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2013-02-04

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9776-1] Office of Environmental Information; Announcement of..., and Use by Non-EPA (External) Organizations and Two Associated QA Handbooks; Extension of Comment..., Production, and Use by Non-EPA (External) Organizations and two associated QA Handbooks. The notice of...

External-environmental and internal-health early life predictors of adolescent development.

PubMed

Hartman, Sarah; Li, Zhi; Nettle, Daniel; Belsky, Jay

2017-12-01

A wealth of evidence documents associations between various aspects of the rearing environment and later development. Two evolutionary-inspired models advance explanations for why and how such early experiences shape later functioning: (a) the external-prediction model, which highlights the role of the early environment (e.g., parenting) in regulating children's development, and (b) the internal-prediction model, which emphasizes internal state (i.e., health) as the critical regulator. Thus, by using data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, the current project draws from both models by investigating whether the effect of the early environment on later adolescent functioning is subject to an indirect effect by internal-health variables. Results showed a significant indirect effect of internal health on the relation between the early environment and adolescent behavior. Specifically, early environmental adversity during the first 5 years of life predicted lower quality health during childhood, which then led to problematic adolescent functioning and earlier age of menarche for girls. In addition, for girls, early adversity predicted lower quality health that forecasted earlier age of menarche leading to increased adolescent risk taking. The discussion highlights the importance of integrating both internal and external models to further understand the developmental processes that effect adolescent behavior.

Sampling errors in blunt dust samplers arising from external wall loss effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincent, J. H.; Gibson, H.

Evidence is given that, with some forms of blunt dust sampler under conditions relating to those encountered in practical occupational hygiene and environmental monitoring, particles which impact onto the outer surface of the sampler body may not adhere permanently, and may eventually enter the sampling orifice. The effect of such external wall loss is to bring about excess sampling, where errors as high as 100% could arise. The problem is particularly important in the sampling of dry airborne particulates of the type commonly found in practical situations. For a given sampler configuration, the effect becomes more marked as the particle size increases or as the ratio of sampling velocity to ambient wind speed increases. We would expect it be greater for gritty, crystalline material than for smoother, amorphous material. Possible mechanisms controlling external wall losses were examined, and it was concluded that particle 'blow-off' (as opposed to particle 'bounce') is the most plausible. On the basis of simple experiments, it might be possible to make corrections for the sampling errors in question, but caution is recommended in doing so because of the unpredictable effects of environmental factors such as temperature and relative humidity. Of the possible practical solutions to the problem, it is felt that the best approach lies in the correct choice of sampler inlet design.

Parental criticism and externalizing behavior problems in adolescents: the role of environment and genotype-environment correlation.

PubMed

Narusyte, Jurgita; Neiderhiser, Jenae M; Andershed, Anna-Karin; D'Onofrio, Brian M; Reiss, David; Spotts, Erica; Ganiban, Jody; Lichtenstein, Paul

2011-05-01

Genetic factors are important for the association between parental negativity and child problem behavior, but it is not clear whether this is due to passive or evocative genotype-environment correlation (rGE). In this study, we applied the extended children-of-twins model to directly examine the presence of passive and evocative rGE as well as direct environmental effects in the association between parental criticism and adolescent externalizing problem behavior. The cross-sectional data come from the Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden (N = 909 pairs of adult twins) and from the Twin Study of Child and Adolescent Development (N = 915 pairs of twin children). The results revealed that maternal criticism was primarily due to evocative rGE emanating from their adolescent's externalizing behavior. On the other hand, fathers' critical remarks tended to affect adolescent problem behavior in a direct environmental way. This suggests that previously reported differences in caretaking between mothers and fathers also are reflected in differences in why parenting is associated with externalizing behavior in offspring.

Parental criticism and externalizing behavior problems in adolescents– the role of environment and genotype-environment correlation

PubMed Central

Narusyte, Jurgita; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.; Andershed, Anna-Karin; D’Onofrio, Brian M.; Reiss, David; Spotts, Erica; Ganiban, Jody; Lichtenstein, Paul

2011-01-01

Genetic factors are important for the association between parental negativity and child problem behavior, but it is not clear whether this is dueto passive or evocative genotype-environment correlation (rGE). In this study we applied the extended children-of-twins model to directly examine the presence of passive and evocative rGE as well as direct environmental effects in the association between parental criticism and adolescent externalizing problem behavior. The cross-sectional data come from the Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden (TOSS) (N=909 pairs of adult twins) and from the Twin study of CHild and Adolescent Development (TCHAD) (N=915 pairs of twin children). The results revealed that maternal criticism was primarily due to evocative rGE emanating from their adolescent’s externalizing behavior. On the other hand, fathers’ critical remarks tended to affect adolescent problem behavior in a direct environmental way. This suggests that previously reported differences in caretaking between mothers and fathers also are reflected in differences in why parenting is associated with externalizing behavior in offspring. PMID:21280930

Effect of Spacecraft Environmental Variables on the Flammability of Fire Resistant Fabrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osorio, A. F.; Fernandez-Pello, C.; Takahashi, S.; Rodriguez, J.; Urban, D. L.; Ruff, G.

2012-01-01

Fire resistant fabrics are used for firefighter, racecar drivers as well as astronaut suits. However, their fire resistant characteristics depend on the environment conditions and require study. Particularly important is the response of these fabrics to elevated oxygen concentration environments and radiant heat from a source such as an adjacent fire. In this work, experiments using two fire resistant fabrics were conducted to study the effect of oxygen concentration, external radiant flux and oxidizer flow velocity in concurrent flame spread. Results show that for a given fabric the minimum oxygen concentration for flame spread depends strongly on the magnitude of the external radiant flux. At increased oxygen concentrations the external radiant flux required for flame spread decreases. Oxidizer flow velocity influences the external radiant flux only when the convective heat flux from the flame has similar values to the external radiant flux. The results of this work provide further understanding of the flammability characteristics of fire resistant fabrics in environments similar to those of future spacecrafts.

Parent Psychological Functioning and Communication Predict Externalizing Behavior Problems After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury

PubMed Central

Raj, Stacey P.; Cassedy, Amy; Taylor, H. Gerry; Stancin, Terry; Brown, Tanya M.; Kirkwood, Michael W.

2014-01-01

Objective Adolescents sustaining traumatic brain injury (TBI) show increased prevalence of behavior problems. This study investigated the associations of parent mental health, family functioning, and parent–adolescent interaction with adolescent externalizing behavior problems in the initial months after TBI, and examined whether injury severity moderated these associations. Methods 117 parent–adolescent dyads completed measures of family functioning, adolescent behavior, and parent mental health an average of 108 days post-TBI. Dyads also engaged in a 10-min video-recorded problem-solving activity coded for parent behavior and tone of interaction. Results Overall, higher ratings of effective parent communication were associated with fewer externalizing behavior problems, whereas poorer caregiver psychological functioning was associated with greater adolescent externalizing behaviors. Results failed to reveal moderating effects of TBI severity on the relationship between socio-environmental factors and behavior problems. Conclusions Interventions targeting parent communication and/or improving caregiver psychological health may ameliorate potential externalizing behavior problems after adolescent TBI. PMID:24065551

The Wisdom of Honeybee Defenses Against Environmental Stresses

PubMed Central

Li, Guilin; Zhao, Hang; Liu, Zhenguo; Wang, Hongfang; Xu, Baohua; Guo, Xingqi

2018-01-01

As one of the predominant pollinator, honeybees provide important ecosystem service to crops and wild plants, and generate great economic benefit for humans. Unfortunately, there is clear evidence of recent catastrophic honeybee colony failure in some areas, resulting in markedly negative environmental and economic effects. It has been demonstrated that various environmental stresses, including both abiotic and biotic stresses, functioning singly or synergistically, are the potential drivers of colony collapse. Honeybees can use many defense mechanisms to decrease the damage from environmental stress to some extent. Here, we synthesize and summarize recent advances regarding the effects of environmental stress on honeybees and the wisdom of honeybees to respond to external environmental stress. Furthermore, we provide possible future research directions about the response of honeybees to various form of stressors. PMID:29765357

Land use changes: economic, social, and environmental impacts

Treesearch

JunJie Wu

2008-01-01

Land use provides many economic and social benefits but often comes at a substantial cost to the environment. Although most economic costs are figured into land use decisions, most environmental externalities are not. These environmental externalities cause a divergence between private and social costs for some land uses, leading to an inefficient land allocation. For...

The Role of Advocacy Organizations in Reducing Negative Externalities

PubMed Central

Biglan, Anthony

2009-01-01

An externality is a cost that a corporation’s actions impose on society. For example, a power plant may emit mercury, but might not pay for the cost of that pollution to the people living near the plant. It is possible to analyze a diverse range of problems of society in these terms, including the health effects of corporate practices, the unsustainability of manufacturing processes, and marketing of products contributing to environmental damage, and economic policies that maintain high levels of poverty due to effective lobbying by the business community. This paper examines the problem of externalities in terms of metacontingencies. Externalities continue precisely because there is no cost to the organizations for practices that impose these costs on third parties. The paper describes the cultural practices needed to influence governments are motivated to make corporations bear the true costs of their practices—costs that are currently imposed on others. PMID:20011073

Testing the role of external debt in environmental degradation: empirical evidence from Turkey.

PubMed

Katircioglu, Salih; Celebi, Aysem

2018-03-01

This study investigates the role of external debt stock in Turkey, which has suffered from heavy (external and domestic) debt stock for many years. Annual data from 1960 to 2013 was analyzed using time series analysis in order to study this. The results confirm the validity of the conventional environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) in the case of Turkey. However, this study also found that Turkey's external debt stock did not influence the Turkish economy's long-term EKC behavior. Fortunately, the results suggest that there are important interactions among external debt stock, CO 2 emissions, energy consumption, and real income; that is, changes in external debt volume precede changes in these aggregates' volumes.

Human Life History Strategies.

PubMed

Chua, Kristine J; Lukaszewski, Aaron W; Grant, DeMond M; Sng, Oliver

2017-01-01

Human life history (LH) strategies are theoretically regulated by developmental exposure to environmental cues that ancestrally predicted LH-relevant world states (e.g., risk of morbidity-mortality). Recent modeling work has raised the question of whether the association of childhood family factors with adult LH variation arises via (i) direct sampling of external environmental cues during development and/or (ii) calibration of LH strategies to internal somatic condition (i.e., health), which itself reflects exposure to variably favorable environments. The present research tested between these possibilities through three online surveys involving a total of over 26,000 participants. Participants completed questionnaires assessing components of self-reported environmental harshness (i.e., socioeconomic status, family neglect, and neighborhood crime), health status, and various LH-related psychological and behavioral phenotypes (e.g., mating strategies, paranoia, and anxiety), modeled as a unidimensional latent variable. Structural equation models suggested that exposure to harsh ecologies had direct effects on latent LH strategy as well as indirect effects on latent LH strategy mediated via health status. These findings suggest that human LH strategies may be calibrated to both external and internal cues and that such calibrational effects manifest in a wide range of psychological and behavioral phenotypes.

Pesticide Environmental Accounting: a method for assessing the external costs of individual pesticide applications.

PubMed

Leach, A W; Mumford, J D

2008-01-01

The Pesticide Environmental Accounting (PEA) tool provides a monetary estimate of environmental and health impacts per hectare-application for any pesticide. The model combines the Environmental Impact Quotient method and a methodology for absolute estimates of external pesticide costs in UK, USA and Germany. For many countries resources are not available for intensive assessments of external pesticide costs. The model converts external costs of a pesticide in the UK, USA and Germany to Mediterranean countries. Economic and policy applications include estimating impacts of pesticide reduction policies or benefits from technologies replacing pesticides, such as sterile insect technique. The system integrates disparate data and approaches into a single logical method. The assumptions in the system provide transparency and consistency but at the cost of some specificity and precision, a reasonable trade-off for a method that provides both comparative estimates of pesticide impacts and area-based assessments of absolute impacts.

Effect of a food waste disposer policy on solid waste and wastewater management with economic implications of environmental externalities.

PubMed

Maalouf, Amani; El-Fadel, Mutasem

2017-11-01

In this study, the carbon footprint of introducing a food waste disposer (FWD) policy was examined in the context of its implications on solid waste and wastewater management with economic assessment of environmental externalities emphasizing potential carbon credit and increased sludge generation. For this purpose, a model adopting a life cycle inventory approach was developed to integrate solid waste and wastewater management processes under a single framework and test scenarios for a waste with high organic food content typical of developing economies. For such a waste composition, the results show that a FWD policy can reduce emissions by nearly ∼42% depending on market penetration, fraction of food waste ground, as well as solid waste and wastewater management schemes, including potential energy recovery. In comparison to baseline, equivalent economic gains can reach ∼28% when environmental externalities including sludge management and emissions variations are considered. The sensitivity analyses on processes with a wide range in costs showed an equivalent economic impact thus emphasizing the viability of a FWD policy although the variation in the cost of sludge management exhibited a significant impact on savings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Applying a health behavior theory to explore the influence of information and experience on arsenic risk representations, policy beliefs, and protective behavior.

PubMed

Severtson, Dolores J; Baumann, Linda C; Brown, Roger L

2006-04-01

The common sense model (CSM) shows how people process information to construct representations, or mental models, that guide responses to health threats. We applied the CSM to understand how people responded to information about arsenic-contaminated well water. Constructs included external information (arsenic level and information use), experience (perceived water quality and arsenic-related health effects), representations, safety judgments, opinions about policies to mitigate environmental arsenic, and protective behavior. Of 649 surveys mailed to private well users with arsenic levels exceeding the maximum contaminant level, 545 (84%) were analyzed. Structural equation modeling quantified CSM relationships. Both external information and experience had substantial effects on behavior. Participants who identified a water problem were more likely to reduce exposure to arsenic. However, about 60% perceived good water quality and 60% safe water. Participants with higher arsenic levels selected higher personal safety thresholds and 20% reported a lower arsenic level than indicated by their well test. These beliefs would support judgments of safe water. A variety of psychological and contextual factors may explain judgments of safe water when information suggested otherwise. Information use had an indirect effect on policy beliefs through understanding environmental causes of arsenic. People need concrete information about environmental risk at both personal and environmental-systems levels to promote a comprehensive understanding and response. The CSM explained responses to arsenic information and may have application to other environmental risks.

Siting a municipal solid waste disposal facility, part II: the effects of external criteria on the final decision.

PubMed

Korucu, M Kemal; Karademir, Aykan

2014-02-01

The procedure of a multi-criteria decision analysis supported by the geographic information systems was applied to the site selection process of a planning municipal solid waste management practice based on twelve different scenarios. The scenarios included two different decision tree modes and two different weighting models for three different area requirements. The suitability rankings of the suitable sites obtained from the application of the decision procedure for the scenarios were assessed by a factorial experimental design concerning the effect of some external criteria on the final decision of the site selection process. The external criteria used in the factorial experimental design were defined as "Risk perception and approval of stakeholders" and "Visibility". The effects of the presence of these criteria in the decision trees were evaluated in detail. For a quantitative expression of the differentiations observed in the suitability rankings, the ranking data were subjected to ANOVA test after a normalization process. Then the results of these tests were evaluated by Tukey test to measure the effects of external criteria on the final decision. The results of Tukey tests indicated that the involvement of the external criteria into the decision trees produced statistically meaningful differentiations in the suitability rankings. Since the external criteria could cause considerable external costs during the operation of the disposal facilities, the presence of these criteria in the decision tree in addition to the other criteria related to environmental and legislative requisites could prevent subsequent external costs in the first place.

Environmental auditing and the role of the accountancy profession: a literature review.

PubMed

de Moor, Philippe; de Beelde, Ignace

2005-08-01

This review of the literature on environmental auditing and the potential role of accountants distinguishes between compliance audits and audits of the environmental management system. After an extensive introduction to the concept, this review focuses on the similarities and differences between an environmental audit and a financial statement audit. The general approach to both types of audits is similar, except that environmental audits are largely unregulated. Both audits place an emphasis on the evaluation of control systems, which is an argument in favor of external auditors playing a role in environmental audits. Another argument for including external accountants is their code of ethics. However, these professionals seem to be reluctant to enter the field of environmental auditing. It is argued that this reluctance is because of a lack of generally accepted principles for conducting environmental audits. If external accountants are engaged in environmental auditing, they should be part of multidisciplinary teams that also include scientists and engineers to avoid a too strong focus on procedures. Rather than treating these audits as totally different, it is proposed that there be a move towards integrated, or even universal, audits.

New Zealand Dairy Farming: Milking Our Environment for All Its Worth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foote, Kyleisha J.; Joy, Michael K.; Death, Russell G.

2015-09-01

Over the past two decades there have been major increases in dairy production in New Zealand. This increase in intensity has required increased use of external inputs, in particular fertilizer, feed, and water. Intensified dairy farming thus incurs considerable environmental externalities: impacts that are not paid for directly by the dairy farmer. These externalities are left for the wider New Zealand populace to deal with, both economically and environmentally. This is counter-intuitive given the dairy industry itself relies on a `clean green' image to maximize returns. This is the first nationwide assessment of some of the environmental costs of the recent increase of dairy intensification in New Zealand. Significant costs arise from nitrate contamination of drinking water, nutrient pollution to lakes, soil compaction, and greenhouse gas emissions. At the higher end, the estimated cost of some environmental externalities surpasses the 2012 dairy export revenue of NZ11.6 billion and almost reaches the combined export revenue and dairy's contribution to Gross Domestic Product in 2010 of NZ5 billion. For the dairy industry to accurately report on its profitability and maintain its sustainable marketing label, these external costs should be reported. This assessment is in fact extremely conservative as many impacts have not been valued, thus, the total negative external impact of intensified dairying is probably grossly underestimated.

Green Net Value Added as a Sustainability Metric Based on ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Sustainability measurement in economics involves evaluation of environmental and economic impact in an integrated manner. In this study, system level economic data are combined with environmental impact from a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a common product. We are exploring a costing approach that captures traditional costs but also incorporates externality costs to provide a convenient, easily interpretable metric. Green Net Value Added (GNVA) is a type of full cost accounting that incorporates total revenue, the cost of materials and services, depreciation, and environmental externalities. Two, but not all, of the potential environmental impacts calculated by the standard LCIA method (TRACI) could be converted to externality cost values. We compute externality costs disaggregated by upstream sectors, full cost, and GNVA to evaluate the relative sustainability of Bounty® paper towels manufactured at two production facilities. We found that the longer running, more established line had a higher GNVA than the newer line. The dominant factors contributing to externality costs are calculated to come from the stationary sources in the supply chain: electricity generation (27-35%), refineries (20-21%), pulp and paper making (15-23%). Health related externalities from Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions appear largely driven by electricity usage and emissions by the facilities, followed by pulp processing and transport. Supply

New Zealand Dairy Farming: Milking Our Environment for All Its Worth.

PubMed

Foote, Kyleisha J; Joy, Michael K; Death, Russell G

2015-09-01

Over the past two decades there have been major increases in dairy production in New Zealand. This increase in intensity has required increased use of external inputs, in particular fertilizer, feed, and water. Intensified dairy farming thus incurs considerable environmental externalities: impacts that are not paid for directly by the dairy farmer. These externalities are left for the wider New Zealand populace to deal with, both economically and environmentally. This is counter-intuitive given the dairy industry itself relies on a 'clean green' image to maximize returns. This is the first nationwide assessment of some of the environmental costs of the recent increase of dairy intensification in New Zealand. Significant costs arise from nitrate contamination of drinking water, nutrient pollution to lakes, soil compaction, and greenhouse gas emissions. At the higher end, the estimated cost of some environmental externalities surpasses the 2012 dairy export revenue of NZ$11.6 billion and almost reaches the combined export revenue and dairy's contribution to Gross Domestic Product in 2010 of NZ$5 billion. For the dairy industry to accurately report on its profitability and maintain its sustainable marketing label, these external costs should be reported. This assessment is in fact extremely conservative as many impacts have not been valued, thus, the total negative external impact of intensified dairying is probably grossly underestimated.

Investigating genetic and environmental contributions to adolescent externalizing behavior in a collectivistic culture: a multi-informant twin study.

PubMed

Chen, J; Yu, J; Zhang, J; Li, X; McGue, M

2015-07-01

Little is known about the etiology of adolescents' externalizing behavior (Ext) in collectivistic cultures. We aimed to fill this gap by investigating the genetic and environmental influences on Ext in Chinese adolescents. The etiological heterogeneity of aggression (AGG) and rule breaking (RB) was also examined. The study sample included 908 pairs of same-sex twins aged from 10 to 18 years (mean = 13.53 years, s.d. = 2.26). Adolescents' Ext were assessed with the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment including Child Behavior Checklist, Teacher Report Form, and Youth Self-Report. Univariate genetic analyses showed that genetic influences on all measures were moderate ranging from 34% to 50%, non-shared environmental effects ranged from 23% to 52%, and shared environmental effects were significant in parent- and teacher-reported measures ranging from 29% to 43%. Bivariate genetic analyses indicated that AGG and RB shared large genetic influences (r g = 0.64-0.79) but moderate non-shared environmental factors (r e = 0.34-0.52). Chinese adolescents' Ext was moderately influenced by genetic factors. AGG and RB had moderate independent genetic and non-shared environmental influences, and thus constitute etiologically distinct dimensions within Ext in Chinese adolescents. The heritability of AGG, in particular, was smaller in Chinese adolescents than suggested by previous data obtained on Western peers. This study suggests that the collectivistic cultural values and Confucianism philosophy may attenuate genetic potential in Ext, especially AGG.

Environmental impacts and costs of energy.

PubMed

Rabl, Ari; Spadaro, Joseph V

2006-09-01

Environmental damage is one of the main justifications for continued efforts to reduce energy consumption and to shift to cleaner sources such as solar energy. In recent years there has been much progress in the analysis of environmental damages, in particular thanks to the ExternE (External Costs of Energy) Project of the European Commission. This article presents a summary of the methodology and key results for the external costs of the major energy technologies. Even though the uncertainties are large, the results provide substantial evidence that the classical air pollutants (particles, No(x), and SO(2)) from fossil fuels impose significant public health costs, comparable to the cost of global warming from CO(2) emissions. The total external costs are relatively low for natural gas (in the range of about 0.5-1 eurocents/kWh for most EU countries), but much higher for coal and lignite (in the range of about 2-6 eurocents/kWh for most EU countries). By contrast, the external costs of nuclear, wind, and photovoltaics are very low. The external costs of hydro are extremely variable from site to site, and the ones of biomass depend strongly on the specific technologies used and can be quite large for combustion.

Health-related external cost assessment in Europe: methodological developments from ExternE to the 2013 Clean Air Policy Package.

PubMed

van der Kamp, Jonathan; Bachmann, Till M

2015-03-03

"Getting the prices right" through internalizing external costs is a guiding principle of environmental policy making, one recent example being the EU Clean Air Policy Package released at the end of 2013. It is supported by impact assessments, including monetary valuation of environmental and health damages. For over 20 years, related methodologies have been developed in Europe in the Externalities of Energy (ExternE) project series and follow-up activities. In this study, we aim at analyzing the main methodological developments over time from the 1990s until today with a focus on classical air pollution-induced human health damage costs. An up-to-date assessment including the latest European recommendations is also applied. Using a case from the energy sector, we identify major influencing parameters: differences in exposure modeling and related data lead to variations in damage costs of up to 21%; concerning risk assessment and monetary valuation, differences in assessing long-term exposure mortality risks together with assumptions on particle toxicity explain most of the observed changes in damage costs. These still debated influencing parameters deserve particular attention when damage costs are used to support environmental policy making.

The Association between Positive Parenting and Externalizing Behavior.

PubMed

Boeldt, Debra L; Rhee, Soo Hyun; Dilalla, Lisabeth F; Mullineaux, Paula Y; Schulz-Heik, R Jay; Corley, Robin P; Young, Susan E; Hewitt, John K

2012-01-01

The present study examined the role of positive parenting on externalizing behaviors in a longitudinal, genetically informative sample. It often is assumed that positive parenting prevents behavior problems in children via an environmentally mediated process. Alternatively, the association may be due to either an evocative gene-environment correlation, in which parents react to children's genetically-influenced behavior in a positive way, or a passive gene-environment correlation, where parents passively transmit a risk environment and the genetic risk factor for the behavioral outcome to their children. The present study estimated the contribution of these processes in the association between positive parenting and children's externalizing behavior. Positive parenting was assessed via observations at ages 7, 9, 14, 24, and 36 months and externalizing behaviors were assessed through parent report at ages 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12 years. The significant association between positive parenting and externalizing behavior was negative, with children of mothers who showed significantly more positive parenting during toddlerhood having lower levels of externalizing behavior in childhood; however, there was not adequate power to distinguish whether this covariation was due to genetic, shared environmental, or nonshared environmental influences.

Integrating gene expression data with demographic, clinical, and environmental exposure information to reveal endotypes of childhood asthma

EPA Science Inventory

RATIONALE. Childhood asthma is a multifactorial disease whose pathogenesis involves complex interplay between genetic susceptibility and modulating external factors. Therefore, effectively characterizing these multiple etiological pathways, or “endotypes”, requires an integrative...

THE EFFECTS OF AMMONIUM PERCHLORATE ON THYROIDS (2000)

EPA Science Inventory

In response to recommendations made at the February 1999 external peer review of the December 1998 document entitled, Perchlorate Environmental Contamination: Toxicology Review and Risk Characterization , ...

Executive Summary of the 1999 External Environmental Scan and the Internal Environmental Scan Report Card: Key Issues for Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beachler, Judith

This document is the second in a series of summary reports outlining Key Issues for Planning useful to staff throughout the Los Rios Community College District (CA) for the 1999-2000 academic year and beyond. The 1999 Environmental Scan of Greater Sacramento provides a comprehensive look at the external environment. It outlines changes in the…

LCA and emergy accounting of aquaculture systems: towards ecological intensification.

PubMed

Wilfart, Aurélie; Prudhomme, Jehane; Blancheton, Jean-Paul; Aubin, Joël

2013-05-30

An integrated approach is required to optimise fish farming systems by maximising output while minimising their negative environmental impacts. We developed a holistic approach to assess the environmental performances by combining two methods based on energetic and physical flow analysis. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a normalised method that estimates resource use and potential impacts throughout a product's life cycle. Emergy Accounting (EA) refers the amount of energy directly or indirectly required by a product or a service. The combination of these two methods was used to evaluate the environmental impacts of three contrasting fish-farming systems: a farm producing salmon in a recirculating system (RSF), a semi-extensive polyculture pond (PF1) and an extensive polyculture pond (PF2). The RSF system, with a low feed-conversion ratio (FCR = 0.95), had lower environmental impacts per tonne of live fish produced than did the two pond farms, when the effects on climate change, acidification, total cumulative energy demand, land competition and water dependence were considered. However, RSF was clearly disconnected from the surrounding environment and depended highly on external resources (e.g. nutrients, energy). Ponds adequately incorporated renewable natural resources but had higher environmental impacts due to incomplete use of external inputs. This study highlighted key factors necessary for the successful ecological intensification of fish farming, i.e., minimise external inputs, lower the FCR, and increase the use of renewable resources from the surrounding environment. The combination of LCA and EA seems to be a practical approach to address the complexity of optimising biophysical efficiency in aquaculture systems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Patterns of activity and body temperature of Aldabra giant tortoises in relation to environmental temperature.

PubMed

Falcón, Wilfredo; Baxter, Rich P; Furrer, Samuel; Bauert, Martin; Hatt, Jean-Michel; Schaepman-Strub, Gabriela; Ozgul, Arpat; Bunbury, Nancy; Clauss, Marcus; Hansen, Dennis M

2018-02-01

We studied the temperature relations of wild and zoo Aldabra giant tortoises ( Aldabrachelys gigantea ) focusing on (1) the relationship between environmental temperature and tortoise activity patterns ( n  = 8 wild individuals) and (2) on tortoise body temperature fluctuations, including how their core and external body temperatures vary in relation to different environmental temperature ranges (seasons; n  = 4 wild and n  = 5 zoo individuals). In addition, we surveyed the literature to review the effect of body mass on core body temperature range in relation to environmental temperature in the Testudinidae. Diurnal activity of tortoises was bimodally distributed and influenced by environmental temperature and season. The mean air temperature at which activity is maximized was 27.9°C, with a range of 25.8-31.7°C. Furthermore, air temperature explained changes in the core body temperature better than did mass, and only during the coldest trial, did tortoises with higher mass show more stable temperatures. Our results, together with the overall Testudinidae overview, suggest that, once variation in environmental temperature has been taken into account, there is little effect of mass on the temperature stability of tortoises. Moreover, the presence of thermal inertia in an individual tortoise depends on the environmental temperatures, and we found no evidence for inertial homeothermy. Finally, patterns of core and external body temperatures in comparison with environmental temperatures suggest that Aldabra giant tortoises act as mixed conformer-regulators. Our study provides a baseline to manage the thermal environment of wild and rewilded populations of an important island ecosystem engineer species in an era of climate change.

The effects of internal and external control factors on college students' marijuana use and cessation of use.

PubMed

Lo, C C; Globetti, G

1995-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine how selected internal and external control variables influence lifetime use, frequency of use, and cessation of use of marijuana. The internal control factor, comprising the variables 1) perceived risk of marijuana use and 2) attitudes toward prohibition of marijuana use, refers to a built-in personal tendency toward conventionality. The external control factor refers to social-environmental forces which discourage marijuana use. External control is indicated by factors including the number of extra-curricular activities in which an individual is involved; place of residence; the availability of marijuana; peer attitudes toward marijuana use; the number of an individual's friends who use marijuana; and the number of occasions on which an individual has observed others using marijuana. The study's results show that both internal and external control factors are significant predictors of the frequency of marijuana use. The external control factor, however, plays a more important role in explaining lifetime marijuana use and cessation of marijuana use.

Adaptive developmental plasticity: compartmentalized responses to environmental cues and to corresponding internal signals provide phenotypic flexibility.

PubMed

Mateus, Ana Rita A; Marques-Pita, Manuel; Oostra, Vicencio; Lafuente, Elvira; Brakefield, Paul M; Zwaan, Bas J; Beldade, Patrícia

2014-11-21

The environmental regulation of development can result in the production of distinct phenotypes from the same genotype and provide the means for organisms to cope with environmental heterogeneity. The effect of the environment on developmental outcomes is typically mediated by hormonal signals which convey information about external cues to the developing tissues. While such plasticity is a wide-spread property of development, not all developing tissues are equally plastic. To understand how organisms integrate environmental input into coherent adult phenotypes, we must know how different body parts respond, independently or in concert, to external cues and to the corresponding internal signals. We quantified the effect of temperature and ecdysone hormone manipulations on post-growth tissue patterning in an experimental model of adaptive developmental plasticity, the butterfly Bicyclus anynana. Following a suite of traits evolving by natural or sexual selection, we found that different groups of cells within the same tissue have sensitivities and patterns of response that are surprisingly distinct for the external environmental cue and for the internal hormonal signal. All but those wing traits presumably involved in mate choice responded to developmental temperature and, of those, all but the wing traits not exposed to predators responded to hormone manipulations. On the other hand, while patterns of significant response to temperature contrasted traits on autonomously-developing wings, significant response to hormone manipulations contrasted neighboring groups of cells with distinct color fates. We also showed that the spatial compartmentalization of these responses cannot be explained by the spatial or temporal compartmentalization of the hormone receptor protein. Our results unravel the integration of different aspects of the adult phenotype into developmental and functional units which both reflect and impact evolutionary change. Importantly, our findings underscore the complexity of the interactions between environment and physiology in shaping the development of different body parts.

Simulation of external and internal electrostatic discharges at the spacecraft system test level

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whittlesey, A.; Leung, P.

1984-01-01

Environmental test activities concerned with space plasma-caused charging and discharing phenomena are discussed. It is pointed out that the origin of such an electrostatic discharge (ESD) is charging of spacecraft dielectrics by an energetic plasma in geosynchronous orbit, Jupiter's magnetosphere, or other similar space environments. In dealing with environmental testing problems, it is necessary to define the location and magnitude of any ESD's in preparation for a subsequent simulation of the given conditions. Questions of external and internal charging are discussed separately. The environmental hazard from an external discharge can be assessed by viewing the dielectric surface as one side of a parallel plate capacitor. In the case of internal charging, the level of environmental concern depends on the higher energy spectrum of the ambient electrons.

A new method for testing the scale-factor performance of fiber optical gyroscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zhengxin; Yu, Haicheng; Li, Jing; Li, Chao; Shi, Haiyang; Zhang, Bingxin

2015-10-01

Fiber optical gyro (FOG) is a kind of solid-state optical gyroscope with good environmental adaptability, which has been widely used in national defense, aviation, aerospace and other civilian areas. In some applications, FOG will experience environmental conditions such as vacuum, radiation, vibration and so on, and the scale-factor performance is concerned as an important accuracy indicator. However, the scale-factor performance of FOG under these environmental conditions is difficult to test using conventional methods, as the turntable can't work under these environmental conditions. According to the phenomenon that the physical effects of FOG produced by the sawtooth voltage signal under static conditions is consistent with the physical effects of FOG produced by a turntable in uniform rotation, a new method for the scale-factor performance test of FOG without turntable is proposed in this paper. In this method, the test system of the scale-factor performance is constituted by an external operational amplifier circuit and a FOG which the modulation signal and Y waveguied are disconnected. The external operational amplifier circuit is used to superimpose the externally generated sawtooth voltage signal and the modulation signal of FOG, and to exert the superimposed signal on the Y waveguide of the FOG. The test system can produce different equivalent angular velocities by changing the cycle of the sawtooth signal in the scale-factor performance test. In this paper, the system model of FOG superimposed with an externally generated sawtooth is analyzed, and a conclusion that the effect of the equivalent input angular velocity produced by the sawtooth voltage signal is consistent with the effect of input angular velocity produced by the turntable is obtained. The relationship between the equivalent angular velocity and the parameters such as sawtooth cycle and so on is presented, and the correction method for the equivalent angular velocity is also presented by analyzing the influence of each parameter error on the equivalent angular velocity. A comparative experiment of the method proposed in this paper and the method of turntable calibration was conducted, and the scale-factor performance test results of the same FOG using the two methods were consistent. Using the method proposed in this paper to test the scale-factor performance of FOG, the input angular velocity is the equivalent effect produced by a sawtooth voltage signal, and there is no need to use a turntable to produce mechanical rotation, so this method can be used to test the performance of FOG at the ambient conditions which turntable can not work.

Potential approaches to the management of third-party impacts from groundwater transfers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skurray, James H.; Pannell, David J.

