, 44713.... Lirio Liu, Acting Director, Office of Rulemaking. [FR Doc. 2012-14280 Filed 6-11-12; 8:45 am] BILLING...

Network analysis shining light on parasite ecology and diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Poulin, Robert

2010-10-01

The vast number of species making up natural communities, and the myriad interactions among them, pose great difficulties for the study of community structure, dynamics and stability. Borrowed from other fields, network analysis is making great inroads in community ecology and is only now being applied to host-parasite interactions. It allows a complex system to be examined in its entirety, as opposed to one or a few components at a time. This review explores what network analysis is and how it can be used to investigate parasite ecology. It also summarizes the first findings to emerge from network analyses of host-parasite interactions and identifies promising future directions made possible by this approach. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Introduction to Hierarchical Bayesian Modeling for Ecological Data

CERN Document Server

Parent, Eric

2012-01-01

Making statistical modeling and inference more accessible to ecologists and related scientists, Introduction to Hierarchical Bayesian Modeling for Ecological Data gives readers a flexible and effective framework to learn about complex ecological processes from various sources of data. It also helps readers get started on building their own statistical models. The text begins with simple models that progressively become more complex and realistic through explanatory covariates and intermediate hidden states variables. When fitting the models to data, the authors gradually present the concepts a

30 CFR 926.15 - Approval of Montana regulatory program amendments.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... amendment. The amendments in this table are listed in order of the date of final publication in the Federal Register. Original amendment submission date Date of final publication Citation/description September 13... permit application requirements; 4, mine permit and test pit prospecting permit procedures; 5...

AFSC/REFM: Amendment 80 Economic Data Report Dataset

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Annual series of economic data collected for years 2008 and forward for the Amendment 80 Economic Data Report (EDR). Reporting is required of holders of Amendment 80...

75 FR 77745 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Technical Amendments

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-13

... purposes of updating. List of Subjects in 48 CFR Parts 3, 5, 7, and 10 Government procurement. Dated... [Amended] 0 2. Amend section 3.104-1 by removing from the definition ``Federal agency procurement,'' in the...

[Using ecology thinking reconstructing traditional agronomy: role of production ecology].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Song-Liang

2012-08-01

Traditional agronomy, as a discipline or specialty, is originated from the reductionism thinking of neoteric experimental sciences and motivated by the great success of industrialized revolution, but loses the ensemble grasp of the relationships between agricultural organisms and their resources and environment, i.e., agroecosystem mechanism. Moreover, due to the excessively relying on exogenous fossil energy input and the monoculture with a few highly productive crop cultivars, the agricultural interior sustainability has unceasingly lost, making our mankind facing the double crises of grain security and food safety. Therefore, it is imperative to reconstruct the traditional agronomy and its educational system. In this paper, the author proposed to link traditional agronomy with ecology, establishing agroecology as the core subject and agroecosystem management as the core applied system, and in particular, establishing 'production ecology' to fill up the wide gap between the crop cultivation and farming system and the crop genetics and breeding, the two second grade disciplines under agronomy. Ideologically and methodologically, this proposal could provide disciplinary, scientific, and educational bases to authentically implement the strategy of sustainable development of agriculture.

39 CFR 959.11 - Amendment of pleadings.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., are tried by express or implied consent of the parties, they shall be treated in all respects as if... PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 959.11 Amendment of pleadings. (a) Amendments proposed prior to the hearing... presented. (e) The presiding officer may, upon reasonable notice and upon such terms as are just, permit...

33 CFR 106.415 - Amendment and audit.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Amendment and audit. 106.415 Section 106.415 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY MARITIME SECURITY MARINE SECURITY: OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) FACILITIES Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Facility Security Plan (FSP) § 106.415 Amendment and...

Ecological Footprint in relation to Climate Change Strategy in Cities

Science.gov (United States)

Belčáková, Ingrid; Diviaková, Andrea; Belaňová, Eliška

2017-10-01

Ecological footprint determines how much natural resources are consumed by an individual, city, region, state or all inhabitants of our planet in order to ensure their requirements and needs. It includes all activities, from food consumption, housing, transport to waste produced and allows us to compare particular activities and their impacts on the environment and natural resources. Ecological footprint is important issue for making sustainable development concept more popular using simplifications, which provide the public with basic information on situation on our planet. Today we know calculations of global (worldwide), national and local ecological footprints. During our research in cities, we were concentrated on calculation of city’s ecological footprint. The article tries to outline theoretical and assumptions and practical results of climate change consequences in cities of Bratislava and Nitra (Slovakia), to describe potential of mitigating adverse impacts of climate change and to provide information for general and professional public on theoretical assumptions in calculating ecological footprint. The intention is to present innovation of ecological footprint calculation, taking into consideration ecological stability of a city (with a specific focus on micro-climate functions of green areas). Present possibilities to reduce ecological footprint are presented.

BACKGROUND AND SUBSTANCE OF DETECTION OF ECOLOGICAL CONFLICTS IN THE ECONOMY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nataliia Chupryna

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the paper is to study the nature of ecological conflicts in the economy, which, subject to globalization enable (or impossible to solve pollution and the destruction of all elements of the environment. Identify ecological conflicts in the economy borders, which will be decisive in shaping their capabilities and develop alternatives to overcome ecological conflicts. Methodology. The study is based on an analysis of the state of the ecological component of the Ukrainian economy in recent years and the results of the country's industrial enterprises. The work of industrial enterprises may provoke the creation of ecological conflicts. Research findings of leading scientists in this field are also used. Results of the research have made it possible to determine the nature of the identification of ecological conflicts in the economy. Ensure the development and dissemination of ecological conflicts in the dynamics. Developed by constructing a map of ecological conflicts makes it possible to analyze the components of ecological conflicts in more detail and to develop management actions aimed at eliminating environmental conflict in the economy. The necessity of engaging potential ecological conflicts in the future by setting its limits in the economy. Practical implications. Environmental problem, namely a warning or ecological conflicts optimal solution is a prerequisite for the country's development as an integral state with a healthy population that can live in the country and to use its resources freely (within the legislation. However, overcoming ecological conflicts not paid enough attention to both at the state and local level. The main stages of analysis and possible options for the development ecological conflicts become the basis for the formation of government priorities towards the greening of the main industries in the economy. Features of occurrence of each individual environmental conflict, the implementation of research on

The Maternity Benefit (Amendment Bill, 2016: A Critical Analysis

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Suman Singh

2016-11-01

Full Text Available On 11 August 2016, amending the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, the new bill, The Maternity Benefit (Amendment Bill, 2016 was introduced and passed in the Rajya Sabha (or Council of States, the upper house of the Parliament of India. Central aim of this article is to critically review the amendments to the bill regarding geographies of maternity leave and its associated facilities.

Current cultures in threatening, comforting, and challenging ecologies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van de Vliert, Evert

2015-01-01

Places of residence have multiple, yet largely unintegrated, cultural characteristics. Here I make a distinction between human environments that offer demanding winters or summers together with collective poverty (threatening ecologies), undemanding temperate climates irrespective of income per head

Marine Ecological Environment Management Based on Ecological Compensation Mechanisms

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Qunzhen Qu

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The level of marine environmental management is a key factor in the successful implementation of marine power strategies. The improvement in management levels of marine environments requires innovation in marine management. In other words, the transformation of marine environmental management into marine ecological environment management must be done in order to achieve sustainable development of the marine economy. As an environmental economic policy that combines both administrative and market measures, ecological compensation mechanisms have significant advantages in marine ecological environment management. Based on the study of the current development of ecological compensation mechanisms in China, through the analysis of the connotation of marine ecological civilization, existing marine ecological protection practices and marine environmental management methods, this paper posits that the current marine ecological environment management in China should be established on the basis of ecological compensation mechanisms. At present, a lack of laws and regulations for overall marine ecological environment management is the key factor restricting the practice of marine ecological environment management. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the current path of marine ecological environment management in China from the perspective of the construction of legal system of ecological compensation law, the establishment of ecological compensation fees, ecological taxes and ecological compensation fund systems, and the clear status for a marine ecological management and supervision body.

Beyond positivist ecology: toward an integrated ecological ethics.

Science.gov (United States)

Norton, Bryan G

2008-12-01

A post-positivist understanding of ecological science and the call for an "ecological ethic" indicate the need for a radically new approach to evaluating environmental change. The positivist view of science cannot capture the essence of environmental sciences because the recent work of "reflexive" ecological modelers shows that this requires a reconceptualization of the way in which values and ecological models interact in scientific process. Reflexive modelers are ecological modelers who believe it is appropriate for ecologists to examine the motives for their choices in developing models; this self-reflexive approach opens the door to a new way of integrating values into public discourse and to a more comprehensive approach to evaluating ecological change. This reflexive building of ecological models is introduced through the transformative simile of Aldo Leopold, which shows that learning to "think like a mountain" involves a shift in both ecological modeling and in values and responsibility. An adequate, interdisciplinary approach to ecological valuation, requires a re-framing of the evaluation questions in entirely new ways, i.e., a review of the current status of interdisciplinary value theory with respect to ecological values reveals that neither of the widely accepted theories of environmental value-neither economic utilitarianism nor intrinsic value theory (environmental ethics)-provides a foundation for an ecologically sensitive evaluation process. Thus, a new, ecologically sensitive, and more comprehensive approach to evaluating ecological change would include an examination of the metaphors that motivate the models used to describe environmental change.

Coping with ecological catastrophe: crossing major thresholds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Cairns, Jr.

2004-08-01

Full Text Available The combination of human population growth and resource depletion makes catastrophes highly probable. No long-term solutions to the problems of humankind will be discovered unless sustainable use of the planet is achieved. The essential first step toward this goal is avoiding or coping with global catastrophes that result from crossing major ecological thresholds. Decreasing the number of global catastrophes will reduce the risks associated with destabilizing ecological systems, which could, in turn, destabilize societal systems. Many catastrophes will be local, regional, or national, but even these upheavals will have global consequences. Catastrophes will be the result of unsustainable practices and the misuse of technology. However, avoiding ecological catastrophes will depend on the development of eco-ethics, which is subject to progressive maturation, comments, and criticism. Some illustrative catastrophes have been selected to display some preliminary issues of eco-ethics.

[Regional ecological construction and mission of landscape ecology].

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Duning; Xie, Fuju; Wei, Jianbing

2004-10-01

The eco-construction on regional and landscape scale is the one which can be used to specific landscape and intercrossing ecosystem in specific region including performing scientific administration of ecosystem and optimizing environmental function. Recently, the government has taken a series of significant projects into action, such as national forest protection item, partly forest restoration, and adjustment of water, etc. Enforcing regional eco-construction and maintaining the ecology security of the nation have become the strategic requisition. In various regions, different eco-construction should be applied, for example, performing ecological safeguard measure in ecological sensitive zone, accommodating the ecological load in ecological fragile zone, etc., which can control the activities of human being, so that, sustainable development can be reached. Facing opportunity and challenge in the development of landscape ecology, we have some key topics: landscape pattern of ecological security, land use and ecological process, landscape changes under human activity stress, quantitative evaluation of the influence on human being activities, evaluation of zonal ecological security and advance warning of ecological risk, and planning and optimizing of model in landscape eco-construction.

75 FR 24790 - IFR Altitudes; Miscellaneous Amendments

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-06

... 14 CFR Part 95 Airspace, Navigation (air). Issued in Washington, DC, on April 30, 2010. James J....6102 VOR Federal Airway V102 is Amended to Read in Part Ralls, TX FIX Guthrie, TX VORTAC...... *5000... VORTAC 40 Napoleon V278 is Amended to Add Changeover Point Guthrie, TX VORTAC Bowie, TX VORTAC 64 Guthrie...

43 CFR 4.1305 - Amendment of petition.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Amendment of petition. 4.1305 Section 4... PROCEDURES Special Rules Applicable to Surface Coal Mining Hearings and Appeals Petitions for Review of... petition. (a) An individual filing a petition may amend it once as a matter of right before receipt by the...

77 FR 66067 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Boone, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-01

...-1432; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-25] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Boone, IA AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Class E airspace at Boone, IA... proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend Class E airspace for the Boone, IA, area, creating additional...

77 FR 66069 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Perry, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-01

...-1435; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-28] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Perry, IA AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Class E airspace at Perry, IA... proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend Class E airspace for the Perry, IA, area, creating additional...

Quaternary herbicides retention by the amendment of acid soils with a bentonite-based waste from wineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Pateiro-Moure, M; Nóvoa-Muñoz, J C; Arias-Estévez, M; López-Periago, E; Martínez-Carballo, E; Simal-Gándara, J

2009-05-30

The agronomic utility of a solid waste, waste bentonite (WB), from wine companies was assessed. In this sense, the natural characteristics of the waste were measured, followed by the monitoring of its effects on the adsorption/desorption behaviour of three quaternary herbicides in acid soils after the addition of increasing levels of waste. This was done with the intention of studying the effect of the added organic matter on their adsorption. The high content in C (294 g kg(-1)), N (28 g kg(-1)), P (584 mg kg(-1)) and K (108 g kg(-1)) of WB turned it into an appropriate amendment to increase soil fertility, solving at the same time its disposal. WB also reduced the potential Cu phytotoxicity due to a change in Cu distribution towards less soluble fractions. The adsorption of the herbicides paraquat, diquat and difenzoquat by acid soils amended with different ratios of WB was measured. In all cases, Langmuir equation was fitted to the data. Paraquat (PQ) and diquat (DQ) were adsorbed and retained more strongly than difenzoquat (DFQ) in the acid soil studied. However, the lowest retention of DFQ in an acid soil can be increased by amendment with organic matter through a solid waste from wineries, and it is enough for duplicate retention a dosage rate of 10t/ha. Anyway, detritivores ecology can still be affected. Detritivores are the organisms that consume organic material, and in doing so contribute to decomposition and the recycling of nutrients. The term can also be applied to certain bottom-feeders in wet environments, which play a crucial role in benthic ecosystems, forming essential food chains and participating in the nitrogen cycle.

78 FR 4494 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BATS Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Amendment Nos. 2 and 3...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-22

... failure to comply, as well as make several clarifying changes to the cure period rule; (3) amend language... 952 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (``Dodd-Frank Act''),\\9... that compensation committees be given the authority to retain or obtain the advice of a compensation...

Graphic Ecologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brook Weld Muller

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This essay describes strategic approaches to graphic representation associated with critical environmental engagement and that build from the idea of works of architecture as stitches in the ecological fabric of the city. It focuses on the building up of partial or fragmented graphics in order to describe inclusive, open-ended possibilities for making architecture that marry rich experience and responsive performance. An aphoristic approach to crafting drawings involves complex layering, conscious absence and the embracing of tension. A self-critical attitude toward the generation of imagery characterized by the notion of ‘loose precision’ may lead to more transformative and environmentally responsive architectures.

When mechanism matters: Bayesian forecasting using models of ecological diffusion

Science.gov (United States)

Hefley, Trevor J.; Hooten, Mevin B.; Russell, Robin E.; Walsh, Daniel P.; Powell, James A.

2017-01-01

Ecological diffusion is a theory that can be used to understand and forecast spatio-temporal processes such as dispersal, invasion, and the spread of disease. Hierarchical Bayesian modelling provides a framework to make statistical inference and probabilistic forecasts, using mechanistic ecological models. To illustrate, we show how hierarchical Bayesian models of ecological diffusion can be implemented for large data sets that are distributed densely across space and time. The hierarchical Bayesian approach is used to understand and forecast the growth and geographic spread in the prevalence of chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We compare statistical inference and forecasts from our hierarchical Bayesian model to phenomenological regression-based methods that are commonly used to analyse spatial occurrence data. The mechanistic statistical model based on ecological diffusion led to important ecological insights, obviated a commonly ignored type of collinearity, and was the most accurate method for forecasting.

Counterfactual reasoning in surrogate decision making -- another look.

Science.gov (United States)

Johansson, Mats; Broström, Linus

2011-06-01

Incompetent patients need to have someone else make decisions on their behalf. According to the Substituted Judgment Standard the surrogate decision maker ought to make the decision that the patient would have made, had he or she been competent. Objections have been raised against this traditional construal of the standard on the grounds that it involves flawed counterfactual reasoning, and amendments have been suggested within the framework of possible worlds semantics. The paper shows that while this approach may circumvent the alleged problem, the way it has so far been elaborated reflects insufficient understanding of the moral underpinnings of the idea of substituted judgment. Proper recognition of these moral underpinnings has potentially far-reaching implications for our normative assumptions about accuracy and objectivity in surrogate decision making.

Study of amended reports to evaluate and improve surgical pathology processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Meier, Frederick A; Varney, Ruan C; Zarbo, Richard J

2011-09-01

: Amended surgical pathology reports record defects in the process of transforming tissue specimens into diagnostic information. : Systematic study of amended reports tests 2 hypotheses: (a) that tracking amendment frequencies and the distribution of amendment types reveals relevant aspects of quality in surgical pathology's daily transformation of specimens into diagnoses and (b) that such tracking measures the effect, or lack of effect, of efforts to improve surgical pathology processes. : We applied a binary definition of altered reports as either amendments or addenda and a taxonomy of defects that caused amendments as misidentifications, specimen defects, misinterpretations, and report defects. During the introduction of a LEAN process improvement approach-the Henry Ford Productions System-we followed trends in amendment rates and defect fractions to (a) evaluate specific interventions, (b) sort case-by-case root causes of misidentifications, specimen defects, and misinterpretations, and (c) audit the ongoing accuracy of the classification of changed reports. LEAN is the management and production system of the Toyota Motor Corporation that promotes continuous improvement; it considers wasted resources expended for purposes other than creating value for end customers and targets such expenditures for elimination. : Introduction of real-time editing of amendments saw annual amendment rates increase from 4.8/1000 to 10.1/1000 and then decrease in an incremental manner to 5.6/1000 as Henry Ford Productions System-specific interventions were introduced. Before introduction of HFPS interventions, about a fifth of the amendments were due to misidentifications, a 10th were due to specimen defects, a quarter due to misinterpretation, and almost half were due to report defects. During the period of the initial application of HFPS, the fraction of amendments due to misidentifications decreased as those due to report defects increased, in a statistically linked manner. As

The merchant shipping (dangerous goods) (amendment) rules 1980 No. 789

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

These Rules amend the Merchant Shipping Rules 1978 and revoke the Merchant Shipping (Dangerous Goods) (Amendment) Rules 1979. The purpose of this amendment is to update the references to the 1978 Report of the Department of Trade's Standing Advisory Committee on the Carriage of Dangerous Goods in Ships (the Blue Book) and the 1977 Edition of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code of IMCO (the IMDG Code), referred to in the 1978 Rules. The amendments concern, inter alia, marking of packages on board ship which contain dangerous goods, including radioactive materials (NEA) [fr

Representing and managing uncertainty in qualitative ecological models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nuttle, T.; Bredeweg, B.; Salles, P.; Neumann, M.

2009-01-01

Ecologists and decision makers need ways to understand systems, test ideas, and make predictions and explanations about systems. However, uncertainty about causes and effects of processes and parameter values is pervasive in models of ecological systems. Uncertainty associated with incomplete

Reinterpreting maximum entropy in ecology: a null hypothesis constrained by ecological mechanism.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Dwyer, James P; Rominger, Andrew; Xiao, Xiao

2017-07-01

Simplified mechanistic models in ecology have been criticised for the fact that a good fit to data does not imply the mechanism is true: pattern does not equal process. In parallel, the maximum entropy principle (MaxEnt) has been applied in ecology to make predictions constrained by just a handful of state variables, like total abundance or species richness. But an outstanding question remains: what principle tells us which state variables to constrain? Here we attempt to solve both problems simultaneously, by translating a given set of mechanisms into the state variables to be used in MaxEnt, and then using this MaxEnt theory as a null model against which to compare mechanistic predictions. In particular, we identify the sufficient statistics needed to parametrise a given mechanistic model from data and use them as MaxEnt constraints. Our approach isolates exactly what mechanism is telling us over and above the state variables alone. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Introduction. Antarctic ecology: from genes to ecosystems. Part 2. Evolution, diversity and functional ecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Alex D; Murphy, Eugene J; Johnston, Nadine M; Clarke, Andrew

2007-12-29

The Antarctic biota has evolved over the last 100 million years in increasingly isolated and cold conditions. As a result, Antarctic species, from micro-organisms to vertebrates, have adapted to life at extremely low temperatures, including changes in the genome, physiology and ecological traits such as life history. Coupled with cycles of glaciation that have promoted speciation in the Antarctic, this has led to a unique biota in terms of biogeography, patterns of species distribution and endemism. Specialization in the Antarctic biota has led to trade-offs in many ecologically important functions and Antarctic species may have a limited capacity to adapt to present climate change. These include the direct effects of changes in environmental parameters and indirect effects of increased competition and predation resulting from altered life histories of Antarctic species and the impacts of invasive species. Ultimately, climate change may alter the responses of Antarctic ecosystems to harvesting from humans. The unique adaptations of Antarctic species mean that they provide unique models of molecular evolution in natural populations. The simplicity of Antarctic communities, especially from terrestrial systems, makes them ideal to investigate the ecological implications of climate change, which are difficult to identify in more complex systems.

76 FR 2799 - Amendment of Jet Route J-93; CA

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-18

...; Airspace Docket No. 10-AWP-4] RIN 2120-AA66 Amendment of Jet Route J-93; CA AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Jet Route J-93 in California between...) to amend J-93, (75 FR 66344). Interested parties were invited to participate in this rulemaking...

Biological invasions, ecological resilience and adaptive governance.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaffin, Brian C; Garmestani, Ahjond S; Angeler, David G; Herrmann, Dustin L; Stow, Craig A; Nyström, Magnus; Sendzimir, Jan; Hopton, Matthew E; Kolasa, Jurek; Allen, Craig R

2016-12-01

In a world of increasing interconnections in global trade as well as rapid change in climate and land cover, the accelerating introduction and spread of invasive species is a critical concern due to associated negative social and ecological impacts, both real and perceived. Much of the societal response to invasive species to date has been associated with negative economic consequences of invasions. This response has shaped a war-like approach to addressing invasions, one with an agenda of eradications and intense ecological restoration efforts towards prior or more desirable ecological regimes. This trajectory often ignores the concept of ecological resilience and associated approaches of resilience-based governance. We argue that the relationship between ecological resilience and invasive species has been understudied to the detriment of attempts to govern invasions, and that most management actions fail, primarily because they do not incorporate adaptive, learning-based approaches. Invasive species can decrease resilience by reducing the biodiversity that underpins ecological functions and processes, making ecosystems more prone to regime shifts. However, invasions do not always result in a shift to an alternative regime; invasions can also increase resilience by introducing novelty, replacing lost ecological functions or adding redundancy that strengthens already existing structures and processes in an ecosystem. This paper examines the potential impacts of species invasions on the resilience of ecosystems and suggests that resilience-based approaches can inform policy by linking the governance of biological invasions to the negotiation of tradeoffs between ecosystem services. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Sorbent amendment as a remediation strategy to reduce PFAS mobility and leaching in a contaminated sandy soil from a Norwegian firefighting training facility.

Science.gov (United States)

Hale, Sarah E; Arp, Hans Peter H; Slinde, Gøril Aasen; Wade, Emma Jane; Bjørseth, Kamilla; Breedveld, Gijs D; Straith, Bengt Fredrik; Moe, Kamilla Grotthing; Jartun, Morten; Høisæter, Åse

2017-03-01

Aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) containing poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) used for firefighting have led to the contamination of soil and water at training sites. The unique physicochemical properties of PFAS results in environmental persistency, threatening water quality and making remediation of such sites a necessity. This work investigated the role of sorbent amendment to PFAS contaminated soils in order to immobilise PFAS and reduce mobility and leaching to groundwater. Soil was sampled from a firefighting training facility at a Norwegian airport and total and leachable PFAS concentrations were quantified. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) was the most dominant PFAS present in all soil samples (between 9 and 2600 μg/kg). Leaching was quantified using a one-step batch test with water (L/S 10). PFOS concentrations measured in leachate water ranged between 1.2 μg/L and 212 μg/L. Sorbent amendment (3%) was tested by adding activated carbon (AC), compost soil and montmorillonite to selected soils. The extent of immobilisation was quantified by measuring PFAS concentrations in leachate before and after amendment. Leaching was reduced between 94 and 99.9% for AC, between 29 and 34% for compost soil and between 28 and 40% for the montmorillonite amended samples. Sorbent + soil/water partitioning coefficients (K D ) were estimated following amendment and were around 8 L/kg for compost soil and montmorillonite amended soil and ranged from 1960 to 16,940 L/kg for AC amended soil. The remediation of AFFF impacted soil via immobilisation of PFAS following sorbent amendment with AC is promising as part of an overall remediation strategy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

75 FR 33167 - Technical Amendment Language Change From “Wholly” to “Fully”

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-11

....953 [Amended] 0 5. In Sec. 404.953, amend the paragraph heading, and the first, second, and fifth... ``fully favorable''. Sec. 404.966 [Amended] 0 6. In Sec. 404.966, amend the second sentence of paragraph... WORLD WAR II VETERANS Subpart J--[Amended] 0 14. The authority citation for subpart J of part 408...

The big data-big model (BDBM) challenges in ecological research

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Y.