2012-08-01

Groundwater extraction can have varied and diffuse effects. Negative external effects may include costs imposed on other groundwater users and on surrounding ecosystems. Environmental damages are commonly not reflected in market transactions. Groundwater transfers have the potential to cause spatial redistribution, concentration, and qualitative transformation of the impacts from pumping. An economically and environmentally sound groundwater transfer scheme would ensure that marginal costs from trades do not exceed marginal benefits, accounting for all third-party impacts, including those of a non-monetary nature as well as delayed effects. This paper proposes a menu of possible management strategies that would help preclude unacceptable impacts by restricting transfers with certain attributes, ideally ensuring that permitted transfers are at least welfare-neutral. Management tools would require that transfers limit or reduce environmental impacts, and provide for the compensation of financial impacts. Three management tools are described. While these tools can limit impacts from a given level of extraction, they cannot substitute for sustainable overall withdrawal limits. Careful implementation of transfer limits and exchange rates, and the strategic use of management area boundaries, may enable a transfer system to restrict negative externalities mainly to monetary costs. Provision for compensation of these costs could be built into the system.

Public Safety Networks--Examining Mimetic, Complexity, and Legacy Effects on Interorganizational Collaborations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dias, Martin A.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine information systems-enabled interorganizational collaborations called public safety networks--their proliferation, information systems architecture, and technology evolution. These networks face immense pressures from member organizations, external stakeholders, and environmental contingencies. This…

Externalizing behaviors in preadolescents: familial risk to externalizing behaviors and perceived parenting styles.

PubMed

Buschgens, Cathelijne J M; van Aken, Marcel A G; Swinkels, Sophie H N; Ormel, Johan; Verhulst, Frank C; Buitelaar, Jan K

2010-07-01

The aim was to investigate the contribution of familial risk to externalizing behaviors (FR-EXT), perceived parenting styles, and their interactions to the prediction of externalizing behaviors in preadolescents. Participants were preadolescents aged 10-12 years who participated in TRAILS, a large prospective population-based cohort study in the Netherlands (N = 2,230). Regression analyses were used to determine the relative contribution of FR-EXT and perceived parenting styles to parent and teacher ratings of externalizing behaviors. FR-EXT was based on lifetime parental externalizing psychopathology and the different parenting styles (emotional warmth, rejection, and overprotection) were based on the child's perspective. We also investigated whether different dimensions of perceived parenting styles had different effects on subdomains of externalizing behavior. We found main effects for FR-EXT (vs. no FR-EXT), emotional warmth, rejection, and overprotection that were fairly consistent across rater and outcome measures. More specific, emotional warmth was the most consistent predictor of all outcome measures, and rejection was a stronger predictor of aggression and delinquency than of inattention. Interaction effects were found for FR-EXT and perceived parental rejection and overprotection; other interactions between FR-EXT and parenting styles were not significant. Correlations between FR-EXT and perceived parenting styles were absent or very low and were without clinical significance. Predominantly main effects of FR-EXT and perceived parenting styles independently contribute to externalizing behaviors in preadolescents, suggesting FR-EXT and parenting styles to be two separate areas of causality. The relative lack of gene-environment interactions may be due to the epidemiological nature of the study, the preadolescent age of the subjects, the measurement level of parenting and the measurement level of FR-EXT, which might be a consequence of both genetic and environmental factors.

10 CFR 50.49 - Environmental qualification of electric equipment important to safety for nuclear power plants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... occurrences, design basis accidents, external events, and natural phenomena for which the plant must be... important to safety, (2) protection of electric equipment important to safety against other natural phenomena and external events, and (3) environmental qualification of electric equipment important to safety...

Extended Producer Responsibility and corporate performance: Effects of environmental regulation and environmental strategy.

PubMed

Peng, Benhong; Tu, Yu; Elahi, Ehsan; Wei, Guo

2018-07-15

While contemporary manufacturing technologies stimulate the industrial revolution and promote the rapidly changing global economy, it has caused enormous environmental negative externalities and managing the industrial waste remains a primary challenge, especially for fast developing countries such as China. Though existing studies explored the influence of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislations on environmental externalities, only fewer researches aimed at policy issues. Particularly, the relationship among environmental regulations, environmental strategies and corporate performance in the EPR system has not been deeply investigated. To fill this gap, this research will focus to assess the economic aspect and environmental performance associated with the environmental regulations and strategies. For this purpose, 208 cross-sectional questionnaires were administered with three major high-pollution industries, electrical and electronic, automobile and lead-acid storage battery industries. To accomplish this study objective, we employ a two-step approach: firstly, validity tests for environmental regulation and environmental strategy along with the corporate performance are performed by the factor analysis method, and secondly, the structural equation model is utilized to test the study hypotheses. Results reveal that command and control (CAC) and market-based incentive (MBI) environmental regulations are significantly impacting on the reactive environmental strategy (RES); however, the proactive environmental strategy (PES) only has a significant relationship with MBI regulation. On the other hand, RES only has a significant relationship with the enterprises economics performance, while PES has a statistically significant relationship with both economic and environmental performance of enterprises. Therefore, the central government and its local offices are strongly urged to coordinate the industries by making, implementing and monitoring necessary and feasible environmental laws and regulations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of regulatory requirements and intervening groups on road construction in South Carolina.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-06-09

The primary objective of this study was to assess the impact of temporal delays to SCDOT road projects caused by legal : challenges brought by individuals and external entities with environmental-based concerns. Specifically, the focus was to : asses...

Plant Water Relations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomley, David

1982-01-01

Some simple field investigations on plant water relations are described which demonstrate links between physiological and external environmental factors. In this way, a more complex picture of a plant and how it functions within its habitat and the effects the environment has on it can be built up. (Author/JN)

Gene–Environment Correlation Underlying the Association Between Parental Negativity and Adolescent Externalizing Problems

PubMed Central

Marceau, Kristine; Horwitz, Briana N.; Ganiban, Jody M.; Reiss, David; Narusyte, Jurgita; Spotts, Erica L.; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.

2014-01-01

Studies of adolescent or parent-based twins suggest that gene–environment correlation (rGE) is an important mechanism underlying parent–adolescent relationships. However, information on how parents′ and children’s genes and environments influence correlated parent and child behaviors is needed to distinguish types of rGE. The present study used the novel Extended Children of Twins model to distinguish types of rGE underlying associations between negative parenting and adolescent (age 11–22 years) externalizing problems with a Swedish sample of 909 twin parents and their adolescent offspring and a U.S.-based sample of 405 adolescent siblings and their parents. Results suggest that evocative rGE, not passive rGE or direct environmental effects of parenting on adolescent externalizing, explains associations between maternal and paternal negativity and adolescent externalizing problems. PMID:23573986

The Association between Positive Parenting and Externalizing Behavior1

PubMed Central

Boeldt, Debra L.; Rhee, Soo Hyun; DiLalla, Lisabeth F.; Mullineaux, Paula Y.; Schulz-Heik, R. Jay; Corley, Robin P.; Young, Susan E.; Hewitt, John. K.

2011-01-01

The present study examined the role of positive parenting on externalizing behaviors in a longitudinal, genetically informative sample. It often is assumed that positive parenting prevents behavior problems in children via an environmentally mediated process. Alternatively, the association may be due to either an evocative gene-environment correlation, in which parents react to children’s genetically-influenced behavior in a positive way, or a passive gene-environment correlation, where parents passively transmit a risk environment and the genetic risk factor for the behavioral outcome to their children. The present study estimated the contribution of these processes in the association between positive parenting and children’s externalizing behavior. Positive parenting was assessed via observations at ages 7, 9, 14, 24, and 36 months and externalizing behaviors were assessed through parent report at ages 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12 years. The significant association between positive parenting and externalizing behavior was negative, with children of mothers who showed significantly more positive parenting during toddlerhood having lower levels of externalizing behavior in childhood; however, there was not adequate power to distinguish whether this covariation was due to genetic, shared environmental, or nonshared environmental influences. PMID:22577341

Genetic and Environmental Associations Between Procrastination and Internalizing/Externalizing Psychopathology.

PubMed

Gustavson, Daniel E; du Pont, Alta; Hatoum, Alexander S; Hyun Rhee, Soo; Kremen, William S; Hewitt, John K; Friedman, Naomi P

2017-09-01

Recent work on procrastination has begun to unravel the genetic and environmental correlates of this problematic behavior. However, little is known about how strongly procrastination is associated with internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, and the extent to which shared genetic/environmental factors or relevant personality constructs (e.g., fear of failure, impulsivity, and neuroticism) can inform the structure of these associations. The current study examined data from 764 young adult twins who completed questionnaires assessing procrastination and personality and structured interviews regarding psychopathology symptoms. Results indicated that procrastination was positively correlated with both internalizing and externalizing latent variables, and that these correlations were driven by shared genetic influences. Moreover, the association between procrastination and internalizing was accounted for by fear of failure and neuroticism, whereas the association between procrastination and externalizing was primarily explained by impulsivity. The role of procrastination in psychopathology is discussed using a framework that highlights common and broadband-specific variance.

Effects of environmental biomass-producing factors on Cd uptake in two Swedish ecotypes of Pinus sylvestris.

PubMed

Ekvall, Lars; Greger, Maria

2003-01-01

A factorial design was used to study direct effects of external biomass-producing factors such as light, temperature and photoperiod on cadmium (Cd) uptake and indirect effects, via change in biomass production in two ecotypes of Scots pine (Pinus silvestris). The aim was to find out if the external factors affect the Cd uptake directly or via change in biomass production, and if the effect differs between ecotypes. Seedlings were grown under 10 combinations of external factors, i.e. temperature (15 and 20 degrees C), light intensity (50 and 200 micromol photons m(-2) S(-1)), photoperiod (18 h light/8 h darkness and continuous light) and external Cd concentration (totally 1.88 and 7.50 micromol). The treatment lasted for 18 days and Cd concentrations in roots and shoots were determined by AAS. The results showed that an increased biomass production increased the total Cd uptake but had a dilution effect on the Cd concentration, especially in the root tissues. The external factors tested did not have any direct effects on the Cd untake, only in the case of Cd translocation to the shoot did the higher temperature show a direct increase, but only in the southern ecotype. The two ecotypes reacted differently in Cd uptake and translocation to the external factors studied. The relative Cd uptake creased with increasing photoperiod in the northern but not in the southern ecotype. The southern ecotype decreased the Cd concentration in the shoot with increased light intensity caused by a dilution effect due to extensive shoot growth of this ecotype. The conclusion is that the uptake in pine seedlings is mainly regulated via biomass production, and not directly by light and temperature and that resulting plant Cd contents to a certain extent depend on plant origin.

Integrative Lifecourse and Genetic Analysis of Military Working Dogs

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

done as the samples are collected in order to avoid experimental variability and batch effects . Detailed description and discussion of this task...associated loss of power to detect all associations but those of large effect sizes) and latent variables (e.g., population structure – addressed in...processes associated with tissue development and maintenance are thus grouped with external environmental effects . This in turn suggests how those

Misalignment with the external light environment drives metabolic and cardiac dysfunction.

PubMed

West, Alexander C; Smith, Laura; Ray, David W; Loudon, Andrew S I; Brown, Timothy M; Bechtold, David A

2017-09-12

Most organisms use internal biological clocks to match behavioural and physiological processes to specific phases of the day-night cycle. Central to this is the synchronisation of internal processes across multiple organ systems. Environmental desynchrony (e.g. shift work) profoundly impacts human health, increasing cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we characterise the impact of desynchrony between the internal clock and the external light-dark (LD) cycle on mammalian physiology. We reveal that even under stable LD environments, phase misalignment has a profound effect, with decreased metabolic efficiency and disrupted cardiac function including prolonged QT interval duration. Importantly, physiological dysfunction is not driven by disrupted core clock function, nor by an internal desynchrony between organs, but rather the altered phase relationship between the internal clockwork and the external environment. We suggest phase misalignment as a major driver of pathologies associated with shift work, chronotype and social jetlag.The misalignment between internal circadian rhythm and the day-night cycle can be caused by genetic, behavioural and environmental factors, and may have a profound impact on human physiology. Here West et al. show that desynchrony between the internal clock and the external environment alter metabolic parameters and cardiac function in mice.

Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur - Environmental Criteria (Second External Review Draft, Aug 2008)

EPA Science Inventory

EPA has announced that the Second External Review Draft of the Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur - Environmental Criteria has been made available for independent peer review and public review. This draft ISA document represents a conci...

Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur - Environmental Criteria (First External Review Draft, Dec 2007)

EPA Science Inventory

EPA is announcing that the First External Review Draft of the Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur – Environmental Criteria has been made available for independent peer review and public review. This draft ISA document represents a concise ...

The Necessity of Environmental Scanning Prior to Long-Range Planning Activities at Higher Education Institutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Handy, Ty J.

Formal environmental scanning procedures can provide key administrators of higher education institutions with valuable external information regarding both the probability and impact of external trends and forces. Such information may then be used in various strategic planning stages including scenario development, institutional mission and goals…

Radiological assessment. A textbook on environmental dose analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Till, J.E.; Meyer, H.R.

1983-09-01

Radiological assessment is the quantitative process of estimating the consequences to humans resulting from the release of radionuclides to the biosphere. It is a multidisciplinary subject requiring the expertise of a number of individuals in order to predict source terms, describe environmental transport, calculate internal and external dose, and extrapolate dose to health effects. Up to this time there has been available no comprehensive book describing, on a uniform and comprehensive level, the techniques and models used in radiological assessment. Radiological Assessment is based on material presented at the 1980 Health Physics Society Summer School held in Seattle, Washington. Themore » material has been expanded and edited to make it comprehensive in scope and useful as a text. Topics covered include (1) source terms for nuclear facilities and Medical and Industrial sites; (2) transport of radionuclides in the atmosphere; (3) transport of radionuclides in surface waters; (4) transport of radionuclides in groundwater; (5) terrestrial and aquatic food chain pathways; (6) reference man; a system for internal dose calculations; (7) internal dosimetry; (8) external dosimetry; (9) models for special-case radionuclides; (10) calculation of health effects in irradiated populations; (11) evaluation of uncertainties in environmental radiological assessment models; (12) regulatory standards for environmental releases of radionuclides; (13) development of computer codes for radiological assessment; and (14) assessment of accidental releases of radionuclides.« less

Environmental damage costs from airborne pollution of industrial activities in the greater Athens, Greece area and the resulting benefits from the introduction of BAT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mirasgedis, S.; Hontou, V.; Georgopoulou, E.

2008-01-15

Attributing costs to the environmental impacts associated with industrial activities can greatly assist in protecting human health and the natural environment as monetary values are capable of directly influencing technological and policy decisions without changing the rules of the market. This paper attempts to estimate the external cost attributable to the atmospheric pollution from 'medium and high environmental burden' industrial activities located in the greater Athens area and the benefits from Best Available Techniques (BAT) introduction. To this end a number of typical installations were defined to be used in conjunction with the Impact Pathway Approach developed in the contextmore » of the ExternE project to model all industrial sectors/sub-sectors located in the area of interest. Total environmental externalities due to air pollutants emitted by these industrial activities were found to reach 211 M Euro per year, associated mainly with human mortality and morbidity due to PM{sub 10} emissions, as well as with climate change impacts due to CO{sub 2} emissions for which non-metallic minerals and oil processing industries are the main sources. The results obtained can be used as the basis for an integrated evaluation of potential BAT, taking into account not only private costs and benefits but also the environmental externalities, thus leading to policy decisions that maximize social welfare in each industrial sector/sub-sector.« less

Interaction of Low Frequency External Electric Fields and Pancreatic β-Cell: A Mathematical Modeling Approach to Identify the Influence of Excitation Parameters.

PubMed

Farashi, Sajjad; Sasanpour, Pezhman; Rafii-Tabar, Hashem

2018-05-24

Purpose-Although the effect of electromagnetic fields on biological systems has attracted attraction in recent years, there has not been any conclusive result concerning the effects of interaction and the underlying mechanisms involved. Besides the complexity of biological systems, the parameters of the applied electromagnetic field have not been estimated in most of the experiments. Material and Method-In this study, we have used computational approach in order to find the excitation parameters of an external electric field which produces sensible effects in the function of insulin secretory machinery, whose failure triggers the diabetes disease. A mathematical model of the human β-cell has been used and the effects of external electric fields with different amplitudes, frequencies and wave shapes have been studied. Results-The results from our simulations show that the external electric field can influence the membrane electrical activity and perhaps the insulin secretion when its amplitude exceeds a threshold value. Furthermore, our simulations reveal that different waveforms have distinct effects on the β-cell membrane electrical activity and the characteristic features of the excitation like frequency would change the interaction mechanism. Conclusion-The results could help the researchers to investigate the possible role of the environmental electromagnetic fields on the promotion of diabetes disease.

IRIS Toxicological Review of Benzene (Noncancer Effects) (1998 External Review Draft)

EPA Science Inventory

Benzene is a widely used as an industrial solvent, an intermediate in chemical synthesis of commercial products, and a component of gasoline. The potential for human exposure via inhalation, dermal, and oral routes is great under environmental and occupational situations. The U.S...

Regional Monitoring Networks to Detect Climate Change Effects in Stream Ecosystems (External Review Draft)

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) is working with its regional offices, states, tribes, and other entities to establish Regional Monitoring Networks (RMNs) at which biological, thermal, and hydrologic data will be collected from freshwater wadeable stre...

EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL CARCINOGENICITY OF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS (EXTERNAL REVIEW DRAFT)

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is posting on this web site a draft document related to the potential adverse human health effects resulting from exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). This document was never finalized after EPA activities were discon...

Innovative Approaches for Urban Watershed Management Wet-Weather Flow Management and Control

EPA Science Inventory

The overall objective of this project was to identify innovative strategies for managing the effects of wet-weather flow (WWF) control and failing infrastructure in an urban setting. The intent was to establish areas where external information can benefit US Environmental Protec...

Externalizing problems, attention regulation, and household chaos: a longitudinal behavioral genetic study.

PubMed

Wang, Zhe; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Petrill, Stephen A; Thompson, Lee A

2012-08-01

Previous research documented a robust link between difficulties in self-regulation and development of externalizing problems (i.e., aggression and delinquency). In this study, we examined the longitudinal additive and interactive genetic and environmental covariation underlying this well-established link using a twin design. The sample included 131 pairs of monozygotic twins and 173 pairs of same-sex dizygotic twins who participated in three waves of annual assessment. Mothers and fathers provided reports of externalizing problems. Teacher report and observer rating were used to assess twin's attention regulation. The etiology underlying the link between externalizing problems and attention regulation shifted from a common genetic mechanism to a common environmental mechanism in the transition across middle childhood. Household chaos moderated the genetic variance of and covariance between externalizing problems and attention regulation. The genetic influence on individual differences in both externalizing problems and attention regulation was stronger in more chaotic households. However, higher levels of household chaos attenuated the genetic link between externalizing problems and attention regulation.

Externalizing problems, attention regulation, and household chaos: A longitudinal behavioral genetic study

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhe; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Petrill, Stephen A.; Thompson, Lee A.

2015-01-01

Previous research has documented a robust link between difficulties in self-regulation and development of externalizing problems (i.e., aggression and delinquency). In the current study, we examined the longitudinal additive and interactive genetic and environmental covariation underlying this well-established link using a twin design. The sample included 131 pairs of monozygotic twins and 173 pairs of same-sex dizygotic twins who participated in three waves of annual assessment. Mothers and fathers provided reports of externalizing problems. Teacher report and observer rating were used to assess twin’s attention regulation. The etiology underlying the link between externalizing problems and attention regulation shifted from a common genetic mechanism to a common environmental mechanism in the transition across middle childhood. Household chaos moderated the genetic variance of and covariance between externalizing problems and attention regulation. The genetic influence on individual differences in both externalizing problems and attention regulation was stronger in more chaotic household. However, higher levels of household chaos attenuated the genetic link between externalizing problems and attention regulation. PMID:22781853

Child Neglect and the Development of Externalizing Behavior Problems: Associations with Maternal Drug Dependence and Neighborhood Crime

PubMed Central

Manly, Jody Todd; Oshri, Assaf; Lynch, Michael; Herzog, Margaret; Wortel, Sanne

2013-01-01

Given the high prevalence of child neglect among maltreatment subtypes, and its association with exposure to additional environmental adversity, understanding the processes that potentiate child neglect and link neglect to subsequent child externalizing psychopathology may shed light on key targets for preventive intervention. Among 170 urban low-income children (ages four-nine years) and their mothers, this five-year prospective study examined the effects of early neglect severity and maternal substance abuse, as well as neighborhood crime, on children’s later externalizing behavior problems. Severity of child neglect (up to age six years) mediated the relation between maternal drug dependence diagnosis, determined at children’s age of four, and children’s externalizing behavior problems at age nine. Rates of neighborhood crime mediated the link between presence of child neglect and children’s externalizing behavior problems. The roles of maternal drug dependence diagnosis, child neglect, and community violence in the development of child psychopathology are discussed in terms of their implications for intervention. PMID:23136210

Environmental trade-offs of tunnels vs cut-and-cover subways

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walton, M.

1978-01-01

Heavy construction projects in cities entail two kinds of cost - internal cost, which can be defined in terms of payments from one set of parties to another, and external cost, which is the cost borne by the community at large as the result of disutilities entailed in construction and operation. Environmental trade-offs involve external costs, which are commonly difficult to measure. Cut-and-cover subway construction probably entails higher external and internal cost than deep tunnel construction in many urban geological environments, but uncertainty concerning the costs and environmental trade-offs of tunneling leads to limited and timid use of tunneling by American designers. Thus uncertainty becomes a major trade-off which works against tunneling. The reverse is true in Sweden after nearly 30 years of subway construction. Econometric methods for measuring external costs exist in principle, but are limited in application. Economic theory based on market pressure does not address the real problem of urban environmental trade-offs. Nevertheless, the problem of uncertainty can be addressed by comparative studies of estimated and as-built costs of cut-and-cover vs tunnel projects and a review of environmental issues associated with such construction. Such a study would benefit the underground construction industry and the design of transportation systems. It would also help solve an aspect of the urban problem. ?? 1978.

Stakeholder demands and corporate environmental coping strategies in China.

PubMed

Liu, Ning; Tang, Shui-Yan; Lo, Carlos Wing-Hung; Zhan, Xueyong

2016-01-01

This paper examines how stakeholder demand and compliance capacity jointly shape corporate environmental coping strategies and subsequently environmental protection practices. A four-dimensional classification of coping strategies-formalism, accommodation, referencing, and self-determination-is conceptualized. Drawing on survey and interview data collected from manufacturing enterprises in China between 2010 and 2012, the paper shows that compared with formalism and accommodation, coping strategies of referencing and self-determination are associated with stronger environmental protection practices. Enterprises adjust their coping strategies by taking into account the constraints defined by both their internal and external environments. The results also demonstrate the potential synergetic effects of state and non-state stakeholders working together in promoting better corporate environmental coping strategies and environmental practices in China. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Southwest Hispanic Community -- The Absence of Homeland Security Threats

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

The capacity to act collectively is based upon internal environmental factors, such as leadership, level of available resources, group size, and...degree of internal organization. External environmental factors include the level of societal repression, extent of external sympathizers and number and...states: California (Mexicans, Salvadorans and Guatemalans), Florida (Cubans, Colombians , Hondurans and Peruvians) or New York (Puerto Ricans

ISERV Pathfinder. The ISS SERVIR Environmental Research and Visualization System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howell, Burgess

2011-01-01

SERVIR integrates Earth observations (e.g., space imagery), predictive models, and in situ data to provide timely information products to support environmental decision makers. ISERV propoesed development -- ISERV-W: Internal Visible/Near-Infrared (VNIR), attached to ISS via Window Observational Research Facility (WORF), ISERV-E: External Visible/Broad-Infrared (V/IR) and ISERV-PM: External Passive Microwave.

Communicating Environment, Health, and Safety Information to Internal and External Audiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Thomas S.

1995-01-01

Argues that today's corporation must keep informed a wide range of individuals who have a stake in environment, health, and safety issues. Describes four elements of an effective communications program for doing so: electronic media to communicate technical information, environmental and safety audits, public communications with company…

A decision-aid framework to provide guidance for the enhanced use of best available techniques in industry.

PubMed

Georgopoulou, E; Mirasgedis, S; Sarafidis, Y; Hontou, V; Gakis, N; Lalas, D P; Loukatos, A; Gargoulas, N; Mentzis, A; Economidis, D; Triantafilopoulos, T; Korizi, K; Mavrotas, G

2007-09-01

Best Available Techniques (BATs) contribute significantly to the reduction of industrial environmental burdens with respect to air pollution, wastewater, and solid wastes. In Europe, the application of BATs is prescribed by Directive 96/61/EC, which, however, leaves the selection of specific BATs to plant operators. In making their choices, installations have to consider not only the environmental benefits of BATs, but also all relevant cost components. In assessing the economic attractiveness of potential BATs and their combinations, as well as incentives and disincentives to be instituted, the cost of environmental externalities, usually not reflected in market prices, should be taken into account. In this paper, a decision-aid framework combining an assessment of environmental externalities and the utilization of multicriteria methods and, more specifically, Multiobjective Mathematical Programming, capable of addressing all these issues in a comprehensive and coherent manner, is presented. This is illustrated by its application for the region of Attica in Greece, where over 50% of the industrial basis and Athens, with its 4 million inhabitants, are located. The implementation of the framework and its associated tools to 800 installations led to the identification of the specific BATs, alone or in combination, that provide the most cost-effective reductions of four air pollutants (PM10, SO(2), NO(x), VOC) and CO(2). The results also clearly demonstrate the increased pollution reductions that would result from the adoption of BATs made economically attractive by the inclusion of externalities. Estimates of investments and net present values with and without incentives/disincentives are also provided.

Prenatal alcohol and other early childhood adverse exposures: Direct and indirect pathways to adolescent drinking

PubMed Central

Cornelius, Marie D.; De Genna, Natacha M.; Goldschmidt, Lidush; Larkby, Cynthia; Day, Nancy L.

2016-01-01

We examined direct and indirect pathways between adverse environmental exposures during gestation and childhood and drinking in mid-adolescence. Mothers and their offspring (n = 917 mother/child dyads) were followed prospectively from second trimester to a 16-year follow-up assessment. Interim assessments occurred at delivery, 6, 10, and 14 years. Adverse environmental factors included gestational exposures to alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana, exposures to childhood maltreatment and violence, maternal psychological symptoms, parenting practices, economic and home environments, and demographic characteristics of the mother and child. Indirect effects of early child behavioral characteristics including externalizing, internalizing activity, attention, and impulsivity were also examined. Polytomous logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate direct effects of adverse environmental exposures with level of adolescent drinking. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to simultaneously estimate the relation between early adversity variables, childhood characteristics, and drinking level at age 16 while controlling for significant covariates. Level of drinking among the adolescent offspring was directly predicted by prenatal exposure to alcohol, less parental strictness, and exposures to maltreatment and violence during childhood. Whites and offspring with older mothers were more likely to drink at higher levels. There was a significant indirect effect between childhood exposure to violence and adolescent drinking via childhood externalizing behavior problems. All other hypothesized indirect pathways were not significant. Thus most of the early adversity measures directly predicted adolescent drinking and did not operate via childhood behavioral dysregulation characteristics. These results highlight the importance of adverse environmental exposures on pathways to adolescent drinking. PMID:26994529

Adolescent externalizing behaviour, psychological control, and peer rejection: Transactional links and dopaminergic moderation.

PubMed

Janssens, Annelies; Van Den Noortgate, Wim; Goossens, Luc; Verschueren, Karine; Colpin, Hilde; Claes, Stephan; Van Heel, Martijn; Van Leeuwen, Karla

2017-09-01

This study investigated (1) reciprocal links among parental psychological control, peer rejection, and adolescent externalizing (aggressive and rule-breaking behaviour), and (2) the moderating effect of an adolescent genetic factor (biologically informed polygenic score for dopamine signalling). Three-year longitudinal data from 1,116 adolescents (51% boys; M age = 13.79) and their parents included psychological measures (adolescent-reported psychological control, peer-reported rejection, and parent-reported aggressive and rule-breaking behaviour). Cross-lagged analyses showed bidirectional effects between psychological control and both aggressive and rule-breaking behaviour and a unidirectional effect of peer rejection on both forms of problem behaviour over time. Multigroup structural equation modelling revealed genetic moderation only for rule-breaking behaviour: for adolescents with intermediate levels of dopamine signalling significant environmental effects were present, whereas adolescent effects of rule-breaking behaviour on psychological control were significant for adolescents with both intermediate and high profiles and effects on peer rejection only for adolescents with high dopamine profiles. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Parental psychological control is related to adolescent externalizing problems. Experiencing peer rejection reinforces aggressive and rule-breaking behaviour. Single-gene studies show that dopaminergic genes influence externalizing problems directly or in interaction with the environment. What does this study add? Parental psychological control and adolescent aggressive and rule-breaking behaviour exacerbate one another longitudinally. Longitudinal associations between peer rejection and both subtypes of externalizing behaviour are unidirectional. With a polygenic approach, dopaminergic moderation is present for rule-breaking behaviour only. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Valuing environmental health for informed policy-making.

PubMed

Máca, Vojtěch; Melichar, Jan; Ščasný, Milan; Kohlová, Markéta Braun

2017-03-01

Monetized environmental health impact assessments help to better evaluate the environmental burden of a wide range of economic activities. Apart from the limitations and uncertainties in physical and biological science used in such assessments, assumptions taken from economic valuation may also substantially influence subsequent policy-making considerations. This study attempts to demonstrate the impact of normative policy assumptions on quantified external costs using a case study of recently discussed variants of future coal mining and use of extracted coal in electricity and heat generation in the Czech Republic. A bottom-up impact-pathway approach is used for quantification of external costs. Several policy perspectives are elaborated for aggregating impacts that differ in geographic coverage and in how valuation of quantified impacts is adjusted in a particular perspective. We find that the fraction of monetized external impacts taken into policy-making considerations may vary according to choice of decision perspective up to a factor of 10. At present there are virtually no hard rules for defining geographical boundaries or adjusting values for a summation of monetized environmental impacts. We, however, stress that any rigorous external cost assessment should, for instance in a separate calculation, take account of impacts occurring beyond country borders.

Environmental surveillance at Los Alamos during 1994

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-07-01

This report describes environmental monitoring activities at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 1994. Data were collected to assess external penetrating radiation, airborne emissions, liquid effluents, radioactivity of environmental materials and food stuffs, and environmental compliance.

Intelligent rear light for compensation of environmental effects on car visibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gruner, Roman; Schubert, Jorg

2004-01-01

LIDAR remote sensing technology has not only applications in geographical, atmospheric or biological sciences but it can also play an important role in the everyday life. Within the last 10 years statistics of European car traffic has shown that about one third of all accidents go back to darkness and poor road conditions. A system collecting information about visibility and distance to following vehicles and setting appropriate rear light intensities could provide a much safer road travel under various environmental conditions. The system that is being developed co-operates with a dirt and brightness sensor to take into account these various external influences on an automobile and applies them to the operation of the rear light. The developed sensors are integrated in an advanced micro-system and capable of providing external environmental data for automatic brightness control within a requested range of light output for constant perceptibility of light signals to the following traffic. This conference gives further information about: (1) construction, optical and laser parameters, (2) application in rear light systems, (3) measurement characteristics, (4) test equipment (LIDAR_Probe), (5) measurement results, test rides, raw data.

Biomarker discovery study design for type 1 diabetes in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study.

PubMed

Lee, Hye-Seung; Burkhardt, Brant R; McLeod, Wendy; Smith, Susan; Eberhard, Chris; Lynch, Kristian; Hadley, David; Rewers, Marian; Simell, Olli; She, Jin-Xiong; Hagopian, Bill; Lernmark, Ake; Akolkar, Beena; Ziegler, Anette G; Krischer, Jeffrey P

2014-07-01

The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young planned biomarker discovery studies on longitudinal samples for persistent confirmed islet cell autoantibodies and type 1 diabetes using dietary biomarkers, metabolomics, microbiome/viral metagenomics and gene expression. This article describes the details of planning The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young biomarker discovery studies using a nested case-control design that was chosen as an alternative to the full cohort analysis. In the frame of a nested case-control design, it guides the choice of matching factors, selection of controls, preparation of external quality control samples and reduction of batch effects along with proper sample allocation. Our design is to reduce potential bias and retain study power while reducing the costs by limiting the numbers of samples requiring laboratory analyses. It also covers two primary end points (the occurrence of diabetes-related autoantibodies and the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes). The resulting list of case-control matched samples for each laboratory was augmented with external quality control samples. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Delayed effects of low level acute irradiation and chronic environmental radioactive contamination on DNA lymphocytes of people living in Dolon, a settlement located in the vicinity of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (Kazakhstan).

PubMed

Chenal, C; Legue, F; Nourgalieva, K

2006-10-01

During 42 years several hundred nuclear tests were performed by the former USSR at the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS, Kazakhstan), of which more than 100 were done in the atmosphere. We report here the late genetic damage of external exposure to radiation and environmental radioactive contamination in people living in Dolon, a small settlement situated in the vicinity of the STS. The comet assay was applied on DNA lymphocytes of 20 exposed women and 32 non-exposed women living at 500 km from the STS. We observed a statistically significant difference between the exposed and control groups for mean tail moment (MTM) and DNA% in the tail. The mean values of all comet assay parameters (MTM, DNA% in the tail and score) were higher in the group of women born before 1949 as compared to those born after 1950, which could reflect an effect of external irradiation in 1949 due to the most contaminating explosion. These results suggest that people exposed 50 years ago to relatively small doses of external irradiation and/or still living in an environment contaminated by small amounts of long life radionuclides, still present DNA damage which is in agreement with other cytogenetical studies performed at the same site, on the same population.

Generic model of morphological changes in growing colonies of fungi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López, Juan M.; Jensen, Henrik J.

2002-02-01

Fungal colonies are able to exhibit different morphologies depending on the environmental conditions. This allows them to cope with and adapt to external changes. When grown in solid or semisolid media the bulk of the colony is compact and several morphological transitions have been reported to occur as the external conditions are varied. Here we show how a unified simple mathematical model, which includes the effect of the accumulation of toxic metabolites, can account for the morphological changes observed. Our numerical results are in excellent agreement with experiments carried out with the fungus Aspergillus oryzae on solid agar.

Behind the Wheel and on the Map: Genetic and Environmental Associations between Drunk Driving and Other Externalizing Behaviors

PubMed Central

Quinn, Patrick D.; Harden, K. Paige

2013-01-01

Drunk driving, a major contributor to alcohol-related mortality, has been linked to a variety of other alcohol-related (e.g., Alcohol Dependence, early age at first drink) and non-alcohol-related externalizing behaviors. In a sample of 517 same-sex twin pairs from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we examined three conceptualizations of the etiology of drunk driving in relation to other externalizing behaviors. A series of behavioral-genetic models found consistent evidence for drunk driving as a manifestation of genetic vulnerabilities toward a spectrum of alcohol-related and non-alcohol-related externalizing behaviors. Most notably, multidimensional scaling analyses produced a genetic “map” with drunk driving located near its center, supporting the strength of drunk driving’s genetic relations with a broad range of externalizing behaviors. In contrast, non-shared environmental associations with drunk driving were weaker and more diffuse. Drunk driving may be a manifestation of genetic vulnerabilities toward a broad externalizing spectrum. PMID:24128260

Survival behavior in the cyclic Lotka-Volterra model with a randomly switching reaction rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

West, Robert; Mobilia, Mauro; Rucklidge, Alastair M.

2018-02-01

We study the influence of a randomly switching reproduction-predation rate on the survival behavior of the nonspatial cyclic Lotka-Volterra model, also known as the zero-sum rock-paper-scissors game, used to metaphorically describe the cyclic competition between three species. In large and finite populations, demographic fluctuations (internal noise) drive two species to extinction in a finite time, while the species with the smallest reproduction-predation rate is the most likely to be the surviving one (law of the weakest). Here we model environmental (external) noise by assuming that the reproduction-predation rate of the strongest species (the fastest to reproduce and predate) in a given static environment randomly switches between two values corresponding to more and less favorable external conditions. We study the joint effect of environmental and demographic noise on the species survival probabilities and on the mean extinction time. In particular, we investigate whether the survival probabilities follow the law of the weakest and analyze their dependence on the external noise intensity and switching rate. Remarkably, when, on average, there is a finite number of switches prior to extinction, the survival probability of the predator of the species whose reaction rate switches typically varies nonmonotonically with the external noise intensity (with optimal survival about a critical noise strength). We also outline the relationship with the case where all reaction rates switch on markedly different time scales.

Rural Poor Economies and Foreign Investors: An Opportunity or a Risk?

PubMed Central

Antoci, Angelo; Russu, Paolo; Ticci, Elisa

2014-01-01

In the current age of commercial and financial openness, remote and poor local economies are becoming increasingly exposed to inflows of external capital. The new investors - enjoying lower credit constraints than local dwellers - might play a propulsive role in local development. At the same time, inflows of external capital can have negative impacts on local natural resource-dependent activities. We analyze a two-sector model where both sectors damage the environment, but only that of domestic producers relies on natural resources. We assess under which conditions the coexistence of the two sectors is compatible with sustainability, defined as convergence to a stationary state characterized by a positive stock of the natural resource. Moreover, we find that capital inflows can be stimulated by an increase in the pollution intensity of incoming activities, but also in the pollution intensity of the domestic sector; in both cases, capital inflows generate environmental degradation and a decrease in welfare for the local population. Finally, we show that a reduction in the cost of capital for external investors and the consequent capital inflows have the effect to increase wages, local investments and welfare of the local populations only if the environmental impact of the external sector is relatively low with respect to that of local activities. Otherwise, an unexpected scenario characterized by a reduction in domestic capital accumulation and the impoverishment of local agents can occur. PMID:25506694

PLAN or get SLAM'ed: Optimal management of invasive species in the presence of indirect health externalities.

PubMed

Jones, Benjamin A; McDermott, Shana M; Chermak, Janie M

2016-09-15

This paper examines invasive species management when invasive species impact health outcomes indirectly through changes to environmental quality. For example, the emerald ash borer (EAB) has destroyed millions of ash trees throughout North America and has the potential to impact rates of cardiorespiratory mortality and morbidity through ash trees' ability to capture airborne pollutants. Optimal management inclusive of indirect health externalities may be different than status quo plans because the links between nature and health are complex, dynamic, and spatially heterogeneous. We produce a novel dynamic bioeconomic-health model to determine optimal EAB management in the face of such health effects. Our results show that including health increases net benefits of management substantially and that a "one size fits all" management approach is suboptimal given forest cover and demographic spatial heterogeneity. Net benefits to society are 873% higher and air pollution related mortality incidence is 82% lower when health externalities are included in management profiles using insecticide treatments and non-ash tree preemptive plantings without removal. Additionally, constrained managers optimally substitute toward preemptive tree plantings and away from insecticide use in the presence of indirect health externalities as a way to minimize disruptions to air quality. This paper has policy implications for the optimal management of environmental amenities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rural poor economies and foreign investors: an opportunity or a risk?

PubMed

Antoci, Angelo; Russu, Paolo; Ticci, Elisa

2014-01-01

In the current age of commercial and financial openness, remote and poor local economies are becoming increasingly exposed to inflows of external capital. The new investors - enjoying lower credit constraints than local dwellers - might play a propulsive role in local development. At the same time, inflows of external capital can have negative impacts on local natural resource-dependent activities. We analyze a two-sector model where both sectors damage the environment, but only that of domestic producers relies on natural resources. We assess under which conditions the coexistence of the two sectors is compatible with sustainability, defined as convergence to a stationary state characterized by a positive stock of the natural resource. Moreover, we find that capital inflows can be stimulated by an increase in the pollution intensity of incoming activities, but also in the pollution intensity of the domestic sector; in both cases, capital inflows generate environmental degradation and a decrease in welfare for the local population. Finally, we show that a reduction in the cost of capital for external investors and the consequent capital inflows have the effect to increase wages, local investments and welfare of the local populations only if the environmental impact of the external sector is relatively low with respect to that of local activities. Otherwise, an unexpected scenario characterized by a reduction in domestic capital accumulation and the impoverishment of local agents can occur.

Effect of inertia properties on attitude stability of nonrigid spin-stabilized spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lang, W. E.; Young, J. P.

1974-01-01

The phenomenon of energy dissipation in spinning spacecraft is discussed with particular reference to its dependence on spacecraft inertia properties. Specific dissipation mechanisms are identified. The effect of external environmental factors on spin stability is also discussed. Generalized curves are presented relating system stability to the principal inertia ratio for various forms of energy dissipation. Dual-spin systems and the effect of lateral inertia asymmetry are also reviewed.

Crying without a cause and being easily upset in two-year-olds: heritability and predictive power of behavioral problems.

PubMed

Groen-Blokhuis, Maria M; Middeldorp, Christel M; M van Beijsterveldt, Catharina E; Boomsma, Dorret I

2011-10-01

In order to estimate the influence of genetic and environmental factors on 'crying without a cause' and 'being easily upset' in 2-year-old children, a large twin study was carried out. Prospective data were available for ~18,000 2-year-old twin pairs from the Netherlands Twin Register. A bivariate genetic analysis was performed using structural equation modeling in the Mx software package. The influence of maternal personality characteristics and demographic and lifestyle factors was tested to identify specific risk factors that may underlie the shared environment of twins. Furthermore, it was tested whether crying without a cause and being easily upset were predictive of later internalizing, externalizing and attention problems. Crying without a cause yielded a heritability estimate of 60% in boys and girls. For easily upset, the heritability was estimated at 43% in boys and 31% in girls. The variance explained by shared environment varied between 35% and 63%. The correlation between crying without a cause and easily upset (r = .36) was explained both by genetic and shared environmental factors. Birth cohort, gestational age, socioeconomic status, parental age, parental smoking behavior and alcohol use during pregnancy did not explain the shared environmental component. Neuroticism of the mother explained a small proportion of the additive genetic, but not of the shared environmental effects for easily upset. Crying without a cause and being easily upset at age 2 were predictive of internalizing, externalizing and attention problems at age 7, with effect sizes of .28-.42. A large influence of shared environmental factors on crying without a cause and easily upset was detected. Although these effects could be specific to these items, we could not explain them by personality characteristics of the mother or by demographic and lifestyle factors, and we recognize that these effects may reflect other maternal characteristics. A substantial influence of genetic factors was found for the two items, which are predictive of later behavioral problems.

76 FR 20974 - Implications of Climate Change for Bioassessment Programs and Approaches To Account for Effects

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-14

.... SUMMARY: EPA is announcing that Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG), an EPA contractor for external... National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA's Office of Research and Development. The... plans under changing conditions. The results of the study support research needs and key actions...

Megatrends in Public Relations: Some Proposed Responses for Public Relations Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aronoff, Craig E.; Baskin, Otis W.

Ten areas of change, or megatrends, are transforming the practice of public relations. First is the change from manipulation to effective adaptation to environmental demands, constraints, and opportunities. Second, the role of the public relations practitioner is changing from external counselor to internal team member and leader. Third is the…

Mental Health Training

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

performance. The model integrates the roles of internal (personal) and external ( environmental ) resources specifically for developing , sustaining, and... through these systems. Conclusion Adult education and adult learning is most effective when curriculum is experienced- based and the instructor...synthesis, integration and validation of knowledge derived through the scientific method. In NATO, S&T is addressed using different business models

The Preservation and Restoration of Paper Records and Books: A RAMP Study with Guidelines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crespo, Carmen; Vinas, Vicente

Intended for archivists and librarians, especially in developing countries, this study details the systems and principles important in planning and implementing a program for the preservation and restoration of paper documents and books. The importance of environmental (external) causes and effects of paper deterioration are discussed as well as…

The Effects of Mountaintop Mines and Valley Fills on Aquatic Ecosystems of the Central Appalachian Coalfields (External Review Draft)

EPA Science Inventory

This report assesses the state of the science on the environmental impacts of mountaintop mines and valley fills (MTM-VF) on streams in the Central Appalachian Coalfields. Our review focused on the aquatic impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining, which, as its name suggests, ...

An Application of Attribution Theory to Developing Self-Esteem in Learning Disabled Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tollefson, Nona; And Others

The effect of an attribution retraining program intended to teach 35 learning disabled (LD) junior high school students to attribute achievement outcomes to the internal factor of effort was examined in the study. The research was concerned with LD adolescents' perceptions of personal (internal) and environmental (external) causality as…

78 FR 13054 - Announcement of the Board of Directors for the National Environmental Education Foundation

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-26

... National Environmental Education Foundation AGENCY: Office of External Affairs and Environmental Education, Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) was created by Section 10 of Public Law 101-619, the National Environmental Education Act of 1990. It...

Are there shared environmental influences on adolescent behavior? Evidence from a study of adoptive siblings.

PubMed

Buchanan, Jacob P; McGue, Matt; Keyes, Margaret; Iacono, William G

2009-09-01

The failure to identify specific non-shared environmental influences on behavior coupled with the belief that shared environmental factors contribute minimally to individual differences in behavior has led to the concern that major environmental determinants of behavior may be idiosyncratic, and therefore undetectable. We used data on adoptive (N = 246) and biologically related (N = 130) same-sex sibling pairs (mean ages = 16.1 years older sibling; 13.8 years younger sibling) from the Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study (SIBS) to determine whether non-idiosyncratic environmental factors shared by siblings contributed to individual differences in a diverse set of behavioral outcomes. Evidence for shared environmental influence was sought for eight composite measures covering a wide array of adolescent functioning: Academic Achievement, Total IQ, Substance Use Disorders, Externalizing Disorders, Internalizing Disorders, Peer Groups, Disinhibited Personality, and Negative Emotionality. For six of eight composites, significant shared environmental effects, accounting for 14-22% of the variance, were observed for these same-sex sibling pairs. These findings support the use of adoptive sibling designs to directly estimate shared environmental effects and implicate the existence of systematic environmental influences on behavior that are potentially detectable.

Structure and Etiology of Co-Occurring Internalizing and Externalizing Disorders in Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cosgrove, Victoria E.; Rhee, Soo H.; Gelhorn, Heather L.; Boeldt, Debra; Corley, Robin C.; Ehringer, Marissa A.; Young, Susan E.; Hewitt, John K.

2011-01-01

Several studies suggest that a two-factor model positing internalizing and externalizing factors explains the interrelationships among psychiatric disorders. However, it is unclear whether the covariation between internalizing and externalizing disorders is due to common genetic or environmental influences. We examined whether a model positing two…

A Method to Test the Effect of Environmental Cues on Mating Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Gorter, Jenke A; Billeter, Jean-Christophe

2017-07-17

An individual's sexual drive is influenced by genotype, experience and environmental conditions. How these factors interact to modulate sexual behaviors remains poorly understood. In Drosophila melanogaster, environmental cues, such as food availability, affect mating activity offering a tractable system to investigate the mechanisms modulating sexual behavior. In D. melanogaster, environmental cues are often sensed via the chemosensory gustatory and olfactory systems. Here, we present a method to test the effect of environmental chemical cues on mating behavior. The assay consists of a small mating arena containing food medium and a mating couple. The mating frequency for each couple is continuously monitored for 24 h. Here we present the applicability of this assay to test environmental compounds from an external source through a pressurized air system as well as manipulation of the environmental components directly in the mating arena. The use of a pressurized air system is especially useful to test the effect of very volatile compounds, while manipulating components directly in the mating arena can be of value to ascertain a compound's presence. This assay can be adapted to answer questions about the influence of genetic and environmental cues on mating behavior and fecundity as well as other male and female reproductive behaviors.

Effect of mass transfer in a recirculation batch reactor system for immobilized penicillin amidase.

PubMed

Park, J M; Choi, C Y; Seong, B L; Han, M H

1982-10-01

The effect of external mass transfer resistance on the overall reaction rate of the immobilized whole cell penicillin amidase of E. coli in a recirculation batch reactor was investigated. The internal diffusional resistance was found negligible as indicated by the value of effectiveness factor, 0.95. The local environmental change in a column due to the pH drop was successfully overcome by employing buffer solution. The reaction rate was measured by pH-stat method and was found to follow the simple Michaelis-Menten law at the initial stage of the reaction. The values of the net reaction rate experimentally determined were used to calculate the substrate concentration at the external surface of the catalyst pellet and then to calculate the mass transfer coefficient, k(L), at various flow rates and substrate concentrations. The correlation proposed by Chilton and Colburn represented adequately the experimental data. The linear change of log j(D) at low log N(Re) with negative slope was ascribed to the fact that the external mass transfer approached the state of pure diffusion in the limit of zero superficial velocity.

Impact of external influences on food packaging.

PubMed

Brody, A L

1977-09-01

Since the food supply is dependent upon an effective packaging system, threats to packaging represent implied threats to food processing and distribution. Enacted and potential legislation and regulation are retarding technological and commercial progress in food packaging and have already restricted some food packaging/processins systems. The results of these external influences is not simply the sum of the individual acts, but is a cascading self-imposed arresting of food packaging/processing advancement. The technological bases for the enacted and proposed legislation and regulation are presented in the enumeration of the external influences on food packaging. Economic and sociological arguments and facts surrounding the issues are also presented. Among the external influences on food packaging detailed are indirect additives, nutritional labeling, benefit:risk, solid waste and litter, environmental pollution, universal product code, and food industry productivity. The magnitude of the total impact of these external influences upon the food supply is so large that assertive action must be taken to channel these influences into more productive awareness. An objective and comprehensive public communications program supported by the technological community appears mandatory.

Impact of external sources of infection on the dynamics of bovine tuberculosis in modelled badger populations.

PubMed

Hardstaff, Joanne L; Bulling, Mark T; Marion, Glenn; Hutchings, Michael R; White, Piran C L

2012-06-27

The persistence of bovine TB (bTB) in various countries throughout the world is enhanced by the existence of wildlife hosts for the infection. In Britain and Ireland, the principal wildlife host for bTB is the badger (Meles meles). The objective of our study was to examine the dynamics of bTB in badgers in relation to both badger-derived infection from within the population and externally-derived, trickle-type, infection, such as could occur from other species or environmental sources, using a spatial stochastic simulation model. The presence of external sources of infection can increase mean prevalence and reduce the threshold group size for disease persistence. Above the threshold equilibrium group size of 6-8 individuals predicted by the model for bTB persistence in badgers based on internal infection alone, external sources of infection have relatively little impact on the persistence or level of disease. However, within a critical range of group sizes just below this threshold level, external infection becomes much more important in determining disease dynamics. Within this critical range, external infection increases the ratio of intra- to inter-group infections due to the greater probability of external infections entering fully-susceptible groups. The effect is to enable bTB persistence and increase bTB prevalence in badger populations which would not be able to maintain bTB based on internal infection alone. External sources of bTB infection can contribute to the persistence of bTB in badger populations. In high-density badger populations, internal badger-derived infections occur at a sufficient rate that the additional effect of external sources in exacerbating disease is minimal. However, in lower-density populations, external sources of infection are much more important in enhancing bTB prevalence and persistence. In such circumstances, it is particularly important that control strategies to reduce bTB in badgers include efforts to minimise such external sources of infection.

Impact of external sources of infection on the dynamics of bovine tuberculosis in modelled badger populations

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The persistence of bovine TB (bTB) in various countries throughout the world is enhanced by the existence of wildlife hosts for the infection. In Britain and Ireland, the principal wildlife host for bTB is the badger (Meles meles). The objective of our study was to examine the dynamics of bTB in badgers in relation to both badger-derived infection from within the population and externally-derived, trickle-type, infection, such as could occur from other species or environmental sources, using a spatial stochastic simulation model. Results The presence of external sources of infection can increase mean prevalence and reduce the threshold group size for disease persistence. Above the threshold equilibrium group size of 6–8 individuals predicted by the model for bTB persistence in badgers based on internal infection alone, external sources of infection have relatively little impact on the persistence or level of disease. However, within a critical range of group sizes just below this threshold level, external infection becomes much more important in determining disease dynamics. Within this critical range, external infection increases the ratio of intra- to inter-group infections due to the greater probability of external infections entering fully-susceptible groups. The effect is to enable bTB persistence and increase bTB prevalence in badger populations which would not be able to maintain bTB based on internal infection alone. Conclusions External sources of bTB infection can contribute to the persistence of bTB in badger populations. In high-density badger populations, internal badger-derived infections occur at a sufficient rate that the additional effect of external sources in exacerbating disease is minimal. However, in lower-density populations, external sources of infection are much more important in enhancing bTB prevalence and persistence. In such circumstances, it is particularly important that control strategies to reduce bTB in badgers include efforts to minimise such external sources of infection. PMID:22738118

Modeling pedestrian violation behavior at signalized crosswalks in China: a hazards-based duration approach.

PubMed

Guo, Hongwei; Gao, Ziyou; Yang, Xiaobao; Jiang, Xiaobei

2011-02-01

Pedestrian violation is a major cause of traffic accidents involving pedestrians. The research objectives were to investigate the relationship between waiting duration and pedestrian violation and to provide a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the effects of human factors and external environmental factors on street-crossing behavior. Pedestrians' street-crossing behavior was examined by modeling the waiting duration at signalized crosswalk. Pedestrian waiting duration was collected by video cameras and it was assigned as censored and uncensored data to distinguish between normal crossing and violating crossing. A nonparametric baseline duration model was introduced, and variables revealing personal characteristics, traffic conditions, and trip features were defined as covariates to describe the effects of internal and external factors. Pedestrians' crossing behaviors represented positive duration dependence that the longer the waiting time elapsed the more likely pedestrians would end the wait soon. The violation inclination of most pedestrians increased with the increasing waiting duration, but about 10 percent of pedestrians were at high risk of violation to cross the street. About half of pedestrians would still obey the traffic rules even after waiting for 50 s by the street. Human factors and the external environment played an important role in street-crossing behavior, especially for factors that involved pedestrians' subjective willingness. The street-crossing behavior of pedestrians was time dependent. Pedestrians behave differently under the effects of various factors. Pedestrian safety interventions that aim at reducing pedestrian injuries may need to consider these effects. The pedestrians' behavioral modifications, such as enhancing the safety awareness, might be the most efficient means to reducing the likelihood of pedestrian violation, though environmental modifications also worked well in improving pedestrian safety.

Antisocial Peer Affiliation and Externalizing Disorders: Evidence for Gene × Environment × Development Interaction

PubMed Central

Samek, Diana R.; Hicks, Brian M.; Keyes, Margaret A.; Iacono, William G.; McGue, Matt

2016-01-01

Gene × environment interaction contributes to externalizing disorders in adolescence, but little is known about whether such effects are long-lasting or present in adulthood. We examined gene-environment interplay in the concurrent and prospective associations between antisocial peer affiliation and externalizing disorders (antisocial behavior and substance use disorders) at ages 17, 20, 24, and 29. The sample included 1,382 same-sex twin pairs participating in the Minnesota Twin Family Study. We detected a gene × environment interaction at age 17, such that additive genetic influences on antisocial behavior and substance use disorders were greater in the context of greater antisocial peer affiliation. This gene × environment interaction was not present for antisocial behavior symptoms after age 17, but was for substance use disorder symptoms through age 29 (though effect sizes were largest at age 17). Results suggest adolescence is a critical period for the development of externalizing disorders wherein exposure to greater environmental adversity is associated with a greater expression of genetic risk. This form of gene × environment interaction may persist through young adulthood for substance use disorders, but is limited to adolescence for antisocial behavior. PMID:27580681

Antisocial peer affiliation and externalizing disorders: Evidence for Gene × Environment × Development interaction.

PubMed

Samek, Diana R; Hicks, Brian M; Keyes, Margaret A; Iacono, William G; McGue, Matt

2017-02-01

Gene × Environment interaction contributes to externalizing disorders in childhood and adolescence, but little is known about whether such effects are long lasting or present in adulthood. We examined gene-environment interplay in the concurrent and prospective associations between antisocial peer affiliation and externalizing disorders (antisocial behavior and substance use disorders) at ages 17, 20, 24, and 29. The sample included 1,382 same-sex twin pairs participating in the Minnesota Twin Family Study. We detected a Gene × Environment interaction at age 17, such that additive genetic influences on antisocial behavior and substance use disorders were greater in the context of greater antisocial peer affiliation. This Gene × Environment interaction was not present for antisocial behavior symptoms after age 17, but it was for substance use disorder symptoms through age 29 (though effect sizes were largest at age 17). The results suggest adolescence is a critical period for the development of externalizing disorders wherein exposure to greater environmental adversity is associated with a greater expression of genetic risk. This form of Gene × Environment interaction may persist through young adulthood for substance use disorders, but it appears to be limited to adolescence for antisocial behavior.

Environmental surveillance and compliance at Los Alamos during 1996

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1997-09-01

This report presents environmental data that characterize environmental performance and addresses compliance with environmental standards and requirements at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) during 1996. The Laboratory routinely monitors for radiation and for radioactive nonradioactive materials at Laboratory sites as well as in the surrounding region. LANL uses the monitoring results to determine compliance with appropriate standards and to identify potentially undesirable trends. Data were collected in 1996 to assess external penetrating radiation; quantities of airborne emissions; and concentrations of chemicals and radionuclides in ambient air, surface waters and groundwaters, the municipal water supply, soils and sediments,more » and foodstuffs. Using comparisons with standards and regulations, this report concludes that environmental effects from Laboratory operations are small and do not pose a demonstrable threat to the public, Laboratory employees, or the environment. Laboratory operations were in compliance with all major environmental regulations.« less

Impacts of crop sequence and minimum and no-till cropping systems on soil carbon stocks in south-central North Dakota, USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increased emphasis has been placed on developing agroecosystems that are inherently resistant and resilient to external stressors, yet are highly productive, economically competitive, and environmentally benign. As part of a long-term study to evaluate effects of crop sequence and tillage on crop yi...

Environmental surveillance at Los Alamos during 1991. Environmental protection group

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dewart, J.; Kohen, K.L.

1993-08-01

This report describes the environmental surveillance program conducted by Los Alamos National Laboratory during 1991. Routine monitoring for radiation and for radioactive and chemical materials is conducted on the Laboratory site as well as in the surrounding region. Monitoring results are used to determine compliance with appropriate standards and to permit early identification of potentially undesirable trends. Results and interpretation of data for 1991 cover external penetrating radiation; quantities of airborne emissions and effluents; concentrations of chemicals and radionuclides in ambient air, surface waters and groundwaters, municipal water supply, soils and sediments, and foodstuffs; and environmental compliance. Comparisons with appropriatemore » standards, regulations, and background levels provide the basis for concluding that environmental effects from Laboratory operations are small and do not pose a threat to the public, Laboratory employees, or the environment.« less

Parasite fitness traits under environmental variation: disentangling the roles of a chytrid's immediate host and external environment.

PubMed

Van den Wyngaert, Silke; Vanholsbeeck, Olivier; Spaak, Piet; Ibelings, Bas W

2014-10-01

Parasite environments are heterogeneous at different levels. The first level of variability is the host itself. The second level represents the external environment for the hosts, to which parasites may be exposed during part of their life cycle. Both levels are expected to affect parasite fitness traits. We disentangle the main and interaction effects of variation in the immediate host environment, here the diatom Asterionella formosa (variables host cell volume and host condition through herbicide pre-exposure) and variation in the external environment (variables host density and acute herbicide exposure) on three fitness traits (infection success, development time and reproductive output) of a chytrid parasite. Herbicide exposure only decreased infection success in a low host density environment. This result reinforces the hypothesis that chytrid zoospores use photosynthesis-dependent chemical cues to locate its host. At high host densities, chemotaxis becomes less relevant due to increasing chance contact rates between host and parasite, thereby following the mass-action principle in epidemiology. Theoretical support for this finding is provided by an agent-based simulation model. The immediate host environment (cell volume) substantially affected parasite reproductive output and also interacted with the external herbicide exposed environment. On the contrary, changes in the immediate host environment through herbicide pre-exposure did not increase infection success, though it had subtle effects on zoospore development time and reproductive output. This study shows that both immediate host and external environment as well as their interaction have significant effects on parasite fitness. Disentangling these effects improves our understanding of the processes underlying parasite spread and disease dynamics.

40 CFR 65.45 - External floating roof converted into an internal floating roof.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... External floating roof converted into an internal floating roof. The owner or operator who elects to... 40 Protection of Environment 15 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false External floating roof converted into an internal floating roof. 65.45 Section 65.45 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION...

Negative Affect Shares Genetic and Environmental Influences with Symptoms of Childhood Internalizing and Externalizing Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mikolajewski, Amy J.; Allan, Nicholas P.; Hart, Sara A.; Lonigan, Christopher J.; Taylor, Jeanette

2013-01-01

The co-occurrence of internalizing and externalizing disorders suggests that they may have common underlying vulnerability factors. Research has shown that negative affect is moderately positively correlated with both internalizing and externalizing disorders in children. The present study is the first to provide an examination of negative affect…

Learning the organization: a model for health system analysis for new nurse administrators.

PubMed

Clark, Mary Jo

2004-01-01

Health systems are large and complex organizations in which multiple components and processes influence system outcomes. In order to effectively position themselves in such organizations, nurse administrators new to a system must gain a rapid understanding of overall system operation. Such understanding is facilitated by use of a model for system analysis. The model presented here examines the dynamic interrelationships between and among internal and external elements as they affect system performance. External elements to be analyzed include environmental factors and characteristics of system clientele. Internal elements flow from the mission and goals of the system and include system culture, services, resources, and outcomes.

Bio-environmental factors associated with myopia: An updated review.

PubMed

Galvis, V; Tello, A; Camacho, P A; Parra, M M; Merayo-Lloves, J

2017-07-01

Experimental studies in animals, as well as observational and intervention studies in humans, seem to support the premise that the development of juvenile myopia is promoted by a combination of the effect of genetic and environmental factors, with a complex interaction between them. The very rapid increase in myopia rates in some parts of the world, such as Southeast Asia, supports a significant environmental effect. Several lines of evidence suggest that humans might respond to various external factors, such as increased activity in near vision, increased educational pressure, decreased exposure to sunlight outdoors, dietary changes (including increased intake of carbohydrates), as well as low light levels indoors. All these factors could be associated with a higher prevalence of myopia. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Oftalmología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Research on the negative externality of breeding wastewater in rural construction—Taking the large-scale breeding project of Tongnan in Chongqing as an example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Mingqiang; Hu, Wen; Wu, Haonan

2018-03-01

The country vigorously promotes the collective operation of traditional culture, which brings a lot of negative externalities of environmental pollution. Environmental pollution causes the difference between social cost and private cost. The cost of pollution is not borne by private enterprises, it is an external cost for the polluters. This paper attempts to take the Chongqing pig farm as an example to select the COD and TN indicators in the wastewater as the focus point of the analysis. We explore the equilibrium point based on the personal cost of Party A and the public welfare cost brought by environmental pollution, and test the rationality and accuracy of the existing norms. On the basis of existing research, the end of the paper tries to explore the better solution according to the law of Pigou and the property rights delimitation.

Chronic Stressors and Adolescents' Externalizing Problems: Genetic Moderation by Dopamine Receptor D4. The TRAILS Study.

PubMed

Zandstra, Anna Roos E; Ormel, Johan; Hoekstra, Pieter J; Hartman, Catharina A

2018-01-01

The existing literature does not provide consistent evidence that carriers of the Dopamine D4 Receptor 7-repeat allele are more sensitive to adverse environmental influences, resulting in enhanced externalizing problems, compared to noncarriers. One explanation is that the adverse influences examined in prior studies were not severe, chronic, or distressing enough to reveal individual differences in sensitivity reflected by DRD4-7R. This study examined whether the 7-repeat allele moderated the association between chronic stressors capturing multiple stressful aspects of individuals' lives and externalizing problems in adolescence. We expected that chronic stressor levels would be associated with externalizing levels only in 7-repeat carriers. Using Linear Mixed Models, we analyzed data from 1621 Dutch adolescents (52.2% boys), obtained in three measurement waves (mean age approximately 11, 13.5, and 16 years) from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) population-based birth cohort and the parallel clinic-referred cohort. Across informants, we found that higher levels of chronic stressors were related to higher externalizing levels in 7-repeat carriers but not in noncarriers, as hypothesized. Although previous studies on the 7-repeat allele as a moderator of environmental influences on adolescents' externalizing problems have not convincingly demonstrated individual differences in sensitivity to adverse environmental influences, our findings suggest that adolescent carriers of the Dopamine D4 Receptor 7-repeat allele are more sensitive to chronic, multi-context stressors than noncarriers.

Preschoolers’ Self-Regulation Moderates Relations between Mothers’ Representations and Children’s Adjustment to School

PubMed Central

Sher-Censor, Efrat; Khafi, Tamar Y.; Yates, Tuppett M.

2016-01-01

Consistent with models of environmental sensitivity (Pluess, 2015), research suggests that the effects of parents’ behaviors on child adjustment are stronger among children who struggle to regulate their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors compared to children with better self-regulation. This study extended prior research by assessing maternal representations of the child, which presumably underlie mothers’ parenting behaviors, to evaluate the moderating influence of preschoolers’ self-regulation on relations between mothers’ representations and changes in children’s negative and positive developmental adjustment outcomes from preschool to first grade. Participants were 187 mothers and their preschoolers. Mothers’ representations were assessed via the coherence of their verbal narratives regarding their preschooler and teachers reported on preschoolers’ self-regulation. In preschool and first grade, examiners rated children’s externalizing behavior problems and ego-resilience, and teachers rated children’s externalizing behavior problems and peer acceptance. Consistent with the environmental sensitivity framework, the coherence of mothers’ narratives predicted changes in adjustment among children with self-regulation difficulties, but not among children with better self-regulation. Preschoolers with self-regulation difficulties whose mothers produced incoherent narratives showed increased externalizing behavior problems, decreased ego-resilience and lower peer acceptance across the transition to school. In contrast, preschoolers with better self-regulation did not evidence such effects when their mothers produced incoherent narratives. The implications of these findings for understanding and supporting children’s adjustment during the early school years are discussed. PMID:27598254

Preschoolers' self-regulation moderates relations between mothers' representations and children's adjustment to school.

PubMed

Sher-Censor, Efrat; Khafi, Tamar Y; Yates, Tuppett M

2016-11-01

Consistent with models of environmental sensitivity (Pluess, 2015), research suggests that the effects of parents' behaviors on child adjustment are stronger among children who struggle to regulate their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors compared with children with better self-regulation. This study extended prior research by assessing maternal representations of the child, which presumably underlie mothers' parenting behaviors, to evaluate the moderating influence of preschoolers' self-regulation on relations between mothers' representations and changes in children's negative and positive developmental adjustment outcomes from preschool to first grade. Participants were 187 mothers and their preschoolers. Mothers' representations were assessed via the coherence of their verbal narratives regarding their preschooler and teachers reported on preschoolers' self-regulation. In preschool and first grade, examiners rated children's externalizing behavior problems and ego-resilience, and teachers rated children's externalizing behavior problems and peer acceptance. Consistent with the environmental sensitivity framework, the coherence of mothers' narratives predicted changes in adjustment among children with self-regulation difficulties, but not among children with better self-regulation. Preschoolers with self-regulation difficulties whose mothers produced incoherent narratives showed increased externalizing behavior problems, decreased ego-resilience, and lower peer acceptance across the transition to school. In contrast, preschoolers with better self-regulation did not evidence such effects when their mothers produced incoherent narratives. The implications of these findings for understanding and supporting children's adjustment during the early school years are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Big Creek Flood Control Project, Cleveland, Ohio. Phase II. General Design Memorandum.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-08-01

enviromental measure to -minii polluted leachate, if say, from flowing down the embashment. 1. Comnt 12(a). The freboard on the chute will be revised...cost ratio); (3) operational dependability; and (4) socio -environmental effects, including external damage effects. Each of these alternative plans is...schedule for the utility relocations will not be in conflict with the construction schedule for the major components of the project outlined above. 112

Interaction between radiation effects, gravity and other environmental factors in Tribolium confusum.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, C. H.; Tobias, C. A.

1973-01-01

The development of the flour beetle, Tribolium confusum, was studied through all stages of its life cycle. The results show that for each environmental factor there is a limited range of values within which the organisms are able best to survive and that this optimum range of survival becomes smaller when additional stresses are imposed upon the organism. This has been shown for external temperature, oxygen content of the atmosphere, gravity compensation, and radiation. On Biosatellite II it was shown that Tribolium pupae irradiated in spaceflight exhibited more wing abnormalities than ground controls. Later it was shown that gravity compensation, when combined with irradiation, can induce a similar effect at ground level.

The environmental impact of poverty: evidence from firewood collection in rural Nepal.

PubMed

Baland, Jean-Marie; Bardhan, Pranab; Das, Sanghamitra; Mookherjee, Dilip; Sarkar, Rinki

2010-01-01

We investigate determinants of household firewood collection in rural Nepal, using 1995-96 and 2002-3 World Bank Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS) data. We incorporate village fixed effects, endogenous censoring, measurement error in living standards and heterogeneous effects of different household assets. We find no evidence in favor of the poverty-environment hypothesis. The evidence for the environmental Kuznets curve depends on the precise measure of living standards and time period studied. Firewood collections fall with a transition to modern occupations and rise with increasing population and household division. The local interhousehold collection externality is negligible, indicating that policy interventions are justified only by ecological considerations or nonlocal spillovers.

Environmental surveillance at Los Alamos during 1992

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kohen, K.; Stoker, A.; Stone, G.

1994-07-01

This report describes the environmental surveillance program at Los Alamos National Laboratory during 1992. The Laboratory routinely monitors for radiation and for radioactive and nonradioactive materials at (or on) Laboratory sites as well as in the surrounding region. LANL uses the monitoring results to determine compliance with appropriate standards and to identify potentially undesirable trends. Data were collected in 1992 to assess external penetrating radiation; quantities of airborne emissions and liquid effluents; concentrations of chemicals and radionuclides in ambient air, surface waters and groundwaters, municipal water supply, soils and sediments, and foodstuffs; and environmental compliance. Using comparisons with standards, regulations,more » and background levels, this report concludes that environmental effects from Laboratory operations are small and do not pose a demonstrable threat to the public, laboratory employees, or the environment.« less

Externalization of the Health Care System's Educational Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seisser, Mary A.; Epstein, Alice L.