2015-12-01

The field of ecology has become a big-data science in the past decades due to development of new sensors used in numerous studies in the ecological community. Many sensor networks have been established to collect data. For example, satellites, such as Terra and OCO-2 among others, have collected data relevant on global carbon cycle. Thousands of field manipulative experiments have been conducted to examine feedback of terrestrial carbon cycle to global changes. Networks of observations, such as FLUXNET, have measured land processes. In particular, the implementation of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), which is designed to network different kinds of sensors at many locations over the nation, will generate large volumes of ecological data every day. The raw data from sensors from those networks offer an unprecedented opportunity for accelerating advances in our knowledge of ecological processes, educating teachers and students, supporting decision-making, testing ecological theory, and forecasting changes in ecosystem services. Currently, ecologists do not have the infrastructure in place to synthesize massive yet heterogeneous data into resources for decision support. It is urgent to develop an ecological forecasting system that can make the best use of multiple sources of data to assess long-term biosphere change and anticipate future states of ecosystem services at regional and continental scales. Forecasting relies on big models that describe major processes that underlie complex system dynamics. Ecological system models, despite great simplification of the real systems, are still complex in order to address real-world problems. For example, Community Land Model (CLM) incorporates thousands of processes related to energy balance, hydrology, and biogeochemistry. Integration of massive data from multiple big data sources with complex models has to tackle Big Data-Big Model (BDBM) challenges. Those challenges include interoperability of multiple

Time-lapse electrical geophysical monitoring of amendment-based biostimulation

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Timothy C.; Versteeg, Roelof J.; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Major, William; Lane, John W.

2015-01-01

Biostimulation is increasingly used to accelerate microbial remediation of recalcitrant groundwater contaminants. Effective application of biostimulation requires successful emplacement of amendment in the contaminant target zone. Verification of remediation performance requires postemplacement assessment and contaminant monitoring. Sampling-based approaches are expensive and provide low-density spatial and temporal information. Time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is an effective geophysical method for determining temporal changes in subsurface electrical conductivity. Because remedial amendments and biostimulation-related biogeochemical processes often change subsurface electrical conductivity, ERT can complement and enhance sampling-based approaches for assessing emplacement and monitoring biostimulation-based remediation.Field studies demonstrating the ability of time-lapse ERT to monitor amendment emplacement and behavior were performed during a biostimulation remediation effort conducted at the Department of Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) Yard, in Brandywine, Maryland, United States. Geochemical fluid sampling was used to calibrate a petrophysical relation in order to predict groundwater indicators of amendment distribution. The petrophysical relations were field validated by comparing predictions to sequestered fluid sample results, thus demonstrating the potential of electrical geophysics for quantitative assessment of amendment-related geochemical properties. Crosshole radar zero-offset profile and borehole geophysical logging were also performed to augment the data set and validate interpretation.In addition to delineating amendment transport in the first 10 months after emplacement, the time-lapse ERT results show later changes in bulk electrical properties interpreted as mineral precipitation. Results support the use of more cost-effective surface-based ERT in conjunction with limited field sampling to improve spatial

Ecological and environmental education in the ethical context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Żeber-Dzikowska Ilona

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In the article, the authors elaborate on an important aspect concerning ecological and environmental education in the context of complex ethical issues. They make the reader aware of the crucial role education serves when it is connected with pro-ecological and pro-environmental education as well as ecological ethics, which aims at determining a man’s attitude towards nature. They stress the importance of ecological ethics for society to function properly. Ethics is an inherent element of the whole universe, and primarily of ecology and environmental protection, which the article tries to present and prove. Not only does ethics refer to environmental protection, but also becoming familiar with nature. Most people do not realise what danger they can expose one another to until they experience it themselves. A man is not capable of existing without the resources the nature provides us with, which is an adequate reason why we should take care of it the best we can. To achieve it, new regulations to be observed are introduced. They are designed to make us stop progressive environmental degradation and also, restore the environment. People perform an important role in the existence of the environment as long as they treat it rightfully by following the voice of their conscience, which can influence its survival. We should take care of nature, treat it as a family member with love and kindness and then we can be sure it will not surprise us with something unexpected. We should take care of everything nature consists of, that is, plants, animals, water, soil and air because when we take care of all these aspects, we also take care of ourselves and the whole society

Legal issues in amending nuclear rules and regulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ossenbuehl, F.

2006-01-01

Nuclear rules and regulations are composed of a multitude of provisions, benchmarks, etc. of different origins and different levels of legal quality. The Safety Criteria and Guidelines for Nuclear Power Plants published in the 'Bundesanzeiger' (Federal Gazette) by the competent federal ministry after consultation of the competent highest state authorities are of particular importance. The Safety Criteria were adopted by the States Committee for Atomic Energy on October 12, 1977 and published in the 'Bundesanzeiger'. The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU) intends to revise and amend the contents of the safety criteria and guidelines applying to nuclear power plants. The question underlying this article is this: In what legal way can such an 'amendment' be achieved in a permissible fashion? This leaves out of consideration the question of the contents and applicability of amended provisions, such as the question to what extent amended regulations can also be applied to the nuclear power plants already licensed and in operation, or whether the concept of finality and the constitutional ban on retroactive effect or other constitutional or paramount rules contain restrictions on the contents of such regulations. Solely the question of a permissible amending procedure is under study. (orig.)

Biochar soil amendment for waste-stream diversion, nutrient holding capacity, and carbon sequestration in two contrasting soils

Science.gov (United States)

Deem, L. M.; Crow, S. E.; Deenik, J. L.; Penton, C. R.; Yanagida, J.

2013-12-01

Biochar is organic matter that has been pyrolized under low oxygen conditions for use as a soil amendment. Currently biochar is viewed as a way to improve soil quality (e.g., increased nutrient and water holding capacity) and increase in soil carbon (C) sequestration. The use of biochar in soil is not new, yet little is known about the underlying mechanisms that control the interactions between biochar and soil following amendment. In the past, the effects of biochar addition on crop yields, soil properties and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in both in-situ and controlled experiments have produced inconsistent results. These discrepancies may be uncovered in part by chemical and physical characterization of the biochar prior to amendment and identification of soil- and biochar-specific interactions. Furthermore, a more holistic consideration of the system may demonstrate the virtues of biochar amendment beyond the typical considerations of yield and gas flux. We expect that as the differences between the physical and chemical properties of the biochar and the soil increase, the impact on the soil quality metrics will also increase. For this study, we used a waste product (i.e., anaerobic digester sludge) biochar with 81.5% C, pH of 10.44, pH-independent charge for anion exchange capacity (AEC) and a pH-dependent charge for cation exchange capacity (CEC), 4.14% moisture content and 25.75 cmol¬c /kg exchangeable base cations. This biochar was incorporated into both a low and a high fertility Hawaiian field soil to quantitate biochar effects on crop yield, soil pH, CEC, AEC, hot and cold water extractable C and nitrogen, bulk density, phosphorus, soil microbial ecology, and GHG flux in varying soil conditions. Compared to the higher fertility soil, we hypothesized that the low fertility soil would demonstrate a greater increase in soil quality, including higher pH, CEC and water holding capacity. Two crop management practices were included with each soil: traditional

Efficacy and enlightenment: LSD psychotherapy and the Drug Amendments of 1962.

Science.gov (United States)

Oram, Matthew

2014-04-01

The decline in therapeutic research with lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in the United States over the course of the 1960s has commonly been attributed to the growing controversy surrounding its recreational use. However, research difficulties played an equal role in LSD psychotherapy's demise, as they frustrated researchers' efforts to clearly establish the efficacy of treatment. Once the Kefauver Harris Drug Amendments of 1962 introduced the requirement that proof of efficacy be established through controlled clinical trials before a drug could be approved to market, the value of clinical research became increasingly dependent on the scientific rigor of the trial's design. LSD psychotherapy's complex method of utilizing drug effects to catalyze a psychological treatment clashed with the controlled trial methodology on both theoretical and practical levels, making proof of efficacy difficult to obtain. Through a close examination of clinical trials performed after 1962, this article explores how the new emphasis on controlled clinical trials frustrated the progress of LSD psychotherapy research by focusing researchers' attention on trial design to the detriment of their therapeutic method. This analysis provides a new perspective on the death of LSD psychotherapy and explores the implications of the Drug Amendments of 1962.

Comparative Analysis of Methodologies for Landscape Ecological Aesthetics in Urban Planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maija Jankevica

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Areas with high level of urbanisation provoke frequent conflicts between nature and people. There is a lack of cooperation between planners and nature scientists in urban studies and planning process. Landscapes usually are studied using the ecological and aesthetical approaches separately. However, the future of urban planning depends on integration of these two approaches. This research study looks into different methods of landscape ecological aesthetics and presents a combined method for urban areas. The methods of landscape visual aesthetical assessment, biotope structure analysis, landscape ecology evaluation and multi-disciplinary expert level are compared in the article. A comparison of obtained values is summarized by making a comparative matrix. As a result, a multi-stage model for landscape ecological aesthetics evaluation in urban territories is presented. This ecological aesthetics model can be successfully used for development of urban territories.

40 CFR 264.54 - Amendment of contingency plan.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Amendment of contingency plan. 264.54 Section 264.54 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES... Contingency Plan and Emergency Procedures § 264.54 Amendment of contingency plan. The contingency plan must be...

Frameworks for amending reservoir water management

Science.gov (United States)

Mower, Ethan; Miranda, Leandro E.

2013-01-01

Managing water storage and withdrawals in many reservoirs requires establishing seasonal targets for water levels (i.e., rule curves) that are influenced by regional precipitation and diverse water demands. Rule curves are established as an attempt to balance various water needs such as flood control, irrigation, and environmental benefits such as fish and wildlife management. The processes and challenges associated with amending rule curves to balance multiuse needs are complicated and mostly unfamiliar to non-US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) natural resource managers and to the public. To inform natural resource managers and the public we describe the policies and process involved in amending rule curves in USACE reservoirs, including 3 frameworks: a general investigation, a continuing authority program, and the water control plan. Our review suggests that water management in reservoirs can be amended, but generally a multitude of constraints and competing demands must be addressed before such a change can be realized.

30 CFR 925.12 - State program provisions and amendments disapproved.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... land use. (c) The definitions of “coal processing plant” and “coal preparation plant” at 10 CSR 40-8... § 925.12 State program provisions and amendments disapproved. (a) The amendment at 10 CSR 40-4.030(4)(A... mining activities. (b) The amendment at 10 CSR 40-4.030(4)(B), submitted on December 14 and 18, 1987, is...

Impact of compost amendments and operating temperature on diesel fuel bioremediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hesnawi, R.M.; McCartney, D.M.

2006-01-01

The optimal conditions for compost bioremediation of unweathered diesel-contaminated soil were examined in this laboratory study. A sandy soil from the Assiniboine Delta Aquifer in Manitoba was spiked with diesel fuel and radio-labeled phenanthrene to yield a contaminant load of 20,000 mg per kg of dry soil. Two amendment materials were used, consisting of municipal biosolids, leaves and wood shavings. Since temperature plays a significant role, this study observed the effect of the operating temperature and the amendment material on the fate of phenanthrene and extractable diesel range hydrocarbons during the composting bioremediation of diesel-contaminated soil. The material was amended with fresh feedstock material or finished compost and incubated at thermophilic or mesophilic temperatures for 126 days. No mineralization of carbon 14 phenanthrene was detected in the controls that were not amended with compost. However, 25 to 42 per cent phenanthrene mineralization was detected in treatments that received compost. The lowest extractable diesel range organic residual was observed in the treatment receiving fresh compost amendment and incubated at thermophilic temperatures. The highest residual was noted in the control without any amendment. All treatments that received amendments outperformed the control reactors. However, there were large differences among the treatment performances, indicating that amendment type and operating temperature are significant factors that affect the performance of bioremediation. 22 refs., 2 tabs., 5 figs

19 CFR 210.57 - Amendment of the motion.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Amendment of the motion. 210.57 Section 210.57 Customs Duties UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION INVESTIGATIONS OF UNFAIR PRACTICES IN IMPORT TRADE ADJUDICATION AND ENFORCEMENT Temporary Relief § 210.57 Amendment of the motion. A motion for...

The 26th Amendment and Youth Voting Rights.

Science.gov (United States)

Schamel, Wynell

1996-01-01

Describes learning activities to be used in conjunction with a facsimile of the 92nd Congress's joint resolution passing the 26th Amendment extending the voting franchise to 18-year-olds. These activities include document analysis, time lines, class discussions, and storytelling. Briefly reviews the amendment process. (MJP)

Ecological sanitation in urban medium density mixed housing

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Matsebe, G

2011-07-01

Full Text Available are unique to the use of Ecosan in urban Medium-Density Mixed-Housing (MDMH). Firstly, decision-making is more complex because consensus needs to be reached among a diverse group of people with a varied level of understanding of ecological and sustainable...

Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and Modern Western Ecological ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Indigenous knowledge is often dismissed as 'traditional and outdated', and hence irrelevant to modern ecological assessment. This theoretical paper critically examines the arguments advanced to elevate modern western ecological knowledge over indigenous ecological knowledge, as well as the sources and uses of ...

Judicial Decision and Rethinking the Constitutional Principles Concerning Treaty Making Power and Process of Thailand

OpenAIRE

Umpai, Kiarttiphorn

2017-01-01

This paper aims to examine the treaty making power and process in recent constitutional provisions reforms in Thailand. It aims to analyze whether the constitutional provision has affected the treaty-making crisis. This study relied on the theory of the sovereignty of state exercised by the executive branch in compliance with the treaty making power concept, the separation of powers, and the checks and balances doctrine. The findings revealed that Thailand’s constitutional amendment related t...

29 CFR 1905.4 - Amendments to this part.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...-STEIGER OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT OF 1970 General § 1905.4 Amendments to this part. The Assistant... 29 Labor 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Amendments to this part. 1905.4 Section 1905.4 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR...

Do Minors Have First Amendment Rights in Schools?

Science.gov (United States)

Chmara, Theresa

2015-01-01

Courts have held that minors have First Amendment rights and that those rights include the right to receive information. However, how does that apply in the school setting? The First Amendment prohibits governmental entities from unconstitutionally infringing rights of free speech. Students in public schools, therefore, do have rights under the…

Exploring dietary guidelines based on ecological and nutritional values: A comparison of six dietary patterns

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dooren, C.; Marinussen, M.; Blonk, B.; Aiking, H.; Vellinga, P.

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to explore the synergies between nutritionally healthy and ecologically sustainable diets. The aim was to explore the possibilities for future integrated dietary guidelines that support consumers to make informed dietary choices based on both ecological and

75 FR 64120 - Technical Amendments to Forms N-CSR and N-SAR in Connection With the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-19

... to make Forms N-CSR and N-SAR consistent with the Iran Divestment Act. Thus, any costs and benefits...] Technical Amendments to Forms N-CSR and N-SAR in Connection With the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions... Forms N-CSR and N-SAR under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940...

Altered Ecological Flows Blur Boundaries in Urbanizing Watersheds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Todd R. Lookingbill

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The relevance of the boundary concept to ecological processes has been recently questioned. Humans in the post-industrial era have created novel lateral transport fluxes that have not been sufficiently considered in watershed studies. We describe patterns of land-use change within the Potomac River basin and demonstrate how these changes have blurred traditional ecosystem boundaries by increasing the movement of people, materials, and energy into and within the basin. We argue that this expansion of ecological commerce requires new science, monitoring, and management strategies focused on large rivers and suggest that traditional geopolitical and economic boundaries for environmental decision making be appropriately revised. Effective mitigation of the consequences of blurred boundaries will benefit from a broad-scale, interdisciplinary framework that can track and explicitly account for ecological fluxes of water, energy, materials, and organisms across human-dominated landscapes.

ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE HUMAN -TRANSFORMED SYSTEMS OF THE IRPIN RIVER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svitlana Madzhd

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to learn the interaction of natural and anthropogenic factors and their consequences in the system “Natural environment (Irpin river – human-transformed environment (Nyvka river”. Methods: To assess the structural and functional changes of hydroecosystems, transformed under technogenic impact, hydrochemical, toxicological and biological techniques, as well as the methods of mathematical statistics for experimental data processing and summarization of obtained results, were applied. Results: it is proposed to determine the dynamics of the biotic self-regulation mechanism change under impact of the modifying (anthropogenic factors, by the example of the two-component system – “Natural environment (Irpin River – environment, transformed under technogenic impact (Nyvka River, the right-hand tributary of the Irpin River”. It is proposed to extend additionally the opportunities of the ecological assessment due to application of the integrating index – the index of ecological conformity. Discussion: obtained results stipulate necessity of the further investigation of structural and functional patterns of the Irpin River ecosystem in space and time. Assessment of anthropogenic factors impact on hydroecosystem condition will make it possible to correct the nature guard activity concerning the improvement of the fishery object ecological condition and recreation essence of the Irpin River. Integration of the Nyvka and Irpin Rivers into a single system “Natural environment – environment, transformed under technogenic impact” will make it possible to obtain the objective assessment of technogenic changes in hydroecosystems. Implementation of the index of ecological conformity will make it possible to estimate completely the inner processes in the rivers.

Time-Lapse Electrical Geophysical Monitoring of Amendment-Based Biostimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Timothy C; Versteeg, Roelof J; Day-Lewis, Frederick D; Major, William; Lane, John W

2015-01-01

Biostimulation is increasingly used to accelerate microbial remediation of recalcitrant groundwater contaminants. Effective application of biostimulation requires successful emplacement of amendment in the contaminant target zone. Verification of remediation performance requires postemplacement assessment and contaminant monitoring. Sampling-based approaches are expensive and provide low-density spatial and temporal information. Time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is an effective geophysical method for determining temporal changes in subsurface electrical conductivity. Because remedial amendments and biostimulation-related biogeochemical processes often change subsurface electrical conductivity, ERT can complement and enhance sampling-based approaches for assessing emplacement and monitoring biostimulation-based remediation. Field studies demonstrating the ability of time-lapse ERT to monitor amendment emplacement and behavior were performed during a biostimulation remediation effort conducted at the Department of Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) Yard, in Brandywine, Maryland, United States. Geochemical fluid sampling was used to calibrate a petrophysical relation in order to predict groundwater indicators of amendment distribution. The petrophysical relations were field validated by comparing predictions to sequestered fluid sample results, thus demonstrating the potential of electrical geophysics for quantitative assessment of amendment-related geochemical properties. Crosshole radar zero-offset profile and borehole geophysical logging were also performed to augment the data set and validate interpretation. In addition to delineating amendment transport in the first 10 months after emplacement, the time-lapse ERT results show later changes in bulk electrical properties interpreted as mineral precipitation. Results support the use of more cost-effective surface-based ERT in conjunction with limited field sampling to improve spatial

Growth and Cd uptake by rice (Oryza sativa) in acidic and Cd-contaminated paddy soils amended with steel slag.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Huaidong; Tam, Nora F Y; Yao, Aijun; Qiu, Rongliang; Li, Wai Chin; Ye, Zhihong

2017-12-01

Contamination of rice (Oryza sativa) by Cd is of great concern. Steel slag could be used to amend Cd-contaminated soils and make them safe for cereal production. This work was conducted to study the effects of steel slag on Cd uptake and growth of rice plants in acidic and Cd-contaminated paddy soils and to determine the possible mechanisms behind these effects. Pot (rhizobag) experiments were conducted using rice plants grown on two acidic and Cd-contaminated paddy soils with or without steel slag amendment. Steel slag amendment significantly increased grain yield by 36-45% and root catalase activity, and decreased Cd concentrations in brown rice by 66-77% compared with the control, in both soils. Steel slag amendment also markedly decreased extractable soil Cd, Cd concentrations in pore-water and Cd translocation from roots to above-ground parts. It also significantly increased soil pH, extractable Si and Ca in soils and Ca concentrations in roots. Significant positive correlations were found between extractable soil Cd and Cd concentrations in rice tissues, but it was negatively correlated with soil pH and extractable Si. Calcium in root tissues significantly and negatively correlated with Cd translocation factors from roots to straw. Overall, steel slag amendment not only significantly promoted rice growth but decreased Cd accumulation in brown rice. These benefits appear to be related to improvements in soil conditions (e.g. increasing pH, extractable Si and Ca), a reduction in extractable soil Cd, and suppression of Cd translocation from roots to above-ground parts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 267.54 - When must I amend the contingency plan?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false When must I amend the contingency plan... STANDARDIZED PERMIT Contingency Plan and Emergency Procedures § 267.54 When must I amend the contingency plan? You must review, and immediately amend the contingency plan, if necessary, whenever: (a) The facility...

77 FR 28243 - Amendment of Class D Airspace; Cocoa Beach, FL

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-14

...-0099; Airspace Docket No. 12-ASO-11] Amendment of Class D Airspace; Cocoa Beach, FL AGENCY: Federal... Federal Register on April 11, 2012 that amends Class D airspace at Cocoa Beach, FL. DATES: Effective 0901...), amends Class D airspace at Cape Canaveral Skid Strip, Cocoa Beach, FL. A typographical error was made in...

36 CFR 1202.76 - Can NARA deny my request for amendment?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Can NARA deny my request for amendment? 1202.76 Section 1202.76 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS... Can NARA deny my request for amendment? If the system manager denies your request to amend or...

Nitrate capture and slow release in biochar amended compost and soil.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolas Hagemann

Full Text Available Slow release of nitrate by charred organic matter used as a soil amendment (i.e. biochar was recently suggested as potential mechanism of nutrient delivery to plants which may explain some agronomic benefits of biochar. So far, isolated soil-aged and composted biochar particles were shown to release considerable amounts of nitrate only in extended (>1 h extractions ("slow release". In this study, we quantified nitrate and ammonium release by biochar-amended soil and compost during up to 167 h of repeated extractions in up to six consecutive steps to determine the effect of biochar on the overall mineral nitrogen retention. We used composts produced from mixed manures amended with three contrasting biochars prior to aerobic composting and a loamy soil that was amended with biochar three years prior to analysis and compared both to non-biochar amended controls. Composts were extracted with 2 M KCl at 22°C and 65°C, after sterilization, after treatment with H2O2, after removing biochar particles or without any modification. Soils were extracted with 2 M KCl at 22°C. Ammonium was continuously released during the extractions, independent of biochar amendment and is probably the result of abiotic ammonification. For the pure compost, nitrate extraction was complete after 1 h, while from biochar-amended composts, up to 30% of total nitrate extracted was only released during subsequent extraction steps. The loamy soil released 70% of its total nitrate amount in subsequent extractions, the biochar-amended soil 58%. However, biochar amendment doubled the amount of total extractable nitrate. Thus, biochar nitrate capture can be a relevant contribution to the overall nitrate retention in agroecosystems. Our results also indicate that the total nitrate amount in biochar amended soils and composts may frequently be underestimated. Furthermore, biochars could prevent nitrate loss from agroecosystems and may be developed into slow-release fertilizers to

Effect of in situ soil amendments on arsenic uptake in successive harvests of ryegrass (Lolium perenne cv Elka) grown in amended As-polluted soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartley, William; Lepp, Nicholas W.

2008-01-01

Several iron-bearing additives, selected for their potential ability to adsorb anions, were evaluated for their effectiveness in attenuation of arsenic (As) in three soils with different sources of contamination. Amendments used were lime, goethite (α-FeOOH) (crystallised iron oxide) and three iron-bearing additives, iron grit, Fe II and Fe III sulphates plus lime, applied at 1% w/w. Sequential extraction schemes conducted on amended soils determined As, Cu, Zn and Ni fractionation. Plant growth trials using perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne var. Elka) assessed shoot As uptake. This was grown in the contaminated soils for 4 months, during which time grass shoots were successively harvested every 3 weeks. Goethite increased biomass yields, but clear differences were observed in As transfer rates with the various iron oxides. In conclusion, whilst Fe-oxides may be effective in situ amendments, reducing As bioavailability, their effects on plant growth require careful consideration. Soil-plant transfer of As was not completely halted by any amendment. - Arsenic attenuation is illustrated using Fe-based amendments, their efficacy providing different indicators of success

Theoretical Approaches in Evolutionary Ecology: Environmental Feedback as a Unifying Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Lion, Sébastien

2018-01-01

Evolutionary biology and ecology have a strong theoretical underpinning, and this has fostered a variety of modeling approaches. A major challenge of this theoretical work has been to unravel the tangled feedback loop between ecology and evolution. This has prompted the development of two main classes of models. While quantitative genetics models jointly consider the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of a focal population, a separation of timescales between ecology and evolution is assumed by evolutionary game theory, adaptive dynamics, and inclusive fitness theory. As a result, theoretical evolutionary ecology tends to be divided among different schools of thought, with different toolboxes and motivations. My aim in this synthesis is to highlight the connections between these different approaches and clarify the current state of theory in evolutionary ecology. Central to this approach is to make explicit the dependence on environmental dynamics of the population and evolutionary dynamics, thereby materializing the eco-evolutionary feedback loop. This perspective sheds light on the interplay between environmental feedback and the timescales of ecological and evolutionary processes. I conclude by discussing some potential extensions and challenges to our current theoretical understanding of eco-evolutionary dynamics.

DIFFICULTY OF AMENDMENT AND INTERPRETATIVE CHOICE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Coan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The extreme difficulty of amending the U.S. Constitution plays a central but largely unexamined role in theoretical debates over interpretive choice. In particular, conventional wisdom assumes that the extreme difficulty of Article V amendment weakens the case for originalism. This view might ultimately be correct, but it is not the freestanding argument against originalism it is often presumed to be. Rather, it depends on contestable normative and empirical premises that require defense. If those premises are wrong, the stringency of Article V might actually strengthen the case for originalism. Or Article V might have no impact on that case one way or another. This “complexity thesis” highlights and clarifies the role that difficulty of amendment plays across a range of significant interpretive debates, including those surrounding writtenness, John Hart Ely’s representation-reinforcement theory, interpretive pluralism, and originalism as a theory of positive law. It also has important implications for the under-studied relations between statutory and constitutional interpretation and federal and state constitutional interpretation.