1999-01-01

Health care organizations with successful internal education programs can expand their offerings through a formal externalization process. The process involves needs assessment, environmental scanning, identification of internal successes, and selection of appropriate topics. (SK)

Biomarkers: The Clues to Genetic Susceptibility.

PubMed Central

Zeiger, M

1994-01-01

There are approximately 500,000 cancer-related deaths annually in the United States. Scientists believe as that many as 80% of those deaths could be prevented due to the fact that most malignancies are a result of external factors rather than inherent biological conditions. With recent advances in molecular biology, a new field that combines highly sensitive and specific techniques for detecting early damage associated with cancer has emerged. By combining knowledge about external factors related to lifestyle and environmental or occupational exposure to chemicals with knowledge of how genetic differences cause variations in human responses to environmental pollutants, scientists are developing a better understanding of questions such as why some smokers get cancer but others do not, why certain groups of people have a higher incidence of cancer after exposure to a toxicant and others do not, and why certain women are more prone to develop breast cancer than others. Scientists using biomarkers of susceptibility will be able to identify risks and prevent adverse health effects through prevention and intervention strategies. PMID:9719667

Internal complexity and environmental sensitivity in hospitals.

PubMed

Ashmos, D P; Duchon, D; Hauge, F E; McDaniel, R R

1996-01-01

Theory suggests that organizations should respond to external complexity with internal complexity. We examine whether "environmentally sensitive" hospitals are more internally complex than "environmentally insensitive" hospitals. Results show that environmentally sensitive and insensitive hospitals differed on three of the measures of internal complexity: goal complexity, strategic complexity, and relational complexity.

Women's Environmental Literacy As Social Capital In Environmental Management For Environmental Security of Urban Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asteria, Donna; Herdiansyah, Herdis; Wayan Agus Apriana, I.

2016-02-01

This study is about experience of women's role in environmental management to raise environmental security and form of women's emancipation movement. Environmental concerns conducted by residents of urban women who become environmental activists based on environmental literacy. Because of that, women's experience in interacting with both physic and social environment have differences in managing the environment including managing household waste by applying the principles of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and their persuasive efforts on their communities. This is the key to achieving sustainable development by anticipating environmental problem and preserving the environment. This study is conducted qualitative research method and its type is descriptive-explanative. The result of this study is environmental literacy of women activist on pro-environment action in their community that has achieved spiritual environmental literacy. Environmental literacy may differ due to internal and external condition of each individual. Pro-environment activities conducted as a form of responsibility of environmental concern such as eco-management, educational, and economic action, by persuading residents to proactively and consistently continue to do environmental management and develop a sense of community in shaping the networks of environmental concern in local context for global effect.

Long-Term Effects of Pre-Placement Risk Factors on Children's Psychological Symptoms and Parenting Stress among Families Adopting Children from Foster Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nadeem, Erum; Waterman, Jill; Foster, Jared; Paczkowski, Emilie; Belin, Thomas R.; Miranda, Jeanne

2017-01-01

This exploratory longitudinal study examined behavioral outcomes and parenting stress among families with children adopted from foster care, taking into account environmental and biological risk factors. Child internalizing and externalizing problems and parenting stress were assessed in 82 adopted children and their families at 2 months…

Physical Environmental Adversity and the Protective Role of Maternal Monitoring in Relation to Early Child Conduct Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Supplee, Lauren H.; Unikel, Emily B.; Shaw, Daniel S.

2007-01-01

Research on the development of externalizing behaviors during early childhood has focused on child and parenting factors. Fewer studies have investigated effects of aversive features of the micro-level physical environment, such as overcrowding and chaos in the home, and the macro-level environment, such as neighborhood quality. This study extends…

Capabilities of the Environmental Effects Branch at Marshall Space Flight Cente

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Jan; Finckenor, Miria; Nehls, Mary

2016-01-01

The Environmental Effects Branch at the Marshall Space Flight Center supports a myriad array of programs for NASA, DoD, and commercial space including human exploration, advanced space propulsion, improving life on Earth, and the study of the Sun, the Earth, and the solar system. The branch provides testing, evaluation, and qualification of materials for use on external spacecraft surfaces and in contamination-sensitive systems. Space environment capabilities include charged particle radiation, ultraviolet radiation, atomic oxygen, impact, plasma, and thermal vacuum, anchored by flight experiments and analysis of returned space hardware. These environmental components can be combined for solar wind or planetary surface environment studies or to evaluate synergistic effects. The Impact Testing Facility allows simulation of impacts ranging from sand and rain to micrometeoroids and orbital debris in order to evaluate materials and components for flight and ground-based systems. The Contamination Control Team is involved in the evaluation of environmentally-friendly replacements for HCFC-225 for use in propulsion oxygen systems, developing cleaning methods for additively manufactured hardware, and reducing risk for the Space Launch System.

Rocky Flats Plant Site Environmental Report for 1992

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cirrincione, D.A.; Erdmann, N.L.

1992-12-31

The Rocky Rats Plant Site Environmental Report provides summary information on the plant`s environmental monitoring programs and the results recorded during 1992. The report contains a compliance summary, results of environmental monitoring and other related programs, a review of environmental remediation activities, information on external gamma radiation dose monitoring, and radiation dose estimates for the surrounding population.

Environmental pollutants and dysregulation of male puberty--a comparison among species.

PubMed

Magnusson, Ulf; Ljungvall, Karl

2014-04-01

The scientific literature on altered onset of puberty predominantly involves studies on females. This paper reviews current knowledge on the role of environmental pollutants in dysregulation of male puberty in humans, laboratory rodents and farm animals. The methods used to determine the onset of puberty are well developed in humans and farm animals, and standardized across studies in humans. In laboratory rodents standardized external morphological endpoints are used. There is an increasing weight of evidence from epidemiological studies in humans, as well as from experiments in animals, indicating that environmental pollutants dysregulate puberty in males. Most data are from studies on "classical" persistent environmental pollutants. Assessing the effect of multichemical environmental pollution on dysregulation of puberty in humans is more challenging; further solid epidemiological data would likely contribute most to our understanding, especially if combined with systematically collected field-data from selected wildlife. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The obese gut microbiome across the epidemiologic transition.

PubMed

Dugas, Lara R; Fuller, Miles; Gilbert, Jack; Layden, Brian T

2016-01-01

The obesity epidemic has emerged over the past few decades and is thought to be a result of both genetic and environmental factors. A newly identified factor, the gut microbiota, which is a bacterial ecosystem residing within the gastrointestinal tract of humans, has now been implicated in the obesity epidemic. Importantly, this bacterial community is impacted by external environmental factors through a variety of undefined mechanisms. We focus this review on how the external environment may impact the gut microbiota by considering, the host's geographic location 'human geography', and behavioral factors (diet and physical activity). Moreover, we explore the relationship between the gut microbiota and obesity with these external factors. And finally, we highlight here how an epidemiologic model can be utilized to elucidate causal relationships between the gut microbiota and external environment independently and collectively, and how this will help further define this important new factor in the obesity epidemic.

Understanding the external pressure and behavior of commercial banks' environmental risk management: an empirical study undertaken in the Yangtze River delta of China.

PubMed

Liu, Yong; Lin, Zhongguo

2014-04-01

The present study employed a quantitative survey to ascertain whether the external pressure of environmental risk management (ERM) on commercial banks was a contributing factor to their ERM behavior. Data was obtained using questionnaires from 204 branches of commercial banks located in the Yangtze River Delta of China. The relationship between external pressure and behavior was tested using a linear structural relations model through path analysis. The results revealed that external pressure of ERM was significantly and positively related to the behavior and that pressure from governmental regulations was the most important contributing factor in the passive feedback behavior and preventive behavior of commercial banks. The pressure from markets was the most important contributing factor in banks' active participation behavior; the pressure from community and NGOs was the most important contributing factor in their enthusiastic behavior.

40 CFR 1.37 - Office of External Affairs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and related laws, directives, and Executive policies concerning special environmental areas and cultural resources; (3) Compliance with Executive policy on American Indian affairs and the development of programs for environmental protection on Indian...

Developmental Mediation of Genetic Variation in Response to the Fast Track Prevention Program

PubMed Central

Albert, Dustin; Belsky, Daniel W.; Crowley, D. Max; Bates, John E.; Pettit, Gregory S.; Lansford, Jennifer E.; Dick, Danielle; Dodge, Kenneth A.

2015-01-01

We conducted a developmental analysis of genetic moderation of the effect of the Fast Track intervention on adult externalizing psychopathology. The Fast Track intervention enrolled 891 children at high risk to develop externalizing behavior problems when they were in kindergarten. Half of the enrolled children were randomly assigned to receive 10 years of treatment with a range of services and resources provided to the children and their families and the other half to usual care (controls). We previously showed that the effect of the Fast Track intervention on participants’ risk of externalizing psychopathology at age 25 years was moderated by a variant in the Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene (NR3C1). Children who carried copies of the A-allele of the single-nucleotide polymorphism rs10482672 had the highest risk of externalizing psychopathology if they were in the control arm of the trial and the lowest risk of externalizing psychopathology if they were in the treatment arm. In this study, we test a developmental hypothesis about the origins of this for-better-and-for-worse gene-by-intervention interaction (GxI): That the observed GxI effect on adult psychopathology is mediated by the proximal impact of intervention on childhood externalizing problems and adolescent substance use and delinquency. We analyzed longitudinal data tracking the 270 European-American children in the Fast Track RCT with available genetic information (129 intervention children and 141 control-group peers, 69% male) from kindergarten through age 25 years. Results show that the same pattern of “for-better-and-for-worse” susceptibility to intervention observed at the age-25 follow-up was evident already during childhood. At the elementary school follow-ups and at the middle/high-school follow-ups, rs10482672 predicted better adjustment among children receiving the Fast Track intervention, and worse adjustment among children in the control condition. In turn, these proximal GxI effects early in development mediated the ultimate GxI effect on externalizing psychopathology at age 25 years. We discuss the contribution of these findings to the growing literature on genetic susceptibility to environmental intervention. PMID:25640832

Inherited and Environmental Influences on a Childhood Co-Occurring Symptom Phenotype: Evidence From an Adoption Study

PubMed Central

Roos, Leslie E.; Fisher, Philip A.; Shaw, Daniel S.; Kim, Hyoun K.; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.; Reiss, David; Natsuaki, Misaki N.; Leve, Leslie D.

2015-01-01

Risk factors for the childhood development of co-occurring internalizing and externalizing symptoms are not well understood, despite a high prevalence and poor clinical outcomes associated with this co-occurring phenotype. We examined inherited and environmental risk factors for co-occurring symptoms in a sample of children adopted at birth and their birth mothers and adoptive mothers (N = 293). Inherited risk factors (i.e., birth mothers’ processing speed and internalizing symptoms) and environmental risk factors (i.e., adoptive mothers’ processing speed, internalizing symptoms, and uninvolved parenting) were examined as predictors for the development of internalizing-only, externalizing-only, or co-occurring symptoms using structural equation modeling. Results suggested a unique pattern of predictive factors for the co-occurring phenotype, with risk conferred by adoptive mothers’ uninvolved parenting, birth mothers’ slower processing speed, and the birth mothers’ slower processing speed in tandem with adoptive mothers’ higher internalizing symptoms. Additional analyses indicated that when co-occurring-symptom children were incorporated into internalizing and externalizing symptom groups, differential risk factors for externalizing and internalizing symptoms emerged. The findings suggest that spurious results may be found when children with co-occurring symptoms are not examined as a unique phenotypic group. PMID:25851306

Inherited and environmental influences on a childhood co-occurring symptom phenotype: Evidence from an adoption study.

PubMed

Roos, Leslie E; Fisher, Philip A; Shaw, Daniel S; Kim, Hyoun K; Neiderhiser, Jenae M; Reiss, David; Natsuaki, Misake N; Leve, Leslie D

2016-02-01

Risk factors for the childhood development of co-occurring internalizing and externalizing symptoms are not well understood, despite a high prevalence and poor clinical outcomes associated with this co-occurring phenotype. We examined inherited and environmental risk factors for co-occurring symptoms in a sample of children adopted at birth and their birth mothers and adoptive mothers (N = 293). Inherited risk factors (i.e., birth mothers' processing speed and internalizing symptoms) and environmental risk factors (i.e., adoptive mothers' processing speed, internalizing symptoms, and uninvolved parenting) were examined as predictors for the development of internalizing-only, externalizing-only, or co-occurring symptoms using structural equation modeling. Results suggested a unique pattern of predictive factors for the co-occurring phenotype, with risk conferred by adoptive mothers' uninvolved parenting, birth mothers' slower processing speed, and the birth mothers' slower processing speed in tandem with adoptive mothers' higher internalizing symptoms. Additional analyses indicated that when co-occurring-symptom children were incorporated into internalizing and externalizing symptom groups, differential risk factors for externalizing and internalizing symptoms emerged. The findings suggest that spurious results may be found when children with co-occurring symptoms are not examined as a unique phenotypic group.

Role of GABRA2 in Trajectories of Externalizing Behavior Across Development and Evidence of Moderation by Parental Monitoring

PubMed Central

Dick, Danielle M.; Latendresse, Shawn J.; Lansford, Jennifer E.; Budde, John P.; Goate, Alison; Dodge, Kenneth A.; Pettit, Gregory S.; Bates, John E.

2009-01-01

Context As we identify genes involved in psychiatric disorders, the next step will be to study how the risk associated with susceptibility genes manifests across development and in conjunction with the environment. We describe analyses aimed at characterizing the pathway of risk associated with GABRA2, a gene previously associated with adult alcohol dependence, in a community sample of children followed longitudinally from childhood through young adulthood. Objective To test for an association between GABRA2 and trajectories of externalizing behavior from adolescence to young adulthood and for moderation of genetic effects by parental monitoring. Design Data were analyzed from the Child Development Project, with yearly assessments conducted since that time. A saliva sample was collected for DNA at the 2006 follow-up, with a 93% response rate in the target sample. Growth mixture modeling was conducted using Mplus to identify trajectories of externalizing behavior and to test for effects of GABRA2 sequence variants and parental monitoring. Setting Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee, and Bloomington, Indiana. Participants A community-based sample of families enrolled at 3 sites as children entered kindergarten in 1987 and 1988. Analyses for the white subset of the sample (n=378) are reported here. Main Outcome Measures Parental monitoring measured at 11 years of age; Child Behavior Checklist youth reports of externalizing behavior at ages 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, and 22 years. Results Two classes of externalizing behavior emerged: a stable high externalizing class and a moderate decreasing externalizing behavior class. The GABRA2 gene was associated with class membership, with subjects who showed persistent elevated trajectories of externalizing behavior more likely to carry the genotype previously associated with increased risk of adult alcohol dependence. A significant interaction with parental monitoring emerged; the association of GABRA2 with externalizing trajectories diminished with high levels of parental monitoring. Conclusions These analyses underscore the importance of studying genetic effects across development and of identifying environmental factors that moderate risk. PMID:19487630

Differential susceptibility to environmental influences: the role of early temperament and parenting in the development of externalizing problems.

PubMed

Pitzer, Martina; Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine; Esser, Guenter; Schmidt, Martin H; Laucht, Manfred

2011-01-01

A difficult or undercontrolled temperament, as well as harsh parental discipline or a lack of warmth, has long been regarded as risk factors for the development of externalizing problems. In addition, it has been suggested that children with difficult temperament are especially susceptible to rearing influences. We investigated the impact of early temperament and parenting and their interactions on externalizing behavior at school age. Participants were 148 boys and 160 girls from a prospective longitudinal study on a high-risk sample. At ages 3 months and 2 years, temperament was assessed by a highly structured parent interview and standardized behavioral observations. Maternal parenting was assessed by videotaped behavioral observation and a parent questionnaire. Externalizing problems at age 8 years were measured by the Child Behavior Checklist. Using hierarchical linear regression analyses, we found that externalizing problems were predicted by psychosocial adversity and poor self-control, whereas no main effect for restrictive parenting or maternal empathy was found. Fearful-inhibited boys were positively affected by empathic and sensitive parenting, whereas girls who were low in self-control and/or fearful developed less externalizing problems with restrictive parenting. Our results partly support the differential susceptibility hypothesis. In addition, they point toward gender-specific pathways in the development of externalizing problems. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inter-noise 89 - Engineering for environmental noise control; Proceedings of the International Conference on Noise Control Engineering, Newport Beach, CA, Dec. 4-6, 1989. Vols. 1 & 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maling, George C., Jr.

Recent advances in noise analysis and control theory and technology are discussed in reviews and reports. Topics addressed include noise generation; sound-wave propagation; noise control by external treatments; vibration and shock generation, transmission, isolation, and reduction; multiple sources and paths of environmental noise; noise perception and the physiological and psychological effects of noise; instrumentation, signal processing, and analysis techniques; and noise standards and legal aspects. Diagrams, drawings, graphs, photographs, and tables of numerical data are provided.

Self-reported Cognitive Biases Moderate the Associations Between Social Stress and Paranoid Ideation in a Virtual Reality Experimental Study.

PubMed

Pot-Kolder, Roos; Veling, Wim; Counotte, Jacqueline; van der Gaag, Mark

2018-06-06

Cognitive biases are associated with psychosis liability and paranoid ideation. This study investigated the moderating relationship between pre-existing self-reported cognitive biases and the occurrence of paranoid ideation in response to different levels of social stress in a virtual reality environment. This study included 170 participants with different levels of psychosis liability (55 recent onset psychosis, 20 ultrahigh risk for psychosis, 42 siblings of psychotic patients, and 53 controls). All participants were exposed to virtual environments with different levels of social stress. The level of experienced paranoia in the virtual environments was measured with the State Social Paranoia Scale. Cognitive biases were assessed with a self-report continuous measure. Also, cumulative number of cognitive biases was calculated using dichotomous measures of the separate biases, based on general population norm scores. Higher belief inflexibility bias (Z = 2.83, P < .001), attention to threat bias (Z = 3.40, P < .001), external attribution bias (Z = 2.60, P < .001), and data-gathering bias (Z = 2.07, P < .05) were all positively associated with reported paranoid ideation in the social virtual environments. Level of paranoid response increased with number of cognitive biases present (B = 1.73, P < .001). The effect of environmental stressors on paranoid ideation was moderated by attention to threat bias (Z = 2.78, P < .01) and external attribution bias (Z = 2.75, P < .01), whereas data-gathering bias and belief inflexibility did not moderate the relationship. There is an additive effect of separate cognitive biases on paranoid response to social stress. The effect of social environmental stressors on paranoid ideation is further enhanced by attention to threat bias and external attribution bias.

A Classroom Game on a Negative Externality Correcting Tax: Revenue Return, Regressivity, and the Double Dividend

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duke, Joshua M.; Sassoon, David M.

2017-01-01

The concept of negative externality is central to the teaching of environmental economics, but corrective taxes are almost always regressive. How exactly might governments return externality-correcting tax revenue to overcome regressivity and not alter marginal incentives? In addition, there is a desire to achieve a double dividend in the use of…

DETECTING WATER FLOW BEHIND PIPE IN INJECTION WELLS

EPA Science Inventory

Regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency require that an injection well exhibit both internal and external mechanical integrity. The external mechanical integrity consideration is that there is no significant fluid movement into an underground source of drinking water ...

Environmental Scanning Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Truckee Meadows Community Coll., Sparks, NV.

This report describes Truckee Meadows Community College's (Nevada) environmental scanning process and results. The college decided that environmental scanning and forecasting techniques should be used to plan for both short-term and long-term external factors that impact programs, enrollment, and budgets. Strategic goals include: (1) keeping pace…

Influence of a Non-Formal Environmental Education Programme on Junior High-School Students; Environmental Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldman, Daphne; Assaraf, Orit Ben Zvi; Shaharabani, Dina

2013-01-01

One of the solutions implemented by schools for conducting value-based environmental education (EE) is outsourcing: allocating external environmental organizations that develop and conduct EE programmes. This study addressed such a programme--the Green Council Programme (GCP)--developed and implemented in schools by the Israeli Society for…

Environmental surveillance at Los Alamos during 1987

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1988-05-01

This report describes the environmental surveillance program conducted by Los Alamos National Laboratory during 1987. Routine monitoring for radiation and radioactive or chemical materials is conducted on the Laboratory site as well as in the surrounding region. Monitoring results are used to determine compliance with appropriate standards and to permit early identification of potentially undesirable trends. Results and interpretation of data for 1987 cover: external penetrating radiation; quantities of airborne emissions and liquid effluents; concentrations of chemicals and radionuclides in ambient air, surface and ground waters, municipal water supply, soils and sediments, and foodstuffs; and environmental compliance. Comparisons with appropriatemore » standards, regulations, and background levels provide the basis for concluding that environmental effects from Laboratory operations are insignificant and do not pose a threat to the public, Laboratory employees, or the environment. 113 refs., 33 figs., 120 tabs.« less

Environmental surveillance at Los Alamos during 1995

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-10-01

This report describes the environmental surveillance program at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) during 1995. The Laboratory routinely monitors for radiation and for radioactive and nonradioactive materials at (or on) Laboratory sites as well as in the surrounding region. LANL uses the monitoring result to determine compliance with appropriate standards and to identify potentially undesirable trends. Data were collected in 1995 to assess external penetrating radiation; quantities of airborne emissions and liquid effluents; concentrations of chemicals and radionuclides in ambient air, surface waters and groundwaters, municipal water supply, soils and sediments, and foodstuffs; and environmental compliance. Usingmore » comparisons with standards, regulations, and background levels, this report concludes that environmental effects from Laboratory operations are small and do not pose a demonstrable threat to the public, Laboratory employees, or the environment.« less

FBI fingerprint identification automation study: AIDS 3 evaluation report. Volume 6: Environmental analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulhall, B. D. L.

1980-01-01

The results of the analysis of the external environment of the FBI Fingerprint Identification Division are presented. Possible trends in the future environment of the Division that may have an effect on the work load were projected to determine if future work load will lie within the capability range of the proposed new system, AIDS 3. Two working models of the environment were developed, the internal and external model, and from these scenarios the projection of possible future work load volume and mixture was developed. Possible drivers of work load change were identified and assessed for upper and lower bounds of effects. Data used for the study were derived from historical information, analysis of the current situation and from interviews with various agencies who are users of or stakeholders in the present system.

Influence of energy alternatives and carbon emissions on an institution's green reputation.

PubMed

Komarek, Timothy M; Lupi, Frank; Kaplowitz, Michael D; Thorp, Laurie

2013-10-15

Institutions' reputation for being environmentally friendly or 'green' can come from many sources. This paper examines how the attributes of alternative energy management plans impact an institutions' 'green' reputation by focusing on the interaction between 'external' and 'internal' influences. Some 'external' influences on environmental reputation we studied include the institution's mix of fuels, energy conservation effort, carbon emissions targets, investment time-frame, and program cost. The 'internal' influences on institutions' green reputation we examined include altruism (respondents' concern for the welfare of others) and environmentalism (respondents' concern for the environment). Using a stated-preference conjoint survey, we empirically examine how attributes of alternative energy management plans influence a large, research university's 'green' reputation. Our results show that constituents benefit from their institution's green reputation and that the energy management choices of the institution can significantly influence its perceived green reputation. Furthermore, integrating internal and external influences on reputation can create more informative models and better decision-making. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cost-benefit analysis of water-reuse projects for environmental purposes: a case study for Spanish wastewater treatment plants.

PubMed

Molinos-Senante, M; Hernández-Sancho, F; Sala-Garrido, R

2011-12-01

Water reuse is an emerging and promising non-conventional water resource. Feasibility studies are essential tools in the decision making process for the implementation of water-reuse projects. However, the methods used to assess economic feasibility tend to focus on internal costs, while external impacts are relegated to unsubstantiated statements about the advantages of water reuse. Using the concept of shadow prices for undesirable outputs of water reclamation, the current study developed a theoretical methodology to assess internal and external economic impacts. The proposed methodological approach is applied to 13 wastewater treatment plants in the Valencia region of Spain that reuse effluent for environmental purposes. Internal benefit analyses indicated that only a proportion of projects were economically viable, while when external benefits are incorporated all projects were economically viable. In conclusion, the economic feasibility assessments of water-reuse projects should quantitatively evaluate economic, environmental and resource availability. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

78 FR 25436 - SFIREG Environmental Quality Issues Committee; Notice of Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-01

... human health, environmental exposure to pesticides, and insight into EPA's decision-making process. You.... SUMMARY: The Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO)/State FIFRA Issues Research and... External Affairs Division (7506P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200...

Reconfigurable environmentally adaptive computing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coxe, Robin L. (Inventor); Galica, Gary E. (Inventor)

2008-01-01

Described are methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for reconfigurable environmentally adaptive computing technology. An environmental signal representative of an external environmental condition is received. A processing configuration is automatically selected, based on the environmental signal, from a plurality of processing configurations. A reconfigurable processing element is reconfigured to operate according to the selected processing configuration. In some examples, the environmental condition is detected and the environmental signal is generated based on the detected condition.

Children's Environmental Health Research

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Conducted in-house, with our federal partners like NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Services (NIEHS), and by external researchers through a research grants program administered through the agency’s Office of Research & Development.

Environmental Scanning: Acquisition and Use of Information by Managers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choo, Chun Wei; Auster, Ethel

1993-01-01

Defines environmental scanning as the acquisition and use of information about an organization's external environment to assist managers in planning. Highlights include a historical review; organizational theories; information needs and uses; managers as information users; and a review of research on environmental scanning. (Contains 124…

Preference on cash-choice task predicts externalizing outcomes in 17-year-olds.

PubMed

Sparks, Jordan C; Isen, Joshua D; Iacono, William G

2014-03-01

Delay-discounting, the tendency to prefer a smaller-sooner reward to a larger-later reward, has been associated with a range of externalizing behaviors. Laboratory delay-discounting tasks have emerged as a useful measure to index impulsivity and a proclivity towards externalizing pyschopathology. While many studies demonstrate the existence of a latent externalizing factor that is heritable, there have been few genetic studies of delay-discounting. Further, the increased vulnerability for risky behavior in adolescence makes adolescent samples an attractive target for future research, and expeditious, ecologically-valid delay-discounting measures are helpful in this regard. The primary goal of this study was to help validate the utility of a "cash-choice" measure for use in a sample of older adolescents. We used a sample of 17-year-old twins (n = 791) from the Minnesota Twin Family Enrichment study. Individuals who chose the smaller-sooner reward were more likely to have used a range of addictive substances, engaged in sexual intercourse, and earned lower GPAs. Best fitting biometric models from univariate analyses supported the heritability of cash-choice and externalizing, but bivariate modeling results indicated that the correlation between cash-choice and externalizing was determined largely by shared environmental influences, thus failing to support cash-choice as a possible endophenotype for externalizing in this age group. Our findings lend further support to the utility of cash-choice as a measure of individual differences in decision making and suggest that, by late adolescence, this task indexes shared environmental risk for externalizing behavior.

Vertical Distribution and Estimated Doses from Artificial Radionuclides in Soil Samples around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site

PubMed Central

Taira, Yasuyuki; Hayashida, Naomi; Tsuchiya, Rimi; Yamaguchi, Hitoshi; Takahashi, Jumpei; Kazlovsky, Alexander; Urazalin, Marat; Rakhypbekov, Tolebay; Yamashita, Shunichi; Takamura, Noboru

2013-01-01

For the current on-site evaluation of the environmental contamination and contributory external exposure after the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP) and the nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site (SNTS), the concentrations of artificial radionuclides in soil samples from each area were analyzed by gamma spectrometry. Four artificial radionuclides (241Am, 134Cs, 137Cs, and 60Co) were detected in surface soil around CNPP, whereas seven artificial radionuclides (241Am, 57Co, 137Cs, 95Zr, 95Nb, 58Co, and 60Co) were detected in surface soil around SNTS. Effective doses around CNPP were over the public dose limit of 1 mSv/y (International Commission on Radiological Protection, 1991). These levels in a contaminated area 12 km from Unit 4 were high, whereas levels in a decontaminated area 12 km from Unit 4 and another contaminated area 15 km from Unit 4 were comparatively low. On the other hand, the effective doses around SNTS were below the public dose limit. These findings suggest that the environmental contamination and effective doses on the ground definitely decrease with decontamination such as removing surface soil, although the effective doses of the sampling points around CNPP in the present study were all over the public dose limit. Thus, the remediation of soil as a countermeasure could be an extremely effective method not only for areas around CNPP and SNTS but also for areas around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), and external exposure levels will be certainly reduced. Long-term follow-up of environmental monitoring around CNPP, SNTS, and FNPP, as well as evaluation of the health effects in the population residing around these areas, could contribute to radiation safety and reduce unnecessary exposure to the public. PMID:23469013

Vertical distribution and estimated doses from artificial radionuclides in soil samples around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site.

PubMed

Taira, Yasuyuki; Hayashida, Naomi; Tsuchiya, Rimi; Yamaguchi, Hitoshi; Takahashi, Jumpei; Kazlovsky, Alexander; Urazalin, Marat; Rakhypbekov, Tolebay; Yamashita, Shunichi; Takamura, Noboru

2013-01-01

For the current on-site evaluation of the environmental contamination and contributory external exposure after the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP) and the nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site (SNTS), the concentrations of artificial radionuclides in soil samples from each area were analyzed by gamma spectrometry. Four artificial radionuclides ((241)Am, (134)Cs, (137)Cs, and (60)Co) were detected in surface soil around CNPP, whereas seven artificial radionuclides ((241)Am, (57)Co, (137)Cs, (95)Zr, (95)Nb, (58)Co, and (60)Co) were detected in surface soil around SNTS. Effective doses around CNPP were over the public dose limit of 1 mSv/y (International Commission on Radiological Protection, 1991). These levels in a contaminated area 12 km from Unit 4 were high, whereas levels in a decontaminated area 12 km from Unit 4 and another contaminated area 15 km from Unit 4 were comparatively low. On the other hand, the effective doses around SNTS were below the public dose limit. These findings suggest that the environmental contamination and effective doses on the ground definitely decrease with decontamination such as removing surface soil, although the effective doses of the sampling points around CNPP in the present study were all over the public dose limit. Thus, the remediation of soil as a countermeasure could be an extremely effective method not only for areas around CNPP and SNTS but also for areas around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), and external exposure levels will be certainly reduced. Long-term follow-up of environmental monitoring around CNPP, SNTS, and FNPP, as well as evaluation of the health effects in the population residing around these areas, could contribute to radiation safety and reduce unnecessary exposure to the public.

Crystallography of biological fluid as a method for evaluating its physicochemical characteristics.

PubMed

Martusevich, A K; Kamakin, N F

2007-03-01

Using an integral qualitative and quantitative approach to the studies of initiation of the biological material crystallogenesis, we showed in experiments with normal human saliva that the external characteristics of biological fluid (pH, osmolality, and environmental temperature) determine the results of crystallization (tesigraphic facies). The main external (macroenvironment) and inner (microenvironment) factors of biological fluid crystal formation, determining specific features of the tesigraphic facies, were distinguished and classified. The informative value of differential analysis of biomaterial properties by means of modulating the environmental conditions is established.

European regional efficiency and geographical externalities: a spatial nonparametric frontier analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramajo, Julián; Cordero, José Manuel; Márquez, Miguel Ángel

2017-10-01

This paper analyses region-level technical efficiency in nine European countries over the 1995-2007 period. We propose the application of a nonparametric conditional frontier approach to account for the presence of heterogeneous conditions in the form of geographical externalities. Such environmental factors are beyond the control of regional authorities, but may affect the production function. Therefore, they need to be considered in the frontier estimation. Specifically, a spatial autoregressive term is included as an external conditioning factor in a robust order- m model. Thus we can test the hypothesis of non-separability (the external factor impacts both the input-output space and the distribution of efficiencies), demonstrating the existence of significant global interregional spillovers into the production process. Our findings show that geographical externalities affect both the frontier level and the probability of being more or less efficient. Specifically, the results support the fact that the spatial lag variable has an inverted U-shaped non-linear impact on the performance of regions. This finding can be interpreted as a differential effect of interregional spillovers depending on the size of the neighboring economies: positive externalities for small values, possibly related to agglomeration economies, and negative externalities for high values, indicating the possibility of production congestion. Additionally, evidence of the existence of a strong geographic pattern of European regional efficiency is reported and the levels of technical efficiency are acknowledged to have converged during the period under analysis.

Perceived health status and environmental quality in the assessment of external costs of waste disposal facilities. An empirical investigation.

PubMed

Giaccaria, Sergio; Frontuto, Vito

2012-08-01

Taxation for urban waste management has been reformed in Italy by the introduction of an environmental law in 2006. In the planning phase of waste management, externalities generated by new facilities remain widely unaccounted, with a consequent distortion for prices, often raising local conflicts. The paper presents a survey based on the choice modelling methodology, aimed to evaluate on a monetary scale the disamenity effect perceived by incinerator and landfills in an Italian urban context: the city of Turin. In a random utility framework the behaviour of respondents, whose choices are found to be driven by the endowment of information about technological options, socio-economic characteristics as income, education, family composition, and also by their health status was modelled. Furthermore, empirical evidence that the behaviour in residential location choices is affected by different aspects of the respondent life and in particular by the health status was found. Distinct estimates of willingness to accept compensation for disamenity effects of incinerator (Euro 2670) and landfill (Euro 3816) are elicited. The effect of health status of the respondents, their level of information about the waste disposal infrastructure, the presence of a subjective strong aversion (NIMBY) and the actual endowment and concentration of infrastructures are demonstrated to be significant factors determining the choice behaviour, but differentiated and specific for incinerators and landfills.

Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Environmental contaminants and their effects on fish in the Columbia River Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hinck, Jo Ellen; Schmitt, Christopher J.; Bartish, Timothy M.; Denslow, Nancy D.; Blazer, Vicki; Anderson, Patrick J.; Coyle, James J.; Dethloff, Gail M.; Tillitt, Donald E.

2004-01-01

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio), black basses (Micropterus sp.), and largescale sucker (Catostomus macrocheilus) together accounted for 80% of the fish sampled during the study. Fish were weighed and measured then field-examined for external and internal lesions, and liver, spleen, and gonads were weighed to compute somatic indices. Selected tissues and fluids were obtained and preserved for analysis of fish health and reproductive biomarkers. Composite samples of whole fish from each station were grouped by species and gender and analyzed for persistent organic and inorganic contaminants and for dioxin-like activity using H4IIE rat hepatoma cell bioassay.

Satellite Power System (SPS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edler, H. G.