Coverage of the Nineteenth Amendment in Rural Iowa.

Science.gov (United States)

Davenport, Lucinda D.

A study was conducted to find out how the topics of the Nineteenth Amendment and women's suffrage were handled at the time by news publications in rural areas. Several components were used to carry out the objective: one was to investigate newspaper coverage of the amendment and in addition broaden that search to include women's suffrage; another…

Framework for analyzing ecological trait-based models in multidimensional niche spaces

Science.gov (United States)

Biancalani, Tommaso; DeVille, Lee; Goldenfeld, Nigel

2015-05-01

We develop a theoretical framework for analyzing ecological models with a multidimensional niche space. Our approach relies on the fact that ecological niches are described by sequences of symbols, which allows us to include multiple phenotypic traits. Ecological drivers, such as competitive exclusion, are modeled by introducing the Hamming distance between two sequences. We show that a suitable transform diagonalizes the community interaction matrix of these models, making it possible to predict the conditions for niche differentiation and, close to the instability onset, the asymptotically long time population distributions of niches. We exemplify our method using the Lotka-Volterra equations with an exponential competition kernel.

Data Explorations in Ecology: Salt Pollution as a Case Study for Teaching Data Literacy

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Cornelia; Berkowitz, Alan R.; Alvarado, Angelita

2012-01-01

Does working with first- and second-hand ecological data improve students' knowledge of ecological ideas, motivation and engagement in science, data exploration, and citizenship skills (students' ability to make informed decisions)? We have been exploring this question with high school science teachers in New York State for the past year using a…

Improvement of soil characteristics and growth of Dorycnium pentaphyllum by amendment with agrowastes and inoculation with AM fungi and/or the yeast Yarowia lipolytica.

Science.gov (United States)

Medina, A; Vassileva, M; Caravaca, F; Roldán, A; Azcón, R

2004-08-01

The effectiveness of two microbiologically treated agrowastes [dry olive cake (DOC) and/or sugar beet (SB)] on plant growth, soil enzymatic activities and other soil characteristics was determined in a natural soil from a desertified area. Dorycnium pentaphyllum, a legume plant adapted to stress situations, was the test plant to evaluate the effect of inoculation of native arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and/or Yarowia lipolytica (a dry soil adapted yeast) on amended and non-amended soils. Plant growth and nutrition, symbiotic developments and soil enzymatic activities were limited in non-amended soil where microbial inoculations did not improve plant development. The lack of nodules formation and AM colonization can explain the limited plant growth in this natural soil. The effectiveness and performance of inocula applied was only evident in amended soils. AM colonization and spores number in natural soil were increased by amendments and the inoculation with Y. lipolytica promoted this value. The effect of the inoculations on plant N-acquisition was only important in AM-inoculated plants growing in SB medium. Enzymatic activities as urease and protease activities were particularly increased in DOC amended soil meanwhile dehydrogenase activity was greatest in treatments inoculated with Y. lipolytica in SB added soil. The biological activities in rhizosphere of agrowaste amended soil, used as indices of changes in soil properties and fertility, were affected not only by the nature of amendments but also by the inoculant applied. All these results show that the lignocellulosic agrowastes treated with a selected microorganism and its further interaction with beneficial microbial groups (native AM fungi and/or Y. lipolytica) is a useful tool to modify soil physico-chemical, biological and fertility properties that enhance the plant performance probably by making nutrients more available to plants.

31 CFR 205.7 - Can a Treasury-State agreement be amended?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Can a Treasury-State agreement be amended? 205.7 Section 205.7 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance... Treasury-State Agreement § 205.7 Can a Treasury-State agreement be amended? (a) We or a State may amend a...

Effects of soil amendment on soil characteristics and maize yield in Horqin Sandy Land

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, L.; Liu, J. H.; Zhao, B. P.; Xue, A.; Hao, G. C.

2016-08-01

A 4-year experiment was conducted to investigate the inter-annual effects of sandy soil amendment on maize yield, soil water storage and soil enzymatic activities in sandy soil in Northeast China in 2010 to 2014. We applied the sandy soil amendment in different year, and investigated the different effects of sandy soil amendment in 2014. There were six treatments including: (1) no sandy soil amendment application (CK); (2) one year after applying sandy soil amendment (T1); (3) two years after applying sandy soil amendment(T2); (4) three years after applying sandy soil amendment(T3); (5)four years after applying sandy soil amendment(T4); (6) five years after applying sandy soil amendment (T5). T refers to treatment, and the number refers to the year after application of the sandy soil amendment. Comparing with CK, sandy soil amendments improved the soil water storage, soil urease, invertase, and catalase activity in different growth stages and soil layers, the order of soil water storage in all treatments roughly performed: T3 > T5 > T4 > T2 > T1 > CK. the order of soil urease, invertase, and catalase activity in all treatments roughly performed: T5 > T3 > T4 > T2 > T1 > CK. Soil application of sandy soil amendment significantly (p≤⃒0.05) increased the grain yield and biomass yield by 22.75%-41.42% and 29.92%-45.45% respectively, and maize yield gradually increased with the years go by in the following five years. Sandy soil amendment used in poor sandy soil had a positive effect on soil water storage, soil enzymatic activities and maize yield, after five years applied sandy soil amendment (T5) showed the best effects among all the treatments, and deserves further research.

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria: A model for molecular microbial ecology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kowalchuk, G.A.; Stephen, J.R.

2001-01-01

The eutrophication of many ecosystems in recent decades has led to an increased interest in the ecology of nitrogen transformation. Chemolitho-autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria are responsible for the rate-limiting step of nitrification in a wide variety of environments, making them important

Nowhere to run, rabbit: the cold-war calculus of disease ecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Warwick

2017-06-01

During the cold war, Frank Fenner (protégé of Macfarlane Burnet and René Dubos) and Francis Ratcliffe (associate of A. J. Nicholson and student of Charles Elton) studied mathematically the coevolution of host resistance and parasite virulence when myxomatosis was unleashed on Australia's rabbit population. Later, Robert May called Fenner the "real hero" of disease ecology for his mathematical modeling of the epidemic. While Ratcliffe came from a tradition of animal ecology, Fenner developed an ecological orientation in World War II through his work on malaria control (with Ratcliffe and Ian Mackerras, among others)-that is, through studies of tropical medicine. This makes Fenner at least a partial exception to other senior disease ecologists in the region, most of whom learned their ecology from examining responses to agricultural challenges and animal husbandry problems in settler colonial society. Here I consider the local ecologies of knowledge in southeastern Australia during this period, and describe the particular cold-war intellectual niche that Fenner and Ratcliffe inhabited.

The importance of price for the sale of ecological products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Jesper Kirkeby; Sørensen, Hans Christian

1993-01-01

Executive summary: 1. A high price has been considered as one of the main reasons for consumers' unwillingness to buy ecological products in spite of often positive attitudes towards this category of products. The study reported in this paper had the purpose to find out whether the present price ...... are characterised by low consumer involvement: few alternatives are compared, not very many product attributes are used, and in the decision making, consumers resort to the application of simple choice tactics....... level for ecological products is indeed a decisive obstacle to the sale of ecological prducts. 2. The survey indicated that the market share for ecological products cannot be increased at the present price level. Hence, there is good reason to focus on the price parameter. 3. An experiment with price...... reductions produced considerable changes in customer choices and hence in the estimated market share. The change for tomatoes entails a doubling of the market share at a price reduction of DKK 2.00. For potatoes one could observe a 10% increase per DKK 1.30 price reduction. The ecological market share...

Lead and zinc bioavailability to Eisenia fetida after phosphorus amendment to repository soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ownby, David R.; Galvan, Kari A.; Lydy, Michael J.

2005-01-01

Four phosphorus forms were investigated as potential soil amendments to decrease the bioavailability of Pb and Zn in two repository soils to the earthworm, Eisenia fetida. Treatments were evaluated by examining differences in bioaccumulation factors between amended and non-amended soils. Triple super phosphate at 5000 mg P/kg decreased both Pb and Zn bioavailability in both soils. Rock phosphate at 5000 mg P/kg decreased Zn bioavailability, but not Pb bioavailability in both repository soils. Monocalcium phosphate and tricalcium phosphate at 5000 mg P/kg did not significantly decrease Pb or Zn bioavailability to earthworms in either repository soil. In order to optimize phosphorus amendments, additional phosphorus (up to 15,000 mg P/kg) and lowered pH were used in a series of tests. The combination of lowering the pH below 6.0 and increasing phosphorus concentrations caused complete mortality in all triple super phosphate amended soils and partial mortality in the highest rock phosphate amended soils. Results indicate that triple super phosphate and rock phosphate are viable soil amendments, but care should be taken when optimizing amendment quantity and pH so that adverse environmental effects are not a by-product. - Phosphorus form and pH were controlling factors in the effectiveness of phosphorus amendment in decreasing Pb and Zn bioavailability

Lead and zinc bioavailability to Eisenia fetida after phosphorus amendment to repository soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ownby, David R. [Fisheries and Illinois Aquaculture Center and Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901 (United States); Galvan, Kari A. [Fisheries and Illinois Aquaculture Center and Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901 (United States); Lydy, Michael J. [Fisheries and Illinois Aquaculture Center and Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901 (United States)]. E-mail: mlydy@siu.edu

2005-07-15

Four phosphorus forms were investigated as potential soil amendments to decrease the bioavailability of Pb and Zn in two repository soils to the earthworm, Eisenia fetida. Treatments were evaluated by examining differences in bioaccumulation factors between amended and non-amended soils. Triple super phosphate at 5000 mg P/kg decreased both Pb and Zn bioavailability in both soils. Rock phosphate at 5000 mg P/kg decreased Zn bioavailability, but not Pb bioavailability in both repository soils. Monocalcium phosphate and tricalcium phosphate at 5000 mg P/kg did not significantly decrease Pb or Zn bioavailability to earthworms in either repository soil. In order to optimize phosphorus amendments, additional phosphorus (up to 15,000 mg P/kg) and lowered pH were used in a series of tests. The combination of lowering the pH below 6.0 and increasing phosphorus concentrations caused complete mortality in all triple super phosphate amended soils and partial mortality in the highest rock phosphate amended soils. Results indicate that triple super phosphate and rock phosphate are viable soil amendments, but care should be taken when optimizing amendment quantity and pH so that adverse environmental effects are not a by-product. - Phosphorus form and pH were controlling factors in the effectiveness of phosphorus amendment in decreasing Pb and Zn bioavailability.

77 FR 60382 - Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-03

... financial products or services, (b) consumer behavior with respect to consumer financial products and... BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended AGENCY: Bureau of Consumer... the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, hereinto referred to...

75 FR 68970 - Amendment of Using Agency for Restricted Areas R-4002, R-4005, R-4006 and R-4007; MD

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-10

...-1070; Airspace Docket No. 10-AEA-18] RIN 2120-AA66 Amendment of Using Agency for Restricted Areas R-4002, R-4005, R- 4006 and R-4007; MD AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action makes a minor change to the name of the using agency for restricted areas R...

Can you sequence ecology? Metagenomics of adaptive diversification.

Science.gov (United States)

Marx, Christopher J

2013-01-01

Few areas of science have benefited more from the expansion in sequencing capability than the study of microbial communities. Can sequence data, besides providing hypotheses of the functions the members possess, detect the evolutionary and ecological processes that are occurring? For example, can we determine if a species is adapting to one niche, or if it is diversifying into multiple specialists that inhabit distinct niches? Fortunately, adaptation of populations in the laboratory can serve as a model to test our ability to make such inferences about evolution and ecology from sequencing. Even adaptation to a single niche can give rise to complex temporal dynamics due to the transient presence of multiple competing lineages. If there are multiple niches, this complexity is augmented by segmentation of the population into multiple specialists that can each continue to evolve within their own niche. For a known example of parallel diversification that occurred in the laboratory, sequencing data gave surprisingly few obvious, unambiguous signs of the ecological complexity present. Whereas experimental systems are open to direct experimentation to test hypotheses of selection or ecological interaction, the difficulty in "seeing ecology" from sequencing for even such a simple system suggests translation to communities like the human microbiome will be quite challenging. This will require both improved empirical methods to enhance the depth and time resolution for the relevant polymorphisms and novel statistical approaches to rigorously examine time-series data for signs of various evolutionary and ecological phenomena within and between species.

GIS Based Measurement and Regulatory Zoning of Urban Ecological Vulnerability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaorui Zhang

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Urban ecological vulnerability is measured on the basis of ecological sensitivity and resilience based on the concept analysis of vulnerability. GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis (GIS-MCDA methods are used, supported by the spatial analysis tools of GIS, to define different levels of vulnerability for areas of the urban ecology. These areas are further classified into different types of regulatory zones. Taking the city of Hefei in China as the empirical research site, this study uses GIS-MCDA, including the index system, index weights and overlay rules, to measure the degree of its ecological vulnerability on the GIS platform. There are eight indices in the system. Raking and analytical hierarchy process (AHP methods are used to calculate index weights according to the characteristics of the index system. The integrated overlay rule, including selection of the maximum value, and weighted linear combination (WLC are applied as the overlay rules. In this way, five types of vulnerability areas have been classified as follows: very low vulnerability, low vulnerability, medium vulnerability, high vulnerability and very high vulnerability. They can be further grouped into three types of regulatory zone of ecological green line, ecological grey line and ecological red line. The study demonstrates that ecological green line areas are the largest (53.61% of the total study area and can be intensively developed; ecological grey line areas (19.59% of the total area can serve as the ecological buffer zone, and ecological red line areas (26.80% cannot be developed and must be protected. The results indicate that ecological green line areas may provide sufficient room for future urban development in Hefei city. Finally, the respective regulatory countermeasures are put forward. This research provides a scientific basis for decision-making around urban ecological protection, construction and sustainable development. It also provides theoretical method

STUDY OF SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN THE CITIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. A. Vorobyova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Intensive urban and economic development leads to changes in functional planning of the territory. Comprehensive study of the existing use and ecology of the urban environment is necessary for making decisions on urban space optimization. This study can detect the negative effects of human impact and solve social and economic problems within the city. The socio-ecological assessment of the urban area within the developing zone carried out on the ground of the GIS, developed and compiled by the authors. The database of GIS consists of six blocks, including cartographic and attribute information with characteristics of the environment, functional planning and socio-demographic features of the territory.

Different social drivers, including perceptions of urban wildlife, explain the ecological resources in residential landscapes

Science.gov (United States)

J. Amy Belaire; Lynne M. Westphal; Emily S. Minor

2016-01-01

The conservation value of residential landscapes is becoming increasingly apparent in our urbanizing world. The ecological characteristics of residential areas are largely determined by the decisions of many individual "managers." In these complex socio-ecological systems, it is important to understand the factors that motivate human decision-making. Our...

New perspectives on ecological mechanisms affecting coral recruitment on reefs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ritson-Williams, R.; Arnold, S.N.; Fogarty, N.D.; Steneck, R.S.; Vermeij, M.J.A.; Paul, V.J.

2009-01-01

Coral mortality has increased in recent decades, making coral recruitment more important than ever in sustaining coral reef ecosystems and contributing to their resilience. This review summarizes existing information on ecological factors affecting scleractinian coral recruitment. Successful

Social Ecology, Deep Ecology and the Future of Green Political Thought.

Science.gov (United States)

Tokar, Brian

1988-01-01

Describes the differences which divide the social ecology movement and the Deep Ecology Movement. Discusses how each views population ecology, politics, natural resources, and ecological living. Calls for a unified ecological movement. (CW)

77 FR 47356 - North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Essential Fish Habitat Amendments

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-08

...-XA500 North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Essential Fish Habitat Amendments AGENCY: National... Pacific Fishery Management Council submitted the following essential fish habitat (EFH) amendments to NMFS... Scallop Fishery off Alaska; and Amendment 1 to the FMP for Fish Resources of the Arctic Management Area...

Landscape Ecology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Andreas Aagaard; Brandt, Jesper; Svenningsen, Stig Roar

2017-01-01

Landscape ecology is an interdisciplinary field of research and practice that deals with the mutual association between the spatial configuration and ecological functioning of landscapes, exploring and describing processes involved in the differentiation of spaces within landscapes......, and the ecological significance of the patterns which are generated by such processes. In landscape ecology, perspectives drawn from existing academic disciplines are integrated based on a common, spatially explicit mode of analysis developed from classical holistic geography, emphasizing spatial and landscape...... pattern analysis and ecological interaction of land units. The landscape is seen as a holon: an assemblage of interrelated phenomena, both cultural and biophysical, that together form a complex whole. Enduring challenges to landscape ecology include the need to develop a systematic approach able...

32 CFR 312.7 - Request for correction or amendment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... be contacted for the additional information needed to process the request. (d) The amendment process is not intended to permit the alteration of evidence presented in the course of judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings. Any amendments or changes to these records normally are made through the specific...

75 FR 57658 - National Veterinary Accreditation Program; Correcting Amendment

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-22

... [Docket No. APHIS-2006-0093] RIN 0579-AC04 National Veterinary Accreditation Program; Correcting Amendment..., Docket No. APHIS-2006-0093), and effective on February 1, 2010, we amended the National Veterinary... Veterinary Accreditation Program, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-3401...

Decision-Making Styles of Young Chinese, Motswana and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

BlignautAS

ISSN 0378-5254 Journal of Family Ecology and Consumer Sciences, Vol 34, 2006. Decision-Making Styles of ... significantly influences shopping behaviour. Four dis- ..... Apparel is a high- involvement shopping item that is often bought for its.

77 FR 66564 - North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Essential Fish Habitat Amendments

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-06

...-XA500 North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Essential Fish Habitat Amendments AGENCY: National... Scallop Fishery off Alaska (Scallop FMP); and Amendment 1 to the FMP for Fish Resources of the Arctic Management Area (Arctic FMP). These amendments update the existing essential fish habitat (EFH) provisions in...

Improving communication and validation of ecological models : a case study on the dispersal of aquatic macroinvertebrates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Augusiak, Jacqueline A.

2016-01-01

In recent years, ecological effect models have been put forward as tools for supporting environmental decision-making. Often they are the only way to take the relevant spatial and temporal scales and the multitude of processes characteristic to ecological systems into account. Particularly for

The Role of Bridging Organizations in Enhancing Ecosystem Services and Facilitating Adaptive Management of Social-Ecological Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Adaptive management is an approach for monitoring the response of ecological systems to different policies and practices and attempts to reduce the inherent uncertainty in ecological systems via system monitoring and iterative decision making and experimentation (Holling 1978). M...

Heavy metals and yield of cowpea cultivated under composted tannery sludge amendment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iuna Carmo Ribeiro Gonçalves

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The study aimed to evaluate the phytoavailability of heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Ni and Pb concentrations in leaves and grains, and yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L grown in soil amended with composted tannery sludge (CTS for two consecutive years. The experiments were carried out in 2009 and 2010 in soil amended with CTS at 0, 5, 10, 20, and 40 Mg ha-1. The CTS amendment rates applied were above 10 Mg ha-1, increased Cr concentrations in cowpea leaves. There were not increases in the heavy metals concentrations in cowpea grains after two years. In 2009, the application of CTS amendment did not promote increase in plant yield. However, in 2010, CTS amendment at 10 and 20 Mg ha-1 increased cowpea yield. The amendment of composted tannery sludge linearly increased linearly the concentration of Cr in the leaves of cowpea after two years. Composted tannery sludge promoted increases in cowpea yield.

Initial vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal development of slender wheatgrass on two amended mine spoils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zak, J.C.; Parkinson, D. (University of Calgary, Calgary, AB (Canada). Dept. of Biology)

1982-01-01

The initial vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal development of slender wheatgrass on extracted oil-sands and subalpine coal-mine spoils, amended with either fertilizer, peat, or liquid sewage sludge, was examined. Plants were sampled at 2,6 and 10 weeks after plant emergence and the level of infection was expressed as length of mycorrhizal root per plant and length of root which contained arbuscules, vesicles, or only hyphae. Mycorrhizal infection of slender wheatgrass on the oil sands was limited to plants on the peat-amended spoil. Infection of plants on the peat-amended oil-sands spoil was detected by 2 weeks. Plants on the subalpine spoil were infected at 2 weeks only on the peat-amended spoil. While slender wheatgrass on the control and fertilizer-amended spoil developed mycorrhizae by 6 weeks, infection was not observed in plants on the sewage-amended spoil until 10 weeks. At 10 weeks, there were no significant differences in lengths of mycorrhizal root per plant among the amendments. Increased P levels in the fertilizer- and sewage-amended subalpine spoil did not suppress VA mycorrhizal development. 43 refs., 6 tabs.

Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) as a bridge between ecology and evolutionary genomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Bybee, Seth; Córdoba-Aguilar, Alex; Duryea, M Catherine; Futahashi, Ryo; Hansson, Bengt; Lorenzo-Carballa, M Olalla; Schilder, Ruud; Stoks, Robby; Suvorov, Anton; Svensson, Erik I; Swaegers, Janne; Takahashi, Yuma; Watts, Phillip C; Wellenreuther, Maren

2016-01-01

Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) present an unparalleled insect model to integrate evolutionary genomics with ecology for the study of insect evolution. Key features of Odonata include their ancient phylogenetic position, extensive phenotypic and ecological diversity, several unique evolutionary innovations, ease of study in the wild and usefulness as bioindicators for freshwater ecosystems worldwide. In this review, we synthesize studies on the evolution, ecology and physiology of odonates, highlighting those areas where the integration of ecology with genomics would yield significant insights into the evolutionary processes that would not be gained easily by working on other animal groups. We argue that the unique features of this group combined with their complex life cycle, flight behaviour, diversity in ecological niches and their sensitivity to anthropogenic change make odonates a promising and fruitful taxon for genomics focused research. Future areas of research that deserve increased attention are also briefly outlined.

Ecology

Science.gov (United States)

Ternjej, Ivancica; Mihaljevic, Zlatko

2017-10-01

Ecology is a science that studies the mutual interactions between organisms and their environment. The fundamental subject of interest in ecology is the individual. Topics of interest to ecologists include the diversity, distribution and number of particular organisms, as well as cooperation and competition between organisms, both within and among ecosystems. Today, ecology is a multidisciplinary science. This is particularly true when the subject of interest is the ecosystem or biosphere, which requires the knowledge and input of biologists, chemists, physicists, geologists, geographists, climatologists, hydrologists and many other experts. Ecology is applied in a science of restoration, repairing disturbed sites through human intervention, in natural resource management, and in environmental impact assessments.

A Case Against First Amendment Protections for Commercial Advertising.

Science.gov (United States)

Middleton, Kent R.

Although extending constitutional protection to commercial expression might benefit the consumer, the First Amendment is the wrong instrument for carrying out what are basically economic policies. While in most First Amendment cases the nature of the content determines whether it is constitutionally protected, advertising is distinct in that it…

Redefining roles of science in planning and management: ecology as a planning and management tool

Science.gov (United States)

Greg Mason; Stephen Murphy

2002-01-01

Science as a way of knowing has great value to decision-making but there is need to consider all its attributes and assess how science ought to be informing decision-making. Consideration of the critiques of science can make science stronger and more useful to decision-making in an environmental and ecological context. Scientists, planners, and managers need to...

Introduction: Affective Ecologies and Conservation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neera M Singh

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Engaging the affective and materialist turn in the social sciences, this special section elaborates on how analytical attention on affect and affective relations is central to understanding human-nature relations and to conservation interventions. The contributors to this section use conceptual resources from affect theory, new materialism, and indigenous ontologies to illustrate the practical significance of paying attention to affect in understanding nature-society relations. This introduction reviews these conceptual resources to make a case for affective political ecology.

Integrated presentation of ecological risk from multiple stressors

Science.gov (United States)

Goussen, Benoit; Price, Oliver R.; Rendal, Cecilie; Ashauer, Roman

2016-10-01

Current environmental risk assessments (ERA) do not account explicitly for ecological factors (e.g. species composition, temperature or food availability) and multiple stressors. Assessing mixtures of chemical and ecological stressors is needed as well as accounting for variability in environmental conditions and uncertainty of data and models. Here we propose a novel probabilistic ERA framework to overcome these limitations, which focusses on visualising assessment outcomes by construct-ing and interpreting prevalence plots as a quantitative prediction of risk. Key components include environmental scenarios that integrate exposure and ecology, and ecological modelling of relevant endpoints to assess the effect of a combination of stressors. Our illustrative results demonstrate the importance of regional differences in environmental conditions and the confounding interactions of stressors. Using this framework and prevalence plots provides a risk-based approach that combines risk assessment and risk management in a meaningful way and presents a truly mechanistic alternative to the threshold approach. Even whilst research continues to improve the underlying models and data, regulators and decision makers can already use the framework and prevalence plots. The integration of multiple stressors, environmental conditions and variability makes ERA more relevant and realistic.

Integrated presentation of ecological risk from multiple stressors.