1978-01-01

Potential organizational options for a solar power satellite system (SPS) were investigated. Selection and evaluation criteria were determined to include timeliness, reliability, and adequacy to contribute meaningfully to the U.S. supply; political feasibility (both national and international); and cost effectiveness (including environmental and other external costs). Based on these criteria, four organizational alternatives appeared to offer reasonable promise as potential options for SPS. A large number of key issues emerged as being factors which would influence the final selection process. Among these issues were a variety having to do with international law, international institutions, environmental controls, economics, operational flexibility, congressional policies, commercial-vs-governmental ownership, national dedication, and national and operational stategic issues.

Environmental determinants of allergy and asthma in early life.

PubMed

Burbank, Allison J; Sood, Amika K; Kesic, Matthew J; Peden, David B; Hernandez, Michelle L

2017-07-01

Allergic disease prevalence has increased significantly in recent decades. Primary prevention efforts are being guided by study of the exposome (or collective environmental exposures beginning during the prenatal period) to identify modifiable factors that affect allergic disease risk. In this review we explore the evidence supporting a relationship between key components of the external exposome in the prenatal and early-life periods and their effect on atopy development focused on microbial, allergen, and air pollution exposures. The abundance and diversity of microbial exposures during the first months and years of life have been linked with risk of allergic sensitization and disease. Indoor environmental allergen exposure during early life can also affect disease development, depending on the allergen type, dose, and timing of exposure. Recent evidence supports the role of ambient air pollution in allergic disease inception. The lack of clarity in the literature surrounding the relationship between environment and atopy reflects the complex interplay between cumulative environmental factors and genetic susceptibility, such that no one factor dictates disease development in all subjects. Understanding the effect of the summation of environmental exposures throughout a child's development is needed to identify cost-effective interventions that reduce atopy risk in children. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Decomposition of Shared Environmental Influences on Externalizing Syndromes in the Swedish Population: A Multivariate Study.

PubMed

Ohlsson, Henrik; Kendler, Kenneth S; Lichtenstein, Paul; Sundquist, Jan; Sundquist, Kristina

2017-08-01

Using information from Swedish population registries, we attempt to decompose the shared environment (C) into four subcomponents: close family, family, household, and community. Among pairs differing in their genetic and geographical/household relationships, we examine three externalizing syndromes: drug abuse (DA), criminal behavior (CB), and alcohol use disorders (AUD). The best-fitting common pathway model suggested that total estimates for C were higher for DA (21% for males and 18% for females) than for AUD (16% and 14%) and CB (17% and 10%). Concerning syndrome-specific influences in males, close family effects were stronger for CB and AUD, while community effects were stronger for DA. The two C components in between community experiences and close family experiences (family and household) were estimated to almost entirely derive from the common latent factor. In females, among the four components of C, the community experiences were just slightly above zero, while the C components referred to as the household effect were almost zero. The total close family experiences were similar and most important across syndromes were also divided into common and specific components. For all syndromes, for both males and females, the effects of additive genetic factors were 2-4 times the size of the total effect of the shared environment. Applying standard methods to novel relationships, we expand our understanding of how the shared environment contributes to individual differences in three externalizing syndromes.

The External Performance Appraisal of China Energy Regulation: An Empirical Study Using a TOPSIS Method Based on Entropy Weight and Mahalanobis Distance.

PubMed

Wang, Zheng-Xin; Li, Dan-Dan; Zheng, Hong-Hao

2018-01-30

In China's industrialization process, the effective regulation of energy and environment can promote the positive externality of energy consumption while reducing negative externality, which is an important means for realizing the sustainable development of an economic society. The study puts forward an improved technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution based on entropy weight and Mahalanobis distance (briefly referred as E-M-TOPSIS). The performance of the approach was verified to be satisfactory. By separately using traditional and improved TOPSIS methods, the study carried out the empirical appraisals on the external performance of China's energy regulation during 1999~2015. The results show that the correlation between the performance indexes causes the significant difference between the appraisal results of E-M-TOPSIS and traditional TOPSIS. The E-M-TOPSIS takes the correlation between indexes into account and generally softens the closeness degree compared with traditional TOPSIS. Moreover, it makes the relative closeness degree fluctuate within a small-amplitude. The results conform to the practical condition of China's energy regulation and therefore the E-M-TOPSIS is favorably applicable for the external performance appraisal of energy regulation. Additionally, the external economic performance and social responsibility performance (including environmental and energy safety performances) based on the E-M-TOPSIS exhibit significantly different fluctuation trends. The external economic performance dramatically fluctuates with a larger fluctuation amplitude, while the social responsibility performance exhibits a relatively stable interval fluctuation. This indicates that compared to the social responsibility performance, the fluctuation of external economic performance is more sensitive to energy regulation.

Emotional self-control and dysregulation: A dual-process analysis of pathways to externalizing/internalizing symptomatology and positive well-being in younger adolescents.

PubMed

Wills, Thomas A; Simons, Jeffrey S; Sussman, Steve; Knight, Rebecca

2016-06-01

There is little knowledge about how emotional regulation contributes to vulnerability versus resilience to substance use disorder. With younger adolescents, we studied the pathways through which emotion regulation attributes are related to predisposing factors for disorder. A sample of 3561 adolescents (M age 12.5 years) was surveyed. Measures for emotional self-control (regulation of sadness and anger), emotional dysregulation (angerability, affective lability, and rumination about sadness or anger), and behavioral self-control (planfulness and problem solving) were obtained. A structural model was analyzed with regulation attributes related to six intermediate variables that are established risk or protective factors for adolescent substance use (e.g., academic involvement, stressful life events). Criterion variables were externalizing and internalizing symptomatology and positive well-being. Indirect pathways were found from emotional regulation to symptomatology through academic competence, stressful events, and deviance-prone attitudes and cognitions. Direct effects were also found: from emotional dysregulation to externalizing and internalizing symptomatology; emotional self-control to well-being; and behavioral self-control (inverse) to externalizing symptomatology. Emotional self-control and emotional dysregulation had independent effects and different types of pathways. Adolescents scoring high on emotional dysregulation are at risk for substance dependence because of more externalizing and internalizing symptomatology. Independently, youth with better behavioral and emotional self-control are at lower risk. This occurs partly through relations of regulation constructs to environmental variables that affect levels of symptomatology (e.g., stressful events, poor academic performance). Effects of emotion regulation were found at an early age, before the typical onset of substance disorder. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Emotional Self-Control and Dysregulation: A Dual-Process Analysis of Pathways to Externalizing/Internalizing Symptomatology and Positive Well-being in Younger Adolescents

PubMed Central

Wills, Thomas A.; Simons, Jeffrey S.; Sussman, Steve; Knight, Rebecca

2016-01-01

Objectives There is little knowledge about how emotional regulation contributes to vulnerability versus resilience to substance use disorder. With younger adolescents, we studied the pathways through which emotion regulation attributes are related to predisposing factors for disorder. Methods A sample of 3,561 adolescents (M age 12.5 years) was surveyed. Measures for emotional self-control (regulation of sadness and anger), emotional dysregulation (angerability, affective lability, and rumination about sadness or anger), and behavioral self-control (planfulness and problem solving) were obtained. A structural model was analyzed with regulation attributes related to six intermediate variables that are established risk or protective factors for adolescent substance use (e.g., academic involvement, stressful life events). Criterion variables were externalizing and internalizing symptomatology and positive well-being. Results Indirect pathways were found from emotional regulation to symptomatology through academic competence, stressful events, and deviance-prone attitudes and cognitions. Direct effects were also found: from emotional dysregulation to externalizing and internalizing symptomatology; emotional self-control to well-being; and behavioral self-control (inverse) to externalizing symptomatology. Emotional self-control and emotional dysregulation had independent effects and different types of pathways. Conclusions Adolescents scoring high on emotional dysregulation are at risk for substance dependence because of more externalizing and internalizing symptomatology. Independently, youth with better behavioral and emotional self-control are at lower risk. This occurs partly through relations of regulation constructs to environmental variables that affect levels of symptomatology (e.g., stressful events, poor academic performance). Effects of emotion regulation were found at an early age, before the typical onset of substance disorder. PMID:27306730

External validity of a hierarchical dimensional model of child and adolescent psychopathology: Tests using confirmatory factor analyses and multivariate behavior genetic analyses.

PubMed

Waldman, Irwin D; Poore, Holly E; van Hulle, Carol; Rathouz, Paul J; Lahey, Benjamin B

2016-11-01

Several recent studies of the hierarchical phenotypic structure of psychopathology have identified a General psychopathology factor in addition to the more expected specific Externalizing and Internalizing dimensions in both youth and adult samples and some have found relevant unique external correlates of this General factor. We used data from 1,568 twin pairs (599 MZ & 969 DZ) age 9 to 17 to test hypotheses for the underlying structure of youth psychopathology and the external validity of the higher-order factors. Psychopathology symptoms were assessed via structured interviews of caretakers and youth. We conducted phenotypic analyses of competing structural models using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and used Structural Equation Modeling and multivariate behavior genetic analyses to understand the etiology of the higher-order factors and their external validity. We found that both a General factor and specific Externalizing and Internalizing dimensions are necessary for characterizing youth psychopathology at both the phenotypic and etiologic levels, and that the 3 higher-order factors differed substantially in the magnitudes of their underlying genetic and environmental influences. Phenotypically, the specific Externalizing and Internalizing dimensions were slightly negatively correlated when a General factor was included, which reflected a significant inverse correlation between the nonshared environmental (but not genetic) influences on Internalizing and Externalizing. We estimated heritability of the general factor of psychopathology for the first time. Its moderate heritability suggests that it is not merely an artifact of measurement error but a valid construct. The General, Externalizing, and Internalizing factors differed in their relations with 3 external validity criteria: mother's smoking during pregnancy, parent's harsh discipline, and the youth's association with delinquent peers. Multivariate behavior genetic analyses supported the external validity of the 3 higher-order factors by suggesting that the General, Externalizing, and Internalizing factors were correlated with peer delinquency and parent's harsh discipline for different etiologic reasons. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Environmental Externalities in Electric Power Markets: Acid Rain, Urban Ozone, and Climate Change

EIA Publications

1995-01-01

This article discusses the emissions resulting from the generation of electricity by utilities and their role in contributing to the environmental problems of acid rain, urban ozone, and climate change.

Associations between prenatal cigarette smoke exposure and externalized behaviors at school age among Inuit children exposed to environmental contaminants.

PubMed

Desrosiers, Caroline; Boucher, Olivier; Forget-Dubois, Nadine; Dewailly, Eric; Ayotte, Pierre; Jacobson, Sandra W; Jacobson, Joseph L; Muckle, Gina

2013-01-01

Smoking during pregnancy is common among Inuit women from the Canadian Arctic. Yet prenatal cigarette smoke exposure (PCSE) is seen as a major risk factor for childhood behavior problems. Recent data also suggest that co-exposure to neurotoxic environmental contaminants can exacerbate the effects of PCSE on behavior. This study examined the association between PCSE and behavior at school age in a sample of Inuit children from Nunavik, Québec, where co-exposure to environmental contaminants is also an important issue. Interactions with lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg), two contaminants associated with behavioral problems, were also explored. Participants were 271 children (mean age=11.3years) involved in a prospective birth-cohort study. PCSE was assessed through maternal recall. Assessment of child behavior was obtained from the child's classroom teacher on the Teacher Report Form (TRF) and the Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale (DBD). Exposure to contaminants was assessed from umbilical cord and child blood samples. Other confounders were documented by maternal interview. After control for contaminants and confounders, PCSE was associated with increased externalizing behaviors and attention problems on the TRF and higher prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessed on the DBD. No interactions were found with contaminants. This study extends the existing empirical evidence linking PCSE to behavioral problems in school-aged children by reporting these effects in a population where tobacco use is normative rather than marginal. Co-exposure to Pb and Hg do not appear to exacerbate tobacco effects, suggesting that these substances act independently. © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Zebrafish as a Vertebrate Model System to Evaluate Effects of Environmental Toxicants on Cardiac Development and Function.

PubMed

Sarmah, Swapnalee; Marrs, James A

2016-12-16

Environmental pollution is a serious problem of the modern world that possesses a major threat to public health. Exposure to environmental pollutants during embryonic development is particularly risky. Although many pollutants have been verified as potential toxicants, there are new chemicals in the environment that need assessment. Heart development is an extremely sensitive process, which can be affected by environmentally toxic molecule exposure during embryonic development. Congenital heart defects are the most common life-threatening global health problems, and the etiology is mostly unknown. The zebrafish has emerged as an invaluable model to examine substance toxicity on vertebrate development, particularly on cardiac development. The zebrafish offers numerous advantages for toxicology research not found in other model systems. Many laboratories have used the zebrafish to study the effects of widespread chemicals in the environment on heart development, including pesticides, nanoparticles, and various organic pollutants. Here, we review the uses of the zebrafish in examining effects of exposure to external molecules during embryonic development in causing cardiac defects, including chemicals ubiquitous in the environment and illicit drugs. Known or potential mechanisms of toxicity and how zebrafish research can be used to provide mechanistic understanding of cardiac defects are discussed.

Causes of Early-Age Thermal Cracking of Concrete Foundation Slabs and their Reinforcement to Control the Cracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilčík, Juraj; Sonnenschein, Róbert; Gažovičová, Natália

2017-09-01

This paper focuses on the causes and consequences of early-age cracking of mass concrete foundation slabs due to restrained volume changes. Considering the importance of water leaking through cracks in terms of the serviceability, durability and environmental impact of watertight concrete structures, emphasis is placed on the effect of temperature loads on foundation slabs. Foundation slabs are usually restrained to some degree externally or internally. To evaluate the effect of external restraints on foundation slabs, friction and interaction models are introduced. The reinforcement of concrete cannot prevent the initiation of cracking, but when cracking has occurred, it may act to reduce the spacing and width of cracks. According to EN 1992-1-1, results of calculating crack widths with local variations included in National Annexes (NAs) vary considerably. A comparison of the required reinforcement areas according to different NAs is presented.

Steady state micro-g environment on Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Waters, L.; Heck, M.; Deryder, L.

1988-01-01

In circular earth orbit, the Space Station (SS) will sense acceleration from external environmental forces due to the gravitational gradient, rotational accelerations, and atmospheric drag. This paper discusses these forces and how they will affect the SS micro-g environment. The effect of SS attitude on the micro-g profile is addressed. Sources for nonsteady state acceleration levels for which disturbance models are currently being developed are briefly considered.

Superlattice Microstructured Optical Fiber

PubMed Central

Tse, Ming-Leung Vincent; Liu, Zhengyong; Cho, Lok-Hin; Lu, Chao; Wai, Ping-Kong Alex; Tam, Hwa-Yaw

2014-01-01

A generic three-stage stack-and-draw method is demonstrated for the fabrication of complex-microstructured optical fibers. We report the fabrication and characterization of a silica superlattice microstructured fiber with more than 800 rhomboidally arranged air-holes. A polarization-maintaining fiber with a birefringence of 8.5 × 10−4 is demonstrated. The birefringent property of the fiber is found to be highly insensitive to external environmental effects, such as pressure. PMID:28788693

Trajectories of pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems from age 2 to age 12: findings from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care.

PubMed

Fanti, Kostas A; Henrich, Christopher C

2010-09-01

How and why do internalizing and externalizing problems, psychopathological problems from different diagnostic classes representing separate forms of psychopathology, co-occur in children? We investigated the development of pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems from ages 2 to 12 with the use of latent class growth analysis. Furthermore, we examined how early childhood factors (temperament, cognitive functioning, maternal depression, and home environment) and early adolescent social and behavioral adjustment variables were related to differential trajectories of pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems. The sample (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care) consisted of 1,232 children (52% male). Mother reports on the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991, 1992) were used to construct the trajectories of externalizing and internalizing problems. Analyses identified groups of children exhibiting pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems. Children exhibiting continuous externalizing or continuous co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems across the 10-year period under investigation were more likely to (a) engage in risky behaviors, (b) be associated with deviant peers, (c) be rejected by peers, and (d) be asocial with peers at early adolescence. However, children exhibiting pure internalizing problems over time were only at higher risk for being asocial with peers as early adolescents. Moreover, the additive effects of individual and environmental early childhood risk factors influenced the development of chronic externalizing problems, although pure internalizing problems were uniquely influenced by maternal depression. Results also provided evidence for the concepts of equifinality and multifinality.

Comparison of weighting approaches for genetic risk scores in gene-environment interaction studies.

PubMed

Hüls, Anke; Krämer, Ursula; Carlsten, Christopher; Schikowski, Tamara; Ickstadt, Katja; Schwender, Holger

2017-12-16

Weighted genetic risk scores (GRS), defined as weighted sums of risk alleles of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), are statistically powerful for detection gene-environment (GxE) interactions. To assign weights, the gold standard is to use external weights from an independent study. However, appropriate external weights are not always available. In such situations and in the presence of predominant marginal genetic effects, we have shown in a previous study that GRS with internal weights from marginal genetic effects ("GRS-marginal-internal") are a powerful and reliable alternative to single SNP approaches or the use of unweighted GRS. However, this approach might not be appropriate for detecting predominant interactions, i.e. interactions showing an effect stronger than the marginal genetic effect. In this paper, we present a weighting approach for such predominant interactions ("GRS-interaction-training") in which parts of the data are used to estimate the weights from the interaction terms and the remaining data are used to determine the GRS. We conducted a simulation study for the detection of GxE interactions in which we evaluated power, type I error and sign-misspecification. We compared this new weighting approach to the GRS-marginal-internal approach and to GRS with external weights. Our simulation study showed that in the absence of external weights and with predominant interaction effects, the highest power was reached with the GRS-interaction-training approach. If marginal genetic effects were predominant, the GRS-marginal-internal approach was more appropriate. Furthermore, the power to detect interactions reached by the GRS-interaction-training approach was only slightly lower than the power achieved by GRS with external weights. The power of the GRS-interaction-training approach was confirmed in a real data application to the Traffic, Asthma and Genetics (TAG) Study (N = 4465 observations). When appropriate external weights are unavailable, we recommend to use internal weights from the study population itself to construct weighted GRS for GxE interaction studies. If the SNPs were chosen because a strong marginal genetic effect was hypothesized, GRS-marginal-internal should be used. If the SNPs were chosen because of their collective impact on the biological mechanisms mediating the environmental effect (hypothesis of predominant interactions) GRS-interaction-training should be applied.

Thermal effects on fish ecology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coutant, Charles C.

1976-01-01

Of all the environmental factors that influence aquatic organisms, temperature is the most all-pervasive. There is always an environmental temperature while other factors may or may not be present to exert their effects. Fish are, for all practical purposes, thermal conformers, or obligate poikilotherms. That is, they are able to exert little significant influence on maintaining a certain body temperature by specialized metabolic or behavioral means. Their body temperature thus fluctuates nearly in concert with the temperature of their aquatic medium (although particularly large, actively-moving fish such as tuna have deep muscle temperatures slightly higher than the water). Intimate contact at the gills of body fluids with the outside water and the high specific heat of water provide a very efficient heat exchanger that insures this near identity of internal and external temperatures.

Ceramic with preferential oxygen reactive layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Hongyu (Inventor); Luthra, Krishan Lal (Inventor)

2001-01-01

An article comprises a silicon-containing substrate and an external environmental/thermal barrier coating. The external environmental/thermal barrier coating is permeable to diffusion of an environmental oxidant and the silicon-containing substrate is oxidizable by reaction with oxidant to form at least one gaseous product. The article comprises an intermediate layer/coating between the silicon-containing substrate and the environmental/thermal barrier coating that is oxidizable to a nongaseous product by reaction with the oxidant in preference to reaction of the silicon-containing substrate with the oxidant. A method of forming an article, comprises forming a silicon-based substrate that is oxidizable by reaction with oxidant to at least one gaseous product and applying an intermediate layer/coating onto the substrate, wherein the intermediate layer/coating is oxidizable to a nongaseous product by reaction with the oxidant in preference to reaction of the silicon-containing substrate with the oxidant.

Environmental Assessment for the Warren Station externally fired combined cycle demonstration project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1995-04-01

The proposed Penelec project is one of 5 projects for potential funding under the fifth solicitation under the Clean Coal Technology program. In Penelec, two existing boilers would be replaced at Warren Station, PA; the new unit would produce 73 MW(e) in a combined cycle mode (using both gas-fired and steam turbines). The project would fill the need for a full utility-size demonstration of externally fire combined cycle (EFCC) technology as the next step toward commercialization. This environmental assessment was prepared for compliance with NEPA; its purpose is to provide sufficient basis for determining whether to prepare an environmental impactmore » statement or to issue a finding of no significant impact. It is divided into the sections: purpose and need for proposed action; alternatives; brief description of affected environment; environmental consequences, including discussion of commercial operation beyond the demonstration period.« less

Human Physiology and the Environment in Health and Disease: Readings from Scientific American.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1976

This anthology of articles is designed to supplement standard texts for courses in human physiology, environmental physiology, anatomy and physiology, pathobiology, general biology, and environmental medicine. It focuses on the influences of the external environment on the body, the physiological responses to environmental challenges, and the ways…

A Partnership Model for Training Episodic Environmental Stewardship 4-H Volunteers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Jane Chin; Alexander, Janice; Smith, Martin H.

2013-01-01

The Marin Environmental Stewardship pilot project demonstrates the potential for a partnership model that brings together external and internal collaborators to recruit and train episodic 4-H volunteers to meet environmental education needs within a community. The clientele served by the volunteers trained through the project was at-risk, urban…

76 FR 44586 - Notice of Availability of the External Review Draft of the Microbial Risk Assessment Guideline...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-26

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-ORD-2011-0532; FRL-9443-9] Notice of Availability of the... Food and in Water AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of document availability for public comment. SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 60-day...

Dealing with extreme environmental degradation: stress and marginalization of Sahel dwellers.

PubMed

Van Haaften, E H; Van de Vijver, F J

1999-07-01

Psychological aspects of environmental degradation are hardly investigated. In the present study these aspects were examined among Sahel dwellers, who live in environments with different states of degradation. The degradation was assessed in terms of vegetation cover, erosion, and loss of organic matter. Subjects came from three cultural groups: Dogon (agriculturalists, n = 225), Mossi (agriculturalists, n = 914), and Fulani (pastoralists, n = 844). Questionnaires addressing marginalization, locus of control, and coping were administered. Environmental degradation was associated with higher levels of stress, marginalization, passive coping (avoidance), a more external locus of control, and lower levels of active coping (problem solving and support seeking). Compared to agriculturalists, pastoralists showed a stronger variation in all psychological variables across all regions, from the least to the most environmentally degraded. Women showed higher scores of stress, (external) locus of control, problem solving, and support seeking than men. The interaction of gender and region was significant for several variables. It was concluded that environmental degradation has various psychological correlates: people are likely to display an active approach to environmental degradation as long as the level of degradation is not beyond their control.

76 FR 4345 - A Method To Assess Climate-Relevant Decisions: Application in the Chesapeake Bay

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-25

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9257-2] A Method To Assess Climate-Relevant Decisions... external peer review workshop to review the external review draft document titled, ``A Method to Assess.../peerreview/register-chesapeake.htm . The draft ``A Method to Assess Climate-Relevant Decisions: Application...

Biofuels and the Environment: The First Triennial Report to Congress (External Review Draft)

EPA Science Inventory

The Biofuels and the Environment: The First Triennial Report to Congress (External Review Draft) (EPA/600/R-10/183A) report, prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA’s Office of Research and Development, is the first report published ...

External Degree Program. Areas of Competency in Business Administration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Syracuse Univ. Research Corp., NY.

Syracuse University has devised an external degree program in business administration in which students may take area competency tests that will reflect their knowledge gained from independent study or other outside sources for a bachelor's degree. The areas of competency for the degree are: Financial Information Systems; Environmental Studies;…

Managing Organizational Change in the Community College. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kozeracki, Carol

This digest discusses two recurrent themes presented in the New Directions for Community Colleges volume titled "Organizational Change in the Community College: Ripple or Sea Change?" First, change in the external environment is accelerating, and colleges must respond to these changes to thrive. External environmental influences include…

75 FR 16459 - Draft Document Related to the Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-01

... Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter AGENCY: Environmental... Review of the Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards--First External Review Draft (75... Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards--First External Review Draft (March 2010), please...

Environmental Uncertainty and External Resource Acquisition: Implications for a Developing Research University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bjork, Lars G.

External resource acquisition was investigated as one factor associated with the development of the University of New Mexico from an undergraduate teaching institution toward becoming a nationally-ranked graduate research university. A longitudinal, ethnohistorical study was undertaken for the 1967-1978 period. The qualitative research methodology…

Final Report from the External Peer Review of the IRIS Reassessment of the Inhalation Carcinogenicity of Naphthalene

EPA Science Inventory

This document is the final report for the 2004 external peer review for the EPA IRIS Reassessment of the Inhalation Carcinogenicity of Naphthalene, prepared by the Office of Research and Development's National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA), for the Integrated ...

EXTERNAL REVIEW DRAFT: HUMAN HEALTH RESEARCH STRATEGY, APRIL 2002

EPA Science Inventory

This is the external review draft of the Human Health Research Strategy. The final document has been published under the same publication number, but it is dated September 2003. The report is available from the EPA.

The mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...

Electrostatic separation for recycling waste printed circuit board: a study on external factor and a robust design for optimization.

PubMed

Hou, Shibing; Wu, Jiang; Qin, Yufei; Xu, Zhenming

2010-07-01

Electrostatic separation is an effective and environmentally friendly method for recycling waste printed circuit board (PCB) by several kinds of electrostatic separators. However, some notable problems have been detected in its applications and cannot be efficiently resolved by optimizing the separation process. Instead of the separator itself, these problems are mainly caused by some external factors such as the nonconductive powder (NP) and the superficial moisture of feeding granule mixture. These problems finally lead to an inefficient separation. In the present research, the impacts of these external factors were investigated and a robust design was built to optimize the process and to weaken the adverse impact. A most robust parameter setting (25 kv, 80 rpm) was concluded from the experimental design. In addition, some theoretical methods, including cyclone separation, were presented to eliminate these problems substantially. This will contribute to efficient electrostatic separation of waste PCB and make remarkable progress for industrial applications.

Factors associated with adoption of health information technology: a conceptual model based on a systematic review.

PubMed

Kruse, Clemens Scott; DeShazo, Jonathan; Kim, Forest; Fulton, Lawrence

2014-05-23

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) allocated $19.2 billion to incentivize adoption of the electronic health record (EHR). Since 2009, Meaningful Use Criteria have dominated information technology (IT) strategy. Health care organizations have struggled to meet expectations and avoid penalties to reimbursements from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Organizational theories attempt to explain factors that influence organizational change, and many theories address changes in organizational strategy. However, due to the complexities of the health care industry, existing organizational theories fall short of demonstrating association with significant health care IT implementations. There is no organizational theory for health care that identifies, groups, and analyzes both internal and external factors of influence for large health care IT implementations like adoption of the EHR. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify a full-spectrum of both internal organizational and external environmental factors associated with the adoption of health information technology (HIT), specifically the EHR. The result is a conceptual model that is commensurate with the complexity of with the health care sector. We performed a systematic literature search in PubMed (restricted to English), EBSCO Host, and Google Scholar for both empirical studies and theory-based writing from 1993-2013 that demonstrated association between influential factors and three modes of HIT: EHR, electronic medical record (EMR), and computerized provider order entry (CPOE). We also looked at published books on organizational theories. We made notes and noted trends on adoption factors. These factors were grouped as adoption factors associated with various versions of EHR adoption. The resulting conceptual model summarizes the diversity of independent variables (IVs) and dependent variables (DVs) used in articles, editorials, books, as well as quantitative and qualitative studies (n=83). As of 2009, only 16.30% (815/4999) of nonfederal, acute-care hospitals had adopted a fully interoperable EHR. From the 83 articles reviewed in this study, 16/83 (19%) identified internal organizational factors and 9/83 (11%) identified external environmental factors associated with adoption of the EHR, EMR, or CPOE. The conceptual model for EHR adoption associates each variable with the work that identified it. Commonalities exist in the literature for internal organizational and external environmental factors associated with the adoption of the EHR and/or CPOE. The conceptual model for EHR adoption associates internal and external factors, specific to the health care industry, associated with adoption of the EHR. It becomes apparent that these factors have some level of association, but the association is not consistently calculated individually or in combination. To better understand effective adoption strategies, empirical studies should be performed from this conceptual model to quantify the positive or negative effect of each factor.

Temperature fluctuations inside savanna termite mounds: Do size and plant shade matter?

PubMed

Ndlovu, M; Pérez-Rodríguez, A

2018-05-01

Mound building termites are key ecosystem engineers of subtropical savanna regions. Mounds allow termites to maintain suitable conditions for termite reproduction and food cultivation ('fungus gardens'). We studied how the internal mound temperature of Macrotermes natalensis, a dominant mound-building termite of the subtropical savanna of southern Africa, responds to a number of environmental variables. We used general additive mixed models (GAMM) to determine how external temperature, mound size (volume) and the amount of vegetation shade affects mound internal temperature over a 24-h period. Internal mound temperature varied daily following changes of the external temperature, although the range of variation was much smaller. Active termite mounds maintained a higher internal temperature than inactive ones, and mound activity reinforced the positive effect of mound size and moderated the negative effect of vegetation shade on internal temperatures. In turn, external temperature fluctuations equally affected active and inactive mounds. Large mounds maintained near optimal internal temperatures compared to smaller sized mounds. We therefore conclude that termite mound size is a stronger determinant of internal mound temperature stability compared to plant shade cover. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental Scanning for Occupational Education. A Facilitator's Guide. A Model for Environmental Scanning to Systematically Assess Future Occupational Education and Training Needs of a Michigan Community College Service Area.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kellogg Foundation, Battle Creek, MI.

This manual is designed to facilitate the planning and implementation of an environmental scanning project in Michigan's community colleges. (Environmental scanning is a systematic process for gathering and analyzing information about the external environment and relating it to an organization's internal environment.) This facilitator's guide is…

Adolescent precursors of adult borderline personality pathology in a high-risk community sample.

PubMed

Conway, Christopher C; Hammen, Constance; Brennan, Patricia A

2015-06-01

Longitudinal studies of the exact environmental conditions and personal attributes contributing to the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD) are rare. Furthermore, existing research typically examines risk factors in isolation, limiting our knowledge of the relative effect sizes of different risk factors and how they act in concert to bring about borderline personality pathology. The present study investigated the prospective effects of diverse acute and chronic stressors, proband psychopathology, and maternal psychopathology on BPD features in a high-risk community sample (N = 700) of youth followed from mid-adolescence to young adulthood. Multivariate analyses revealed significant effects of maternal externalizing disorder history, offspring internalizing disorder history, family stressors, and school-related stressors on BPD risk. Contrary to expectations, no interactions between chronically stressful environmental conditions and personal characteristics in predicting borderline personality features were detected. Implications of these findings for etiological theories of BPD and early screening efforts are discussed.

Early cumulative risk predicts externalizing behavior at age 10: The mediating role of adverse parenting.

PubMed

Gach, Emily J; Ip, Ka I; Sameroff, Arnold J; Olson, Sheryl L

2018-02-01

Multiple environmental risk factors in early childhood predict a broad range of adverse developmental outcomes. However, most prior longitudinal research has not illuminated explanatory mechanisms. Our main goals were to examine predictive associations between cumulative ecological risk factors in early childhood and children's later externalizing problems and to determine whether these associations were explained by variations in parenting quality. Participants were 241 children (118 girls) at risk for school-age conduct problems and their parents and teachers. Children were approximately 3 years old at Time 1 (T1) and 10 years old at Time 2 (T2). Reports of contextual risk at T1 were used to develop a cumulative risk index consisting of 6 singular risk variables from 3 ecological levels: social resources (low income; social isolation), family resources (marital aggression; poor total family functioning), and maternal resources (single parent status; poor maternal mental health). At T1, parenting variables were measured (corporal punishment, warm responsiveness, maternal efficacy, and negative perceptions of child behavior). At T2, mothers, fathers, and teachers reported child externalizing problems. Johnson's relative weight analysis revealed that the cumulative risk index was a more powerful predictor of age 10 years externalizing behavior than any of the singular contextual risk variables. Adverse parenting mediated the effects of cumulative risk on later child externalizing problems. Our findings have significant implications for understanding long-term effects of multiple contextual risk factors present in early childhood and for the implementation of positive parenting interventions early on. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Center for Nuclear Medicine Research in Alzheimer`s Disease Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University. Environmental Assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1994-04-01

The Environmental Assessment (EA) of the Center for Nuclear Medicine Research in Alzheimer`s Disease (CNMR) at the Health Sciences Center, at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia for the construction and operation was prepared by DOE. The EA documents analysis of the environmental and socioeconomic impacts that might occur as a result of these actions, and characterizes potential impacts on the environment. In the EA, DOE presents its evaluation of potential impacts of construction and operation of the CNMR on health and safety of both workers and the public, as well as on the external environment. Construction impacts includemore » the effects of erosion, waste disposal, air emissions, noise, and construction traffic and parking. Operational impacts include the effects of waste generation (domestic, sanitary, hazardous, medical/biological, radioactive and mixed wastes), radiation exposures, air emissions (radioactive, criteria, and air toxics), noise, and new workers. No sensitive resources (wetlands, special sources of groundwater, protected species) exist in the area of project effect.« less

Socio-hydrologic modeling to understand and mediate the competition for water between agriculture development and environmental health: Murrumbidgee River Basin, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Emmerik, T. H. M.; Li, Z.; Sivapalan, M.; Pande, S.; Kandasamy, J.; Savenije, H. H. G.; Chanan, A.; Vigneswaran, S.

2014-03-01

Competition for water between humans and ecosystems is set to become a flash point in the coming decades in many parts of the world. An entirely new and comprehensive quantitative framework is needed to establish a holistic understanding of that competition, thereby enabling the development of effective mediation strategies. This paper presents a modeling study centered on the Murrumbidgee River Basin (MRB). The MRB has witnessed a unique system dynamics over the last 100 years as a result of interactions between patterns of water management and climate driven hydrological variability. Data analysis has revealed a pendulum swing between agricultural development and restoration of environmental health and ecosystem services over different stages of basin scale water resource development. A parsimonious, stylized, quasi-distributed coupled socio-hydrologic system model that simulates the two-way coupling between human and hydrological systems of the MRB is used to mimic dominant features of the pendulum swing. The model consists of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations that describe the interaction between five state variables that govern the co-evolution: reservoir storage, irrigated area, human population, ecosystem health, and a measure of environmental awareness. The model simulations track the propagation of the external climatic and socio-economic drivers through this coupled, complex system to the emergence of the pendulum swing. The model results point to a competition between human "productive" and environmental "restorative" forces that underpin the pendulum swing. Both the forces are endogenous, i.e., generated by the system dynamics in response to external drivers and mediated by humans through technology change and environmental awareness, respectively. We propose this as a generalizable modeling framework for coupled human hydrological systems that is potentially transferable to systems in different climatic and socio-economic settings.

Pricing landfill externalities: emissions and disamenity costs in Cape Town, South Africa.