Science.gov (United States)

Goussen, Benoit; Price, Oliver R; Rendal, Cecilie; Ashauer, Roman

2016-10-26

Current environmental risk assessments (ERA) do not account explicitly for ecological factors (e.g. species composition, temperature or food availability) and multiple stressors. Assessing mixtures of chemical and ecological stressors is needed as well as accounting for variability in environmental conditions and uncertainty of data and models. Here we propose a novel probabilistic ERA framework to overcome these limitations, which focusses on visualising assessment outcomes by construct-ing and interpreting prevalence plots as a quantitative prediction of risk. Key components include environmental scenarios that integrate exposure and ecology, and ecological modelling of relevant endpoints to assess the effect of a combination of stressors. Our illustrative results demonstrate the importance of regional differences in environmental conditions and the confounding interactions of stressors. Using this framework and prevalence plots provides a risk-based approach that combines risk assessment and risk management in a meaningful way and presents a truly mechanistic alternative to the threshold approach. Even whilst research continues to improve the underlying models and data, regulators and decision makers can already use the framework and prevalence plots. The integration of multiple stressors, environmental conditions and variability makes ERA more relevant and realistic.

Nutrition, ecology and nutritional ecology: towardan integrated framework

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raubenheimer, David; Simpson, Steven J.; Mayntz, David

2009-01-01

requirements: it should be nutritionally explicit, organismally explicit, and ecologically explicit. 4. We evaluate against these criteria four existing frameworks (Optimal Foraging Theory, Classical Insect Nutritional Ecology, the Geometric Framework for nutrition, and Ecological Stoichiometry), and conclude...... in its own right? 2. We suggest that the distinctive feature of nutritional ecology is its integrative nature, and that the field would benefit from more attention to formalizing a theoretical and quantitative framework for developing this. 3. Such a framework, we propose, should satisfy three minimal...

[Dynamic changes of ecological footprint and ecological capacity in Fujian Province].

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, Boqi; Wang, Yixiang; Huang, Yibin; Ying, Zhaoyang; Huang, Qinlou

2006-11-01

The analysis on the dynamic changes of ecological footprint and ecological capacity in Fujian Province showed that in 1999-2003, the ecological footprint per capita in the Province increased from 1.428 hm2 to 1.658 hm2, while the ecological capacity per capita decreased from 0.683 hm2 to 0.607 hm2, with an increased ecological deficit year after year. The contradiction between the ecological footprint and ecological capacity pricked up gradually, and the ecological environment was at risk. There existed a severe imbalance in the supply and demand of ecological footprint per capita. The main body of the demands was grassland and fossil fuel, accouting for 55.74% - 63.43% of the total, while their supply only occupied 0.77% - 0.82% and next to nothing of the ecological capacity per capita, respectively. As a whole, the ecological footprint per ten thousand yuan GDP declined in the five years, indicating that the resources use efficiency in the Province was improved gradually. Based on the analysis of the present situation of the economic development and resources distribution in the Province, the strategies on reducing ecological deficit were put forward.

The Other May Simply Live: Ecological Design as Environmental Justice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William Eisenstein

2004-06-01

Full Text Available As a global consensus continues to form about the gravity of the ecological risks facing the world in the new century, a smaller, parallel consensus about the pivotal role to be played by ecological designers and planners has also emerged. Few observers dispute the basic idea that the physical design of the built environment is a critical element of an ecologically healthy civilisation. As such, the planners and designers who focus on holistic, place-based strategies for creating those environments and promoting the long-term protection of ecosystems have much to contribute to the larger debate over the meaning and practice of sustainability. Because their role is potentially so important, it matters how ecological designers and planners conceptualise and present their work to the larger society. In particular, addressing a subtle, conceptual divide between ecological design and environmental justice concerns should be a priority. Far from being solely the province of New Age escapists or idiosyncratic, wealthy clients as it is often caricatured, ecological design practice is in fact critical to confronting the harsh realities of toxic exposure, air pollution, and water contamination that beset disadvantaged communities. After pointing out the key physical and conceptual links between ecological design and environmental justice, this paper argues that landscape architects do not sufficiently emphasise the human impacts of ecological degradation resulting from unsustainable design. It goes on to identify two specific analytical tools (ecological economics and a modified form of ecological footprint analysis that can help the profession make this case. A greater effort to do so would help to expand the influence of ecological landscape design in both the global debates about sustainability and in localised realms of implementation.

A Study on Remote Probing Method for Drawing Ecology/Nature Map and the Application (III) - Drawing the Swamp Classification Map around River

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeon, Seong Woo; Cho, Jeong Keon; Jeong, Hwi Chol [Korea Environment Institute, Seoul (Korea)

2000-12-01

The map of ecology/nature in the amended Natural Environment Conservation Act is the necessary data, which is drawn through assessing the national land with ecological factors, to execute the Korea's environmental policy. Such important ecology/nature map should be continuously revised and improved the reliability with adding several new factors. In this point of view, this study has the significance in presenting the improvement scheme of ecology/nature map. 'A Study on Remote Probing Method for Drawing Ecology/Nature Map and the Application' that has been performed for 3 years since 1998 has researched the drawing method of subject maps that could be built in a short time - a land-covering classification map, a vegetation classification map, and a swamp classification map around river - and the promoting principles hereafter. This study also presented the possibility and limit of classification by several satellite image data, so it would be a big help to build the subject map in the Government level. The land-covering classification map, a result of the first year, has been already being built by Ministry of Environment as a national project, and the improvement scheme of the vegetation map that was presented as a result of second year has been used in building the basic ecology/nature map. We hope that the results from this study will be applied as basic data to draw an ecology/nature map and contribute to expanding the understanding on the usefulness of the several ecosystem analysis methods with applying an ecology/nature map and a remote probe. 55 refs., 38 figs., 24 tabs.

Contribution of genetics to ecological restoration.

Science.gov (United States)

Mijangos, Jose Luis; Pacioni, Carlo; Spencer, Peter B S; Craig, Michael D

2015-01-01

Ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems has emerged as a critical tool in the fight to reverse and ameliorate the current loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Approaches derived from different genetic disciplines are extending the theoretical and applied frameworks on which ecological restoration is based. We performed a search of scientific articles and identified 160 articles that employed a genetic approach within a restoration context to shed light on the links between genetics and restoration. These articles were then classified on whether they examined association between genetics and fitness or the application of genetics in demographic studies, and on the way the studies informed restoration practice. Although genetic research in restoration is rapidly growing, we found that studies could make better use of the extensive toolbox developed by applied fields in genetics. Overall, 41% of reviewed studies used genetic information to evaluate or monitor restoration, and 59% provided genetic information to guide prerestoration decision-making processes. Reviewed studies suggest that restoration practitioners often overlook the importance of including genetic aspects within their restoration goals. Even though there is a genetic basis influencing the provision of ecosystem services, few studies explored this relationship. We provide a view of research gaps, future directions and challenges in the genetics of restoration. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

14 CFR 151.29 - Procedures: Offer, amendment, and acceptance.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... resolution or ordinance must, as appropriate under the local law— (1) Set forth the terms of the offer at... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures: Offer, amendment, and... § 151.29 Procedures: Offer, amendment, and acceptance. (a) Upon approving a project, the Administrator...

Network succession reveals the importance of competition in response to emulsified vegetable oil amendment for uranium bioremediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Ye; Zhang, Ping; Qin, Yujia; Tu, Qichao; Yang, Yunfeng; He, Zhili; Schadt, Christopher Warren; Zhou, Jizhong

2016-01-01

Discerning network interactions among different species/populations in microbial communities has evoked substantial interests in recent years, but little information is available about temporal dynamics of microbial network interactions in response to environmental perturbations. Here, we modified the random matrix theory-based network approach to discern network succession in groundwater microbial communities in response to emulsified vegetable oil (EVO) amendment for uranium bioremediation. Groundwater microbial communities from one control and seven monitor wells were analysed with a functional gene array (GeoChip 3.0), and functional molecular ecological networks (fMENs) at different time points were reconstructed. Our results showed that the network interactions were dramatically altered by EVO amendment. Dynamic and resilient succession was evident: fairly simple at the initial stage (Day 0), increasingly complex at the middle period (Days 4, 17, 31), most complex at Day 80, and then decreasingly complex at a later stage (140-269 days). Unlike previous studies in other habitats, negative interactions predominated in a time-series fMEN, suggesting strong competition among different microbial species in the groundwater systems after EVO injection. Particularly, several keystone sulfate-reducing bacteria showed strong negative interactions with their network neighbours. These results provide mechanistic understanding of the decreased phylogenetic diversity during environmental perturbations. © 2015 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Activated carbon amendment for in-situ remediation

Science.gov (United States)

Elmquist, M.; Brändli, R.; Henriksen, T.; Hartnik, T.; Cornelissen, G.

2009-04-01

For the first time in Europe, a novel and innovative remediation technique is used in a field pilot study. This technique is amendment of the soil with two types of activated carbon (AC). Here, one pulverized AC (PAC, 50% 150 µm) and one granular AC (GAC, 1.7-0.43 mm) is tested. The idea of this technique is that the added AC binds organic contaminants so strongly that they cannot be taken up in living organisms or transported to other environmental compartments. Laboratory studies with 2% (wt %) AC amendment to an urban soil reduced the freely dissolved pore water concentrations of PAH by 17% to 99% (Brändli et al. 2008). Several parameters such as dissolved organic carbon (DOC), K, NO2, NO3, NH4, PO4 and PAH, are being measured in this field study. Plant growth and earthworm bioaccumulation tests were also carried out during the summer months. DOC showed a 70% reduction between untreated soil and soil with PAC about one year after the amendment. In the soil mixed with GAC, a 55% reduction could be measured. For K, a 40% lowering value was observed for the soil with GAC compared to no affect for the soil with PAC. NH4 was reduced by 50% for both GAC and PAC amended soils compared to the untreated soil, whereas NO2 and NO3 increased with 2-4 times for the soil with GAC and no effect were seen for the soil with PAC. The freely dissolved PAH concentrations were reduced by 49-78% for the soil with GAC and 82-96% for the soil with PAC. The plant experiment showed best growth rate in the soil with GAC, followed by the untreated soil and least growth was measured on the PAC treated soil. The low growth rate seen in the soil with PAC may come from the fact that DOC and some other nutrients are also being sorbed to the PAC surface together with the organic pollutants and are thereby taken away from the biological cycle. Amendment of soil with AC remediates the soil from organic contaminants when these pollutants are sorbed to the AC surface. This is an easy technique

Ecological rationality: a framework for understanding and aiding the aging decision maker

OpenAIRE

Mata, Rui; Pachur, Thorsten; von Helversen, Bettina; Hertwig, Ralph; Rieskamp, Jörg; Schooler, Lael

2012-01-01

The notion of ecological rationality sees human rationality as the result of the adaptive fit between the human mind and the environment. Ecological rationality focuses the study of decision making on two key questions: First, what are the environmental regularities to which people’s decision strategies are matched, and how frequently do these regularities occur in natural environments? Second, how well can people adapt their use of specific strategies to particular environmental regularities...

Effects of biochar amendment on geotechnical properties of landfill cover soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Reddy, Krishna R; Yaghoubi, Poupak; Yukselen-Aksoy, Yeliz

2015-06-01

Biochar is a carbon-rich product obtained when plant-based biomass is heated in a closed container with little or no available oxygen. Biochar-amended soil has the potential to serve as a landfill cover material that can oxidise methane emissions for two reasons: biochar amendment can increase the methane retention time and also enhance the biological activity that can promote the methanotrophic oxidation of methane. Hydraulic conductivity, compressibility and shear strength are the most important geotechnical properties that are required for the design of effective and stable landfill cover systems, but no studies have been reported on these properties for biochar-amended landfill cover soils. This article presents physicochemical and geotechnical properties of a biochar, a landfill cover soil and biochar-amended soils. Specifically, the effects of amending 5%, 10% and 20% biochar (of different particle sizes as produced, size-20 and size-40) to soil on its physicochemical properties, such as moisture content, organic content, specific gravity and pH, as well as geotechnical properties, such as hydraulic conductivity, compressibility and shear strength, were determined from laboratory testing. Soil or biochar samples were prepared by mixing them with 20% deionised water based on dry weight. Samples of soil amended with 5%, 10% and 20% biochar (w/w) as-is or of different select sizes, were also prepared at 20% initial moisture content. The results show that the hydraulic conductivity of the soil increases, compressibility of the soil decreases and shear strength of the soil increases with an increase in the biochar amendment, and with a decrease in biochar particle size. Overall, the study revealed that biochar-amended soils can possess excellent geotechnical properties to serve as stable landfill cover materials. © The Author(s) 2015.

PROBLEMS OF DEGRADATION OF RECREATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL AREAS OF THE CITY OF KYIV AND EVALUATION BIODIVERSITY LOSES IN THE CONTEXT OF FUTURE INTEGRATION INTO EU ECOLOGICAL NETWORK NATURA 2000

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Derkulskyi R.

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Over the past decades the European Union has put in place a broad range of environmental legislation. As a result, air, water and soil pollution has significantly been reduced. Chemicals legislation has been modernised and the use of many toxic or hazardous substances has been restricted. Today, EU citizens enjoy some of the best water quality in the world and over 18% of EU's territory has been designated as protected areas for nature. On 9 November 2009 under the aegis of Eastern Partnership Platform “Economic Integration and Convergence with the EU Policies” there was established a Panel on the issues of environment and climate change. The Panel facilitates the information and good practices exchange on development and implementation of environmental and climate policies with the aim to promote the approximation of Eastern Partnership countries (includes Ukraine to the EU legislature in these spheres. The principles of ecological network system in Ukraine and the EU in the context of the EU Directive number 92/43 / EC are analyzed in this article. The necessary preconditions for Ukraine’s ecological network integration to the NATURA 2000 in the future should be: - establishment of Special Protection Areas (SPA’s on the principles of habitats and species protection; - amendments to legislation of Ukraine in terms of criteria ecological network definition. Biodiversity losses and degradation are identified in recreational and environmental areas of the city of Kyiv. Green areas in Kiev (especially parks has tendentions of lose their identity because of forest stand changes. The economic value of biodiversity should be factored into decision making in city planning, land management etc.

11{sup th} and 12{sup th} draft laws amending the Atomic Energy Act; Die Gesetzentwuerfe zur elften und zwoelften Aenderung des Atomgesetzes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schneider, Horst

2010-11-15

On September 28, 2010, the German Federal Government adopted the energy concept and, in addition, 2 draft amendments to the Atomic Energy Act to assist the coalition groups in the wording. The coalition groups tabled the 2 drafts in the Federal Parliament the same day. The subject of the 11{sup th} amending law is the extended plant life of nuclear power plants, that of the 12{sup th} amending law, the transposition into national law of the EURATOM Safety Directive of June 2009, the re-introduction of expropriation provisions about final storage, and the duty of operators to enhance the safety of existing nuclear power plants. The Federal Government's energy concept contains this statement about nuclear power: An extension for a limited period of time of the plant life of existing nuclear power plants makes a key contribution to ensuring, for an interim period of time, the three energy policy goals of climate protection, economy, and security of supply in Germany. It eases the way into the era of renewable energies, especially by its controlling effect on the price of electricity and by reducing greenhouse gas emissions related to power production.'' The amendment to the Atomic Energy Act, which does not require the consent of the Federal Council, extends the operating life of nuclear power plants by an average of 12 years. The EURATOM Safety Directive must be transposed into national law by July 22, 2011. The draft of a 12{sup th} amendment to the Atomic Energy Act submitted to this end, which also requires no consent of the Federal Council, bases its reasoning on the fact that most of the important requirements in the Directive had already been taken care of in Germany. Under the 12{sup th} amendment to the Atomic Energy Act, the expropriation regulations deemed to be necessary for repository storage, which had been introduced in the 1998 amendment to the Atomic Energy Act and abolished by the opt-out amendment of 2002, are to be reinstated. (orig.)

76 FR 3540 - U.S. Advanced Boiling Water Reactor Aircraft Impact Design Certification Amendment

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-20

... accepted the application as a docketed application for amendment to the U.S. ABWR design certification... perform the design work associated with the amended portion of the U.S. ABWR design represented by STPNOC's application and to supply the amended portion of the U.S. ABWR design. STPNOC's amendment to the U...

76 FR 20243 - Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Amendments

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-12

... Service (Corporation) by amending the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (NCSA) and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (DVSA). The Serve America Act amended the DVSA by requiring the Corporation to... Flexibility Act As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, 5 U.S.C. 605 (b), the Corporation...

31 CFR 358.21 - Can these regulations be amended?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Can these regulations be amended? 358.21 Section 358.21 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance (Continued... CONVERSION OF BEARER CORPORA AND DETACHED BEARER COUPONS § 358.21 Can these regulations be amended? We may at...

Applying lessons from the ecohealth approach to make food ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Applying lessons from the ecohealth approach to make food systems healthier ... the biennial Ecohealth Congress of the International Association for Ecology and ... intersectoral policies that address the notable increase in obesity, diabetes, ...

China's transboundary waters: new paradigms for water and ecological security through applied ecology.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Daming; Wu, Ruidong; Feng, Yan; Li, Yungang; Ding, Chengzhi; Wang, Wenling; Yu, Douglas W

2014-10-01

China is Asia's most important upstream riparian country, sharing 110 rivers and lakes with 18 downstream countries. Consequently, China's management of transboundary water resources must consider both environmental and geopolitical risks.The major threats to and conflicts over international rivers in China revolve around biotic homogenisation due to the installation of transport links, water allocation, water pollution, alteration of natural flow patterns and disruption of fisheries due to the installation of hydropower dams, and droughts and floods exacerbated by climate change. Because these problems have an international component, they fall under China's Peaceful Rise strategy, mandating that transboundary conflicts be resolved amicably as part of the overarching goal of increasing regional economic growth with as little conflict as possible.Science-backed policy is more likely to result in long term, mutually agreeable solutions; the results of applied ecological research have already resulted in a number of mitigation measures, including setting operational thresholds to reduce the downstream impact of dams, designating protected areas along key river stretches where dams cannot be installed (one dam in a critical location has been cancelled), and the installation of terrestrial protected-area networks. Synthesis and applications . Applied ecology will continue to play an important role in the diagnosis and resolution of environmental threats to China's transboundary waters. More importantly, applied ecology can inform the development of a transboundary environmental compensation mechanism and regional consultative mechanisms that support informed, cooperative decision-making for China and its riparian neighbours.

Nitrogen Transformations in Broiler Litter-Amended Soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kokoasse Kpomblekou-A

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Nitrogen mineralization rates in ten surface soils amended with (200 μg N g−1 soil or without broiler litter were investigated. The soil-broiler litter mixture was incubated at 25±1∘C for 28 weeks. A nonlinear regression approach for N mineralization was used to estimate the readily mineralizable organic N pools (N0 and the first-order rate constant (k. The cumulative N mineralized in the nonamended soils did not exceed 80 mg N kg−1 soil. However, in Decatur soil amended with broiler litter 2, it exceeded 320 mg N kg−1 soil. The greatest calculated N0 of the native soils was observed in Sucarnoochee soil alone (123 mg NO3− kg−1 soil which when amended with broiler litter 1 reached 596 mg N kg−1 soil. The added broiler litter mineralized initially at a fast rate (k1 followed by a slow rate (k2 of the most resistant fraction. Half-life of organic N remaining in the soils alone varied from 33 to 75 weeks and from 43 to 15 weeks in the amended soils. When N0 was regressed against soil organic N (=0.782∗∗ and C (=0.884∗∗∗, positive linear relationships were obtained. The N0 pools increased with sand but decreased with silt and clay contents.

INTERACTIONS AMONG PHOSPHATE AMENDMENTS, MICROBES AND URANIUM MOBILITY IN CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knox, A

2007-08-30

The use of sequestering agents for the transformation of radionuclides in low concentrations in contaminated soils/sediments offers considerable potential for long-term environmental cleanup. This study evaluated the influence of four phosphate amendments and two microbial amendments on U availability. The synchrotron X-ray fluorescence mapping of the untreated U-contaminated sediment showed that U was closely associated with Mn. All tested phosphate amendments reduced aqueous U concentration more than 90%, likely due to formation of insoluble phosphate precipitates. The addition of A. piechaudii and P. putida alone were found to reduce U concentrations 63% and 31% respectively. Uranium sorption in phosphate treatments was significantly reduced in the presence of microbes. However, increased microbial activity in the treated sediment led to reduction of phosphate effectiveness. The average U concentration in 1 M MgCl{sub 2} extract from U amended sediment was 437 {micro}g/kg, but in the same sediment without microbes (autoclaved sediment), the extractable U concentration was only 103 {micro}g/kg. When the autoclaved amended sediment was treated with autoclaved biological apatite, U concentration in the 1 M MgCl{sub 2} extract was {approx}0 {micro}g/kg. Together these tests suggest that microbes may enhance U leaching and reduce phosphate amendment remedial effectiveness.

Are there SO2 externality costs beyond the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanghi, A.; Joseph, A.L.

1992-01-01

Inclusion of environmental externality costs in the selection of utility resources has become a reality in New York, Massachusetts, Nevada and California. Soon several other jurisdictions are likely to join these states in using environmental externality costs in decision-making. The consideration of environmental externalities are bound to profoundly affect utility decision-making in the future. So far attention has focused largely on air emission externalities of SO 2 , NO x and CO 2 . However, the recent Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) will reduce SO 2 emissions from utilities by about 50 percent. With such a large reduction in SO 2 loading, the question has been raised as to the need to further consider SO 2 externality costs in decision-making. This paper comments on this issue. By using generation and emission data from New York utilities, the paper shows that SO 2 emission externalities exist even after complying with requirements of the CAAA

Precarious Planet: Ecological Violence in The Age of Stupid

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lord, C.M.

2012-01-01

In an age of global warming anxieties, Franny Armstrong's documentary film The Age of Stupid, makes a compelling case for understanding the global and financial forces that ultimately, may not be sustained by the eco-systems of our planet. By forging a concept I term 'ecological violence', my

Ecological rationality: a framework for understanding and aiding the aging decision maker.

Science.gov (United States)

Mata, Rui; Pachur, Thorsten; von Helversen, Bettina; Hertwig, Ralph; Rieskamp, Jörg; Schooler, Lael

2012-01-01

The notion of ecological rationality sees human rationality as the result of the adaptive fit between the human mind and the environment. Ecological rationality focuses the study of decision making on two key questions: First, what are the environmental regularities to which people's decision strategies are matched, and how frequently do these regularities occur in natural environments? Second, how well can people adapt their use of specific strategies to particular environmental regularities? Research on aging suggests a number of changes in cognitive function, for instance, deficits in learning and memory that may impact decision-making skills. However, it has been shown that simple strategies can work well in many natural environments, which suggests that age-related deficits in strategy use may not necessarily translate into reduced decision quality. Consequently, we argue that predictions about the impact of aging on decision performance depend not only on how aging affects decision-relevant capacities but also on the decision environment in which decisions are made. In sum, we propose that the concept of the ecological rationality is crucial to understanding and aiding the aging decision maker.

Application of ecological interface design in nuclear power plant (NPP operator support system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexey Anokhin

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Most publications confirm that an ecological interface is a very efficient tool to supporting operators in recognition of complex and unusual situations and in decision-making. The present article describes the experience of implementation of an ecological interface concept for visualization of material balance in a drum separator of RBMK-type NPPs. Functional analysis of the domain area was carried out and revealed main factors and contributors to the balance. The proposed ecological display was designed to facilitate execution of the most complicated cognitive operations, such as comparison, summarizing, prediction, etc. The experimental series carried out at NPPs demonstrated considerable reduction of operators' mental load, time of reaction, and error rate. Keywords: Ecological Interface Design, Experimental Evaluation, Model, Work Domain Analysis

The Operation Method of Smarter City Based on Ecological Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, C.; Fan, H. Y.

2017-10-01

As the city and urbanization’s accelerated pace has caused galloping population, the urban framework is extending with increasingly complex social problems. The urban management tends to become complicated and the governance seems more difficult to pursue. exploring the urban management’s new model has attracted local governments’ urgent attention. tcombines the guiding ideology and that management’s practices based on ecological theory, explains the Smarter city Ecology Managementmodel’s formation, makes modern urban management’s comparative analysis and further defines the aforesaid management mode’s conceptual model. Based on the smarter city system theory’s ecological carrying capacity, the author uses mathematical model to prove the coordination relationship between the smarter city Ecology Managementmode’s subsystems, demonstrates that it can improve the urban management’s overall level, emphasizes smarter city management integrity, believing that urban system’s optimization is based on each subsystem being optimized, attaching the importance to elements, structure, and balance between each subsystem and between internal elements. Through the establishment of the smarter city Ecology Managementmodel’s conceptual model and theoretical argumentation, it provides a theoretical basis and technical guidance to that model’s innovation.

Atomic Energy Amendment Act 1978, No. 31

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

This Act amends certain Sections of the Atomic Energy Act 1953. The principal modifications concern the definitions of atomic energy, prescribed substances, the provision and supply of uranium in relation to the functions of the Atomic Energy Commission, compliance with the agreement with the IAEA on the application of safeguards under the Non-Proliferation Treaty as well as with any agreement with any other international organization or another country. The Act also amends the 1953 Act in respect of the control of prescribed substances and repeals the section concerning jurisdiction of courts. (NEA) [fr

Compost-amended biofiltration swale evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-01

From May 2009 through June 2010, Herrera Environmental Consultants conducted hydrologic : and water quality monitoring of a compost-amended biofiltration swale and a standard (control) : biofiltration swale in the median of State Route 518 for the Wa...

Using assemblage data in ecological indicators: A comparison and evaluation of commonly available statistical tools

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Joseph M.; Mather, Martha E.

2012-01-01

Ecological indicators are science-based tools used to assess how human activities have impacted environmental resources. For monitoring and environmental assessment, existing species assemblage data can be used to make these comparisons through time or across sites. An impediment to using assemblage data, however, is that these data are complex and need to be simplified in an ecologically meaningful way. Because multivariate statistics are mathematical relationships, statistical groupings may not make ecological sense and will not have utility as indicators. Our goal was to define a process to select defensible and ecologically interpretable statistical simplifications of assemblage data in which researchers and managers can have confidence. For this, we chose a suite of statistical methods, compared the groupings that resulted from these analyses, identified convergence among groupings, then we interpreted the groupings using species and ecological guilds. When we tested this approach using a statewide stream fish dataset, not all statistical methods worked equally well. For our dataset, logistic regression (Log), detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), cluster analysis (CL), and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) provided consistent, simplified output. Specifically, the Log, DCA, CL-1, and NMDS-1 groupings were ≥60% similar to each other, overlapped with the fluvial-specialist ecological guild, and contained a common subset of species. Groupings based on number of species (e.g., Log, DCA, CL and NMDS) outperformed groupings based on abundance [e.g., principal components analysis (PCA) and Poisson regression]. Although the specific methods that worked on our test dataset have generality, here we are advocating a process (e.g., identifying convergent groupings with redundant species composition that are ecologically interpretable) rather than the automatic use of any single statistical tool. We summarize this process in step-by-step guidance for the

76 FR 28193 - Amendments to Material Control and Accounting Regulations

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-16

...] Amendments to Material Control and Accounting Regulations AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION... amendments to the material control and accounting (MC&A) regulations. These regulations apply to NRC... ``accounting,'' and thus does not fully describe the accounting aspects that MC&A programs must include...

77 FR 4459 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Greenfield, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-30

...-0846; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-18] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Greenfield, IA AGENCY: Federal... Greenfield, IA. Decommissioning of the Greenfield non-directional beacon (NDB) at Greenfield Municipal... rulemaking to amend Class E airspace for Greenfield, IA, reconfiguring controlled airspace at Greenfield...

Breaking Down Blaine Amendments' Indefensible Barrier to Education Choice

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Lindsey M.; Stepman, Jarrett

2014-01-01

Though school choice has proven to be popular, barriers remain in some states as a result of so-called Blaine Amendments and similar policies to prevent education funding from following students to religious schools as a part of school choice options. If left to stand, these ignoble 19th century amendments will remain major impediments to the…

A Critical Reading of Ecocentrism and Its Meta-Scientific Use of Ecology: Instrumental versus Emancipatory Approaches in Environmental Education and Ecology Education

Science.gov (United States)

Hovardas, Tasos

2013-01-01

The aim of the paper is to make a critical reading of ecocentrism and its meta-scientific use of ecology. First, basic assumptions of ecocentrism will be examined, which involve nature's intrinsic value, postmodern and modern positions in ecocentrism, and the subject-object dichotomy under the lenses of ecocentrism. Then, we will discuss…

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

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-making

Use of ecological exposure units in ecological risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferenbaugh, R.; Myers, O.; Gallegos, A.; Breshears, D.; Ebinger, M.

1995-01-01

The traditional approach to ecological risk assessment at hazardous waste sites that are being evaluated for cleanup under CERCLA or RCRA requirements is to focus on the immediate impacts at or adjacent to a site. While this may be acceptable in some situations, it is not ecologically defensible in situations where there are numerous contaminated sites in proximity to each other. In the latter case, transport from the sites, potential cumulative effects, and wide-ranging receptors must be considered. The concept of the Ecological Exposure Unit (EEU) has been proposed to address this situation. Ecological Exposure Units are defined on the basis of ecological considerations and each EEU may contain several to many contaminated sites. The initial steps involved in performing ecological risk assessments using the EEU approach include (1) selection of appropriate receptors and assessment endpoints, and (2) geographical definition of EEUs. At Los Alamos National Laboratory, receptors have been identified and EEUs have been defined for these receptors. GIS is being used as a tool to map EEUs. Receptors include representatives from threatened or endangered species, species reflecting status of ecological health, species with social or cultural relevance, and other species of concern. After definition of EEUs, cumulative impacts of all stressors at all sites within each EEU must be evaluated. The two major advantages to performing ecological risk assessments using this approach are that risk assessments are performed in a more scientifically defensible manner because they are performed on ecologically defined units and that resources are used optimally by minimizing redundant remedial activities

50 CFR 679.93 - Amendment 80 Program recordkeeping, permits, monitoring, and catch accounting.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...) Catch accounting—(1) Amendment 80 species—(i) Amendment 80 cooperative. All Amendment 80 species caught..., permits, monitoring, and catch accounting. 679.93 Section 679.93 Wildlife and Fisheries FISHERY... recordkeeping, permits, monitoring, and catch accounting. (a) Recordkeeping and reporting. See § 679.5(s). (b...

Integrating Fuzzy Logic, Optimization, and GIS for Ecological Impact Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Bojórquez-Tapia, Luis A.; Juárez, Lourdes; Cruz-Bello, Gustavo

2002-09-01

Appraisal of ecological impacts has been problematic because of the behavior of ecological system and the responses of these systems to human intervention are far from fully understood. While it has been relatively easy to itemize the potential ecological impacts, it has been difficult to arrive at accurate predictions of how these impacts affect populations, communities, or ecosystems. Furthermore, the spatial heterogeneity of ecological systems has been overlooked because its examination is practically impossible through matrix techniques, the most commonly used impact assessment approach. Besides, the public has become increasingly aware of the importance of the EIA in decision-making and thus the interpretation of impact significance is complicated further by the different value judgments of stakeholders. Moreover, impact assessments are carried out with a minimum of data, high uncertainty, and poor conceptual understanding. Hence, the evaluation of ecological impacts entails the integration of subjective and often conflicting judgments from a variety of experts and stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to present an environmental impact assessment approach based on the integration fuzzy logic, geographical information systems and optimization techniques. This approach enables environmental analysts to deal with the intrinsic imprecision and ambiguity associated with the judgments of experts and stakeholders, the description of ecological systems, and the prediction of ecological impacts. The application of this approach is illustrated through an example, which shows how consensus about impact mitigation can be attained within a conflict resolution framework.

Mapping Social Ecological Systems Archetypes

Science.gov (United States)

Rocha, J. C.; Malmborg, K.; Gordon, L.

2016-12-01

Achieving sustainable development goals requires targeting and monitoring sustainable solutions tailored to different social and ecological contexts. Elinor Ostrom stressed that there is no panaceas or universal solutions to environmental problems, and developed a social-ecological systems' (SES) framework -a nested multi tier set of variables- to help diagnose problems, identify complex interactions, and solutions tailored to each SES arena. However, to our knowledge, the SES framework has only been applied to over a hundred cases, and typically reflect the analysis of local case studies with relatively small coverage in space and time. While case studies are context rich and necessary, their conclusions might not reach policy making instances. Here we develop a data driven method for upscaling Ostrom's SES framework and applied to a context where we expect data is scarce, incomplete, but also where sustainable solutions are badly needed. The purpose of upscaling the framework is to create a tool that facilitates decision making on data scarce environments such as developing countries. We mapped SES by applying the SES framework to poverty alleviation and food security issues in the Volta River basin in Ghana and Burkina Faso. We found archetypical configurations of SES in space given data availability, we study their change over time, and discuss where agricultural innovations such as water reservoirs might have a stronger impact at increasing food security and therefore alleviating poverty and hunger. We conclude outlining how the method can be used in other SES comparative studies.

17 CFR 41.24 - Rule amendments to security futures products.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... rule amendment relating to a security futures product if the registered derivatives transaction... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Rule amendments to security futures products. 41.24 Section 41.24 Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING...

Influence of amendments on soil structure and soil loss under ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Macromolecule polymers are significant types of chemical amendments because of their special structure, useful functions and low cost. Macromolecule polymers as soil amendment provide new territory for studying China's agricultural practices and for soil and water conservation, because polymers have the ability to ...

78 FR 48298 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Commerce, TX

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-08

...-0269; Airspace Docket No. 13-ASW-3] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Commerce, TX AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Class E airspace at Commerce, TX. Additional controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new Area Navigation (RNAV...

The role of ecological theory in microbial ecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Prosser, James I; Bohannan, Brendan J M; Curtis, Tom P; Ellis, Richard J; Firestone, Mary K; Freckleton, Rob P; Green, Jessica L; Green, Laura E; Killham, Ken; Lennon, Jack J; Osborn, A Mark; Solan, Martin; van der Gast, Christopher J; Young, J Peter W

2007-05-01

Microbial ecology is currently undergoing a revolution, with repercussions spreading throughout microbiology, ecology and ecosystem science. The rapid accumulation of molecular data is uncovering vast diversity, abundant uncultivated microbial groups and novel microbial functions. This accumulation of data requires the application of theory to provide organization, structure, mechanistic insight and, ultimately, predictive power that is of practical value, but the application of theory in microbial ecology is currently very limited. Here we argue that the full potential of the ongoing revolution will not be realized if research is not directed and driven by theory, and that the generality of established ecological theory must be tested using microbial systems.

The Second Ordinance for Amendment of the Radiation Protection Ordinance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Czajka, D.

1989-01-01

This Second Ordinance for Amendment of the Radiation Protection Ordinance has modified the most important legal provisions supplementing the Atomic Energy Act. But looking closer at the revised version of the Ordinance, many an amendment turns out to be just a new facade on the old brickwork. The article critically reviews the most important amendments, stating that the main principles have remained untouched, and discussing the modification of limiting values, the definition of regulatory scopes, the new meaning of the term 'wastes containing nuclear fuel', and the regulatory scope of provisions governing radioactive substances and their medical applications. (orig./RST) [de

The Berry Amendment: Requiring Defense Procurement to Come from Domestic Sources

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Grasso, Valerie B

2008-01-01

...; these provisions later became the Berry Amendment. The Berry Amendment requires DOD to give preference in procurement to domestically produced, manufactured, or home grown products, notably food, clothing, fabrics, and specialty metals...

A Framework for ERP Post-Implementation Amendments: A Literature Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taiwo Oseni

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Post-implementation amendments to ERP systems (ERP-PIA are of importance for advancing ERP research, but more importantly essential if ERP systems are to be used as a strategic and competitive business tool. For ease of clarity, we have adopted the term “amendments” to encompass the main forms of post implementation activities: maintenance, enhancements and upgrades. The term ‘amendments’ is used to counteract one of the major findings from this research - the inconsistency of terms used by many authors to explain post implementation activities. This paper presents a review of the ERP post-implementation amendment literature in order to provide answers to two specific questions: first, what is the current state of research in the field of ERP-PIA; and second, what are the future research directions that need to be explored in the field of ERP-PIA. From the review, we develop a framework to identify: (a major themes concerning ERP post-implementation amendments, (b inherent gaps in the post-implementation amendments literature, and (c specific areas that require further research attention influencing the uptake of amendments. Suggestions on empirical evaluation of research directions and their relevance in the extension of existing literature is presented.

Exploring the Dynamics of social-ecological resilience in East and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Social-ecological resilience refers to the dynamic process of adaptive learning, reorganization and meaning-making demonstrated in linked human, animal, and plant ecosystems often organized in formal and/or informal social institutions, as they anticipate, withstand and/or judiciously engage with adversity ...

The amendment of the Labour Code

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jana Mervartová

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The amendment of the Labour Code, No. 365/2011 Coll., effective as from 1st January 2012, brings some of fundamental changes in labour law. The amendment regulates relation between the Labour Code and the Civil Code; and is also formulates principles of labour law relations newly. The basic period by fixed-term contract of employment is extended and also frequency its conclusion is limited. The length of trial period and the amount of redundancy payment are graduated. An earlier legislative regulation which an employee is temporarily assign to work for different employer has been returned. The number of hours by agreement to perform work is increased. The monetary compensation by competitive clause is reduced. The other changes are realised in part of collective labour law. The authoress of article notifies of the most important changes. She compares new changes of the Labour Code and former legal system and she also evaluates their advantages and disadvantages. The main objective of changes ensures labour law relations to be more flexible. And it should motivate creation of new jobs opening by employers. Amended provisions are aimed to reduction expenses of employers under the reform of the public finances. Also changes are expected in the Labour Code in connection with the further new Civil Code.

Sugarcane Yield Response to Furrow-Applied Organic Amendments on Sand Soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Mabry McCray

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Organic amendments have been shown to increase sugarcane yield on sand soils in Florida. These soils have very low water and nutrient-holding capacities because of the low content of organic matter, silt, and clay. Because of high costs associated with broadcast application, this field study was conducted to determine sugarcane yield response to furrow application of two organic amendments on sand soils. One experiment compared broadcast application (226 m3 ha−1 of mill mud and yard waste compost, furrow application (14, 28, and 56 m3 ha−1 of these materials, and no amendment. Another experiment compared furrow applications (28 and 56 m3 ha−1 of mill mud and yard waste compost with no amendment. There were significant yield (t sucrose ha−1 responses to broadcast and furrow-applied mill mud but responses to furrow applications were not consistent across sites. There were no significant yield responses to yard waste compost suggesting that higher rates or repeated applications of this amendment will be required to achieve results comparable to mill mud. Results also suggest that enhancing water and nutrient availability in the entire volume of the root zone with broadcast incorporation of organic amendments is the more effective approach for low organic matter sands.

Degradation of dimethyl disulphide in soil with or without biochar amendment.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Dawei; Yan, Dongdong; Cao, Aocheng; Fang, Wensheng; Liu, Pengfei; Li, Yuan; Ouyang, Canbin; Wang, Qiuxia

2017-09-01

Dimethyl disulphide (DMDS) is a new and effective alternative to methyl bromide for soil fumigation. The effect of biochar on the fate of DMDS in soil is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to determine the degradation kinetics of DMDS in different soils and evaluate the effect of biochar amendment on DMDS degradation using incubation experiments. The degradation half-life of DMDS was between 1.05 and 6.66 days under non-sterile conditions, and 12.63 to 22.67 days under sterile conditions in five types of soil. Seven out of the eight tested biochar amendments (BC-2 to BC-8) delayed the degradation of DMDS in soil, increasing the half-life of DMDS in Fangshan soil from 1.05 to 1.16-5.87 days following amendment with 1% (w/w) biochar. The degradation rate of DMDS in Fangshan soil accelerated as the amendment rate of BC-1 increased, and decreased as the amendment rate of BC-7 increased. Biodegradation is an important degradation route for DMDS in soil, and DMDS degraded faster in alkaline soil. The effects of biochar amendments on DMDS degradation in soil are determined by complex multiple factors (such as surface area, pH and physicochemical composition), rather than by any single property of biochar. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

The ecological economics: An ecological economics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castiblanco R, Carmenza

2007-01-01

Ecological Economics arise as a scientific discipline aimed to integrate concepts of economics, ecology, thermodynamics, ethic and other natural and social sciences in order to incorporate a biophysical and integrated perspective of the inter dependences between economies and environment, from a plural conception and a methodology beyond disciplines. Ecological Economics studies the black box of economic processes usually excluded of the traditional economics: thermodynamics and ecology. Although it is relatively a new field of study, it has been strengthening its theoretical framework with scientific basis and analytic principles that lead to its identification as a new discipline that show a whole new paradigm. The scope of this article is to show the conceptual and methodological bases, the main founders, approaches and central debates of this new discipline. This brief introduction is a preamble to the papers of the meeting Ecological Economics: a perspective for Colombia included in this number, that took place on September 22 - 27 of 2007, at the National University of Colombia at Bogota. During tree days national and international experts, professors, researchers, workers of environmental sector and people interested on environmental issues joined together to know the conceptual and methodological achievements reached of this discipline; as well as to analyse and evaluate the environmental problems of the country, from the systemic, interdisciplinary and general perspective that it promotes

Naval Personnel Can Improve Compliance With the Berry Amendment and the Buy American Act

Science.gov (United States)

2015-08-12

Amendment. Introduction 2 │ DODIG-2015-161 • FSG 83—textiles, leather and furs,6 apparel , and shoes; • FSG 84— clothing , individual equipment and insignia...personnel amended standard operating procedures and internal processes to improve compliance with the Berry Amendment. NAWCAD-Lakehurst personnel...corrective action and amended standard operating procedures and internal processes to improve compliance with the Buy American Act. Additionally, NAWCAD

Automated Clustering of Similar Amendments

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2016-01-01

The Italian Senate is clogged by computer-generated amendments. This talk will describe a simple strategy to cluster them in an automated fashion, so that the appropriate Senate procedures can be used to get rid of them in one sweep.

The Silwood Circle a history of ecology and the making of scientific careers in late twentieth-century Britain

CERN Document Server

Gay, Hannah

2013-01-01

This is an original and wide-ranging account of the careers of a close-knit group of highly influential ecologists working in Britain from the late 1960s onwards. The book can also be read as a history of some recent developments in ecology. One of the group, Robert May, is a past president of the Royal Society, and the author of what many see as the most important treatise in theoretical ecology of the later twentieth century. That the group flourished was due not only to May's intellectual leadership, but also to the guiding hand of T. R. E. Southwood. Southwood ended his career as Linacre Professor of Zoology at the University of Oxford, where he also served a term as Vice-Chancellor. Earlier, as a professor and director of the Silwood Park campus of Imperial College London, he brought the group together. Since it began to coalesce at Silwood it has been named here the Silwood Circle. Southwood promoted the interests of its members with the larger aim of raising the profile of ecological and environmental ...

The Berry Amendment: Requiring Defense Procurement to Come from Domestic Sources

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Grasso, Valerie B

2008-01-01

...; these provisions later became the Berry Amendment. The Berry Amendment requires DoD to give preference in procurement to domestically produced, manufactured, or home-grown products, notably food, clothing, fabrics, and specialty metals...

77 FR 68682 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Guthrie, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-16

...-1436; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-29] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Guthrie, IA AGENCY: Federal... Guthrie, IA. Decommissioning of the Guthrie Center non-directional radio beacon (NDB) at Guthrie County... proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend Class E airspace for the Guthrie, IA, area, creating additional...

78 FR 76053 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Chariton, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-16

...-0255; Airspace Docket No. 13-ACE-4] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Chariton, IA AGENCY: Federal... Chariton, IA. Decommissioning of the Chariton non-directional beacon (NDB) at Chariton Municipal Airport... Register a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend Class E airspace for the Chariton, IA, area...

75 FR 71450 - Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee; Amendment of Notice

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-23

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0001] Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee; Amendment of Notice AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing an amendment to the notice of a...

Amendment of Ordinance on collection and despatch of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-03-01

The Ordinance was amended to specify the conditions for interim storage of radioactive waste. Until it is finally disposed of, such waste will be stored on premises fitted up by the Federal Institute for Reactor Research. The amendment entered into force on 1 April 1987. (NEA) [fr

37 CFR 1.351 - Amendments to rules will be published.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... published. 1.351 Section 1.351 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE... Rules § 1.351 Amendments to rules will be published. All amendments to the regulations in this part will be published in the Official Gazette and in the Federal Register. ...

75 FR 37291 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Osceola, AR

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-29

...-1183; Airspace Docket No. 09-ASW-38] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Osceola, AR AGENCY: Federal... Osceola, AR. Decommissioning of the Osceola non-directional beacon (NDB) at Osceola Municipal Airport has... rulemaking to amend Class E airspace for Osceola, AR, reconfiguring controlled airspace at Osceola Municipal...

76 FR 38381 - Texas Eastern Transmission, LP; Notice of Amendment

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-30

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP11-67-001] Texas Eastern Transmission, LP; Notice of Amendment Take notice that on June 13, 2011, Texas Eastern Transmission, LP (Texas Eastern), 5400 Westheimer Court, Houston, Texas 77056, filed in the above referenced docket an amendment...

A Framework to Quantify the Strength of the Ecological Links ...

Science.gov (United States)

Anthropogenic stressors such as climate change, fire, and pollution are driving shifts in ecosystem function and resilience. Scientists generally rely on biological indicators of these stressors to signal that ecosystem conditions have been altered beyond an acceptable amount. However, these biological indicators are not always capable of being directly related to ecosystem services that allow scientists to communicate the importance of the change to land managers and policy makers. Therefore, we developed the STEPS (STressor – Ecological Production function – final ecosystem goods and Services) Framework to link changes in a biological indicator of a stressor to Final Ecosystem Goods and Services (FEGS). The STEPS framework produces “chains” of ecological components that connect the change in a biological indicator to the Final Ecosystem Goods and Services Classification System (FEGS-CS). The series of ecological components is an ecological production functions (EPF) which links a biological indicator of a stressor to an ecological endpoint (i.e., FEGS) that is directly used, appreciated, or valued by humans. The framework uses a qualitative score (High, Medium, Low) for the Strength of Science (SOS) for the relationship between each of the components in the EPF to identify research gaps and prioritize decision making based on what research has been completed. The ecological endpoint of the EPF is a FEGS to which discrete Beneficiaries, or direct users

Ecologies of Learning, Ecologies of Creativity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høyrup, Helene

in the light of the new Danish school reform. How can different learning institutions contribute to a “joint” ecology of learning? What would the benefits be from this in terms of young people’s literacies? On what theoretical basis can such an ecology and co-creation take place? And what kind of didactics...

Environmental resources of selected areas of Hawaii: Ecological resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trettin, C.C.; Tolbert, V.R. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States). Environmental Sciences Div.; Jones, A.T. [Jones (Anthony T.), Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Smith, C.R. [Smith (Craig R.), Kailna, HI (United States); Kalmijn, A.J. [Kalmijn (Adrianus J.), Encinitas, CA (United States)

1995-03-01

This report has been prepared to make available and archive the background scientific data and related information collected on ecological resources during the preparation of the environmental impact statement (EIS) for Phases 3 and 4 of the Hawaii Geothermal Project (HGP) as defined by the state of Hawaii in its April 1989 proposal to Congress. Since the state of Hawaii is no longer pursuing or planning to pursue the HGP, DOE considers the project to be terminated. The background scientific data and related information presented in this report focus on several areas of Hawaii County. In this report, reference is made to these areas as study areas rather than as areas where proposed or alternative facilities of the HGP would be located. The resource areas addressed herein include terrestrial ecology, aquatic ecology, and marine ecology. The scientific background data and related information that were obtained from review of the (1) scientific literature, (2) government and private sector reports, (3) studies done under DOE interagency agreements with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and with the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE), and (4) observations made during site visits are being made available for future research in these areas.

Environmental resources of selected areas of Hawaii: Ecological resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trettin, C.C.; Tolbert, V.R.; Smith, C.R.; Kalmijn, A.J.

1995-03-01

This report has been prepared to make available and archive the background scientific data and related information collected on ecological resources during the preparation of the environmental impact statement (EIS) for Phases 3 and 4 of the Hawaii Geothermal Project (HGP) as defined by the state of Hawaii in its April 1989 proposal to Congress. Since the state of Hawaii is no longer pursuing or planning to pursue the HGP, DOE considers the project to be terminated. The background scientific data and related information presented in this report focus on several areas of Hawaii County. In this report, reference is made to these areas as study areas rather than as areas where proposed or alternative facilities of the HGP would be located. The resource areas addressed herein include terrestrial ecology, aquatic ecology, and marine ecology. The scientific background data and related information that were obtained from review of the (1) scientific literature, (2) government and private sector reports, (3) studies done under DOE interagency agreements with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and with the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE), and (4) observations made during site visits are being made available for future research in these areas

The protocol amending the 1963 Vienna Convention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamm, V.

2006-01-01

Technically the Vienna Convention was revised by the adoption of the protocol to amend the instrument. and according to Article 19 of the protocol 'A State which is Party to this Protocol but not to the 1963 Vienna Convention shall be bound by the provisions of that Convention as amended by this Protocol in relation to other States Parties hereto, and failing an expression of a different intention by that State at the time of deposit of an instrument referred to in Article 20 shall be bound by the provisions of the 1963 Vienna Convention in relation to States which are only Parties thereto'. This solution has created a special situation, because after the entry into force of the protocol there will be living together or operating in practice 'two' Vienna Conventions, notably the convention's original text of 1963 and its new version as amended by the protocol. After the protocol has come into force, a state may only accede to the amended version, but in the inter se relations of the States Party to the 'old' Vienna Convention the provisions of that convention will remain in force until such time as they have acceded to the new protocol. This rather complicated situation is nevertheless understandable and is fully in accord with Article 40 of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which provides for the amendment of multilateral treaties. In 1989 the negotiations on the revision of the Vienna Convention had begun with the aim of strengthening the existing nuclear liability regime and of improving the situation of potential victims of nuclear accidents. The Protocol to Amend the Vienna Convention serves those purposes; it also reflects a good compromise, since it is the outcome of a negotiation process in which experts from both nuclear and non-nuclear states, from Contacting Parties and non-Contracting Parties were very active. That affords some assurance that the compromise solution reached is acceptable to all States participating in the adoption of

77 FR 42427 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Grinnell, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-19

...-1430; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-23] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Grinnell, IA AGENCY: Federal... Class E airspace at Grinnell Regional Airport, Grinnell, IA, by removing reference to the Grinnell NDB... Regional Airport, Grinnell, IA, and amends the geographic coordinates of the airport to coincide with the...

76 FR 75447 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Centerville, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-02

...-0830; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-16] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Centerville, IA AGENCY: Federal... Centerville, IA. Decommissioning of the Centerville non-directional beacon (NDB) and cancellation of the NDB... Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend Class E airspace for the Centerville, IA, area...