PubMed

Nahman, Anton

2011-01-01

The external (environmental and social) costs of landfilling (e.g. emissions to air, soil and water; and 'disamenities' such as odours and pests) are difficult to quantify in monetary terms, and are therefore not generally reflected in waste disposal charges or taken into account in decision making regarding waste management options. This results in a bias against alternatives such as recycling, which may be more expensive than landfilling from a purely financial perspective, but preferable from an environmental and social perspective. There is therefore a need to quantify external costs in monetary terms, so that different disposal options can be compared on the basis of their overall costs to society (financial plus external costs). This study attempts to estimate the external costs of landfilling in the City of Cape Town for different scenarios, using the benefits transfer method (for emissions) and the hedonic pricing method (for disamenities). Both methods (in particular the process of transferring and adjusting estimates from one study site to another) are described in detail, allowing the procedures to be replicated elsewhere. The results show that external costs are currently R111 (in South African Rands, or approximately US$16) per tonne of waste, although these could decline under a scenario in which energy is recovered, or in which the existing urban landfills are replaced with a new regional landfill. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The drivers of corporate environment inputs: Based on neo-institution theory evidence from Chinese listed biological and other companies.

PubMed

Guo, Rui; Tao, Lan; Yan, Liang; Chen, Lianfang; Wang, Haijun

2014-09-01

From corporate internal governance structure and external institutional environment, this study uses a legitimacy perspective of intuitional theory to analyze the main influence factors on corporate environmental protection inputs and propose some hypotheses. With the establishment of empirical models, it analyzes the data of 2004-2009 listed biological and other companies in China to test the hypotheses. The findings are concluded that in internal institutional environment, the nature of the controlling shareholder, the proportion of the first shareholder in the ownership structure, the combination of chairman and general manager in board efficiency and the intensity of environmental laws and regulations of the industry in external institutional environment have an significant impact on the behaviors of corporate environmental protection inputs.

Evaluation of single- and dual-porosity models for reproducing the release of external and internal tracers from heterogeneous waste-rock piles.

PubMed

Blackmore, S; Pedretti, D; Mayer, K U; Smith, L; Beckie, R D

2018-05-30

Accurate predictions of solute release from waste-rock piles (WRPs) are paramount for decision making in mining-related environmental processes. Tracers provide information that can be used to estimate effective transport parameters and understand mechanisms controlling the hydraulic and geochemical behavior of WRPs. It is shown that internal tracers (i.e. initially present) together with external (i.e. applied) tracers provide complementary and quantitative information to identify transport mechanisms. The analysis focuses on two experimental WRPs, Piles 4 and Pile 5 at the Antamina Mine site (Peru), where both an internal chloride tracer and externally applied bromide tracer were monitored in discharge over three years. The results suggest that external tracers provide insight into transport associated with relatively fast flow regions that are activated during higher-rate recharge events. In contrast, internal tracers provide insight into mechanisms controlling solutes release from lower-permeability zones within the piles. Rate-limited diffusive processes, which can be mimicked by nonlocal mass-transfer models, affect both internal and external tracers. The sensitivity of the mass-transfer parameters to heterogeneity is higher for external tracers than for internal tracers, as indicated by the different mean residence times characterizing the flow paths associated with each tracer. The joint use of internal and external tracers provides a more comprehensive understanding of the transport mechanisms in WRPs. In particular, the tracer tests support the notion that a multi-porosity conceptualization of WRPs is more adequate for capturing key mechanisms than a dual-porosity conceptualization. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The External Performance Appraisal of China Energy Regulation: An Empirical Study Using a TOPSIS Method Based on Entropy Weight and Mahalanobis Distance

PubMed Central

Li, Dan-Dan; Zheng, Hong-Hao

2018-01-01

In China’s industrialization process, the effective regulation of energy and environment can promote the positive externality of energy consumption while reducing negative externality, which is an important means for realizing the sustainable development of an economic society. The study puts forward an improved technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution based on entropy weight and Mahalanobis distance (briefly referred as E-M-TOPSIS). The performance of the approach was verified to be satisfactory. By separately using traditional and improved TOPSIS methods, the study carried out the empirical appraisals on the external performance of China’s energy regulation during 1999~2015. The results show that the correlation between the performance indexes causes the significant difference between the appraisal results of E-M-TOPSIS and traditional TOPSIS. The E-M-TOPSIS takes the correlation between indexes into account and generally softens the closeness degree compared with traditional TOPSIS. Moreover, it makes the relative closeness degree fluctuate within a small-amplitude. The results conform to the practical condition of China’s energy regulation and therefore the E-M-TOPSIS is favorably applicable for the external performance appraisal of energy regulation. Additionally, the external economic performance and social responsibility performance (including environmental and energy safety performances) based on the E-M-TOPSIS exhibit significantly different fluctuation trends. The external economic performance dramatically fluctuates with a larger fluctuation amplitude, while the social responsibility performance exhibits a relatively stable interval fluctuation. This indicates that compared to the social responsibility performance, the fluctuation of external economic performance is more sensitive to energy regulation. PMID:29385781

Environmental Accounting Coverage in the Accounting Curriculum: A Survey of U.S. Universities and Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yakhou, Mehenna; Dorweiler, Vernon P.

2002-01-01

In a survey of accounting department chairs (122 of 660 responded), only 11% thought that environmental issues should be a standalone course; only four schools had such a course. Environmental topics rated highest were managerial and cost accounting and external reporting and auditing. Respondents believed that integrating topics into courses…

Pathfinder Project: Five-Year Strategic Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pellissippi State Technical Community Coll., Knoxville, TN.

This 5-year strategic plan (prepared in 1994) from Pellissippi State Technical Community College in Tennessee examines macro environmental factors (including social, government, economic and technological trends); internal and external market share trends and opportunities; micro environmental factors (including organizational structure, financial…

Unsustainable Wind Turbine Blade Disposal Practices in the United States.

PubMed

Ramirez-Tejeda, Katerin; Turcotte, David A; Pike, Sarah

2017-02-01

Finding ways to manage the waste from the expected high number of wind turbine blades in need of disposal is crucial to harvest wind energy in a truly sustainable manner. Landfilling is the most cost-effective disposal method in the United States, but it imposes significant environmental impacts. Thermal, mechanical, and chemical processes allow for some energy and/or material recovery, but they also carry potential negative externalities. This article explores the main economic and environmental issues with various wind turbine blade disposal methods. We argue for the necessity of policy intervention that encourages industry to develop better technologies to make wind turbine blade disposal sustainable, both environmentally and economically. We present some of the technological initiatives being researched, such as the use of bio-derived resins and thermoplastic composites in the manufacturing process of the blades.

Is climate change an unforeseen, irresistible and external factor - A force majeure in marine environmental law?

PubMed

Saul, Roxanne; Barnes, Richard; Elliott, Michael

2016-12-15

Several environmental laws include provisions on natural causes or force majeure, which except States from their commitments if it can be proven that the failure to meet the commitment is due to factors outside their control. The European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) has a pivotal role in managing EU marine waters. This paper analyses natural causes and force majeure provisions of the MFSD and other marine legislation, and addresses their interaction with climate change and its consequences, especially the effect on the obligation of ensuring seas are in Good Environmental Status. Climate change is an exogenic unmanaged pressure in that it emanates from outside the area being managed but in which the management authority has to respond to the consequences of climate change, such as sea level rise and temperature elevation, rather than its causes. It is suggested that a defence by a Member State of force majeure may be accepted if an event was proven to be due to an externality of control, irresistible and unforeseeable. The analysis contends that countering such a legal defence would centre on the fact that climate change is a well-accepted phenomenon, is foreseen with an accepted level of confidence and probability and is due to human actions. However, as yet, this has not been legally tested. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Framing the grid: effect of boundaries on grid cells and navigation.

PubMed

Krupic, Julija; Bauza, Marius; Burton, Stephen; O'Keefe, John

2016-11-15

Cells in the mammalian hippocampal formation subserve neuronal representations of environmental location and support navigation in familiar environments. Grid cells constitute one of the main cell types in the hippocampal formation and are widely believed to represent a universal metric of space independent of external stimuli. Recent evidence showing that grid symmetry is distorted in non-symmetrical environments suggests that a re-examination of this hypothesis is warranted. In this review we will discuss behavioural and physiological evidence for how environmental shape and in particular enclosure boundaries influence grid cell firing properties. We propose that grid cells encode the geometric layout of enclosures. © 2016 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2016 The Physiological Society.

76 FR 43999 - Notice of Availability of the External Review Draft of the Guidance for Applying Quantitative...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-22

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-ORD-2009-0694; FRL-9442-8] Notice of Availability of the External Review Draft of the Guidance for Applying Quantitative Data to Develop Data-Derived Extrapolation... Quantitative Data to Develop Data-Derived Extrapolation Factors for Interspecies and Intraspecies Extrapolation...

Gene-by-Preschool Interaction on the Development of Early Externalizing Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tucker-Drob, Elliot M.; Harden, K. Paige

2013-01-01

Background: Preschool involves an array of new social experiences that may impact the development of early externalizing behavior problems over the transition to grade school. Methods: Using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of over 600 pairs of US twins, we tested whether the genetic and environmental influences on…

The Inventory of Sources of Dioxin in the United States (External Review Draft 2005)

EPA Science Inventory

Background

The purpose of The Inventory of Sources of Dioxin in the United States (2005 External Review Draft) is to present the most current inventory of sources and environmental releases of dioxi...

External Scan 2002. Environmental Scan of the Greater Sacramento Area.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beachler, Judith A.

This is the fourth in a series of reports that provide a comprehensive look at the external environment impacting Los Rios Community College District (LRCCD), California. It summarizes the social, economic, and political changes at the state and national levels in general, and in the Sacramento-Yolo Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area…

Benefits and disadvantages of self-regulation of environmental noise from military training

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luz, George A.

2002-05-01

In a 1981 Executive decision, the Administration's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) told the Environmental Protection Agency to end funding of the Office of Noise Abatement and Control (ONAC). This decision, coupled with a specific exemption for military equipment contained in the Noise Control Act of 1972, ensured that the military departments would be self-regulating in regard to noise. This self-regulation for noise stands in contrast to the external regulation of other pollutants, such as air and water emissions. Two possible disadvantages of self-regulation are (1) reduced funding for noise management compared with funding for externally regulated pollutants, and (2) lack of an independent and external set of standards for determining acceptable limits on community noise exposure. Three possible benefits are (1) avoiding the costs of mitigating trivial violations of external standards, (2) maintaining a long-standing policy of preventing noise problems through land use planning, and (3) enabling negotiated solutions between installations and their neighboring communities. The paper ends with an examination of a negotiated solution for a community subjected to noise from the detonation of obsolete ammunition.

Environmental factors associated with physician's engagement in communication activities.

PubMed

Mazurenko, Olena; Hearld, Larry R

2015-01-01

Communication between patients and providers is a crucial component of effective care coordination and is associated with a number of desired patient and provider outcomes. Despite these benefits, physician-patient and physician-physician communication occurs infrequently. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between a medical practice's external environment and physician engagement in communication activities. This was a cross-sectional examination of 4,299 U.S. physicians' self-reported engagement in communication activities. Communication was operationalized as physician's time spent on communication with patients and other providers during a typical work day. The explanatory variables were measures of environmental complexity, dynamism, and munificence. Data sources were the Health Tracking Physician Survey, the Area Resource File database, and the Dartmouth Atlas. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate the association between the environmental factors and physician engagement in communication activities. Several environmental factors, including per capita income (odds ratio range, 1.17-1.38), urban location (odds ratio range, 1.08-1.45), fluctuations in Health Maintenance Organization penetration (odds ratio range, 3.47-13.22), poverty (odds ratio range, 0.80-0.97) and population rates (odds ratio range, 1.01-1.02), and the presence of a malpractice crisis (odds ratio range, 0.22-0.43), were significantly associated with communication. Certain aspects of a physician's external environment are associated with different modes of communication with different recipients (patients and providers). This knowledge can be used by health care managers and policy makers who strive to improve communication between different stakeholders within the health care system (e.g., patient and providers).

Children’s Experiences of Maternal Incarceration-Specific Risks: Predictions to Psychological Maladaptation

PubMed Central

Dallaire, Danielle H.; Zeman, Janice L.; Thrash, Todd M.

2014-01-01

Children of incarcerated mothers are at increased risk for social and emotional difficulties, yet few studies have investigated potential mechanisms of risk within this population. This research simultaneously examined the association of children’s experience of incarceration-specific risk factors (e.g., witness mother’s arrest) and environmental risks (e.g., low educational attainment) to children’s psychological maladaptation using a multi-informant design and a latent variable analytic approach. Participants were 117 currently incarcerated mothers (64.1% African American), their 151 children (53.6% boys, M age =9.8 years, range =6–12 years, 61.7% African American), and the 118 caregivers (74.8% female, 61.9% grandparents, 62.2% African American) of the children. Mothers, children, and caregivers each provided accounts of children’s experiences related to maternal incarceration and children’s internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Mothers and caregivers each supplied information about 10 environmental risk factors. Findings from structural equation modeling indicate that children’s incarceration-specific risk experiences predict internalizing and externalizing behavior problems whereas the influence of environmental risks was negligible. Follow-up analyses examining the contribution of specific risks indicate that significant predictors differ by reporter and separate into effects of family incarceration history and direct experiences of maternal incarceration. Incarceration-specific experiences place children at higher risk for maladjustment than exposure to general environmental risk factors. These findings indicate the need to critically examine children’s exposure to experiences related to maternal incarceration and family incarceration history to help to clarify the multifaceted stressor of maternal incarceration. PMID:24871820

Genetic and environmental influences on externalizing behavior and alcohol problems in adolescence: A female twin study

PubMed Central

Knopik, Valerie S.; Heath, Andrew C.; Bucholz, Kathleen K.; Madden, Pamela A.F.; Waldron, Mary

2009-01-01

Genetic and environmental contributions to the observed correlations among DSM-IV ADHD problems [inattentive (INATT) and hyperactive/impulsive (HYP/IMP) behaviors], conduct problems (CDP) and alcohol problems (AlcProb) were examined by fitting multivariate structural equation models to data from the Missouri Adolescent Female Twin Study [N=2892 twins (831 monozygotic pairs, 615 dizygotic pairs)]. Based on results of preliminary regression models, we modified the structural model to jointly estimate (i) the regression of each phenotype on significant familial/prenatal predictors, and (ii) genetic and environmental contributions to the residual variance and covariance. Results suggested that (i) parental risk factors, such as parental alcohol dependence and regular smoking, increase risk for externalizing behavior; (ii) prenatal exposures predicted increased symptomatology for HYP/IMP (smoking during pregnancy), INATT and CDP (prenatal alcohol exposure); (iii) after adjusting for measured familial/prenatal risk factors, genetic influences were significant for HYP/IMP, INATT, and CDP; however, similar to earlier reports, genetic effects on alcohol dependence symptoms were negligible; and (iv) in adolescence, correlated liabilities for conduct and alcohol problems are found in environmental factors common to both phenotypes, while covariation among impulsivity, inattention, and conduct problems is primarily due to genetic influences common to these three behaviors. Thus, while a variety of adolescent problem behaviors are significantly correlated, the structure of that association may differ as a function of phenotype (e.g., comorbid HYP/IMP and CDP vs. comorbid CDP and AlcProb), a finding that could inform different approaches to treatment and prevention. PMID:19341765

An external-cavity quantum cascade laser operating near 5.2 µm combined with cavity ring-down spectroscopy for multi-component chemical sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta Banik, Gourab; Maity, Abhijit; Som, Suman; Pal, Mithun; Pradhan, Manik

2018-04-01

We report on the performance of a widely tunable continuous wave mode-hop-free external-cavity quantum cascade laser operating at λ ~ 5.2 µm combined with cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) technique for high-resolution molecular spectroscopy. The CRDS system has been utilized for simultaneous and molecule-specific detection of several environmentally and bio-medically important trace molecular species such as nitric oxide, nitrous oxide, carbonyl sulphide and acetylene (C2H2) at ultra-low concentrations by probing numerous rotationally resolved ro-vibrational transitions in the mid-IR spectral region within a relatively small spectral range of ~0.035 cm-1. This continuous wave external-cavity quantum cascade laser-based multi-component CRDS sensor with high sensitivity and molecular specificity promises applications in environmental sensing as well as non-invasive medical diagnosis through human breath analysis.

Transient Reactivation of a Deep-Seated Landslide by Undrained Loading Captured With Repeat Airborne and Terrestrial Lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Booth, Adam M.; McCarley, Justin; Hinkle, Jason; Shaw, Susan; Ampuero, Jean-Paul; Lamb, Michael P.

2018-05-01

Landslides reactivate due to external environmental forcing or internal mass redistribution, but the process is rarely documented quantitatively. We capture the three-dimensional, 1-m resolution surface deformation field of a transiently reactivated landslide with image correlation of repeat airborne lidar. Undrained loading by two debris flows in the landslide's head, rather than external forcing, triggered reactivation. After that loading, the lower 2 km of the landslide advanced by up to 14 m in 2 years before completely stopping. The displacement field over those 2 years implies that the slip surface gained 1 kPa of shear strength, which was likely accomplished by a negative dilatancy-pore pressure feedback as material deformed around basal roughness elements. Thus, landslide motion can be decoupled from external environmental forcing in cases, motivating the need to better understand internal perturbations to the stress field to predict hazards and sediment fluxes as landscapes evolve.

Using an Adoption–Biological Family Design to Examine Associations Between Maternal Trauma, Maternal Depressive Symptoms, and Child Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors

PubMed Central

Grabow, Aleksandria Perez; Khurana, Atika; Natsuaki, Misaki N.; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.; Harold, Gordon T.; Shaw, Daniel S.; Ganiban, Jody M.; Reiss, David; Leve, Leslie D.

2017-01-01

Maternal trauma is a complex risk factor that has been linked to adverse child outcomes, yet the mechanisms underlying this association are not well understood. This study, which included adoptive and biological families, examined the heritable and environmental mechanisms by which maternal trauma and associated depressive symptoms are linked to child internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Path analyses were used to analyze data from 541 adoptive mother–adopted child (AM–AC) dyads and 126 biological mother–biological child (BM–BC) dyads; the two family types were linked through the same biological mother. Rearing mother’s trauma was associated with child internalizing and externalizing behaviors in AM–AC and BM–BC dyads, and this association was mediated by rearing mothers’ depressive symptoms, with the exception of biological child externalizing behavior, for which biological mother trauma had a direct influence only. Significant associations between maternal trauma and child behavior in dyads that share only environment (i.e., AM–AC dyads) suggest an environmental mechanism of influence for maternal trauma. Significant associations were also observed between maternal depressive symptoms and child internalizing and externalizing behavior in dyads that were only genetically related, with no shared environment (i.e., BM–AC dyads), suggesting a heritable pathway of influence via maternal depressive symptoms. PMID:29162177

Using an adoption-biological family design to examine associations between maternal trauma, maternal depressive symptoms, and child internalizing and externalizing behaviors.

PubMed

Grabow, Aleksandria Perez; Khurana, Atika; Natsuaki, Misaki N; Neiderhiser, Jenae M; Harold, Gordon T; Shaw, Daniel S; Ganiban, Jody M; Reiss, David; Leve, Leslie D

2017-12-01

Maternal trauma is a complex risk factor that has been linked to adverse child outcomes, yet the mechanisms underlying this association are not well understood. This study, which included adoptive and biological families, examined the heritable and environmental mechanisms by which maternal trauma and associated depressive symptoms are linked to child internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Path analyses were used to analyze data from 541 adoptive mother-adopted child (AM-AC) dyads and 126 biological mother-biological child (BM-BC) dyads; the two family types were linked through the same biological mother. Rearing mother's trauma was associated with child internalizing and externalizing behaviors in AM-AC and BM-BC dyads, and this association was mediated by rearing mothers' depressive symptoms, with the exception of biological child externalizing behavior, for which biological mother trauma had a direct influence only. Significant associations between maternal trauma and child behavior in dyads that share only environment (i.e., AM-AC dyads) suggest an environmental mechanism of influence for maternal trauma. Significant associations were also observed between maternal depressive symptoms and child internalizing and externalizing behavior in dyads that were only genetically related, with no shared environment (i.e., BM-AC dyads), suggesting a heritable pathway of influence via maternal depressive symptoms.

Alamos: An International Collaboration to Provide a Space Based Environmental Monitoring Solution for the Deep Space Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennedy, S. O.; Dunn, A.; Lecomte, J.; Buchheim, K.; Johansson, E.; Berger, T.

2018-02-01

This abstract proposes the advantages of an externally mounted instrument in support of the human physiology, space biology, and human health and performance key science area. Alamos provides Space-Based Environmental Monitoring capabilities.

Understanding the relative contributions of direct environmental effects and passive genotype-environment correlations in the association between familial risk factors and child disruptive behavior disorders.

PubMed

Bornovalova, M A; Cummings, J R; Hunt, E; Blazei, R; Malone, S; Iacono, W G

2014-03-01

Previous work reports an association between familial risk factors stemming from parental characteristics and offspring disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs). This association may reflect (a) the direct effects of familial environment and (b) a passive gene-environment correlation (r(GE)), wherein the parents provide both the genes and the environment. The current study examined the contributions of direct environmental influences and passive r(GE) by comparing the effects of familial risk factors on child DBDs in genetically related (biological) and non-related (adoptive) families. Participants were 402 adoptive and 204 biological families. Familial environment was defined as maternal and paternal maladaptive parenting and antisociality, marital conflict and divorce; offspring DBDs included attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (CD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Mixed-level regressions estimated the main effects of familial environment, adoption status and the familial environment by adoption status interaction term, which tested for the presence of passive r(GE). There was a main effect of maternal and paternal maladaptive parenting and marital discord on child DBDs, indicating a direct environmental effect. There was no direct environmental effect of maternal or paternal antisociality, but maternal and paternal antisociality had stronger associations with child DBDs in biological families than adoptive families, indicating the presence of a passive r(GE). Many familial risk factors affected children equally across genetically related and non-related families, providing evidence for direct environmental effects. The relationship of parental antisociality and offspring DBDs was best explained by a passive r(GE), where a general vulnerability toward externalizing psychopathology is passed down by the parents to the children.

Understanding the Relative Contributions of Direct Environmental Effects and Passive Genotype-Environment Correlations in the Association between Familial Risk Factors and Child Disruptive Behavior Disorders

PubMed Central

Bornovalova, Marina A.; Cummings, Jenna R.; Hunt, Elizabeth; Blazei, Ryan; Malone, Steve; Iacono, William G.

2013-01-01

Background: Previous work reports an association between familial risk factors stemming from parental characteristics and offspring disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs). This association may reflect a) the direct effects of familial environment, and b) a passive gene-environment correlation, wherein the parents provide both the genes and the environment. The current study examined the contributions of direct environmental influences and passive gene-environment correlations by comparing the effects of familial risk factors on child DBDs in genetically related (biological) and non-related (adoptive) families. Method: Participants were 402 adoptive and 204 biological families. Familial environment was defined as maternal and paternal maladaptive parenting and antisociality, marital conflict, and divorce; offspring DBDs included attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder. Mixed-level regressions estimated the main effects of familial environment, adoption status, and the familial environment by adoption status interaction term, which tested for a presence of passive gene-environment correlations. Results: There was a main effect of maternal and paternal maladaptive parenting and marital discord on child DBDs, indicating a direct environmental effect. There was no direct environmental effect of maternal or paternal antisociality, but maternal and paternal antisociality had stronger associations with child DBDs in biological families than adoptive families, indicating the presence of a passive gene-environment correlation. Conclusions: Many familial risk factors affected children equally across genetically-related and non-related families, providing evidence for direct environmental effects. The relationship of parental antisociality and offspring DBDs was best explained by a passive gene-environment correlation, where a general vulnerability toward externalizing psychopathology is passed down by the parents to the children. PMID:23714724

Zebrafish as a Vertebrate Model System to Evaluate Effects of Environmental Toxicants on Cardiac Development and Function

PubMed Central

Sarmah, Swapnalee; Marrs, James A.

2016-01-01

Environmental pollution is a serious problem of the modern world that possesses a major threat to public health. Exposure to environmental pollutants during embryonic development is particularly risky. Although many pollutants have been verified as potential toxicants, there are new chemicals in the environment that need assessment. Heart development is an extremely sensitive process, which can be affected by environmentally toxic molecule exposure during embryonic development. Congenital heart defects are the most common life-threatening global health problems, and the etiology is mostly unknown. The zebrafish has emerged as an invaluable model to examine substance toxicity on vertebrate development, particularly on cardiac development. The zebrafish offers numerous advantages for toxicology research not found in other model systems. Many laboratories have used the zebrafish to study the effects of widespread chemicals in the environment on heart development, including pesticides, nanoparticles, and various organic pollutants. Here, we review the uses of the zebrafish in examining effects of exposure to external molecules during embryonic development in causing cardiac defects, including chemicals ubiquitous in the environment and illicit drugs. Known or potential mechanisms of toxicity and how zebrafish research can be used to provide mechanistic understanding of cardiac defects are discussed. PMID:27999267

Does External Funding Help Adaptation? Evidence from Community-Based Water Management in the Colombian Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murtinho, Felipe; Eakin, Hallie; López-Carr, David; Hayes, Tanya M.

2013-11-01

Despite debate regarding whether, and in what form, communities need external support for adaptation to environmental change, few studies have examined how external funding impacts adaptation decisions in rural resource-dependent communities. In this article, we use quantitative and qualitative methods to assess how different funding sources influence the initiative to adapt to water scarcity in the Colombian Andes. We compare efforts to adapt to water scarcity in 111 rural Andean communities with varied dependence on external funding for water management activities. Findings suggest that despite efforts to use their own internal resources, communities often need external support to finance adaptation strategies. However, not all external financial support positively impacts a community’s abilities to adapt. Results show the importance of community-driven requests for external support. In cases where external support was unsolicited, the results show a decline, or “crowding-out,” in community efforts to adapt. In contrast, in cases where communities initiated the request for external support to fund their own projects, findings show that external intervention is more likely to enhance or “crowds-in” community-driven adaptation.

Update to An Inventory of Sources and Environmental Releases of Dioxin-Like Compounds in the United States for the Years 1987, 1995, and 2000 (2013, External Review Draft)

EPA Science Inventory

In 2006, EPA published an inventory of sources and environmental releases of dioxin-like compounds in the United States. This draft report presents an update and revision to that dioxin source inventory. It also presents updated estimates of environmental releases of dioxin-like...

A user's guide to the Flexible Spacecraft Dynamics and Control Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fedor, J. V.

1984-01-01

A guide to the use of the Flexible Spacecraft Dynamics Program (FSD) is presented covering input requirements, control words, orbit generation, spacecraft description and simulation options, and output definition. The program can be used in dynamics and control analysis as well as in orbit support of deployment and control of spacecraft. The program is applicable to inertially oriented spinning, Earth oriented or gravity gradient stabilized spacecraft. Internal and external environmental effects can be simulated.

Genetic and environmental overlap between borderline personality disorder traits and psychopathy: evidence for promotive effects of factor 2 and protective effects of factor 1.

PubMed

Hunt, E; Bornovalova, M A; Patrick, C J

2015-05-01

Previous studies have reported strong genetic and environmental overlap between antisocial-externalizing (factor 2; F2) features of psychopathy and borderline personality disorder (BPD) tendencies. However, this line of research has yet to examine etiological associations of affective-interpersonal (factor 1, F1) features of psychopathy with BPD tendencies. The current study investigated differential phenotypic and genetic overlap of psychopathy factors 1 and 2 with BPD tendencies in a sample of over 250 male and female community-recruited adult twin pairs. Consistent with previous research, biometric analyses revealed strong genetic and non-shared environmental correlations of F2 with BPD tendencies, suggesting that common genetic and non-shared environmental factors contribute to both phenotypes. In contrast, negative genetic and non-shared environmental correlations were observed between F1 and BPD tendencies, indicating that the genetic factors underlying F1 serve as protective factors against BPD. No gender differences emerged in the analyses. These findings provide further insight into associations of psychopathic features - F1 as well as F2 - and BPD tendencies. Implications for treatment and intervention are discussed, along with how psychopathic traits may differentially influence the manifestation of BPD tendencies.

75 FR 1405 - National Park Service

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-11

...: Notice of availability of the Record of Decision for the General Management Plan/Environmental Impact...) announces the availability of a Record of Decision (ROD) for the General Management Plan/Environmental... Arch grounds by water taxi. A new external and internal visitor transportation system will be designed...

Multicenter External Quality Assessment Program for PCR Detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans in Clinical and Environmental Specimens

PubMed Central

Eddyani, Miriam; Lavender, Caroline; de Rijk, Willem Bram; Bomans, Pieter; Fyfe, Janet; de Jong, Bouke; Portaels, Françoise

2014-01-01

Background Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer (BU), a necrotizing disease of the skin, soft tissue and bone. PCR is increasingly used in the diagnosis of BU and in research on the mode of transmission and environmental reservoir of M. ulcerans. Methodology/Principal Findings The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of laboratories in detecting M. ulcerans using molecular tests in clinical and environmental samples by implementing sequential multicenter external quality assessment (EQA) programs. The second round of the clinical EQA program revealed somewhat improved performance. Conclusions/Significance Ongoing EQA programs remain essential and continued participation in future EQA programs by laboratories involved in the molecular testing of clinical and environmental samples for M. ulcerans for diagnostic and research purposes is strongly encouraged. Broad participation in such EQA programs also benefits the harmonization of quality in the BU research community and enhances the credibility of advances made in solving the transmission enigma of M. ulcerans. PMID:24586755

Identifying Childhood Characteristics that Underlie Pre-Morbid Risk for Substance Use Disorders: Socialization and Boldness

PubMed Central

Hicks, Brian M.; Iacono, William G.; McGue, Matt

2013-01-01

Utilizing a longitudinal twin study (N = 2510), we identified the child characteristics present prior to initiation of substance use that best predicted later substance use disorders. Two independent traits accounted for the majority of pre-morbid risk: socialization (conformity to rules and conventional values) and boldness (sociability and social assurance, stress resilience, and thrill seeking). Low socialization was associated with disruptive behavior disorders, parental externalizing disorders, and environmental adversity, and exhibited moderate genetic (.45) and shared environmental influences (.30). Boldness was highly heritable (.71) and associated with less internalizing distress and environmental adversity. Together, these traits exhibited robust associations with adolescent and young adult substance use disorders (R = .48 and .50, respectively), and incremental prediction over disruptive behavior disorders, parental externalizing disorders, and environmental adversity. Results were replicated in an independent sample. Socialization and boldness offer a novel conceptualization of underlying risk for substance use disorders that has the potential to improve prediction and theory with implications for basic research, prevention, and intervention. PMID:24280373

Identifying childhood characteristics that underlie premorbid risk for substance use disorders: socialization and boldness.

PubMed

Hicks, Brian M; Iacono, William G; McGue, Matt

2014-02-01

We utilized a longitudinal twin study (N = 2,510) to identify the child characteristics present prior to initiation of substance use that best predicted later substance use disorders. Two independent traits accounted for the majority of premorbid risk: socialization (conformity to rules and conventional values) and boldness (sociability and social assurance, stress resilience, and thrill seeking). Low socialization was associated with disruptive behavior disorders, parental externalizing disorders, and environmental adversity and exhibited moderate genetic (0.45) and shared environmental influences (0.30). Boldness was highly heritable (0.71) and associated with less internalizing distress and environmental adversity. In combination, these traits exhibited robust associations with adolescent and young adult substance use disorders (R = .48 and .50, respectively) and incremental prediction over disruptive behavior disorders, parental externalizing disorders, and environmental adversity. The results were replicated in an independent sample. Socialization and boldness offer a novel conceptualization of underlying risk for substance use disorders that has the potential to improve prediction and theory with implications for basic research, prevention, and intervention.

Significance of Genetic, Environmental, and Pre- and Postharvest Factors Affecting Carotenoid Contents in Crops: A Review.

PubMed

Saini, Ramesh Kumar; Keum, Young-Soo

2018-05-30

Carotenoids are a diverse group of tetraterpenoid pigments that play indispensable roles in plants and animals. The biosynthesis of carotenoids in plants is strictly regulated at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels in accordance with inherited genetic signals and developmental requirements and in response to external environmental stimulants. The alteration in the biosynthesis of carotenoids under the influence of external environmental stimulants, such as high light, drought, salinity, and chilling stresses, has been shown to significantly influence the nutritional value of crop plants. In addition to these stimulants, several pre- and postharvesting cultivation practices significantly influence carotenoid compositions and contents. Thus, this review discusses how various environmental stimulants and pre- and postharvesting factors can be positively modulated for the enhanced biosynthesis and accumulation of carotenoids in the edible parts of crop plants, such as the leaves, roots, tubers, flowers, fruit, and seeds. In addition, future research directions in this context are identified.

Aerosols and their Impact on Radiation, Clouds, Precipitation & Severe Weather Events

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Zhanqing; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Fan, Jiwen

Aerosols, the tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere, have been in the forefront of environmental and climate change sciences as the primary atmospheric pollutant and external force affecting Earth’s weather and climate. There are two dominant mechanisms by which aerosols affect weather and climate: aerosol-radiation interactions (ARI) and aerosol-cloud interactions (ACI). ARI arises from aerosol scattering and absorption, which alters the radiation budgets of the atmosphere and surface, while ACI is rooted to the fact that aerosols serve as cloud condensation nuclei and ice nuclei. Both ARI and ACI are coupled with atmospheric dynamics to produce a chain of complexmore » interactions with a large range of meteorological variables that influence both weather and climate. Elaborated here are the impacts of aerosols on the radiation budget, clouds (microphysics, structure, and lifetime), precipitation, and severe weather events (lightning, thunderstorms, hail, and tornados). Depending on environmental variables and aerosol properties, the effects can be both positive and negative, posing the largest uncertainties in the external forcing of the climate system. This has considerably hindered our ability in projecting future climate changes and in doing accurate numerical weather predictions.« less

Hidden Costs of Energy: Unpriced Consequences of Energy Production and Use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

National Research Council

2011-11-01

The U.S. Congress directed the U.S. Department of the Treasury to arrange for a review by the National Academy of Sciences to define and evaluate the health, environmental, security, and infrastructural external costs and benefits associated with the production and consumption of energy--costs and benefits that are not or may not be fully incorporated into the market price of energy, into the federal tax or fee, or into other applicable revenue measures related to production and consumption of energy. In response, the National Research Council established the Committee on Health, Environmental, and Other External Costs and Benefits of Energy Production and Consumption, which prepared the report summarized in this chapter. The report estimates dollar values for several major components of these costs. The damages the committee was able to quantify were an estimated $120 billion in the U.S. in 2005, a number that reflects primarily health damages from air pollution associated with electricity generation and motor vehicle transportation. The figure does not include damages from climate change, harm to ecosystems, effects of some air pollutants such as mercury, and risks to national security, which the report examines but does not monetize.