78 FR 18800 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Decorah, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-28

...-1433; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-26] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Decorah, IA AGENCY: Federal... Decorah, IA. Decommissioning of the Decorah non-directional beacon (NDB) at Decorah Municipal Airport has... Register a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend Class E airspace for the Decorah, IA, area...

77 FR 37911 - Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee; Amendment of Notice

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-25

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2012-N-0001] Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee; Amendment of Notice AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing an amendment to the notice of meeting of the...

76 FR 18378 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Taylor, AZ

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-04

...-1189; Airspace Docket No. 10-AWP-19] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Taylor, AZ AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action will amend Class E airspace at Taylor Airport, Taylor, AZ, to accommodate aircraft using the CAMBO One Departure, and the Area Navigation (RNAV...

77 FR 4458 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Rugby, ND

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-30

...-0433; Airspace Docket No. 11-AGL-12] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Rugby, ND AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Class E airspace for Rugby, ND. Decommissioning of the Rugby non-directional beacon (NDB) at Rugby Municipal Airport has made this action...

42 CFR 137.362 - May construction project agreements be amended?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false May construction project agreements be amended? 137... of the Secretary in Establishing and Implementing Construction Project Agreements § 137.362 May construction project agreements be amended? Yes, the Self-Governance Tribe, at its discretion, may request the...

78 FR 48294 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Mason, TX

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-08

...-1141; Airspace Docket No. 12-ASW-12] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Mason, TX AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Class E airspace at Mason, TX... Approach Procedures at Mason County Airport. This action enhances the safety and management of Instrument...

Linking Bayesian and agent-based models to simulate complex social-ecological systems in semi-arid regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aloah J Pope

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Interdependencies of ecologic, hydrologic, and social systems challenge traditional approaches to natural resource management in semi-arid regions. As a complex social-ecological system, water demands in the Sonoran Desert from agricultural and urban users often conflicts with water needs for its ecologically-significant riparian corridors. To explore this system, we developed an agent-based model to simulate complex feedbacks between human decisions and environmental conditions in the Rio Sonora Watershed. Cognitive mapping in conjunction with stakeholder participation produced a Bayesian model of conditional probabilities of local human decision-making processes resulting to changes in water demand. Probabilities created in the Bayesian model were incorporated into the agent-based model, so that each agent had a unique probability to make a positive decision based on its perceived environment at each point in time and space. By using a Bayesian approach, uncertainty in the human decision-making process could be incorporated. The spatially-explicit agent-based model simulated changes in depth-to-groundwater by well pumping based on an agent’s water demand. Changes in depth-to-groundwater feedback to influence agent behavior, as well as determine unique vegetation classes within the riparian corridor. Each vegetation class then provides varying stakeholder-defined quality values of ecosystem services. Using this modeling approach allowed us to examine effects on both the ecological and social system of semi-arid riparian corridors under various scenarios. The insight provided by the model contributes to understanding how specific interventions may alter the complex social-ecological system in the future.

From environmental to ecological ethics: toward a practical ethics for ecologists and conservationists.

Science.gov (United States)

Minteer, Ben A; Collins, James P

2008-12-01

Ecological research and conservation practice frequently raise difficult and varied ethical questions for scientific investigators and managers, including duties to public welfare, nonhuman individuals (i.e., animals and plants), populations, and ecosystems. The field of environmental ethics has contributed much to the understanding of general duties and values to nature, but it has not developed the resources to address the diverse and often unique practical concerns of ecological researchers and managers in the field, lab, and conservation facility. The emerging field of "ecological ethics" is a practical or scientific ethics that offers a superior approach to the ethical dilemmas of the ecologist and conservation manager. Even though ecological ethics necessarily draws from the principles and commitments of mainstream environmental ethics, it is normatively pluralistic, including as well the frameworks of animal, research, and professional ethics. It is also methodologically pragmatic, focused on the practical problems of researchers and managers and informed by these problems in turn. The ecological ethics model offers environmental scientists and practitioners a useful analytical tool for identifying, clarifying, and harmonizing values and positions in challenging ecological research and management situations. Just as bioethics provides a critical intellectual and problem-solving service to the biomedical community, ecological ethics can help inform and improve ethical decision making in the ecology and conservation communities.

Land-use history and contemporary management inform an ecological reference model for longleaf pine woodland understory plant communities

Science.gov (United States)

Lars A. Brudvig; John L. Orrock; Ellen I. Damschen; Cathy D. Collins; Philip G. Hahn; W. Brett Mattingly; Joseph W. Veldman; Joan L. Walker

2014-01-01

Ecological restoration is frequently guided by reference conditions describing a successfully restored ecosystem; however, the causes and magnitude of ecosystem degradation vary, making simple knowledge of reference conditions insufficient for prioritizing and guiding restoration. Ecological reference models provide further guidance by quantifying reference conditions...

78 FR 14909 - Amendment of Class B Airspace Description; Houston, TX

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-08

...-0079; Airspace Docket No. 13-AWA-1] RIN 2120-AA66 Amendment of Class B Airspace Description; Houston.... SUMMARY: This action amends the description of the Houston, TX, Class B airspace area by changing the... 14910

Pb speciation results in amended soils

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The dataset shows the distribution of Pb phases resulting from various amendments to change Pb speciation. This dataset is associated with the following publication:...

[Regional ecological planning and ecological network construction: a case study of "Ji Triangle" Region].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Bo; Han, Zeng-Lin; Tong, Lian-Jun

2009-05-01

By the methods of in situ investigation and regional ecological planning, the present ecological environment, ecosystem vulnerability, and ecological environment sensitivity in "Ji Triangle" Region were analyzed, and the ecological network of the study area was constructed. According to the ecological resources abundance degree, ecological recovery, farmland windbreak system, environmental carrying capacity, forestry foundation, and ecosystem integrity, the study area was classified into three regional ecological function ecosystems, i. e., east low hill ecosystem, middle plain ecosystem, and west plain wetland ecosystem. On the basis of marking regional ecological nodes, the regional ecological corridor (Haerbin-Dalian regional axis, Changchun-Jilin, Changchun-Songyuan, Jilin-Songyuan, Jilin-Siping, and Songyuan-Siping transportation corridor) and regional ecological network (one ring, three links, and three belts) were constructed. Taking the requests of regional ecological security into consideration, the ecological environment security system of "Ji Triangle" Region, including regional ecological conservation district, regional ecological restored district, and regional ecological management district, was built.

Civic Ecology: A Postmodern Approach to Ecological Sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes, V. L.

2013-12-01

Human agency is transforming the planetary processes at unprecedented rates risking damaging essential life-support systems. Climate change, massive species extinction, land degradation, resources depletion, overpopulation, poverty and social injustice are all the result of human choices and non-sustainable ways of life. The survival of our modern economic systems depends upon insatiable consumption - a simple way of life no longer satisfies most people. Detached, instrumental rationality has created an ideal of liberalism based on individual pursuit of self-interest, leading the way into unprecedented material progress but bringing with it human alienation, social injustice, and ecological degradation. The purpose of this presentation is to introduce a community-based systems response to a growing sense that the interlocked social-ecological crisis is as much a problem of human thought and behavior as it is about identifying carrying capacities and CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. This approach, referred to here as civic ecology, presents a new and important paradigm shift in sustainability practice that attempts to bring together and integrate ecological ideas and postmodern thinking. As such, it is as much a holistic, dynamic, and synergistic approach to ecological sustainability, as it is a philosophy of life and ethical perspective born of ecological understanding and insight. Civic ecology starts with the proposition that the key factor determining the health of the ecosphere is the behavior of human beings, and therefore many of the most important issues related to sustainability lie in the areas of human thought and culture. Thus, the quest for sustainability must include as a central concern the transformation of psychological and behavioral patterns that have become an imminent danger to planetary health. At the core of this understanding is a fundamental paradigm shift from the basic commitments of modern Western culture to its model of mechanism

24 CFR 983.206 - HAP contract amendments (to add or substitute contract units).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false HAP contract amendments (to add or... Contract § 983.206 HAP contract amendments (to add or substitute contract units). (a) Amendment to substitute contract units. At the discretion of the PHA and subject to all PBV requirements, the HAP contract...

78 FR 29659 - Forfeiture Procedures Under the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act Amendments

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-21

.... APHIS-2007-0086] RIN 0579-AD50 Forfeiture Procedures Under the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act... Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), and the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981, as amended, that... INFORMATION: Background The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), was...

Introduction to the Special Volume on "Ecology and Ecological Modeling in R"

OpenAIRE

Kneib, Thomas; Petzoldt, Thomas

2007-01-01

The third special volume in the "Foometrics in R" series of the Journal of Statistical Software collects a number of contributions describing statistical methodology and corresponding implementations related to ecology and ecological modelling. The scope of the papers ranges from theoretical ecology and ecological modelling to statistical methodology relevant for data analyses in ecological applications.

Composting of pig manure and forest green waste amended with industrial sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Arias, O; Viña, S; Uzal, M; Soto, M

2017-05-15

The aim of this research was to study the composting of chestnut forest green waste (FGW) from short rotation chestnut stands amended with sludge resulting from the manufacture of Medium Density Fibreboard (MDFS) and pig manure (PM). Both FGW and MDFS presented low biodegradation potential but different characteristics in granulometry and bulk density that make its mixture of interest to achieve high composting temperatures. PM decreased the C/N ratio of the mixture and increased its moisture content (MC). Three mixtures of MDFS:FGW at volume ratios of 1:1.3 (M2), 1:2.4 (M3) and 0:1 (M4) were composted after increasing its MC to about 70% with PM. A control with food waste (OFW) and FGW (1:2.4 in volume) (M1) was run in parallel. Watering ratios reached 0.25 (M1), 1.08 (M2) 1.56 (M3) and 4.35 (M4) L PM/kg TS of added solids wastes. Treatments M2 and M3 reached a thermophilic phase shorter than M1, whilst M4 remained in the mesophilic range. After 48days of composting, temperature gradients in respect to ambient temperature were reduced, but the mineralization process continued for around 8months. Final reduction in total organic carbon reached 35-56%, depending mainly on the content in MDFS. MDFS addition to composting matrices largely reduced nitrogen losses, which range from 22% (M2) to 37% (M3) and 53% (M4). Final products had high nutrient content, low electrical conductivity and low heavy metal content which make it a valuable product for soil fertilization, right to amend in the chestnut forests and as a pillar of their sustainable management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

39 CFR 20.4 - Amendments to the International Mail Manual.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Amendments to the International Mail Manual. 20.4 Section 20.4 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE INTERNATIONAL MAIL INTERNATIONAL POSTAL SERVICE § 20.4 Amendments to the International Mail Manual. New issues of the International Mail Manual will be...

32 CFR 310.34 - Amendment and deletion of system notices.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Amendment and deletion of system notices. 310.34... (CONTINUED) PRIVACY PROGRAM DOD PRIVACY PROGRAM Publication Requirements § 310.34 Amendment and deletion of... system. (see § 310.32(q)). (c) Deletion of system notices. (1) Whenever a system is discontinued...

25 CFR 225.28 - Approval of amendments to minerals agreements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Approval of amendments to minerals agreements. 225.28 Section 225.28 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ENERGY AND MINERALS OIL AND GAS, GEOTHERMAL, AND SOLID MINERALS AGREEMENTS Minerals Agreements § 225.28 Approval of amendments to...

75 FR 31677 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Austin, TX

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-04

...-1152; Airspace Docket No. 09-ASW-31] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Austin, TX AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Class E airspace for the Austin, TX... Procedures (SIAPs) at Austin Executive Airport, Austin, TX. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the...

75 FR 66300 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Searcy, AR

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-28

...-1182; Airspace Docket No. 09-ASW-37] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Searcy, AR AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Class E airspace for Searcy, AR. Decommissioning of the Searcy non-directional beacon (NDB) at Searcy Municipal Airport, Searcy, AR, has made this...

75 FR 29654 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Manila, AR

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-27

...-1184; Airspace Docket No. 09-ASW-39] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Manila, AR AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Class E airspace for Manila, AR. Decommissioning of the Manila non-directional beacon (NDB) at Manila Municipal Airport, Manila, AR has made this...

Assessing the role of organic soil amendments in management of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... was higher in organically amended soils than the control, with the highest figures being recorded on chicken manure. This is a clear demonstration of the potential of organic amendments in triggering the natural mechanisms that regulate plant nematodes in the soil. Journal of Tropical Microbiology Vol.3 2004: 14-23 ...

Cadmium Sorption Characteristics of Soil Amendments and its Relationship with the Cadmium Uptake by Hyperaccumulator and Normal Plants in Amended Soils

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yan; Wu, Qi-Tang; Lee, Charles C.C.; Li, Baoqin; Long, Xinxian

2013-01-01

In order to select appropriate amendments for cropping hyperaccumulator or normal plants on contaminated soils and establish the relationship between Cd sorption characteristics of soil amendments and their capacity to reduce Cd uptake by plants, batch sorption experiments with 11 different clay minerals and organic materials and a pot experiment with the same amendments were carried out. The pot experiment was conducted with Sedum alfredii and maize (Zea mays) in a co-cropping system. The results showed that the highest sorption amount was by montmorillonite at 40.82 mg/g, while mica was the lowest at only 1.83 mg/g. There was a significant negative correlation between the n value of Freundlich equation and Cd uptake by plants, and between the logarithm of the stability constant K of the Langmuir equation and plant uptake. Humic acids (HAs) and mushroom manure increased Cd uptake by S. alfredii, but not maize, thus they are suitable as soil amendments for the co-cropping S. alfredii and maize. The stability constant K in these cases was 0.14–0.16 L/mg and n values were 1.51–2.19. The alkaline zeolite and mica had the best fixation abilities and significantly decreased Cd uptake by the both plants, with K ≥ 1.49 L/mg and n ≥ 3.59. PMID:24912231

Art and artistic processes bridge knowledge systems about social-ecological change: An empirical examination with Inuit artists from Nunavut, Canada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaitlyn J. Rathwell

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The role of art and artistic processes is one fruitful yet underexplored area of social-ecological resilience. Art and art making can nurture Indigenous knowledge and at the same time bridge knowledge across generations and cultures (e.g., Inuit and scientific. Experiences in two Inuit communities in northern Canada (Cape Dorset and Pangnirtung, Nunavut provide the context in which we empirically examine the mechanisms through which art and art making may bridge knowledge systems about social-ecological change. Art making and artworks create continuity between generations via symbols and skill development (e.g., seal skin stretching for a modern artistic mural and by creating mobile and adaptive boundary objects that function as a shared reference point to connect different social worlds. Our results indicate how art and artistic processes may bridge knowledge systems through six mechanisms, and in so doing contribute to social-ecological resilience during change and uncertainty. These mechanisms are (1 embedding knowledge, practice and belief into art objects; (2 sharing knowledge using the language of art; (3 sharing of art making skills; (4 art as a contributor to monitoring social-ecological change; (5 the role of art in fostering continuity through time; and (6 art as a site of knowledge coproduction.

Aligning smoke management with ecological and public health goals

Science.gov (United States)

Jonathan W. Long; Leland W. Tarnay; Malcolm P. North

2017-01-01

Past and current forest management affects wildland fire smoke impacts on downwind human populations. However, mismatches between the scale of benefits and risks make it difficult to proactively manage wildland fires to promote both ecological and public health. Building on recent literature and advances in modeling smoke and health effects, we outline a framework to...

Baboquivari Mountain plants: Identification, ecology, and ethnobotany [Book Review

Science.gov (United States)

Rosemary L. Pendleton

2011-01-01

The Sky Islands of southern Arizona and northwestern Mexico make up a region that is rich, both biologically and culturally. These isolated mountain ranges, separated by desert "seas," contain a unique and diverse flora and have long been home to indigenous peoples of the southwestern US. This book, Baboquivari Mountain Plants: Identification, Ecology, and...

Ecological effects assessment: requirements vs state-of-the-art

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKenzie, D.H.; Thomas, J.M.; Eberhardt, L.L.

1981-05-01

Concerns for environmental quality, the ecologist's understanding of ecosystems, and the ability to quantitatively sample and evaluate hypotheses have contributed to current requirements and the state-of-the-art in ecological effects assessments in refard to nuclear power plants. The current cooling system approaches, data collection programs, and ecological effects assessments reflect these contributions. Over a decade of experience provides the basis for a timely review and evaluation of current proactice. The magnitude of economic and environmental resources being committed to cooling system alternatives mandates that the decision-making process result in as many optimal choices as possible. In addition, the resources being devoted to environmental data collection and integration provide considerable motivation for providing meaningful input to the decision-making process. It is maintained that the input should be as quantitative and as free from subjective content as is reasonably possible. An alternative viewpoint suggests that the past several decades of experience be considered but a first step, and the current task to be one of designing a second step

Aerosol Delivery for Amendment Distribution in Contaminated Vadose Zones

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, R. J.; Murdoch, L.; Riha, B.; Looney, B.

2011-12-01

Remediation of contaminated vadose zones is often hindered by an inability to effectively distribute amendments. Many amendment-based approaches have been successful in saturated formations, however, have not been widely pursued when treating contaminated unsaturated materials due to amendment distribution limitations. Aerosol delivery is a promising new approach for distributing amendments in contaminated vadose zones. Amendments are aerosolized and injected through well screens. During injection the aerosol particles are transported with the gas and deposited on the surfaces of soil grains. Resulting distributions are radially and vertically broad, which could not be achieved by injecting pure liquid-phase solutions. The objectives of this work were A) to characterize transport and deposition behaviors of aerosols; and B) to develop capabilities for predicting results of aerosol injection scenarios. Aerosol transport and deposition processes were investigated by conducting lab-scale injection experiments. These experiments involved injection of aerosols through a 2m radius, sand-filled wedge. A particle analyzer was used to measure aerosol particle distributions with time, and sand samples were taken for amendment content analysis. Predictive capabilities were obtained by constructing a numerical model capable of simulating aerosol transport and deposition in porous media. Results from tests involving vegetable oil aerosol injection show that liquid contents appropriate for remedial applications could be readily achieved throughout the sand-filled wedge. Lab-scale tests conducted with aqueous aerosols show that liquid accumulation only occurs near the point of injection. Tests were also conducted using 200 g/L salt water as the aerosolized liquid. Liquid accumulations observed during salt water tests were minimal and similar to aqueous aerosol results. However, particles were measured, and salt deposited distal to the point of injection. Differences between

An approach for balancing health and ecological risks at hazardous waste sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suter, G.W. II; Hull, R.N.; Stack, M.; Cornaby, B.W.; Hadden, C.T.; Zafran, F.A.

1995-01-01

Human health and ecological risks must be balanced at hazardous waste sites in order to ensure that remedial actions prevent unacceptable risks of either type. Actions that are designed to protect humans may fail to protect nonhuman populations and ecosystems or may damage ecosystems. However, there is no common scale of health and ecological risk that would allow comparisons to be performed. This paper presents an approach to addressing this problem based on classifying all risks (i.e., health and ecological risks due contaminants and remediation) as insignificant (de minimis), highly significant (de manifestis), or intermediate. For health risks the classification is based on standard criteria. However, in the absence of national guidance concerning the acceptability of ecological risks, new ecological criteria are proposed based on an analysis of regulatory precedents. Matrices and flow charts are presented to guide the use of these risk categories in remedial decision making. The assessment of mercury contamination of the East Fork Poplar Creek is presented as an example of the implementation of the approach. 15 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs

Value pluralism and incommensurability in Ecological Economics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pirgmaier, Elke; Urhammer, Emil

2015-01-01

problems of our time lie in a democracy where multiple values can be communicated. In order to provide inspiration for thinking about such a democracy, this paper provides an overview of a wide range of philosophical positions on values and value pluralism and analyses how values and value pluralism...... territory. This is reflected in a value hegemony framing everything from biodiversity to carbon emissions in monetary terms. We consider this a democratic problem since the diversity of values is thus not fairly represented in our current mode of decision-making. We believe that the solutions to the grand...... are treated in a selection of articles in ecological economics. The paper concludes that the treatment of values and incommensurability in ecological economics can be characterised as ambiguous. There is a need for further research on the theoretical aspects of these issues....

Zinc and Copper Release Kinetics in a Calcareous Soil amended with Manure and Vermicompost

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

hamid reza motaghian

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Use of organic fertilizers such as vermicompost in agricultural soils with low organic matter content is almost considered as a one way for adding nutrients in these soils. However, application of these fertilizers may affect micronutrient release characteristics. Micronutrient release Kinetics in soils especially in amended soils give information about potential of amended soils to release these elements into solution. Although it is important to study kinetics of micronutrient release from soils to identify soil micronutrients buffering capacity, little attention has been paid to micronutrients desorption rate studies especially in amended soils. The rate of release micronutrients from soil solid phase by considering micronutrients as adsorbed ions or in mineral forms is an important parameter in nutrition of plants by microelements and a dynamic factor that regulates its continuous supply to growing plants; nonetheless, little attention has been paid to micronutrients kinetics inrelease studies. Material and Methods: In this study, kinetics of zinc (Zn and copper (Cu were compared in one calcareous soil amended with 0, 0.5, and 1% (w/w of manure and vermicompost in a completely randomized design and then amended and un-amended soils were incubated at field capacity, for 30 days. After incubation period, amended and un-amended soils were air-dried and were prepared to kinetics study. Kinetics of Zn and Cu release were studied by successive extraction with DTPA-TEA solution. Two grams of the amended and un-amended soils, in triplicate, suspended in 20 ml DTPA-TEA solution were equilibrated at 25±10C for 1, 8, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168, 336 and 504 h by shaking for 15 min. before incubation and 15 min. before the suspensions were centrifuged. Seven drops of toluene were added to each 1000 ml of extractant to inhibit microbial activity. Zinc and copper desorption with time was fitted by using different equations (Zero

Impact of Waste Materials and Organic Amendments on Soil Properties and Vegetative Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven L. McGeehan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Waste materials, and materials derived from wastes, possess many characteristics that can improve soil fertility and enhance crop performance. These materials can be particularly useful as amendments to severely degraded soils associated with mining activities. This study evaluated biosolids, composts, log yard wastes, and two organic soil treatments for improved soil fertility and vegetative performance using side-by-side comparisons. Each plot was seeded with a standardized seed mix and evaluated for a series of soil chemical and physical parameters, total vegetation response, species diversity, ecological plant response, and invasion indices. All treatments were successful at improving soil fertility and promoting a self-sustaining vegetative cover. The level of available nitrogen had a strong impact on vegetative coverage, species distribution, and extent of unseeded vegetation. For example, high nitrogen treatments promoted a grass-dominated (low forb plant community with a low content of unseeded vegetation. In contrast, low nitrogen treatments promoted a more balanced plant community with a mixture of grass and forb species and greater susceptibility to unseeded vegetation establishment.

Ecological caring-Revisiting the original ideas of caring science.

Science.gov (United States)

Dahlberg, Helena; Ranheim, Albertine; Dahlberg, Karin

2016-01-01

The aim of this empirically grounded philosophical paper is to explore the notion of holistic care with the intention to expand it into a notion of ecological care and in such a way revisit the original ideas of caring science. The philosophical analysis, driven by lifeworld theory and especially Merleau-Ponty's philosophy, is firmly rooted in contemporary clinical care. We used interview data from patients in a study at an anthroposophic clinic in Sweden, which forms part of an ecological community with, for example, ecological agriculture. The empirical study is analysed according to reflective lifeworld research. Starting from the fact that illness can be defined as a loss of homelikeness in the body and in the familiar world, our findings illustrate how ecological care helps the patient to once again find one's place in a world that is characterized by interconnectedness. The task of ecological care is thus not only to see the patient within a world of relationships but to help the patient find his/her place again, to understand himself/herself and the world anew . Ecological care is not only about fighting an illness, but also recognizes a patient from inside a world that s/he is affected by and affects, that s/he is understood and understands from. Such care tries to restore this connection by making possible the rhythmical movement as well as the space in-between activity and rest, between being cared for and actively involving oneself in one's recovery and between closing oneself off from the world and once again going out into it.

Ecological caring—Revisiting the original ideas of caring science

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helena Dahlberg

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of this empirically grounded philosophical paper is to explore the notion of holistic care with the intention to expand it into a notion of ecological care and in such a way revisit the original ideas of caring science. The philosophical analysis, driven by lifeworld theory and especially Merleau-Ponty's philosophy, is firmly rooted in contemporary clinical care. We used interview data from patients in a study at an anthroposophic clinic in Sweden, which forms part of an ecological community with, for example, ecological agriculture. The empirical study is analysed according to reflective lifeworld research. Starting from the fact that illness can be defined as a loss of homelikeness in the body and in the familiar world, our findings illustrate how ecological care helps the patient to once again find one's place in a world that is characterized by interconnectedness. The task of ecological care is thus not only to see the patient within a world of relationships but to help the patient find his/her place again, to understand himself/herself and the world anew. Ecological care is not only about fighting an illness, but also recognizes a patient from inside a world that s/he is affected by and affects, that s/he is understood and understands from. Such care tries to restore this connection by making possible the rhythmical movement as well as the space in-between activity and rest, between being cared for and actively involving oneself in one's recovery and between closing oneself off from the world and once again going out into it.

Ecological caring—Revisiting the original ideas of caring science

Science.gov (United States)

Dahlberg, Helena; Ranheim, Albertine; Dahlberg, Karin

2016-01-01

The aim of this empirically grounded philosophical paper is to explore the notion of holistic care with the intention to expand it into a notion of ecological care and in such a way revisit the original ideas of caring science. The philosophical analysis, driven by lifeworld theory and especially Merleau-Ponty's philosophy, is firmly rooted in contemporary clinical care. We used interview data from patients in a study at an anthroposophic clinic in Sweden, which forms part of an ecological community with, for example, ecological agriculture. The empirical study is analysed according to reflective lifeworld research. Starting from the fact that illness can be defined as a loss of homelikeness in the body and in the familiar world, our findings illustrate how ecological care helps the patient to once again find one's place in a world that is characterized by interconnectedness. The task of ecological care is thus not only to see the patient within a world of relationships but to help the patient find his/her place again, to understand himself/herself and the world anew. Ecological care is not only about fighting an illness, but also recognizes a patient from inside a world that s/he is affected by and affects, that s/he is understood and understands from. Such care tries to restore this connection by making possible the rhythmical movement as well as the space in-between activity and rest, between being cared for and actively involving oneself in one's recovery and between closing oneself off from the world and once again going out into it. PMID:27914196

76 FR 35966 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Cocoa, FL

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-21

...-0070; Airspace Docket No. 10-ASO-43] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Cocoa, FL AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Class E Airspace at Cocoa, FL, as the... Island Airport, Cocoa, FL (75 FR 21266) Docket No. FAA-2011-0070. Interested parties were invited to...

Newspaper Advertising and the First Amendment: The Commercial Speech Doctrine.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Joseph H., III

The purpose of this paper is to help identify newspaper advertisements which fall under the protection of the First Amendment. Although the Supreme Court declared in 1942 that advertisements which propose a purely commercial transaction were not protected by the First Amendment, in 1976 it decided that commercial expression, like other forms of…

THE INTERSECTION OF INDEPENDENT LIES: INCREASING REALISM IN ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT

Science.gov (United States)

In 1966, Levins presented a philosophical discussion on making inference about populations using clusters of models. In this article we provide an overview of model inference in ecological risk assessment, discuss the benefits and trade-offs of increasing model realism, show the...

Paradigm shift of contamination risk of six heavy metals in tea (Camellia sinensis L.) growing soil: A new approach influenced by inorganic and organic amendments.

Science.gov (United States)

Karak, Tanmoy; Bora, Krishnamoni; Paul, Ranjit Kumar; Das, Sampa; Khare, Puja; Dutta, Amrit Kumar; Boruah, Romesh Kumar

2017-09-15

The present study provides several contamination and ecological risk indices for selected metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn) in tea (Camellia sinensis L.; cv. S.3A/3) growing soil influenced by lower to higher doses of inorganic and organic amendments. While ecological risk indices were applied, it was observed that same treatment showed different risk levels but contamination risk status did not vary significantly. All the indices showed significant correlation with heavy metals' concentration in young shoots of tea plants. As the indices characterized experimental soils with different extents of contamination, it would be important to standardize the indices with long term experiments followed by generation of new index. Therefore, we formulated a new contamination index named as Tea Research Association Heavy Metal Contamination Index (TRAHMCI) for tea growing soils. TRAHMCI is based on the probable change of metal status in soil with progress of growth of tea plant. This could be useful to negate discrepancies arised from use of various existing metal contamination indices in tea growing soils amended with different doses of fertilizers. TRAHMCI was formulated based on individual contamination factor using statistical technique and applied to the present dataset which provided a more holistic understanding of overall tea growing soil behavior. The limitation of the developed TRAHMCI index is that, the index had not been validated for other crops in our study not to claim its effective use for crops other than tea. As already mentioned, this new index had been formulated by taking tea as the test crop with above mentioned six heavy metal contents in young shoot and made tea. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of emission of greenhouse gases from soils amended with sewage sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Paramasivam, S; Fortenberry, Gamola Z; Julius, Afolabi; Sajwan, Kenneth S; Alva, A K

2008-02-01

Increase in concentrations of various greenhouse gases and their possible contributions to the global warming are becoming a serious concern. Anthropogenic activities such as cultivation of flooded rice and application of waste materials, such as sewage sludge which are rich in C and N, as soil amendments could contribute to the increase in emission of greenhouse gases such as methane (CH(4)) and nitrous oxide (N(2)O) into the atmosphere. Therefore, evaluation of flux of various greenhouse gases from soils amended with sewage sludge is essential to quantify their release into the atmosphere. Two soils with contrasting properties (Candler fine sand [CFS] from Florida, and Ogeechee loamy sand [OLS] from Savannah, GA) were amended with varying rates (0, 24.7, 49.4, 98.8, and 148.3 Mg ha(-1)) of 2 types of sewage sludge (industrial [ISS] and domestic [DSS] origin. The amended soil samples were incubated in anaerobic condition at field capacity soil water content in static chamber (Qopak bottles). Gas samples were extracted immediately after amending soils and subsequently on a daily basis to evaluate the emission of CH(4), CO(2) and N(2)O. The results showed that emission rates and cumulative emission of all three gases increased with increasing rates of amendments. Cumulative emission of gases during 25-d incubation of soils amended with different types of sewage sludge decreased in the order: CO(2) > N(2)O > CH(4). The emission of gases was greater from the soils amended with DSS as compared to that with ISS. This may indicate the presence of either low C and N content or possible harmful chemicals in the ISS. The emission of gases was greater from the CFS as compared to that from the OLS. Furthermore, the results clearly depicted the inhibitory effect of acetylene in both soils by producing more N(2)O and CH(4) emission compared to the soils that did not receive acetylene at the rate of 1 mL g(-1) soil. Enumeration of microbial population by fluorescein diacetate

The effect of organic amendment on mobility of cesium in tropical soils - The effect of organic amendment on sorption mechanisms for cesium and cobalt in tropical soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wasserman, M.A.V.; Santos-Oliveira, R. [Instituto de Engenharia nuclear/CNEN. Rua Helio de Almeida, 75. Cidade Universitaria - Ilha do Fundao, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. CEP 21941-906 (Brazil); Garcia, R.J.L.; Ferreira, A.C.M.; Rochedo, E.R.R.; Sobrinho, G.A.N. [Instituto de Radioprotecao e Dosimetria/CNEN. Av. Salvador Allende s /no. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. CEP: 22780-160 (Brazil); Perez, D.V. [Centro Nacional de Pesquisa de Solos/EMBRAPA. R. Jardim Botanico, 1024.Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP: 22460-000 (Brazil); Wasserman, J.C. [dUFF Network of Environment and Sustainable Development (REMADS-UFF), University Federal Fluminense, Niteroi, RJ (Brazil)

2014-07-01

This work aimed to investigate the mechanisms involved in the sorption of {sup 137}Cs and {sup 60}Co as a function of the physico-chemical properties of some types of Brazilian soils and the changes on the behavior of these radionuclides due to changes in soil properties promoted by organic amendment. The experimental study was conducted in a controlled area, where pots containing different types of soils (Ferralsol, Nitisol and Histosol) and different doses of organic amendment (no amendment; 2 kg.m{sup -2} and 4 kg.m{sup -2}) were spiked with {sup 137}Cs and {sup 60}Co. The organic amendment used in this experiment was obtained in the Unit of Compost of the Organic Material of Pinheiral (RJ, Brazil), where the compost is made up from the leaves swept from the streets of the Pinheiral city. The mobility of these radionuclides in the soil was assessed through sequential chemical extraction and desorption studies as a function of pH. The bioavailability was evaluated through the effective absorption of radionuclide by root crops (Raphanus sativus, L). This study evidenced that the organic amendment plays an important role in the desorption processes of cobalt and cesium, reducing desorption of both nuclides beneath higher organic amendment dose. This behavior was observed in acid conditions as well in alkaline. However extreme acid conditions may mobilize both radionuclides, although cobalt mobility was shown to be more sensitive to low pH than cesium. (authors)

Soil amendment affects Cd uptake by wheat — are we underestimating the risks from chloride inputs?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dahlin, A. Sigrun, E-mail: Sigrun.Dahlin@slu.se [Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7014, SE-750 07 Uppsala (Sweden); Eriksson, Jan, E-mail: Jan.O.Eriksson@slu.se [Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7014, SE-750 07 Uppsala (Sweden); Campbell, Colin D., E-mail: Colin.Campbell@hutton.ac.uk [Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7014, SE-750 07 Uppsala (Sweden); The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, Scotland (United Kingdom); Öborn, Ingrid, E-mail: Ingrid.Oborn@slu.se [Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7043, SE-750 07 Uppsala (Sweden); World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), UN Avenue, P.O. Box 30677-00100, Nairobi (Kenya)

2016-06-01

Many parts of the world are investigating the efficacy of recycling nutrient resources to agriculture from different industry and domestic sectors as part of a more circular economy. The complex nature of recycled products as soil amendments coupled to the large diversity of soil types and their inherent properties make it difficult to optimize the benefits and minimize the risks from potentially toxic elements often present in recycled materials. Here we investigated how wheat grain cadmium (Cd) concentration was affected by soil amendments, namely human urine and biogas digestate compared to traditional farm manures and mineral fertilizers. We show that Cl{sup −} inadvertently added to soils with e.g. urine or biogas digestate strongly increased crop Cd concentrations, largely by mobilizing inherent soil Cd. This resulted in wheat grain Cd levels that could result in exceeding recommended WHO limits for dietary intake. This was evident even in soils with low inherent Cd content and when Cd inputs were low. The future of a circular economy that helps to underpin global food security needs to ensure that the effects of applying complex materials to different types of agricultural land are fully understood and do not jeopardize food safety. Modified from Wivstad et al. (2009) - Highlights: • High-Cl by-products used as soil amendments mobilize soil Cd. • Wheat grain Cd levels were found that could result in exceeding dietary intake limits. • Quality and risk assessment of by-products should include Cl effects.

Soil amendment affects Cd uptake by wheat — are we underestimating the risks from chloride inputs?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahlin, A. Sigrun; Eriksson, Jan; Campbell, Colin D.; Öborn, Ingrid

2016-01-01

Many parts of the world are investigating the efficacy of recycling nutrient resources to agriculture from different industry and domestic sectors as part of a more circular economy. The complex nature of recycled products as soil amendments coupled to the large diversity of soil types and their inherent properties make it difficult to optimize the benefits and minimize the risks from potentially toxic elements often present in recycled materials. Here we investigated how wheat grain cadmium (Cd) concentration was affected by soil amendments, namely human urine and biogas digestate compared to traditional farm manures and mineral fertilizers. We show that Cl − inadvertently added to soils with e.g. urine or biogas digestate strongly increased crop Cd concentrations, largely by mobilizing inherent soil Cd. This resulted in wheat grain Cd levels that could result in exceeding recommended WHO limits for dietary intake. This was evident even in soils with low inherent Cd content and when Cd inputs were low. The future of a circular economy that helps to underpin global food security needs to ensure that the effects of applying complex materials to different types of agricultural land are fully understood and do not jeopardize food safety. Modified from Wivstad et al. (2009) - Highlights: • High-Cl by-products used as soil amendments mobilize soil Cd. • Wheat grain Cd levels were found that could result in exceeding dietary intake limits. • Quality and risk assessment of by-products should include Cl effects.

Philosophy of ecology

CERN Document Server

Brown, Bryson; Peacock, Kent A

2011-01-01

The most pressing problems facing humanity today - over-population, energy shortages, climate change, soil erosion, species extinctions, the risk of epidemic disease, the threat of warfare that could destroy all the hard-won gains of civilization, and even the recent fibrillations of the stock market - are all ecological or have a large ecological component. in this volume philosophers turn their attention to understanding the science of ecology and its huge implications for the human project. To get the application of ecology to policy or other practical concerns right, humanity needs a clear and disinterested philosophical understanding of ecology which can help identify the practical lessons of science. Conversely, the urgent practical demands humanity faces today cannot help but direct scientific and philosophical investigation toward the basis of those ecological challenges that threaten human survival. This book will help to fuel the timely renaissance of interest in philosophy of ecology that is now oc...

Resolving the false-negative issues of the nonpolar organic amendment in whole-sediment toxicity identification evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehler, W Tyler; Keough, Michael J; Pettigrove, Vincent

2018-04-01

Three common false-negative scenarios have been encountered with amendment addition in whole-sediment toxicity identification evaluations (TIEs): dilution of toxicity by amendment addition (i.e., not toxic enough), not enough amendment present to reduce toxicity (i.e., too toxic), and the amendment itself elicits a toxic response (i.e., secondary amendment effect). One such amendment in which all 3 types of false-negatives have been observed is with the nonpolar organic amendment (activated carbon or powdered coconut charcoal). The objective of the present study was to reduce the likelihood of encountering false-negatives with this amendment and to increase the value of the whole-sediment TIE bioassay. To do this, the present study evaluated the effects of various activated carbon additions to survival, growth, emergence, and mean development rate of Chironomus tepperi. Using this information, an alternative method for this amendment was developed which utilized a combination of multiple amendment addition ratios based on wet weight (1%, lower likelihood of the secondary amendment effect; 5%, higher reduction of contaminant) and nonconventional endpoints (emergence, mean development rate). This alternative method was then validated in the laboratory (using spiked sediments) and with contaminated field sediments. Using these multiple activated carbon ratios in combination with additional endpoints (namely, emergence) reduced the likelihood of all 3 types of false-negatives and provided a more sensitive evaluation of risk. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:1219-1230. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

78 FR 47237 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Chariton, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-05

...-0255; Airspace Docket No. 13-ACE-4] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Chariton, IA AGENCY... action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Chariton, IA. Decommissioning of the Chariton non... for standard instrument approach procedures at Chariton Municipal Airport, Chariton, IA. Airspace...

Ecological and general systems an introduction to systems ecology

CERN Document Server

Odum, Howard T.

1994-01-01

Using an energy systems language that combines energetics, kinetics, information, cybernetics, and simulation, Ecological and General Systems compares models of many fields of science, helping to derive general systems principles. First published as Systems Ecology in 1983, Ecological and General Systems proposes principles of self-organization and the designs that prevail by maximizing power and efficiency. Comparisons to fifty other systems languages are provided. Innovative presentations are given on earth homeostasis (Gaia); the inadequacy of presenting equations without network relationships and energy constraints; the alternative interpretation of high entropy complexity as adaptive structure; basic equations of ecological economics; and the energy basis of scientific hierarchy.

The ecological production of cleans stock-breeding problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meldebekov, A.M.

2002-01-01

KazSRTIS have made researches on study of maintenance in cows' milk developed in Almaty's region, determination of heavy metal salts and radionuclides. It has been noted that maintenance of mercury, lead, cupper and zinc increased in suburb's housekeeping cows' milk, which was disposed nearly international highway and industry activities. It is known that entering radionuclides human organism happens by food chain 'soil - vegetable cover - animals product stock-breeding -person'. Animals transformer stern's plants energy at the in conclusion it allows to take the compare with initial vegetable exponent more ecological tidy products limits stream toxic elements in food series of person. It lets to study agricultural animals, how 'biological filter' in production ecological clean and healthy product of food. Changing structure and set stern's rationals, method contents the limit of animals stream manufacturing pollution from soil vegetable cover agricultural used in milk and in mead from 2 till 5 times. Utilisation tidy stern's in final period fatten meat cattle give possibility to clean the organs and tissue of animals which representative food's value from admixture to level, corresponding medical - hygienic standards. It is necessary to make analysis on compound investigation on the effect of radionuclides in agricultural animals, namely to utilize them, that really barrier migrate toxic elements in captured chain of person. The ways of solutions in ecological stock-breeding problems are next: to show up ecological tidy and ecological unsuccessful places; to study rules of transition in basic pollutions of food chains; toxic elements limitation rules in stock-breeding production; utilization manufactory-polluted territories from technological elements for stock-breeding

Evaluation of Sille Settlement in the Context of Ecological Tourizm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arife Deniz Oktaç Beycan

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In our time people began to search for resting in historical, cultural and natural environments being other than coast, sea and urban tourism and they began to prefer different tourism activities. Tourism requests focusing on traditional settlements with cultural and natural values, have causes a sustainable tourism approach to come out.  Ecological tourism, which is one of the sustainable tourism types, is being used as a development tool by protecting the history, culture and nature.  Ecological tourism has the least impact on natural environment, ecological and cultural heritage while it contributes to the tourism area where it is applied by protecting values, providing local economical benefits and with the educational aspects it has. In the study it is being focused on making use of  Sille, which is newly opened to tourism as having natural, historical and cultural structure and bearing value with regards to alternative tourism, through ecological tourism. In the first part of the study ecological tourism has been defined. In the second part natural, cultural and architectural features of Sille have been explained and in the third part changes lived through in Sille with regards to sociocultural and architectural aspects have been mentioned. As the conclusion the particulars to be realized in Sille with regards to ecological tourism have been recommended in order to protect its values and to benefit from tourism while transfering these values to the future.

Advances and Limitations of Disease Biogeography Using Ecological Niche Modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Escobar, Luis E; Craft, Meggan E

2016-01-01

Mapping disease transmission risk is crucial in public and animal health for evidence based decision-making. Ecology and epidemiology are highly related disciplines that may contribute to improvements in mapping disease, which can be used to answer health related questions. Ecological niche modeling is increasingly used for understanding the biogeography of diseases in plants, animals, and humans. However, epidemiological applications of niche modeling approaches for disease mapping can fail to generate robust study designs, producing incomplete or incorrect inferences. This manuscript is an overview of the history and conceptual bases behind ecological niche modeling, specifically as applied to epidemiology and public health; it does not pretend to be an exhaustive and detailed description of ecological niche modeling literature and methods. Instead, this review includes selected state-of-the-science approaches and tools, providing a short guide to designing studies incorporating information on the type and quality of the input data (i.e., occurrences and environmental variables), identification and justification of the extent of the study area, and encourages users to explore and test diverse algorithms for more informed conclusions. We provide a friendly introduction to the field of disease biogeography presenting an updated guide for researchers looking to use ecological niche modeling for disease mapping. We anticipate that ecological niche modeling will soon be a critical tool for epidemiologists aiming to map disease transmission risk, forecast disease distribution under climate change scenarios, and identify landscape factors triggering outbreaks.

21 CFR 26.80 - Entry into force, amendment, and termination.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Entry into force, amendment, and termination. 26..., the parties to that agreement will seek to achieve by consensus to amend that agreement, with a view.... Failing such consensus, that agreement shall terminate at the end of 6 months from the date of notice. (d...

75 FR 66344 - Amendment of Jet Route J-93; CA

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-28

...-1022; Airspace Docket No. 10-AWP-4] RIN 2120-AA66 Amendment of Jet Route J-93; CA AGENCY: Federal... proposes to amend Jet Route J-93 in California between the Julian VHF Omnidirectional Radio Range Tactical... is necessary to realign Jet Route J-93 with the revised location of the Penasco VOR. The Proposal The...

50 CFR 679.91 - Amendment 80 Program annual harvester privileges.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

.... An application for CQ or an application for the Amendment 80 limited access fishery may only be...) Hand delivery or carrier: NMFS, Room 713, 709 West 9th Street, Juneau, AK 99801. (iv) Electronic: http... the amount of halibut PSC CQ on its CQ permit. Amendment 80 halibut PSC on a CQ permit may only be...

EPA seeks to make RCRA more effective through legislative changes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1995-01-01

Since RCRA was enacted in 1976 and amended in 1984, hazardous waste management has been transformed. To protect human health and the environment as mandated by the act, EPA has developed a complex cradle-to-grave system for managing hazardous waste. The agency recognizes that some targeted legislative changes could make RCRA even more useful, particularly by (1) establishing some open-quotes middle groundclose quotes for waste posing low risks, and (2) emphasizing sensible and enforceable hazardous waste management practices

Why the Equal Rights Amendment?

Science.gov (United States)

Denmark, Florence L.

The Equal Rights Amendment proposes to ensure constitutional protection against all legislative sex discrimination. "Separate but Equal" standards, be they legal, social or psychological, are inevitably incompatable with equal protection under the law and act as a barrier to each individual's freedom for self determination. Equal rights,…

Ecological security pattern construction based on ecological protection redlines in China

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Changxin

2017-04-01

China is facing huge environmental problems with its current rapid rate of urbanization and industrialization, thus causing biodiversity loss, ecosystem service degradation on a major scale. Against this background, three previous examples (the nature reserve policy, the afforestation policy, and the zoning policy) are implemented in China. These all play important roles in protecting natural ecosystems, although they can sometimes cause new problems and lack rigorous targets for environmental outcomes. To overcome current management conflicts, China has proposed a new "ecological protection redlines" policy (EPR). EPR can be defined as the ecological baseline area needed to provide ecosystem services to guarantee and maintain ecological safety. This study analyzed the scope, objectives and technical methods of delineating EPR in China, and put forward the proposed scheme for the ecological security pattern based on EPR. We constructed three kinds of redlines in China, including key ecological function area redlines, ecological sensitive or fragile areas redlines, and forbidden development areas redlines. For the key ecological function area redlines, a total of 38 water conservation functional zones have been designated, covering a total area of 3.23 million km2; 14 soil conservation zones have been designated, covering a total area of 881700 km2; wind-prevention and sand-fixation zones across the country cover a total area of about 1.73 million km2, accounting for 57.13% of the total land area of the whole country. With respect to the ecologically vulnerable redlines, 18 ecologically vulnerable zones has been designated across the country, covering 2.19 million km2, accounting for 22.86% of the total land area of the whole country. Forbidden development areas redlines covered a total area of 3.29 million km2, accounting for 34.3% of the total land area of the whole country. We also suggest to form a complete ecological security pattern including patterns of

75 FR 17637 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Cherokee, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-07

...-0085; Airspace Docket No. 10-ACE-1] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Cherokee, IA AGENCY... action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Cherokee, IA. Decommissioning of the Pilot Rock non... for standard instrument approach procedures at Cherokee County Regional Airport, Cherokee, IA...

76 FR 53358 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Centerville, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-26

...-0830; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-16] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Centerville, IA AGENCY... action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Centerville, IA. Decommissioning of the Centerville non... Centerville Municipal Airport, Centerville, IA. Decommissioning of the Centerville NDB and cancellation of the...

77 FR 71362 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Decorah, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-30

...-1433; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-26] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Decorah, IA AGENCY... action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Decorah, IA. Decommissioning of the Decorah non-directional... instrument approach procedures at Decorah Municipal Airport, Decorah, IA. Airspace reconfiguration is...

40 CFR 92.210 - Amending the application and certificate of conformity.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... certificate of conformity. 92.210 Section 92.210 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Certification Provisions § 92.210 Amending the application and certificate of conformity. (a) The manufacturer... covered by a certificate of conformity. This notification must include a request to amend the application...

Ecology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalusche, D.

1978-01-01

The book turns to the freshment, the teacher, for preparation of ecological topics for lessons, but also to pupils of the secondary stage II, and the main course ecology. The book was knowingly held simple with the restriction to: the ecosystem and its abiotic basic functions, simple articles on population biology, bioceonotic balance ith the questions of niche formation and the life form types coherent with it, of the substance and energy household, the production biology and space-wise and time-wise differentations within an ecological system form the main points. A central role in the volume is given to the illustrations. Their variety is to show and deepen the coherences shown. (orig./HP) [de

Amendment of APPRE for Ratification of the International Conventions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, Ho Sik; Kwak, Sung Woo; Chang, Sung Soon; Seo, Hyung Min; Lee, Jeong Hoon; Lee, Jeong Ho

2010-01-01

Both the international community and the IAEA have been making efforts to strengthen the global regime on nuclear security. As a result of these efforts, two conventions regarding nuclear security were issued by the UN and IAEA. The International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (NTC) and the Amendment to Convention of Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNMNF). The NTC entered into force in 2007, but the CPPNMNF still has not yet been enacted. In the work plan released after the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit (which was held in Washington D.C) these conventions were mentioned as important tools against nuclear terrorism. The purpose of these conventions was to prevent malicious acts against radioactive materials and nuclear facilities. The article also specifies strong penal provisions. Many countries which had ratified these conventions had to revise or change their domestic acts or laws in order conform to these new international regimes. The ROK signed these two conventions in 2005: however, it has not ratified them yet. The government has a plan to ratify them before the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit, which will be held in the ROK. Each article in the conventions should be reviewed thoroughly in terms of their effects on the domestic legal and institutional systems. The penal provisions regulating the conventions should especially be carefully scrutinized since their effects are considerable. In this paper, we compared the penal provisions in the conventions with the ROK's laws and selected the provisions that are not specified in the ROK's legal system. The proposed articles for amendment to the APPRE are also suggested

Ecological risk assessment of hydropower dam construction based on ecological network analysis

OpenAIRE

Chen, Shaoqing; Fath, Brian D.; Chen, Bin

2010-01-01

Dam construction is regarded as one of the major factors contributing to significant modifications of the river ecosystems, and the ecological risk (ER) assessment of dam construction has received growing attention in recent years. In the present study, we explored the potential ecological risk caused by dam project based on the general principles of the ecological risk assessment. Ecological network analysis was proposed as the usable analytic method for the implement of ecological risk asse...