Are environmental scanning units effective?

PubMed

Stubbart, C

1982-06-01

Many authorities have urged companies to set up environmental scanning to assist corporate planning. Some advocates have recommended a unit at corporate level. This would give breadth of view and penetration into the future. It would arm decision makers with accurate forecasts. The information would be broad in scope and future directed. It could provide also assumptions for long-range planning. The Fahey and King study produced a model of corporate scanning types. The data showed that environmental information was built into the plan. Though the political environment was important, scanning was inadequate. The best location for scanning was not at corporate level and most firms used irregular methods. The Thomas study concluded that effective environmental scanning was permanent and multi level and that 'best practice' was continuous scanning. In 1978 the sample organizations were revisited. Five of the twelve have not changed their practice. The factors which encouraged a continuous model were the attitudes of academics and business media, demonstrated success of the units, the right kind of personnel. Contrary influences were changes in top management, decentralization moves, resource cuts, defining the environment and its significance, the availability of scanning competent personnel, surprise itself, and the availability of alternatives e.g. external forecasts.

Localization of health systems in low- and middle-income countries in response to long-term increases in energy prices

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

External challenges to health systems, such as those caused by global economic, social and environmental changes, have received little attention in recent debates on health systems’ performance in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). One such challenge in coming years will be increasing prices for petroleum-based products as production from conventional petroleum reserves peaks and demand steadily increases in rapidly-growing LMICs. Health systems are significant consumers of fossil fuels in the form of petroleum-based medical supplies; transportation of goods, personnel and patients; and fuel for lighting, heating, cooling and medical equipment. Long-term increases in petroleum prices in the global market will have potentially devastating effects on health sectors in LMICs who already struggle to deliver services to remote parts of their catchment areas. We propose the concept of “localization,” originating in the environmental sustainability literature, as one element of response to these challenges. Localization assigns people at the local level a greater role in the production of goods and services, thereby decreasing reliance on fossil fuels and other external inputs. Effective localization will require changes to governance structures within the health sector in LMICs, empowering local communities to participate in their own health in ways that have remained elusive since this goal was first put forth in the Alma-Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care in 1978. Experiences with decentralization policies in the decades following Alma-Ata offer lessons on defining roles and responsibilities, building capacity at the local level, and designing appropriate policies to target inequities, all of which can guide health systems to adapt to a changing environmental and energy landscape. PMID:24199690

Does feather corticosterone reflect individual quality or external stress in arctic-nesting migratory birds?

PubMed

Legagneux, Pierre; Harms, N Jane; Gauthier, Gilles; Chastel, Olivier; Gilchrist, H Grant; Bortolotti, Gary; Bêty, Joël; Soos, Catherine

2013-01-01

The effects of environmental perturbations or stressors on individual states can be carried over to subsequent life stages and ultimately affect survival and reproduction. The concentration of corticosterone (CORT) in feathers is an integrated measure of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity during the molting period, providing information on the total baseline and stress-induced CORT secreted during the period of feather growth. Common eiders and greater snow geese replace all flight feathers once a year during the pre-basic molt, which occurs following breeding. Thus, CORT contained in feathers of pre-breeding individuals sampled in spring reflects the total CORT secreted during the previous molting event, which may provide insight into the magnitude or extent of stress experienced during this time period. We used data from multiple recaptures to disentangle the contribution of individual quality vs. external factors (i.e., breeding investment or environmental conditions) on feather CORT in arctic-nesting waterfowl. Our results revealed no repeatability of feather CORT within individuals of either species. In common eiders, feather CORT was not affected by prior reproductive investment, nor by pre-breeding (spring) body condition prior to the molting period. Individual feather CORT greatly varied according to the year, and August-September temperatures explained most of the annual variation in feather CORT. Understanding mechanisms that affect energetic costs and stress responses during molting will require further studies either using long-term data or experiments. Although our study period encompassed only five years, it nonetheless provides evidence that CORT measured in feathers likely reflects responses to environmental conditions experienced by birds during molt, and could be used as a metric to study carry-over effects.

Can a smoking ban save your heart?

PubMed

Mazzonna, Fabrizio; Salari, Paola

2018-06-04

This paper evaluates the causal effect of environmental tobacco exposure on health by exploiting the time and geographical variation in public-place smoking bans implemented in Switzerland between 2007 and 2011. We use administrative data on hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction, which allow to measure the short-run effects of the policy on an objective metric of health. We show that the incidence of acute myocardial infarction decreases by approximately 8% immediately after implementation of the law with large heterogeneity across regions. Our results indicate that the policy was effective in reducing the negative externality of smoking with potential spillovers on health inequality. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A miniature microcontroller curve tracing circuit for space flight testing transistors.

PubMed

Prokop, N; Greer, L; Krasowski, M; Flatico, J; Spina, D

2015-02-01

This paper describes a novel miniature microcontroller based curve tracing circuit, which was designed to monitor the environmental effects on Silicon Carbide Junction Field Effect Transistor (SiC JFET) device performance, while exposed to the low earth orbit environment onboard the International Space Station (ISS) as a resident experiment on the 7th Materials on the International Space Station Experiment (MISSE7). Specifically, the microcontroller circuit was designed to operate autonomously and was flown on the external structure of the ISS for over a year. This curve tracing circuit is capable of measuring current vs. voltage (I-V) characteristics of transistors and diodes. The circuit is current limited for low current devices and is specifically designed to test high temperature, high drain-to-source resistance SiC JFETs. The results of each I-V data set are transmitted serially to an external telemetered communication interface. This paper discusses the circuit architecture, its design, and presents example results.

Pro-environmental behavior: rational choice meets moral motivation.

PubMed

Turaga, Rama Mohana R; Howarth, Richard B; Borsuk, Mark E

2010-01-01

The determinants of individual behaviors that provide shared environmental benefits are a longstanding theme in social science research. Alternative behavioral models yield markedly different predictions and policy recommendations. This paper reviews and compares the literatures from two disciplines that appear to be moving toward a degree of convergence. In social psychology, moral theories of pro-environmental behavior have focused on the influence of personal moral norms while recognizing that external factors, such as costs and incentives, ultimately limit the strength of the norm-behavior relationship. Rational choice models, such as the theory of planned behavior in social psychology and the theories of voluntary provision of public goods in economics, have sought to incorporate the effects of personal norms and to measure their importance in explaining behaviors, such as recycling and the demand for green products. This paper explores the relationship between these approaches and their implications for the theory and practice of ecological economics.

Extracellular Vesicles: How the External and Internal Environment Can Shape Cell-To-Cell Communication.

PubMed

Neven, Kristof Y; Nawrot, Tim S; Bollati, Valentina

2017-03-01

To summarize the scientific evidence regarding the effects of environmental exposures on extracellular vesicle (EV) release and their contents. As environmental exposures might influence the aging phenotype in a very strict way, we will also report the role of EVs in the biological aging process. EV research is a new and quickly developing field. With many investigations conducted so far, only a limited number of studies have explored the potential role EVs play in the response and adaptation to environmental stimuli. The investigations available to date have identified several exposures or lifestyle factors able to modify EV trafficking including air pollutants, cigarette smoke, alcohol, obesity, nutrition, physical exercise, and oxidative stress. EVs are a very promising tool, as biological fluids are easily obtainable biological media that, if successful in identifying early alterations induced by the environment and predictive of disease, would be amenable to use for potential future preventive and diagnostic applications.

Investigation of the environmental impacts of naturally occurring radionuclides in the processing of sulfide ores for gold using gamma spectrometry.

PubMed

Gbadago, J K; Faanhof, A; Darko, E O; Schandorf, C

2011-09-01

The possible environmental impacts of naturally occurring radionuclides on workers and a critical community, as a result of milling and processing sulfide ores for gold by a mining company at Bogoso in the western region of Ghana, have been investigated using gamma spectroscopy. Indicative doses for the workers during sulfide ore processing were calculated from the activity concentrations measured at both physical and chemical processing stages. The dose rate, annual effective dose equivalent, radium equivalent activity, external and internal hazard indices, and radioactivity level index for tailings, for the de-silted sediments of run-off from the vicinity of the tailings dam through the critical community, and for the soils of the critical community's basic schools were calculated and found to be lower than their respective permissible limits. The environmental impact of the radionuclides is therefore expected to be low in this mining environment.

The possible consequences for cognitive functions of external electric fields at power line frequency on hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons.

PubMed

Migliore, Rosanna; De Simone, Giada; Leinekugel, Xavier; Migliore, Michele

2017-04-01

The possible effects on cognitive processes of external electric fields, such as those generated by power line pillars and household appliances are of increasing public concern. They are difficult to study experimentally, and the relatively scarce and contradictory evidence make it difficult to clearly assess these effects. In this study, we investigate how, why and to what extent external perturbations of the intrinsic neuronal activity, such as those that can be caused by generation, transmission and use of electrical energy can affect neuronal activity during cognitive processes. For this purpose, we used a morphologically and biophysically realistic three-dimensional model of CA1 pyramidal neurons. The simulation findings suggest that an electric field oscillating at power lines frequency, and environmentally measured strength, can significantly alter both the average firing rate and temporal spike distribution properties of a hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neuron. This effect strongly depends on the specific and instantaneous relative spatial location of the neuron with respect to the field, and on the synaptic input properties. The model makes experimentally testable predictions on the possible functional consequences for normal hippocampal functions such as object recognition and spatial navigation. The results suggest that, although EF effects on cognitive processes may be difficult to occur in everyday life, their functional consequences deserve some consideration, especially when they constitute a systematic presence in living environments. © 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Detecting regulatory gene-environment interactions with unmeasured environmental factors.

PubMed

Fusi, Nicoló; Lippert, Christoph; Borgwardt, Karsten; Lawrence, Neil D; Stegle, Oliver

2013-06-01

Genomic studies have revealed a substantial heritable component of the transcriptional state of the cell. To fully understand the genetic regulation of gene expression variability, it is important to study the effect of genotype in the context of external factors such as alternative environmental conditions. In model systems, explicit environmental perturbations have been considered for this purpose, allowing to directly test for environment-specific genetic effects. However, such experiments are limited to species that can be profiled in controlled environments, hampering their use in important systems such as human. Moreover, even in seemingly tightly regulated experimental conditions, subtle environmental perturbations cannot be ruled out, and hence unknown environmental influences are frequent. Here, we propose a model-based approach to simultaneously infer unmeasured environmental factors from gene expression profiles and use them in genetic analyses, identifying environment-specific associations between polymorphic loci and individual gene expression traits. In extensive simulation studies, we show that our method is able to accurately reconstruct environmental factors and their interactions with genotype in a variety of settings. We further illustrate the use of our model in a real-world dataset in which one environmental factor has been explicitly experimentally controlled. Our method is able to accurately reconstruct the true underlying environmental factor even if it is not given as an input, allowing to detect genuine genotype-environment interactions. In addition to the known environmental factor, we find unmeasured factors involved in novel genotype-environment interactions. Our results suggest that interactions with both known and unknown environmental factors significantly contribute to gene expression variability. and implementation: Software available at http://pmbio.github.io/envGPLVM/. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Study of natural radioactivity in Mansehra granite, Pakistan: environmental concerns.

PubMed

Qureshi, Aziz Ahmed; Jadoon, Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan; Wajid, Ali Abbas; Attique, Ahsan; Masood, Adil; Anees, Muhammad; Manzoor, Shahid; Waheed, Abdul; Tubassam, Aneela

2014-03-01

A part of Mansehra Granite was selected for the assessment of radiological hazards. The average activity concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K were found to be 27.32, 50.07 and 953.10 Bq kg(-1), respectively. These values are in the median range when compared with the granites around the world. Radiological hazard indices and annual effective doses were estimated. All of these indices were found to be within the criterion limits except outdoor external dose (82.38 nGy h(-1)) and indoor external dose (156.04 nGy h(-1)), which are higher than the world's average background levels of 51 and 55 nGy h(-1), respectively. These values correspond to an average annual effective dose of 0.867 mSv y(-1), which is less than the criterion limit of 1 mSv y(-1) (ICRP-103). Some localities in the Mansehra city have annual effective dose higher than the limit of 1 mSv y(-1). Overall, the Mansehra Granite does not pose any significant radiological health hazard in the outdoor or indoor.

The effect of lens aging and cataract surgery on circadian rhythm.

PubMed

Yan, Shen-Shen; Wang, Wei

2016-01-01

Many organisms have evolved an approximately 24-hour circadian rhythm that allows them to achieve internal physiological homeostasis with external environment. Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the central pacemaker of circadian rhythm, and its activity is entrained to the external light-dark cycle. The SCN controls circadian rhythm through regulating the synthesis of melatonin by pineal gland via a multisynaptic pathway. Light, especially short-wavelength blue light, is the most potent environmental time cue in circadian photoentrainment. Recently, the discovery of a novel type of retinal photoreceptors, intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, sheds light on the mechanism of circadian photoentrainment and raises concerns about the effect of ocular diseases on circadian system. With age, light transmittance is significantly decreased due to the aging of crystalline lens, thus possibly resulting in progressive loss of circadian photoreception. In the current review, we summarize the circadian physiology, highlight the important role of light in circadian rhythm regulation, discuss about the correlation between age-related cataract and sleep disorders, and compare the effect of blue light- filtering intraocular lenses (IOLs) and ultraviolet only filtering IOLs on circadian rhythm.

The effect of lens aging and cataract surgery on circadian rhythm

PubMed Central

Yan, Shen-Shen; Wang, Wei

2016-01-01

Many organisms have evolved an approximately 24-hour circadian rhythm that allows them to achieve internal physiological homeostasis with external environment. Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the central pacemaker of circadian rhythm, and its activity is entrained to the external light-dark cycle. The SCN controls circadian rhythm through regulating the synthesis of melatonin by pineal gland via a multisynaptic pathway. Light, especially short-wavelength blue light, is the most potent environmental time cue in circadian photoentrainment. Recently, the discovery of a novel type of retinal photoreceptors, intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, sheds light on the mechanism of circadian photoentrainment and raises concerns about the effect of ocular diseases on circadian system. With age, light transmittance is significantly decreased due to the aging of crystalline lens, thus possibly resulting in progressive loss of circadian photoreception. In the current review, we summarize the circadian physiology, highlight the important role of light in circadian rhythm regulation, discuss about the correlation between age-related cataract and sleep disorders, and compare the effect of blue light- filtering intraocular lenses (IOLs) and ultraviolet only filtering IOLs on circadian rhythm. PMID:27500118

Influence of a Non-formal Environmental Education Programme on Junior High-School Students' Environmental Literacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldman, Daphne; Ben Zvi Assaraf, Orit; Shaharabani, Dina

2013-02-01

One of the solutions implemented by schools for conducting value-based environmental education (EE) is outsourcing: allocating external environmental organizations that develop and conduct EE programmes. This study addressed such a programme-the Green Council Programme (GCP)-developed and implemented in schools by the Israeli Society for Protection of Nature. A pre-test/post-test design was used to investigate the influence of participation in the GCP on components of junior high-school students' environmental literacy. Conceptualizations of 'environment', environmental attitudes and sense of ability to act on environmental issues were studied employing quantitative and qualitative tools. Contribution of the programme to the cognitive domain, in developing a systemic understanding of the environment, was limited. On the other hand, participating in this programme heightened students' sensitivity to human-environment interrelationships and developed a more ecological worldview. After the programme, students demonstrated greater perception of humans as part of the environment, an increased sensitivity to human impact on the environment and their value for non-human nature moved from an anthropocentric to a more ecocentric orientation. While students' internal locus-of-control increased, when environmental protection entailed personal economic trade-offs, their support was limited and remained unchanged. The article concludes with recommendations, based on the findings, regarding supplementing the school (science) curriculum with external EE enrichment programmes.

Interferometric modulation of quantum cascade interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cusumano, Stefano; Mari, Andrea; Giovannetti, Vittorio

2018-05-01

We consider many-body quantum systems dissipatively coupled by a cascade network, i.e., a setup in which interactions are mediated by unidirectional environmental modes propagating through a linear optical interferometer. In particular we are interested in the possibility of inducing different effective interactions by properly engineering an external dissipative network of beam splitters and phase shifters. In this work we first derive the general structure of the master equation for a symmetric class of translation-invariant cascade networks. Then we show how, by tuning the parameters of the interferometer, one can exploit interference effects to tailor a large variety of many-body interactions.

Nonshared Environmental Mediation of the Association between Deviant Peer Affiliation and Adolescent Externalizing Behaviors over Time: Results from a Cross-Lagged Monozygotic Twin Differences Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burt, S. Alexandra; McGue, Matt; Iacono, William G.

2009-01-01

It has been argued that peers are the most important agent of adolescent socialization and, more specifically, that this socialization process occurs at the child-specific (or nonshared environmental) level (J. R. Harris, 1998; R. Plomin & Asbury, 2005). The authors sought to empirically evaluate this nonshared environmental peer influence…

Persistence and innovation effects in genetic and environmental factors in negative emotionality during infancy: A twin study.

PubMed

Schumann, Lyndall; Boivin, Michel; Paquin, Stéphane; Lacourse, Eric; Brendgen, Mara; Vitaro, Frank; Dionne, Ginette; Tremblay, Richard E; Booij, Linda

2017-01-01

Difficult temperament in infancy is a risk factor for forms of later internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, including depression and anxiety. A better understanding of the roots of difficult temperament requires assessment of its early development with a genetically informative design. The goal of this study was to estimate genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in infant negative emotionality, their persistence over time and their influences on stability between 5 and 18 months of age. Participants were 244 monozygotic and 394 dizygotic twin pairs (49.7% male) recruited from birth. Mothers rated their twins for negative emotionality at 5 and 18 months. Longitudinal analysis of stability and innovation between the two time points was performed in Mplus. There were substantial and similar heritability (approximately 31%) and shared environmental (57.3%) contributions to negative emotionality at both 5 and 18 months. The trait's interindividual stability across time was both genetically- and environmentally- mediated. Evidence of innovative effects (i.e., variance at 18 months independent from variance at 5 months) indicated that negative emotionality is developmentally dynamic and affected by persistent and new genetic and environmental factors at 18 months. In the first two years of life, ongoing genetic and environmental influences support temperamental negative emotionality but new genetic and environmental factors also indicate dynamic change of those factors across time. A better understanding of the source and timing of factors on temperament in early development, and role of sex, could improve efforts to prevent related psychopathology.

The middle manager role in energy company environmental efforts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischhoff, Maya E.

2005-12-01

This research examines the internal organizational processes determining corporate environmental action. Corporations have a tremendous environmental impact, yet relatively little is known about how employees within them view and work on these issues. The research focused on middle managers, a level of the company whose value is often questioned. Interviews were conducted with 70 middle managers at two energy companies (comprising utilities and unregulated businesses). Interviews examined the shape and significance of middle manager involvement in environmental issues, looking specifically at what issues middle managers deal with, what goals they pursue, and what approaches they use. The research finds middle managers' roles with respect to environmental issues to be far-reaching and complex. Much of their effort is focused on meeting regulatory requirements ("complying"). They are committed to compliance, in part for ethical reasons, but often find regulations frustrating and costly. Compliance is more challenging than commonly thought; it demands time, knowledge, and substantial creativity. In pursuing it, interviewees work with employees throughout the organization. This research shows middle managers interacting with those hierarchically above and below them in ways that greatly modify earlier portrayals of middle managers. Earlier portrayals often emphasized struggles for power within the organization. Here, middle managers work in ways best characterized as collaborative and supportive. Middle managers also have extensive involvement laterally within the company and with groups outside the company. These links have received modest attention in literature, yet are found to be terribly important. Middle managers' lateral efforts inside the company, often on teams, allow diverse expertise (e.g., from people in different functions) to be applied to environmental issues. Documenting middle managers' involvement externally, with governmental officials and sectors of the public, illuminates areas of very visible corporate impact. External interactions are also settings in which middle managers encounter alternative views about environmental issues. The study reveals the importance of middle managers in the challenge of environmental compliance. It provides knowledge that can be used by external entities seeking to connect with companies, and by companies seeking to address environmental issues better. It thus aids understanding of a critical societal challenge and opportunity.

Risk communication and human biomonitoring: which practical lessons from the Belgian experience are of use for the EU perspective?

PubMed

Keune, Hans; Morrens, Bert; Loots, Ilse

2008-06-05

In order to investigate and monitor environmental health in Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium), the Flemish government funded the Centre of Expertise for Environment and Health, which started a human biomonitoring campaign in 2001. In addition to environmental health experts measuring environmental pollutants and health effects in human beings, social scientific experts at the Centre focus on risk communication associated with the human biomonitoring campaign. In the literature about risk communication an evolution can be traced from traditional, one-way communication, restricted to the dissemination of information from experts to the public, to more modern, two-way risk communication, with a focus on participation and cooperation between scientists, policy-makers and the public.Within the Centre of Expertise for Environment and Health this discourse was first translated into some general principles and guidelines for external communication, at a 'Ten Commandments level'. These principles needed to be incorporated in the day-to-day practice of human biomonitoring research. The social scientific experts at the Centre developed a combined risk communication strategy. On the one hand the strategy consists of traditional risk communication for external communication purposes, for example information meetings and digital newsletters. On the other hand it consists of a step by step approach of incorporating more modern risk communication, for example a risk perception questionnaire, dialogical experiments for involving local stakeholders, and an action-plan for interpreting results for policy making. With a parallel strategy of traditional and modern communication, of external and internal reflection, and through different social scientific projects, the Flemish Centre of Expertise of Environment and Health incorporates risk communication in the day-to-day practice of human biomonitoring research. A direct and continuous involvement of the social scientist, an openness between all colleagues involved, and the awareness of a fine balance between quality and practicability are important success factors. These lessons may be helpful and inspirational for a European human biomonitoring project.

Activation of Ice Recrystallization Inhibition Activity of Poly(vinyl alcohol) using a Supramolecular Trigger.

PubMed

Phillips, Daniel J; Congdon, Thomas R; Gibson, Matthew I

2016-03-07

Antifreeze (glyco)proteins (AF(G)Ps) have potent ice recrystallisation inhibition (IRI) activity - a desirable phenomenon in applications such as cryopreservation, frozen food and more. In Nature AF(G)P activity is regulated by protein expression levels in response to an environmental stimulus; temperature. However, this level of regulation is not possible in synthetic systems. Here, a synthetic macromolecular mimic is introduced, using supramolecular assembly to regulate activity. Catechol-terminated poly(vinyl alcohol) was synthesised by RAFT polymerization. Upon addition of Fe 3+ , larger supramolecular star polymers form by assembly with two or three catechols. This increase in molecular weight effectively 'switches on' the IRI activity and is the first example of external control over the function of AFP mimetics. This provides a simple but elegant solution to the challenge of external control of AFP-mimetic function.

The advanced thermionic converter with microwave power as an auxiliary ionization source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manikopoulos, C. N.; Hatziprocopiou, M.; Chiu, H. S.; Shaw, D. T.

1978-01-01

In the search for auxiliary sources of ionization for the advanced thermionic converter plasma, as required for terrestial applications, the use of externally applied microwave power is considered. The present work is part of the advanced model thermionic converter development research currently performed at the laboratory for Power and Environmental Studies at SUNY Buffalo. Microwave power in the frequency range 1-3 GHz is used to externally pump a thermionic converter and the results are compared to the theoretical model proposed by Lam (1976) in describing the thermionic converter plasma. The electron temperature of the plasma is found to be raised considerably by effective microwave heating which results in the disappearance of the double sheath ordinarily erected in front of the emitter. The experimental data agree satisfactorily with theory in the low current region.

The environmental effect on the radial breathing mode of carbon nanotubes. II. Shell model approximation for internally and externally adsorbed fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longhurst, M. J.; Quirke, N.

2006-11-01

We have previously shown that the upshift in the radial breathing mode (RBM) of closed (or infinite) carbon nanotubes in solution is almost entirely due to coupling of the RBM with an adsorbed layer of fluid on the nanotube surface. The upshift can be modeled analytically by considering the adsorbed fluid as an infinitesimally thin shell, which interacts with the nanotube via a continuum Lennard-Jones potential. Here we extend the model to include internally as well as externally adsorbed waterlike molecules, and find that filling the nanotubes leads to an additional upshift of two to six wave numbers. We show that using molecular dynamics, the RBM can be accurately reproduced by replacing the fluid molecules with a mean field harmonic shell potential, greatly reducing simulation times.

Can market-based policies accomplish the optimal floodplain management? A gap between static and dynamic models.

PubMed

Mori, Koichiro

2009-02-01

The purpose of this short article is to set static and dynamic models for optimal floodplain management and to compare policy implications from the models. River floodplains are important multiple resources in that they provide various ecosystem services. It is fundamentally significant to consider environmental externalities that accrue from ecosystem services of natural floodplains. There is an interesting gap between static and dynamic models about policy implications for floodplain management, although they are based on the same assumptions. Essentially, we can derive the same optimal conditions, which imply that the marginal benefits must equal the sum of the marginal costs and the social external costs related to ecosystem services. Thus, we have to internalise the external costs by market-based policies. In this respect, market-based policies seem to be effective in a static model. However, they are not sufficient in the context of a dynamic model because the optimal steady state turns out to be unstable. Based on a dynamic model, we need more coercive regulation policies.

Conceptualizing belonging.

PubMed

Mahar, Alyson L; Cobigo, Virginie; Stuart, Heather

2013-06-01

To develop a transdisciplinary conceptualization of social belonging that could be used to guide measurement approaches aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of community-based programs for people with disabilities. We conducted a narrative, scoping review of peer reviewed English language literature published between 1990 and July 2011 using multiple databases, with "sense of belonging" as a key search term. The search engine ranked articles for relevance to the search strategy. Articles were searched in order until theoretical saturation was reached. We augmented this search strategy by reviewing reference lists of relevant papers. Theoretical saturation was reached after 40 articles; 22 of which were qualitative accounts. We identified five intersecting themes: subjectivity; groundedness to an external referent; reciprocity; dynamism and self-determination. We define a sense of belonging as a subjective feeling of value and respect derived from a reciprocal relationship to an external referent that is built on a foundation of shared experiences, beliefs or personal characteristics. These feelings of external connectedness are grounded to the context or referent group, to whom one chooses, wants and feels permission to belong. This dynamic phenomenon may be either hindered or promoted by complex interactions between environmental and personal factors.

Air Pollution and Other Environmental Modulators of Cardiac Function.

PubMed

Gorr, Matthew W; Falvo, Michael J; Wold, Loren E

2017-09-12

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in developed regions and a worldwide health concern. Multiple external causes of CVD are well known, including obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, age, and sedentary behavior. Air pollution has been linked with the development of CVD for decades, though the mechanistic characterization remains unknown. In this comprehensive review, we detail the background and epidemiology of the effects of air pollution and other environmental modulators on the heart, including both short- and long-term consequences. Then, we provide the experimental data and current hypotheses of how pollution is able to cause the CVD, and how exposure to pollutants is exacerbated in sensitive states. Published 2017. Compr Physiol 7:1479-1495, 2017. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Electrowetting of Weak Polyelectrolyte-Coated Surfaces.

PubMed

Sénéchal, Vincent; Saadaoui, Hassan; Rodriguez-Hernandez, Juan; Drummond, Carlos

2017-05-23

Polymer coatings are commonly used to modify interfacial properties like wettability, lubrication, or biocompatibility. These properties are determined by the conformation of polymer molecules at the interface. Polyelectrolytes are convenient elementary bricks to build smart materials, given that polyion chain conformation is very sensitive to different environmental variables. Here we discuss the effect of an applied electric field on the properties of surfaces coated with poly(acrylic acid) brushes. By combining atomic force microscopy, quartz crystal microbalance, and contact angle experiments, we show that it is possible to precisely tune polyion chain conformation, surface adhesion, and surface wettability using very low applied voltages if the polymer grafting density and environmental conditions (pH and ionic strength) are properly formulated. Our results indicate that the effective ionization degree of the grafted weak polyacid can be finely controlled with the externally applied field, with important consequences for the macroscopic surface properties.

External cues challenging the internal appetite control system-Overview and practical implications.

PubMed

Bilman, Els; van Kleef, Ellen; van Trijp, Hans

2017-09-02

Inadequate regulation of food intake plays an important role in the development of overweight and obesity, and is under the influence of both the internal appetite control system and external environmental cues. Especially in environments where food is overly available, external cues seem to override and/or undermine internal signals, which put severe challenges on the accurate regulation of food intake. By structuring these external cues around five different phases in the food consumption process this paper aims to provide an overview of the wide range of external cues that potentially facilitate or hamper internal signals and with that influence food intake. For each of the five phases of the food consumption process, meal initiation, meal planning, consumption phase, end of eating episode and time till next meal, the most relevant internal signals are discussed and it is explained how specific external cues exert their influence.

Internal and external control of net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance of mature eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)

Treesearch

Chris A. Maier; R.O. Teskey

1992-01-01

Leaf gas exchange and water relations were monitored in the upper canopy of two 25 m tall eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) trees over two consecutive growing seasons (1986 and 1987). Examination of the seasonal and diurnal patterns of net photosynthesis and leaf conductance showed that both internal and external (environmental) factors were...

Effects of external electrical and magnetic fields on pacemakers and defibrillators: from engineering principles to clinical practice.

PubMed

Beinart, Roy; Nazarian, Saman

2013-12-24

The overall risk of clinically significant adverse events related to EMI in recipients of CIEDs is very low. Therefore, no special precautions are needed when household appliances are used. Environmental and industrial sources of EMI are relatively safe when the exposure time is limited and distance from the CIEDs is maximized. The risk of EMI-induced events is highest within the hospital environment. Physician awareness of the possible interactions and methods to minimize them is warranted.

Environmental Effects on the Incubation Time Characteristics in Stress-Corrosion Cracking

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-01

Corrosion Experimental Data for Specimen SL51 143 Table B2. Stress Corrosion Experimental Data for Specimen SL76 (3.5% NaCI, K , =6.8M/Wm) 144 Table B3...of action of the external load; - 143 - K =applied stress intensity factor; da/dt=crack growth rate. Table B2. Stress Corrosion Experimental Data for...Submitted to Dr. Asuri K . Vasudevan Scientific Officer Office of Naval Research, Code-332 875 North Randolph Street, Suite 1425, Room- 629

Proposed Oral Reference Dose (RfD) for Barium and Compounds (Final Report, 2004)

EPA Science Inventory

This document is the final report from the 2004 external peer review of the Proposed Oral Reference Dose (RfD) for Barium and Compounds, prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA), for the Integrated Risk...

Information Source Characteristics and Environmental Scanning by Academic Library Managers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Babalhavaeji, Fahimeh; Farhadpoor, Mohammad Reza

2013-01-01

Purpose: This article examines characteristics of the external environment of library and information centres of Islamic Azad University in Iran, focusing on perceived environmental uncertainty and perceived source accessibility and quality, and their impacts on the amount of scanning and the frequency of information source use. Methods: This…

78 FR 3420 - Office of Environmental Information; Announcement of Availability and Comment Period for the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-16

...) Organizations and two associated draft QA Handbooks; 1) draft Handbook for Preparing Quality Management Plans... Availability and Comment Period for the Draft Quality Standard for Environmental Data Collection, Production, and Use by Non-EPA (External) Organizations and Two Associated QA Handbooks; Correction AGENCY...

77 FR 76035 - Office of Environmental Information; Announcement of Availability and Comment Period for the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-26

...) Organizations and two associated draft QA Handbooks; 1) draft Handbook for Preparing Quality Management Plans... Data Collection, Production, and Use by Non-EPA (External) Organizations and two associated QA Handbooks AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of availability & request for...

76 FR 26284 - Draft Integrated Science Assessment for Lead (Pb)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-06

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9302-5; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2011-0051] Draft Integrated... the availability of a document titled, ``First External Review Draft Integrated Science Assessment for Lead'' (EPA/600/R-10/075A). This draft document was prepared by the National Center for Environmental...

Sowing the Seeds of Environmental Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moloi, Dudley

1994-01-01

This article examines Umgeni Water's External Education Unit (EEU) to explore the potential of one approach to environmental education. The EEU uses a simple water quality monitoring kit to educate communities on the state of their rivers and catchment areas and warn them of potential dangers facing users of untreated water. (LZ)

Environmental Scanning Activities at Public Research and Doctorate-Granting Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meixell, Joan M.

The study surveyed 134 institutions to determine if significant differences existed between public research and doctorate-granting universities concerning: (1) the most important external environmental areas to scan; and (2) the scanning activities that provide the most information for planning processes. A total of 105 responses (78%) was…

Framework for Assessing Health Risk of Environmental Exposure to Children (External Review Draft)

EPA Science Inventory

The draft document, Framework For Assessing Health Risks of Environmental Exposure to Children, can serve as a resource on children's health risk assessment and it addresses the need to provide a comprehensive and consistent framework for considering children in risk asses...

78 FR 18589 - EPA Office of External Affairs and Environmental Education; Request for Nominations of Candidates...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-27

... balance of perspectives, professional qualifications, and experience. The Act specifies that members must... regions of the country, and the Council strives for a diverse representation. The professional backgrounds..., development, implementation and/or management of environmental education nationally. Persons having questions...

75 FR 44255 - EPA Office of External Affairs and Environmental Education Staff Office; Request for Nominations...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-28

... balance of perspectives, professional qualifications, and experience. The Act specifies that members must... regions of the country, and the Council strives for a diverse representation. The professional backgrounds..., implementation and/or management of environmental education nationally. Additionally, a supporting letter of...

Organizational change and environmental impact assessment at the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand: 1972--1988

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shepherd, A.; Ortolano, L.

This study examines the influence of leadership, political entrepreneurship, and organizational change on the institutionalization of environmental impact assessment (EIA). The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) initiated EIA activities earlier and more comprehensively than most developing countries. How and why were EIA activities pursued? Part of the explanation for EGAT`s EIA activities involves external controls exerted by the World Bank, the Thai government, and concerned citizens. However, an explanation based on external factors alone overlooks the significant influence of internal forces and entrepreneurial activities within EGAT. Their analysis of EIA Adoption at EGAT reveals three factors that can contributemore » to the successful implementation of EIA: (1) mutually reinforcing support for EIA from both inside and outside a development agency, (2) political entrepreneurship by agency staff that are concerned about the environment and (3) the transformation of power relationships within the agency by environmental professionals.« less

Lifetime costing of the body-in-white: Steel vs. aluminum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Helen N.; Clark, Joel P.

1995-05-01

In order to make informed material choice decisions and to derive the maximum benefit from the use of alternative materials, the automobile producer must understand the full range of costs and benefits for each material. It is becoming clear that the conventional cost-benefit analysis structure currently used by the automotive industry must be broadened to include nontraditional costs such as the environmental externalities associated with the use of existing and potential automotive technologies. This article develops a methodology for comparing the costs and benefits associated with the use of alternative materials in automotive applications by focusing on steel and aluminum in the unibody body-in-white. Authors' Note: This is the first of two articles documenting a methodology for evaluating the lifetime monetary and environmental costs of alternative materials in automotive applications. This article addresses the traditional money costs while a subsequent paper, which is planned for the August issue, will address the environmental externalities.