Effect of biodegradable amendments on uranium solubility in contaminated soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duquene, L. [Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, Environment Health and Safety, Biosphere Impact Studies, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol (Belgium)], E-mail: lduquene@sckcen.be; Tack, F.; Meers, E. [Ghent University, Laboratory for Analytical Chemistry and Applied Ecochemistry, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Gent (Belgium); Baeten, J. [Katholieke Hogeschool Kempen, Departement of Health-Care and Chemistry, Kleinhoefstraat 4, B-2440 Geel (Belgium); Wannijn, J.; Vandenhove, H. [Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, Environment Health and Safety, Biosphere Impact Studies, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol (Belgium)

2008-02-25

Chelate-assisted phytoextraction has been proposed as a potential tool for phytoremediation of U contaminated sites. In this context, the effects of five biodegradable amendments on U release in contaminated soils were evaluated. Three soils were involved in this study, one with a relatively high background level of U, and two which were contaminated with U from industrial effluents. Soils were treated with 5 mmol kg{sup -1} dry weight of either citric acid, NH{sub 4}-citrate/citric acid, oxalic acid, S,S-ethylenediamine disuccinic acid or nitrilotriacetic acid. Soil solution concentration of U was monitored during 2 weeks. All amendments increased U concentration in soil solution, but citric acid and NH{sub 4}-citrate/citric acid mixture were most effective, with up to 479-fold increase. For oxalic acid, S,S-ethylenediamine disuccinic acid and nitrilotriacetic acid, the increase ranged from 10-to 100-fold. The highest concentrations were observed 1 to 7 days after treatment, after which U levels in soil solution gradually decreased. All amendments induced a temporary increase of soil solution pH and TOC that could not be correlated with the release of U in the soil solution. Thermodynamic stability constants (log K) of complexes did not predict the relative efficiency of the selected biodegradable amendments on U release in soil solution. Amendments efficiency was better predicted by the relative affinity of the chelate for Fe compared to U.

Atomic Energy Authority Bill (amendment on exploitation of results of research)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, J.H.N.; Stoddart, D.L.; Lloyd, R.G.

1986-01-01

This amendment arises from legal doubts about the extent of the UKAEA's present powers to exploit the results of its research. The new clause, which amends the Atomic Energy Authority Bill, allows that the Authority has power to exploit commercially by selling, licensing the use of, or otherwise dealing with any intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyright, registered designs etc) resulting from research carried out by it, or on its behalf, or which is available because of exchange of results or collaboration with others. The 12 minute debate is reported verbatim. The amendment was agreed to. (U.K.)

INFLUENCE OF SOIL FERTILITY AMENDMENT PRACTICES ON EX-SITU UTILISATION OF INDIGENOUS ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI AND PERFORMANCE OF MAIZE AND COMMON BEAN IN KENYAN HIGHLANDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Nyaga

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF are important in agriculture and have received attention as they are considered a part of an active and diverse soil biological community essential for increasing the sustainability of agricultural systems. However, most of agricultural practices have a negative impact on AMF association and agricultural soils are AMF impoverished. Interventions to replenish AMF include re-introduction through inoculation or manipulation of existing AMF to increase density. A major problem with inoculation is that there is possible competition with native (indigenous AMF species. Indigenous AMF will be more adapted to the soil environment than introduced strains but with conflicting results on the effects of AMF inoculation on crop yield, more field studies for different ecological areas are required. The objective of the study was to compare the effect of inoculating crops with indigenous AMF applied applied singly or combined with other Soil Fertility Amendment Practices (SFAP on root colonisation and subsequent performance of maize (Zea mays L. and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.. Analysis was also done on the best soil amendment practice that encourages crop colonisation by AMF. This was tested under field experiment and compared with control treatment (no soil amendment practice and three other soil fertility amendment practices used singly or in combination with AMF; (1 MAVUNO (macro- and micronutrients and secondary nutrients fertilizer, and (2 Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN and Triple Super Phosphate (TSP (3 cattle manure. Maize and bean performances were determined and compared between the treatments for a period of two consecutive seasons with the experiment replicated in two benchmark sites of Embu district (highlands of central Kenya and Taita-Taveta district (coastal highlands. Soils at Embu have high soil pH than at Taita which results in low phosphorus levels and possible micronutrients deficiencies. Even though

Preventing regime shifts on the Colorado Plateau: Application of ecological threshold concepts to land management decision making

Science.gov (United States)

Investigating the mechanisms responsible for ecological thresholds is essential to understanding processes leading to ecosystem regime shifts. Dryland ecosystems are especially prone to threshold behavior wherein stressor-mediated alteration of patterns and processes can shift systems to alternative...

Ecologically rational choice and the structure of the environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Pleskac, Timothy J; Hertwig, Ralph

2014-10-01

In life, risk is reward and vice versa. Unfortunately, the big rewards people desire are relatively unlikely to occur. This relationship between risk and reward or probabilities and payoffs seems obvious to the financial community and to laypeople alike. Yet theories of decision making have largely ignored it. We conducted an ecological analysis of life's gambles, ranging from the domains of roulette and life insurance to scientific publications and artificial insemination. Across all domains, payoffs and probabilities proved intimately tied, with payoff magnitudes signaling their probabilities. In some cases, the constraints of the market result in these two core elements of choice being related via a power function; in other cases, other factors such as social norms appear to produce the inverse relationship between risks and rewards. We offer evidence that decision makers exploit this relationship in the form of a heuristic--the risk-reward heuristic--to infer the probability of a payoff during decisions under uncertainty. We demonstrate how the heuristic can help explain observed ambiguity aversion. We further show how this ecological relationship can inform other aspects of decision making, particularly the approach of using monetary lotteries to study choice under risk and uncertainty. Taken together, these findings suggest that theories of decision making need to model not only the decision process but also the environment to which the process is adapted.

Developing predictive systems models to address complexity and relevance for ecological risk assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Forbes, Valery E; Calow, Peter

2013-07-01

Ecological risk assessments (ERAs) are not used as well as they could be in risk management. Part of the problem is that they often lack ecological relevance; that is, they fail to grasp necessary ecological complexities. Adding realism and complexity can be difficult and costly. We argue that predictive systems models (PSMs) can provide a way of capturing complexity and ecological relevance cost-effectively. However, addressing complexity and ecological relevance is only part of the problem. Ecological risk assessments often fail to meet the needs of risk managers by not providing assessments that relate to protection goals and by expressing risk in ratios that cannot be weighed against the costs of interventions. Once more, PSMs can be designed to provide outputs in terms of value-relevant effects that are modulated against exposure and that can provide a better basis for decision making than arbitrary ratios or threshold values. Recent developments in the modeling and its potential for implementation by risk assessors and risk managers are beginning to demonstrate how PSMs can be practically applied in risk assessment and the advantages that doing so could have. Copyright © 2013 SETAC.

Monitoring needs to perform ecological risk assessments in Switzerland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kraeuchi, N.

1999-07-01

There is enormous pressure to come up with answers to questions asked by politicians and the public concerning the development of the environment and the potential risks society might be confronted with. Forests for example are expected to fulfill specific functions (e.g., timber production, protection of soil and water resources, recreation). As the environmental and social context itself is rapidly changing it is unknown what uses of a forest will appear in the future. The changing social and ecological context under which forestry operates is therefore calling for an appropriate management mode to deal with uncertainties. There is a need to act, monitor the results, learn from the past, adapt to new conditions through planning and to accept a philosophy of managing an ecosystem with the purpose of reducing potential future socio-ecological and environmental risk by understanding potential problems before they arise. Thus, ecosystem-based management must follow established ecological principles and appropriate guidelines must be derived from a thorough understanding of the origin of the risks potentially threatening the forests and the relevant ecosystem processes. In order to evaluate the likelihood that adverse ecological effects may occur as a result of exposure to one or more stressors long-term monitoring data, information, assumptions and uncertainties need to be systematically evaluated and analyzed. This is needed to understand and predict the relationships between stressors and ecological effects in a way that is useful for environmental decision making.

Research on fast ecological restoration technology of high and steep rocky slope of highway

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Xin

2017-08-01

Along with the development of the western region, the traffic construction in mountainous areas is booming. In the infrastructure, it produced a large number of secondary bare land. Soil erosion is serious. Based on the literature search and analysis of the domestic and international slope ecological restoration technology, this paper proposes a fast and efficient adaptive highway high steep rock slope ecological restoration technology (it has been authorized by the national patent). And it states the systemic structure, working principle and key construction technology. The ecological restoration technique combines the growth characteristics of the vegetation and the characteristics of the rock mass, which not only improves the survival rate of plants, but also stable slope. The results of this study make up for the shortcomings of the existing ecological restoration technology of slope. Compared with the prior art, which have obvious advantages and suitable for the ecological restoration of high steep rock slope.

76 FR 53356 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Greenfield, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-26

...-0846; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-18] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Greenfield, IA AGENCY... action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Greenfield, IA. Decommissioning of the Greenfield non-directional beacon (NDB) at Greenfield Municipal Airport, Greenfield, IA, has made this action necessary for...

77 FR 50650 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Boone, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-22

...-1432; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-25] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Boone, IA AGENCY: Federal... proposes to amend Class E airspace at Boone, IA. Decommissioning of the Boone non-directional beacon (NDB... instrument approach procedures at Boone Municipal Airport, Boone, IA. Airspace reconfiguration is necessary...

78 FR 48840 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Hampton, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-12

...-0585; Airspace Docket No. 13-ACE-7] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Hampton, IA AGENCY: Federal... proposes to amend Class E airspace at Hampton, IA. Decommissioning of the Hampton non-directional beacon... for standard instrument approach procedures at Hampton Municipal Airport, Hampton, IA. A segment would...

77 FR 50647 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Perry, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-22

...-1435; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-28] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Perry, IA AGENCY: Federal... proposes to amend Class E airspace at Perry, IA. Decommissioning of the Perry non-directional beacon (NDB) at Perry Municipal Airport, Perry, IA, has made reconfiguration necessary for standard instrument...

76 FR 12278 - Amendment to and Revocation of Reporting Points; Hawaii

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-07

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration 14 CFR Part 71 [Docket No. FAA-2011-0018; Airspace Docket No. 10-AWP-18] Amendment to and Revocation of Reporting Points; Hawaii AGENCY... scope of that authority as it amends Reporting Points in Hawaii. Environmental Review The FAA has...

76 FR 56127 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Mercury, NV

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-12

...-0894; Airspace Docket No. 11-AWP-14] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Mercury, NV AGENCY... action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Mercury, Desert Rock Airport, Mercury, NV. Decommissioning of the Mercury Non- Directional Beacon (NDB) at Mercury, Desert Rock Airport has made this action...

78 FR 33019 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Commerce, TX

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-03

...-0269; Airspace Docket No. 13-ASW-3] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Commerce, TX AGENCY... action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Commerce, TX. Additional controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) at Commerce Municipal Airport (AAF). The FAA...

75 FR 5904 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Magnolia, AR

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-05

...-1179; Airspace Docket No. 09-ASW-35] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Magnolia, AR AGENCY... action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Magnolia, AR. Decommissioning of the Magnolia non-directional beacon (NDB) at Magnolia Municipal Airport, Magnolia, AR, has made this action necessary for the...

76 FR 28685 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Hannibal, MO

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-18

...-0046; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-1] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Hannibal, MO AGENCY... action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Hannibal, MO. Decommissioning of the Hannibal non-directional beacon (NDB) at Hannibal Regional Airport, Hannibal, MO, has made this action necessary for the...

77 FR 16783 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Orlando, FL

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-22

...-0503; Airspace Docket No. 11-ASO-19] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Orlando, FL AGENCY... action proposes to amend Class E Airspace at Orlando, FL, as new Standard Instrument Approach Procedures have been developed at Orlando Executive Airport. This action would enhance the safety and airspace...

The Lifecycle of Trust in Educational Leadership: An Ecological Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Kutsyuruba, Benjamin; Walker, Keith

2015-01-01

As establishing and fostering trust are imperative activities for school leaders, cognizance of the fundamental importance of trust is essential for the leader's moral agency and ethical decision-making. In this article, we use an ecological perspective to uncover the dynamics of the lifecycle of trust as evident from extant literature on…

How Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Responds to Elevated As under Different Si-Rich Soil Amendments.

Science.gov (United States)

Teasley, William A; Limmer, Matthew A; Seyfferth, Angelia L

2017-09-19

Several strategies exist to mitigate As impacts on rice and each has its set of trade-offs with respect to yield, inorganic As content in grain, and CH 4 emissions. The addition of Si to paddy soil can decrease As uptake by rice but how rice will respond to elevated As when soil is amended with Si-rich materials is unresolved. Here, we evaluated yield impacts and grain As content and speciation in rice exposed to elevated As in response to different Si-rich soil amendments including rice husk, rice husk ash, and CaSiO 3 in a pot study. We found that As-induced yield losses were alleviated by Husk amendment, partially alleviated by Ash amendment, and not affected by CaSiO 3 amendment. Furthermore, Husk was the only tested Si-amendment to significantly decrease grain As concentrations. Husk amendment was likely effective at decreasing grain As and improving yield because it provided more plant-available Si, particularly during the reproductive and ripening phases. Both Husk and Ash provided K, which also played a role in yield improvement. This study demonstrates that while Si-rich amendments can affect rice uptake of As, the kinetics of Si dissolution and nutrient availability can also affect As uptake and toxicity in rice.

Work plan for conducting an ecological risk assessment at J-Field, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hlohowskyj, I.; Hayse, J.; Kuperman, R. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Environmental Assessment Div.] [and others

1995-03-01

The Environmental Management Division of Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland, is conducting a remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS) of the J-Field area at APG pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended. J-Field is within the Edgewood Area of APG in Harford County, Maryland, and activities at the Edgewood Area since World War II have included the development, manufacture, testing, and destruction of chemical agents and munitions. The J-Field site was used to destroy chemical agents and munitions by open burning and open detonation. This work plan presents the approach proposed to conduct an ecological risk assessment (ERA) as part of the RI/FS program at J-Field. This work plan identifies the locations and types of field studies proposed for each area of concern (AOC), the laboratory studies proposed to evaluate toxicity of media, and the methodology to be used in estimating doses to ecological receptors and discusses the approach that will be used to estimate and evaluate ecological risks at J-Field. Eight AOCs have been identified at J-Field, and the proposed ERA is designed to evaluate the potential for adverse impacts to ecological receptors from contaminated media at each AOC, as well as over the entire J-Field site. The proposed ERA approach consists of three major phases, incorporating field and laboratory studies as well as modeling. Phase 1 includes biotic surveys of the aquatic and terrestrial habitats, biological tissue sampling and analysis, and media toxicity testing at each AOC and appropriate reference locations. Phase 2 includes definitive toxicity testing of media from areas of known or suspected contamination or of media for which the Phase 1 results indicate toxicity or adverse ecological effects. In Phase 3, the uptake models initially developed in Phase 2 will be finalized, and contaminant dose to each receptor from all complete pathways will be estimated.

78 FR 77563 - Technical Amendments

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-24

... now amending Sec. Sec. 700.2, 701.14, and 704.4,\\1\\ which still reference the former CRIS rating... Administrative Procedure Act (APA) requires a federal agency to provide the public with notice and the... unions. The APA permits an agency to forego the notice and comment period under certain circumstances...

Influence of activated carbon amended ASBR on anaerobic fermentative hydrogen production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xie, Li; Wang, Lei; Zhou, Qi

2013-01-01

The effect of activated carbon amended ASBR on fermentative bio-hydgrogen production from glucose was evaluated at hydraulic retention time (HRTs) ranging from 48 h to 12 h with initial pH of 6.0 at the system temperature of 60°C. Experimental results showed that the performance of activated carbon...... amended anazrobic seguencs batch reactor (ASBRs) was more stable than that of ASBRs without activated carbon addition regarding on hydrogen production and pH. Higher hydrogen yield(HY) and hydrogen producing rate(HPR) were observed in the activated carbon amended ASBRs, with 65%, 63%, 54%, 56% enhancement...... of hydrogen yield in smaller size activated carbon amended reactor under the tested HRT ranges, and the maximum HPR of (7.09±0.31)L·(L·d)-1 and HY of (1.42±0.03) mol·mol-1 was obtained at HRT of 12h. The major soluble products form hydrogen fermentation were n-butyric acid and acetic acid, accounting for 46...

Enhancing ecological consciousness through liturgical acts of doxology and lament

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barend J. de Klerk

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The last few decades have been a time of growing interest and concern about our environment. The extinction of plant and animal species, the pollution of our water supply and the depletion of critical resources have generated a new consciousness about our biosphere. The liturgy of the church must seriously engage with the ecological perspective, and the entire life, worship and praxis of the church should include an ecological dimension and vision. Two very powerful elements in enhancing worshippers� ecological consciousness are praise or doxology and the important counterpart of doxology, namely song and prayer of lament as well as confession of guilt. This means that believers celebrate the inalienable beauty and dignity of all living kind and bear witness to God�s manifold creation. Believers are also to bear witness to creation�s groaning as the ground suffers from deforestation, mountain-top removal, toxic dumping and rising temperatures. Comfort and new possibilities for rectifying the ecological crisis may develop from grief and lament. The liturgical witness will be that God�s newness will break the cycles of self-destruction and make new life possible. Normal 0 false false false EN-ZA JA HE

Multi-criteria analysis for evaluating the radiological and ecological safety measures in radioactive waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sazykina, T.G.; Kryshev, I.I.

2006-01-01

A methodological approach is presented for multicriterial evaluating the effectiveness of radiation ecological safety measures during radioactive waste management. The approach is based on multicriterial analysis with consideration of radiological, ecological, social, economical consequences of various safety measures. The application of the multicriterial approach is demonstrated taking as an example of decision-making on the most effective actions for rehabilitation of a water subject, contaminated with radionuclides [ru

[Applied ecology: retrospect and prospect].

Science.gov (United States)

He, Xingyuan; Zeng, Dehui

2004-10-01

Applied ecology is evolved into a principal part of modern ecology that rapidly develops. The major stimulus for the development of applied ecology roots in seeking the solutions for the problems of human populations, resources and environments. Through four decades, the science of applied ecology has been becoming a huge group of disciplines. The future for the applied ecology should concern more with human-influenced and managed ecosystems, and acknowledge humans as the components of ecosystems. Nowadays and in future, the top-priorities in applied ecology should include following fields: sustainable ecosystems and biosphere, ecosystem services and ecological design, ecological assessment of genetically modified organisms, ecology of biological invasions, epidemical ecology, ecological forecasting, ecological process and its control. The authors believe that the comprehensive and active research hotspots coupled some new traits would occur around these fields in foreseeable future.

Annual report of ecological research at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-09-01

This report summarizes research conducted at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) during the annual period ending August 1, 1984. SREL is a regional research facility at the Savannah River Plant operated by the University of Georgia through a contract with the Department of Energy. It is part of the University of Georgia's Institute of Ecology. The overall goal of the research is to develop an understanding of the impact of various energy technologies and management practices on the ecosystems of the southeastern United States. SREL research is conducted by interdisciplinary research teams organized under three major divisions: (1) Biogeochemical Ecology, (2) Wetlands Ecology, and (3) Stress and Wildlife Ecology

Enhancing the ecological risk assessment process.

Science.gov (United States)

Dale, Virginia H; Biddinger, Gregory R; Newman, Michael C; Oris, James T; Suter, Glenn W; Thompson, Timothy; Armitage, Thomas M; Meyer, Judith L; Allen-King, Richelle M; Burton, G Allen; Chapman, Peter M; Conquest, Loveday L; Fernandez, Ivan J; Landis, Wayne G; Master, Lawrence L; Mitsch, William J; Mueller, Thomas C; Rabeni, Charles F; Rodewald, Amanda D; Sanders, James G; van Heerden, Ivor L

2008-07-01

The Ecological Processes and Effects Committee of the US Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board conducted a self-initiated study and convened a public workshop to characterize the state of the ecological risk assessment (ERA), with a view toward advancing the science and application of the process. That survey and analysis of ERA in decision making shows that such assessments have been most effective when clear management goals were included in the problem formulation; translated into information needs; and developed in collaboration with decision makers, assessors, scientists, and stakeholders. This process is best facilitated when risk managers, risk assessors, and stakeholders are engaged in an ongoing dialogue about problem formulation. Identification and acknowledgment of uncertainties that have the potential to profoundly affect the results and outcome of risk assessments also improves assessment effectiveness. Thus we suggest 1) through peer review of ERAs be conducted at the problem formulation stage and 2) the predictive power of risk-based decision making be expanded to reduce uncertainties through analytical and methodological approaches like life cycle analysis. Risk assessment and monitoring programs need better integration to reduce uncertainty and to evaluate risk management decision outcomes. Postdecision audit programs should be initiated to evaluate the environmental outcomes of risk-based decisions. In addition, a process should be developed to demonstrate how monitoring data can be used to reduce uncertainties. Ecological risk assessments should include the effects of chemical and nonchemical stressors at multiple levels of biological organization and spatial scale, and the extent and resolution of the pertinent scales and levels of organization should be explicitly considered during problem formulation. An approach to interpreting lines of evidence and weight of evidence is critically needed for complex assessments, and it would

A cognitive prosthesis for complex decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Tremblay, Sébastien; Gagnon, Jean-François; Lafond, Daniel; Hodgetts, Helen M; Doiron, Maxime; Jeuniaux, Patrick P J M H

2017-01-01

While simple heuristics can be ecologically rational and effective in naturalistic decision making contexts, complex situations require analytical decision making strategies, hypothesis-testing and learning. Sub-optimal decision strategies - using simplified as opposed to analytic decision rules - have been reported in domains such as healthcare, military operational planning, and government policy making. We investigate the potential of a computational toolkit called "IMAGE" to improve decision-making by developing structural knowledge and increasing understanding of complex situations. IMAGE is tested within the context of a complex military convoy management task through (a) interactive simulations, and (b) visualization and knowledge representation capabilities. We assess the usefulness of two versions of IMAGE (desktop and immersive) compared to a baseline. Results suggest that the prosthesis helped analysts in making better decisions, but failed to increase their structural knowledge about the situation once the cognitive prosthesis is removed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Linking ecological science to decision-making: delivering environmental monitoring information as societal feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaughan, Hague; Whitelaw, Graham; Craig, Brian; Stewart, Craig

2003-01-01

The paper describes the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network's (EMAN) operational and program response to certain challenges of environmental monitoring in Canada, in particular, efforts to improve the ability of the network to deliver relevant information to decision makers. In addition to its familiar roles, environmental monitoring should deliver feedback to society on environmental changes associated with development patterns, trends, processes and interventions. In order for such feedback to be effective, it must be relevant, timely, useful and accessible: all characteristics that are defined by the user, not the provider. Demand driven environmental monitoring is explored through EMAN's experiences with Canada's Biosphere Reserves, the NatureWatch Program and the Canadian Community Monitoring Network.

How experimental biology and ecology can support evidence-based decision-making in conservation: avoiding pitfalls and enabling application.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooke, Steven J; Birnie-Gauvin, Kim; Lennox, Robert J; Taylor, Jessica J; Rytwinski, Trina; Rummer, Jodie L; Franklin, Craig E; Bennett, Joseph R; Haddaway, Neal R

2017-01-01

Policy development and management decisions should be based upon the best available evidence. In recent years, approaches to evidence synthesis, originating in the medical realm (such as systematic reviews), have been applied to conservation to promote evidence-based conservation and environmental management. Systematic reviews involve a critical appraisal of evidence, but studies that lack the necessary rigour (e.g. experimental, technical and analytical aspects) to justify their conclusions are typically excluded from systematic reviews or down-weighted in terms of their influence. One of the strengths of conservation physiology is the reliance on experimental approaches that help to more clearly establish cause-and-effect relationships. Indeed, experimental biology and ecology have much to offer in terms of building the evidence base that is needed to inform policy and management options related to pressing issues such as enacting endangered species recovery plans or evaluating the effectiveness of conservation interventions. Here, we identify a number of pitfalls that can prevent experimental findings from being relevant to conservation or would lead to their exclusion or down-weighting during critical appraisal in a systematic review. We conclude that conservation physiology is well positioned to support evidence-based conservation, provided that experimental designs are robust and that conservation physiologists understand the nuances associated with informing decision-making processes so that they can be more relevant.

An overview of ecological monitoring based on geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) technology in China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jing; Zhang, Jia; Du, Xiangyang; Kang, Hou; Qiao, Minjuan

2017-11-01

Due to the rapid development of human economy and society, the resulting ecological problems are becoming more and more prominent, and the dynamic monitoring of the various elements in the ecosystem has become the focus of the current research. For the complex structure and function of the ecological environment monitoring, advanced technical means should be adopted. With the development of spatial information technology, the ecological monitoring technology based on GIS and RS is becoming more and more perfect, and spatial analysis will play an important role in the field of environmental protection. Based on the GIS and RS technology, this paper analyzes the general centralized ecological monitoring model, and makes an objective analysis of the current ecological monitoring trend of China. These are important for the protection and management of ecological environment in China.

75 FR 6592 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Emmetsburg, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-10

...-1153; Airspace Docket No. 09-ACE-13] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Emmetsburg, IA AGENCY... action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Emmetsburg, IA. Additional controlled airspace is necessary..., Emmetsburg, IA. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules...

77 FR 68683 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Forest City, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-16

...-0654; Airspace Docket No. 12-ACE-3] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Forest City, IA AGENCY: Federal... Forest City, IA. Additional controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new Area Navigation (RNAV... Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend Class E airspace for the Forest City, IA...

77 FR 45987 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Guthrie, IA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-02

...-1436; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-29] Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Guthrie, IA AGENCY... action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Guthrie, IA. Decommissioning of the Guthrie Center non-directional radio beacon (NDB) at Guthrie County Regional Airport, Guthrie, IA, has made this action necessary...

76 FR 30298 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Cocoa, FL