Environmental factors and unhealthy lifestyle influence oxidative stress in humans--an overview.

PubMed

Aseervatham, G Smilin Bell; Sivasudha, T; Jeyadevi, R; Arul Ananth, D

2013-07-01

Oxygen is the most essential molecule for life; since it is a strong oxidizing agent, it can aggravate the damage within the cell by a series of oxidative events including the generation of free radicals. Antioxidative agents are the only defense mechanism to neutralize these free radicals. Free radicals are not only generated internally in our body system but also trough external sources like environmental pollution, toxic metals, cigarette smoke, pesticides, etc., which add damage to our body system. Inhaling these toxic chemicals in the environment has become unavoidable in modern civilization. Antioxidants of plant origin with free radical scavenging properties could have great importance as therapeutic agents in several diseases caused by environmental pollution. This review summarizes the generation of reactive oxygen species and damage to cells by exposure to external factors, unhealthy lifestyle, and role of herbal plants in scavenging these reactive oxygen species.

Blood-borne biomarkers and bioindicators for linking exposure to health effects in environmental health science.

PubMed

Wallace, M Ariel Geer; Kormos, Tzipporah M; Pleil, Joachim D

2016-01-01

Environmental health science aims to link environmental pollution sources to adverse health outcomes to develop effective exposure intervention strategies that reduce long-term disease risks. Over the past few decades, the public health community recognized that health risk is driven by interaction between the human genome and external environment. Now that the human genetic code has been sequenced, establishing this "G × E" (gene-environment) interaction requires a similar effort to decode the human exposome, which is the accumulation of an individual's environmental exposures and metabolic responses throughout the person's lifetime. The exposome is composed of endogenous and exogenous chemicals, many of which are measurable as biomarkers in blood, breath, and urine. Exposure to pollutants is assessed by analyzing biofluids for the pollutant itself or its metabolic products. New methods are being developed to use a subset of biomarkers, termed bioindicators, to demonstrate biological changes indicative of future adverse health effects. Typically, environmental biomarkers are assessed using noninvasive (excreted) media, such as breath and urine. Blood is often avoided for biomonitoring due to practical reasons such as medical personnel, infectious waste, or clinical setting, despite the fact that blood represents the central compartment that interacts with every living cell and is the most relevant biofluid for certain applications and analyses. The aims of this study were to (1) review the current use of blood samples in environmental health research, (2) briefly contrast blood with other biological media, and (3) propose additional applications for blood analysis in human exposure research.

Coupled Socio-Environmental Changes Triggered Indigenous Aymara Depopulation of the Semiarid Andes of Tarapacá-Chile during the Late 19th-20th Centuries.

PubMed

Lima, Mauricio; Christie, Duncan A; Santoro, M Calogero; Latorre, Claudio

2016-01-01

Socio-economic and environmental changes are well known causes of demographic collapse of agrarian cultures. The collapse of human societies is a complex phenomenon where historical and cultural dimensions play a key role, and they may interact with the environmental context. However, the importance of the interaction between socio-economic and climatic factors in explaining possible breakdowns in Native American societies has been poorly explored. The aim of this study is to test the role of socio-economic causes and rainfall variability in the collapse suffered by the Aymara people of the semiarid Andean region of Tarapacá during the period 1820-1970. Our motivation is to demonstrate that simple population dynamic models can be helpful in understanding the causes and relative importance of population changes in Andean agro-pastoral societies in responses to socio-environmental variability. Simple logistic models that combine the effects of external socio-economic causes and past rainfall variability (inferred from Gross Domestic Product [GDP] and tree-rings, respectively) were quite accurate in predicting the sustained population decline of the Aymara people. Our results suggest that the depopulation in the semiarid Tarapacá province was caused by the interaction among external socio-economic pressures given by the economic growth of the lowlands and demands for labor coupled with a persistent decline in rainfall. This study constitutes an example of how applied ecological knowledge, in particular the application of the logistic equation and theories pertaining to nonlinear population dynamics and exogenous perturbations, can be used to better understand major demographic changes in human societies.

Coupled Socio-Environmental Changes Triggered Indigenous Aymara Depopulation of the Semiarid Andes of Tarapacá-Chile during the Late 19th-20th Centuries

PubMed Central

Lima, Mauricio; Christie, Duncan A.; Santoro, M. Calogero; Latorre, Claudio

2016-01-01

Socio-economic and environmental changes are well known causes of demographic collapse of agrarian cultures. The collapse of human societies is a complex phenomenon where historical and cultural dimensions play a key role, and they may interact with the environmental context. However, the importance of the interaction between socio-economic and climatic factors in explaining possible breakdowns in Native American societies has been poorly explored. The aim of this study is to test the role of socio-economic causes and rainfall variability in the collapse suffered by the Aymara people of the semiarid Andean region of Tarapacá during the period 1820–1970. Our motivation is to demonstrate that simple population dynamic models can be helpful in understanding the causes and relative importance of population changes in Andean agro-pastoral societies in responses to socio-environmental variability. Simple logistic models that combine the effects of external socio-economic causes and past rainfall variability (inferred from Gross Domestic Product [GDP] and tree-rings, respectively) were quite accurate in predicting the sustained population decline of the Aymara people. Our results suggest that the depopulation in the semiarid Tarapacá province was caused by the interaction among external socio-economic pressures given by the economic growth of the lowlands and demands for labor coupled with a persistent decline in rainfall. This study constitutes an example of how applied ecological knowledge, in particular the application of the logistic equation and theories pertaining to nonlinear population dynamics and exogenous perturbations, can be used to better understand major demographic changes in human societies. PMID:27560499

Frontier battery development for hybrid vehicles

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Interest in hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) has recently spiked, partly due to an increasingly negative view toward the U.S. foreign oil dependency and environmental concerns. Though HEVs are becoming more common, they have a significant price premium over gasoline-powered vehicles. One of the primary drivers of this “hybrid premium” is the cost of the vehicles’ batteries. This paper focuses on these batteries used in hybrid vehicles, examines the types of batteries used for transportation applications and addresses some of the technological, environmental and political drivers in battery development and the deployment of HEVs. Methods This paper examines the claim, often voiced by HEV proponents, that by taking into account savings on gasoline and vehicle maintenance, hybrid cars are cheaper than traditional gasoline cars. This is done by a quantitative benefit-cost analysis, in addition to qualitative benefit-cost analysis from political, technological and environmental perspectives. Results The quantitative benefit-cost analysis shows that, taking account of all costs for the life of the vehicle, hybrid cars are in fact more expensive than gasoline-powered vehicles; however, after five years, HEVs will break even with gasoline cars. Conclusions Our results show that it is likely that after 5 years, using hybrid vehicles should be cheaper in effect and yield a positive net benefit to society. There are a number of externalities that could significantly impact the total social cost of the car. These externalities can be divided into four categories: environmental, industrial, R&D and political. Despite short-term implications and hurdles, increased HEV usage forecasts a generally favorable long-term net benefit to society. Most notably, increasing HEV usage could decrease greenhouse gas emissions, while also decreasing U.S. dependence on foreign oil. PMID:22540987

Frontier battery development for hybrid vehicles.

PubMed

Lewis, Heather; Park, Haram; Paolini, Maion

2012-04-23

Interest in hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) has recently spiked, partly due to an increasingly negative view toward the U.S. foreign oil dependency and environmental concerns. Though HEVs are becoming more common, they have a significant price premium over gasoline-powered vehicles. One of the primary drivers of this "hybrid premium" is the cost of the vehicles' batteries. This paper focuses on these batteries used in hybrid vehicles, examines the types of batteries used for transportation applications and addresses some of the technological, environmental and political drivers in battery development and the deployment of HEVs. This paper examines the claim, often voiced by HEV proponents, that by taking into account savings on gasoline and vehicle maintenance, hybrid cars are cheaper than traditional gasoline cars. This is done by a quantitative benefit-cost analysis, in addition to qualitative benefit-cost analysis from political, technological and environmental perspectives. The quantitative benefit-cost analysis shows that, taking account of all costs for the life of the vehicle, hybrid cars are in fact more expensive than gasoline-powered vehicles; however, after five years, HEVs will break even with gasoline cars. Our results show that it is likely that after 5 years, using hybrid vehicles should be cheaper in effect and yield a positive net benefit to society. There are a number of externalities that could significantly impact the total social cost of the car. These externalities can be divided into four categories: environmental, industrial, R&D and political. Despite short-term implications and hurdles, increased HEV usage forecasts a generally favorable long-term net benefit to society. Most notably, increasing HEV usage could decrease greenhouse gas emissions, while also decreasing U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

Superhydrophobic graphene-based sponge as a novel sorbent for crude oil removal under various environmental conditions.

PubMed

Shiu, Ruei-Feng; Lee, Chon-Lin; Hsieh, Ping-Yen; Chen, Chi-Shuo; Kang, Yun-Yi; Chin, Wei-Chun; Tai, Nyan-Hwa

2018-05-15

Mechanical recovery of oils using oil sorbents is one of the most important approaches to manage marine oil spills. However, the properties of the oils spilled into sea are influenced by external environmental conditions. In this study, we present a graphene-based (GB) sponge as a novel sorbent for crude oil removal and compare its performance with that of a commercial sorbent sheet under various environmental parameters. The GB sponge with excellent superhydrophobic and superoleophilic characteristics is demonstrated to be an efficient sorbent for crude oils, with high sorption capacity (up to 85-95 times its weight) and good reusability. The crude-oil-sorption capacity of our GB sponge is remarkably higher (about 4-5 times) than that of the commercial sheet and most other previously reported sponge sorbents. Moreover, several challenging environmental conditions were examined for their effects on the sorption performance, including the weathering time of oils, seawater temperature, and turbulence (wave effect). The results show that the viscosity of the oil increased with increasing weathering time or decreasing temperature; therefore, the sorption rate seemed to decrease with longer weathering times and lower temperatures. Turbulence can facilitate inner sorption and promote higher oil sorption. Our results indicate that the extent of the effects of weather and other environmental factors on crude oil should be considered in the assessment of the effective adsorption capacity and efficiency of sorbents. The present work also highlights the widespread potential applications of our GB sponge in marine spilled-oil cleanup and hydrophobic solvent removal. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Data requirements for valuing externalities: The role of existing permitting processes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, A.D.; Baechler, M.C.; Callaway, J.M.

1990-08-01

While the assessment of externalities, or residual impacts, will place new demands on regulators, utilities, and developers, existing processes already require certain data and information that may fulfill some of the data needs for externality valuation. This paper examines existing siting, permitting, and other processes and highlights similarities and differences between their data requirements and the data required to value environmental externalities. It specifically considers existing requirements for siting new electricity resources in Oregon and compares them with the information and data needed to value externalities for such resources. This paper also presents several observations about how states can takemore » advantage of data acquired through processes already in place as they move into an era when externalities are considered in utility decision-making. It presents other observations on the similarities and differences between the data requirements under existing processes and those for valuing externalities. This paper also briefly discusses the special case of cumulative impacts. And it presents recommendations on what steps to take in future efforts to value externalities. 35 refs., 2 tabs.« less

Effects of environmental context on temporal perception bias in apparent motion.

PubMed

Masuda, Tomohiro; Kimura, Atsushi; Dan, Ippeita; Wada, Yuji

2011-08-01

We investigated whether the directional effect on the kappa effect can be attributed to the directional anisotropy of retinotopical space or to the representation of forces provided by environmental contexts (e.g., gravity) in an observed event. We examined whether different contexts with similar directional changes (straight vs. reversed motion) influence the kappa effect in four experiments. The object's motion appeared to depict only forces under the natural laws of physics on a slope (Experiment 1) or on a horizontal plane (Experiment 2) in virtual 3D space. In Experiments 3 and 4, the motion appeared to be subjected to external or self-driving forces additionally influenced by internal forces on a slope (Experiment 3) or a horizontal plane (Experiment 4). The results demonstrated that the directional effect on the kappa effect was observed only in Experiment 1, and not in Experiments 2 and 3, while the kappa effect was preserved. Furthermore, not even the kappa effect was observed in the reversed motion of Experiment 4. The results of the present study suggest that the determining factor of direction in the kappa effect is not a simple anisotropy, but rather the context of observed events. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Argonne National Laboratory-East site environmental report for calendar year 1998.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Golchert, N.W.; Kolzow, R.G.

1999-08-26

This report discusses the results of the environmental protection program at Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E) for 1998. To evaluate the effects of ANL-E operations on the environment, samples of environmental media collected on the site, at the site boundary, and off the ANL-E site were analyzed and compared with applicable guidelines and standards. A variety of radionuclides were measured in air, surface water, on-site groundwater, and bottom sediment samples. In addition, chemical constituents in surface water, groundwater, and ANL-E effluent water were analyzed. External penetrating radiation doses were measured, and the potential for radiation exposure to off-site population groups wasmore » estimated. Results are interpreted in terms of the origin of the radioactive and chemical substances (i.e., natural, fallout, ANL-E, and other) and are compared with applicable environmental quality standards. A US Department of Energy dose calculation methodology, based on International Commission on Radiological Protection recommendations and the US Environmental Protection Agency's CAP-88 (Clean Air Act Assessment Package-1988) computer code, was used in preparing this report. The status of ANL-E environmental protection activities with respect to the various laws and regulations that govern waste handling and disposal is discussed, along with the progress of environmental corrective actions and restoration projects.« less

Measurement of Individual Doses of Radiation by Personal Dosimeter Is Important for the Return of Residents from Evacuation Order Areas after Nuclear Disaster

PubMed Central

Orita, Makiko; Hayashida, Naomi; Taira, Yasuyuki; Fukushima, Yoshiko; Ide, Juichi; Endo, Yuuko; Kudo, Takashi; Yamashita, Shunichi; Takamura, Noboru

2015-01-01

To confirm the availability of individual dose evaluation for the return of residents after the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), we evaluated individual doses of radiation as measured by personal dosimeters in residents who temporarily stayed in Evacuation Order Areas in Kawauchi village, which is partially located within a 20 km radius of the FNPP. We also compared individual doses with the external radiation doses estimated from the ambient dose rates and with doses estimated from the concentrations of radionuclides in the soil around each individual’s house. Individual doses were significantly correlated with the ambient doses in front of the entrances to the houses (r = 0.90, p<0.01), in the backyards (r = 0.41, p<0.01) and in the nearby fields (r = 0.80, p<0.01). The maximum cumulative ambient doses in the backyards and fields around the houses were 6.38 and 9.27 mSv/y, respectively. The maximum cumulative individual dose was 3.28 mSv/y, and the median and minimum doses were 1.35 and 0.71 mSv/y. The estimated external effective doses from concentrations of artificial radionuclides in soil samples ranged from 0.03 to 23.42 mSv/y. The individual doses were moderately correlated with external effective doses in the backyards (r = 0.38, p<0.01) and in the fields (r = 0.36, p<0.01); however, the individual doses were not significantly correlated with the external effective doses in front of the entrances (r = 0.01, p = 0.92). Our study confirmed that individual doses are low levels even in the evacuation order area in Kawauchi village, and external effective dose levels are certainly decreasing due to the decay of artificial radionuclides and the decontamination of contaminated soil. Long-term follow-up of individual doses as well as internal-exposure doses, environmental monitoring and reconstruction of infrastructure are needed so that residents may return to their hometowns after a nuclear disaster. PMID:25806523

Measurement of individual doses of radiation by personal dosimeter is important for the return of residents from evacuation order areas after nuclear disaster.

PubMed

Orita, Makiko; Hayashida, Naomi; Taira, Yasuyuki; Fukushima, Yoshiko; Ide, Juichi; Endo, Yuuko; Kudo, Takashi; Yamashita, Shunichi; Takamura, Noboru

2015-01-01

To confirm the availability of individual dose evaluation for the return of residents after the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), we evaluated individual doses of radiation as measured by personal dosimeters in residents who temporarily stayed in Evacuation Order Areas in Kawauchi village, which is partially located within a 20 km radius of the FNPP. We also compared individual doses with the external radiation doses estimated from the ambient dose rates and with doses estimated from the concentrations of radionuclides in the soil around each individual's house. Individual doses were significantly correlated with the ambient doses in front of the entrances to the houses (r = 0.90, p<0.01), in the backyards (r = 0.41, p<0.01) and in the nearby fields (r = 0.80, p<0.01). The maximum cumulative ambient doses in the backyards and fields around the houses were 6.38 and 9.27 mSv/y, respectively. The maximum cumulative individual dose was 3.28 mSv/y, and the median and minimum doses were 1.35 and 0.71 mSv/y. The estimated external effective doses from concentrations of artificial radionuclides in soil samples ranged from 0.03 to 23.42 mSv/y. The individual doses were moderately correlated with external effective doses in the backyards (r = 0.38, p<0.01) and in the fields (r = 0.36, p<0.01); however, the individual doses were not significantly correlated with the external effective doses in front of the entrances (r = 0.01, p = 0.92). Our study confirmed that individual doses are low levels even in the evacuation order area in Kawauchi village, and external effective dose levels are certainly decreasing due to the decay of artificial radionuclides and the decontamination of contaminated soil. Long-term follow-up of individual doses as well as internal-exposure doses, environmental monitoring and reconstruction of infrastructure are needed so that residents may return to their hometowns after a nuclear disaster.

Hierarchy and Interactions in Environmental Interfaces Regarded as Biophysical Complex Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mihailovic, Dragutin T.; Balaz, Igor

The field of environmental sciences is abundant with various interfaces and is the right place for the application of new fundamental approaches leading towards a better understanding of environmental phenomena. For example, following the definition of environmental interface by Mihailovic and Balaž [23], such interface can be placed between: human or animal bodies and surrounding air, aquatic species and water and air around them, and natural or artificially built surfaces (vegetation, ice, snow, barren soil, water, urban communities) and the atmosphere. Complex environmental interface systems are open and hierarchically organised, interactions between their constituent parts are nonlinear, and the interaction with the surrounding environment is noisy. These systems are therefore very sensitive to initial conditions, deterministic external perturbations and random fluctuations always present in nature. The study of noisy non-equilibrium processes is fundamental for modelling the dynamics of environmental interface systems and for understanding the mechanisms of spatio-temporal pattern formation in contemporary environmental sciences, particularly in environmental fluid mechanics. In modelling complex biophysical systems one of the main tasks is to successfully create an operative interface with the external environment. It should provide a robust and prompt translation of the vast diversity of external physical and/or chemical changes into a set of signals, which are "understandable" for an organism. Although the establishment of organisation in any system is of crucial importance for its functioning, it should not be forgotten that in biophysical systems we deal with real-life problems where a number of other conditions should be reached in order to put the system to work. One of them is the proper supply of the system by the energy. Therefore, we will investigate an aspect of dynamics of energy flow based on the energy balance equation. The energy as well as the exchange of biological, chemical and other physical quantities between interacting environmental interfaces can be represented by coupled maps. In this chapter we will address only two illustrative issues important for the modelling of interacting environmental interfaces regarded as complex systems. These are (i) use of algebra for modelling the autonomous establishment of local hierarchies in biophysical systems and (ii) numerical investigation of coupled maps representing exchange of energy, chemical and other relevant biophysical quantities between biophysical entities in their surrounding environment.

An Environmental Scan Update, 1992-93. 2020: Perfect Vision for the Next Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedel, J. N., Ed.

1992-01-01

A key component to Eastern Iowa Community College District's (EICCD) strategic planning process, called "2020 Vision: A Perfect Vision for the Future," was the publication of the report "An Environmental Scan" in 1989, which summarized major trends occurring in the external environment which may impact the community college,…

Assessment of the Impacts of Global Change on Regional U.S. Air Quality (External Review Draft)

EPA Science Inventory

This report was prepared by the Global Change Research Program (GCRP) in the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) of the Office of Research and Development (ORD) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is intended for managers and scientists worki...

Looking Beyond School Walls: An Environmental Scan of Minneapolis Public Schools, 2004-2008

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Nicola A.; Choi, Wonseok

2015-01-01

We provide an expanded environmental scan to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) faced by education communities. Grounded in the literature, we identified 48 indicators and grouped them into 6 broad categories: (1) budget levels, (2) funding patterns, (3) community needs, (4) external economic conditions, (5)…

Observing the Human Exposome as Reflected in Breath Biomarkers: Heat Map Data Interpretation for Environmental and Intelligence Research

EPA Science Inventory

Over the past decade, the research of human systems biology and the interactions with the external environment has permeated all phases of environmental, medical, and public health research. Similarly to the fields of genomics and proteomics research, the advent of new instrumen...

Agrofuels and Agrifoods: Counting the Externalities at the Major Crossroads of the 21st Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pengue, Walter A.

2009-01-01

The economically successful model of industrial agriculture that is currently expanding throughout Argentina is leading to deep social, economic, environmental, and logistical changes that are seriously restricting the sustainability of the rural, urban and environmental systems. The transformation of activities, the arrival of new technologies,…

Environmental Factors Affecting Computer Assisted Language Learning Success: A Complex Dynamic Systems Conceptual Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marek, Michael W.; Wu, Wen-Chi Vivian

2014-01-01

This conceptual, interdisciplinary inquiry explores Complex Dynamic Systems as the concept relates to the internal and external environmental factors affecting computer assisted language learning (CALL). Based on the results obtained by de Rosnay ["World Futures: The Journal of General Evolution", 67(4/5), 304-315 (2011)], who observed…

Environmental Support Specialist, Blocks VI & VII, 17-7. Military Curriculum Materials for Vocational and Technical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio State Univ., Columbus. National Center for Research in Vocational Education.

This military-developed text contains the final section of a four-part course to train environmental support specialists. Covered in the individual course blocks are maintenance of water and waste processing system components (external corrosion control, cathodic protection, drive equipment, pipelines and valves, meters and recorders, chemical…

The Environmental Scanning Project at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, James L.; And Others

The environmental scanning project at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education is described. The project attempts to identify signals of change in all sectors of the external environment. Information resources have been selected from the social, technological, economic, and political aspects of the environment at the…

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Affiliation with Deviant Peers during Adolescence and Early Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tarantino, Nicholas; Tully, Erin C.; Garcia, Sarah E.; South, Susan; Iacono, William G.; McGue, Matt

2014-01-01

Adolescence and early adulthood is a time when peer groups become increasingly influential in the lives of young people. Youths exposed to deviant peers risk susceptibility to externalizing behaviors and related psychopathology. In addition to environmental correlates of deviant peer affiliation, a growing body of evidence has suggested that…

Externalizing Problems in Childhood and Adolescence Predict Subsequent Educational Achievement but for Different Genetic and Environmental Reasons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Gary J.; Asbury, Kathryn; Plomin, Robert

2017-01-01

Background: Childhood behavior problems predict subsequent educational achievement; however, little research has examined the etiology of these links using a longitudinal twin design. Moreover, it is unknown whether genetic and environmental innovations provide incremental prediction for educational achievement from childhood to adolescence.…

Activation of Ice Recrystallization Inhibition Activity of Poly(vinyl alcohol) using a Supramolecular Trigger†

PubMed Central

Phillips, Daniel J.; Congdon, Thomas R.; Gibson, Matthew I.

2016-01-01

Antifreeze (glyco)proteins (AF(G)Ps) have potent ice recrystallisation inhibition (IRI) activity – a desirable phenomenon in applications such as cryopreservation, frozen food and more. In Nature AF(G)P activity is regulated by protein expression levels in response to an environmental stimulus; temperature. However, this level of regulation is not possible in synthetic systems. Here, a synthetic macromolecular mimic is introduced, using supramolecular assembly to regulate activity. Catechol-terminated poly(vinyl alcohol) was synthesised by RAFT polymerization. Upon addition of Fe3+, larger supramolecular star polymers form by assembly with two or three catechols. This increase in molecular weight effectively ‘switches on’ the IRI activity and is the first example of external control over the function of AFP mimetics. This provides a simple but elegant solution to the challenge of external control of AFP-mimetic function. PMID:28003855

Bringing the Polluters Back In: Environmental Inequality and the Organization of Chemical Production

PubMed Central

Grant, Don; Trautner, Mary Nell; Downey, Liam; Thiebaud, Lisa

2011-01-01

Environmental justice scholars have suggested that because chemical plants and other hazardous facilities emit more pollutants where they face the least resistance, disadvantaged communities face a special health risk. In trying to determine whether race or income has the bigger impact on a neighborhood’s exposure to pollution, however, scholars tend to overlook the facilities themselves and the effect of their characteristics on emissions. In particular, how do the characteristics of facilities and their surrounding communities jointly shape pollution outcomes? We propose a new line of environmental justice research that focuses on facilities and how their features combine with communities’ features to create dangerous emissions. Using novel fuzzy-set analysis techniques and the EPA’s newly developed Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators, we test the influence of facility and community factors on chemical plants’ health-threatening emissions. Contrary to the idea that community characteristics have singular, linear effects, findings show that facility and community factors combine in a variety of ways to produce risky emissions. We speculate that as chemical firms experiment with different ways of producing goods and externalizing pollution costs, new “recipes of risk” are likely to emerge. The question, then, will no longer be whether race or income matters most, but in which of these recipes do they matter and how. PMID:21921966

Genetic and environmental influences on affiliation with deviant peers during adolescence and early adulthood.

PubMed

Tarantino, Nicholas; Tully, Erin C; Garcia, Sarah E; South, Susan; Iacono, William G; McGue, Matt

2014-03-01

Adolescence and early adulthood is a time when peer groups become increasingly influential in the lives of young people. Youths exposed to deviant peers risk susceptibility to externalizing behaviors and related psychopathology. In addition to environmental correlates of deviant peer affiliation, a growing body of evidence has suggested that affiliation with deviant peers is heritable. This study examined the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on affiliation with deviant peers, changes in the relative importance of these factors, and which of these factors contribute to the stability of affiliation across this critical developmental period using a longitudinal twin study design that assessed same-sex twins (485 monozygotic pairs, 271 dizygotic pairs) at 3 discrete ages: 15, 18, and 21 years of age. Biometric models revealed that genetic influences increased with age. New genetic influences appeared during late adolescence, and no new genetic influences emerged by age 21. Environmental influences shared by sibling pairs decreased with age, while the proportion of nonshared environmental effects unique to each individual remained relatively stable over the course of development. Shared environmental influences were largely age-overlapping, whereas nonshared environmental influences were largely age-specific. In summary, this study found variance in affiliation with deviant peers is explained by shared and nonshared environment effects as well as by genetic influences (46% by age 21), supporting the role of genetically influenced selection factors. The shared environment was almost exclusively responsible for the stability in late adolescence, while genetic influences were primarily responsible for stability in early adulthood. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Affiliation with Deviant Peers during Adolescence and Early Adulthood

PubMed Central

Tarantino, Nicholas; Tully, Erin C.; Garcia, Sarah E.; South, Susan; Iacono, William G.; McGue, Matt

2014-01-01

Adolescence and early adulthood is a time when peer groups become increasingly influential in the lives of young people. Youth exposed to deviant peers risk susceptibility to externalizing behaviors and related psychopathology. In addition to environmental correlates of deviant peer affiliation, a growing body of evidence suggests that affiliation with deviant peers is heritable. This study examined the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on affiliation with deviant peers, changes in the relative importance of these factors, and which of these factors contribute to the stability of affiliation across this critical developmental period using a longitudinal twin study design that assessed same-sex twins (485 monozygotic pairs, 271 dizygotic pairs) at three discrete ages-15-, 18-, and 21-years-old. Biometric models revealed that genetic influences increased with age. New genetic influences appeared during late adolescence, and no new genetic influences emerged by age 21. Environmental influences shared by sibling pairs decreased with age, while the proportion of nonshared environmental effects unique to each individual remained relatively stable over the course of development. Shared environmental influences were largely age-overlapping whereas nonshared environmental influences were largely age-specific. In summary, this study found variance in affiliation with deviant peers is explained by shared and nonshared environment effects as well as by genetic influences (46% by age 21), supporting the role of genetically influenced selection factors. The shared environment was almost exclusively responsible for the stability in late adolescence, while genetic influences were primarily responsible for stability in early adulthood. PMID:24015689

Persistence and innovation effects in genetic and environmental factors in negative emotionality during infancy: A twin study

PubMed Central

Boivin, Michel; Paquin, Stéphane; Lacourse, Eric; Brendgen, Mara; Vitaro, Frank; Dionne, Ginette; Tremblay, Richard E.; Booij, Linda

2017-01-01

Background Difficult temperament in infancy is a risk factor for forms of later internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, including depression and anxiety. A better understanding of the roots of difficult temperament requires assessment of its early development with a genetically informative design. The goal of this study was to estimate genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in infant negative emotionality, their persistence over time and their influences on stability between 5 and 18 months of age. Method Participants were 244 monozygotic and 394 dizygotic twin pairs (49.7% male) recruited from birth. Mothers rated their twins for negative emotionality at 5 and 18 months. Longitudinal analysis of stability and innovation between the two time points was performed in Mplus. Results There were substantial and similar heritability (approximately 31%) and shared environmental (57.3%) contributions to negative emotionality at both 5 and 18 months. The trait’s interindividual stability across time was both genetically- and environmentally- mediated. Evidence of innovative effects (i.e., variance at 18 months independent from variance at 5 months) indicated that negative emotionality is developmentally dynamic and affected by persistent and new genetic and environmental factors at 18 months. Conclusions In the first two years of life, ongoing genetic and environmental influences support temperamental negative emotionality but new genetic and environmental factors also indicate dynamic change of those factors across time. A better understanding of the source and timing of factors on temperament in early development, and role of sex, could improve efforts to prevent related psychopathology. PMID:28448561

Dendrochemical patterns of calcium, zinc, and potassium related to internal factors detected by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Kevin T.; Balouet, Jean Christophe; Shortle, Walter C.; Chalot, Michel; Beaujard, François; Grudd, Håkan; Vroblesky, Don A.; Burkem, Joel G.

2014-01-01

Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) provides highly sensitive and precise spatial resolution of cation content in individual annual growth rings in trees. The sensitivity and precision have prompted successful applications to forensic dendrochemistry and the timing of environmental releases of contaminants. These applications have highlighted the need to distinguish dendrochemical effects of internal processes from environmental contamination. Calcium, potassium, and zinc are three marker cations that illustrate the influence of these processes. We found changes in cation chemistry in tree rings potentially due to biomineralization, development of cracks or checks, heartwood/sapwood differentiation, intra-annual processes, and compartmentalization of infection. Distinguishing internal from external processes that affect dendrochemistry will enhance the value of EDXRF for both physiological and forensic investigations.

Overweight and Obesity Among Chinese College Students: An Exploration of Gender as Related to External Environmental Influences.

PubMed

Jiang, Shuhan; Peng, Sihui; Yang, Tingzhong; Cottrell, Randall R; Li, Lu

2018-01-01

While many studies have examined factors associated with overweight and obesity among college students, no study has yet compared gender differences influencing overweight and obesity using a multilevel framework. The present study examines different influences on overweight and obesity between men and women at both individual and environmental levels. Participants were 11,673 college students identified through a multistage survey sampling process conducted in 50 Chinese universities. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 9.5% (95% CI [7.7, 11.3]) in the overall study sample, 13.9% (95% CI [11.5, 16.7]) in males and 6.1% (95% CI [4.1, 8.1]) in females, respectively. We found that higher family income, perceived life stress, home region GDP, and university city unemployment were associated with higher overweight and obesity levels in males, independent of other individual- and city-level covariates. However, unlike male students, only unemployment was associated with overweight and obesity among females. Our research indicates Chinese males are more susceptible to overweight and obesity, and are more easily influenced by external variants than Chinese females. This information should be considered in formulating gender-specific policies and designing and implementing effective interventions to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity among young adult male college students.

Biomagnetic Recovery and Bioaccumulation of Selenium Granules in Magnetotactic Bacteria.

PubMed

Tanaka, Masayoshi; Knowles, William; Brown, Rosemary; Hondow, Nicole; Arakaki, Atsushi; Baldwin, Stephen; Staniland, Sarah; Matsunaga, Tadashi

2016-07-01

Using microorganisms to remove waste and/or neutralize pollutants from contaminated water is attracting much attention due to the environmentally friendly nature of this methodology. However, cell recovery remains a bottleneck and a considerable challenge for the development of this process. Magnetotactic bacteria are a unique group of organisms that can be manipulated by an external magnetic field due to the presence of biogenic magnetite crystals formed within their cells. In this study, we demonstrated an account of accumulation and precipitation of amorphous elemental selenium nanoparticles within magnetotactic bacteria alongside and independent of magnetite crystal biomineralization when grown in a medium containing selenium oxyanion (SeO3 (2-)). Quantitative analysis shows that magnetotactic bacteria accumulate the largest amount of target molecules (Se) per cell compared with any other previously reported nonferrous metal/metalloid. For example, 2.4 and 174 times more Se is accumulated than Te taken up into cells and Cd(2+) adsorbed onto the cell surface, respectively. Crucially, the bacteria with high levels of Se accumulation were successfully recovered with an external magnetic field. The biomagnetic recovery and the effective accumulation of target elements demonstrate the potential for application in bioremediation of polluted water. The development of a technique for effective environmental water remediation is urgently required across the globe. A biological remediation process of waste removal and/or neutralization of pollutant from contaminated water using microorganisms has great potential, but cell recovery remains a bottleneck. Magnetotactic bacteria synthesize magnetic particles within their cells, which can be recovered by a magnetic field. Herein, we report an example of accumulation and precipitation of amorphous elemental selenium nanoparticles within magnetotactic bacteria independent of magnetic particle synthesis. The cells were able to accumulate the largest amount of Se compared to other foreign elements. More importantly, the Se-accumulating bacteria were successfully recovered with an external magnetic field. We believe magnetotactic bacteria confer unique advantages of biomagnetic cell recovery and of Se accumulation, providing a new and effective methodology for bioremediation of polluted water. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence: Identifying Differential Effects of Family Environment on Children’s Trauma and Psychopathology Symptoms through Regression Mixture Models

PubMed Central

McDonald, Shelby Elaine; Shin, Sunny; Corona, Rosalie; Maternick, Anna; Graham-Bermann, Sandra A.; Ascione, Frank R.; Williams, James Herbert

2016-01-01

The majority of analytic approaches aimed at understanding the influence of environmental context on children’s socioemotional adjustment assume comparable effects of contextual risk and protective factors for all children. Using self-reported data from 289 maternal caregiver-child dyads, we examined the degree to which there are differential effects of severity of intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure, yearly household income, and number of children in the family on posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) and psychopathology symptoms (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems) among school-age children between the ages of 7 to 12 years. A regression mixture model identified three latent classes that were primarily distinguished by differential effects of IPV exposure severity on PTS and psychopathology symptoms: (1) asymptomatic with low sensitivity to environmental factors (66% of children), (2) maladjusted with moderate sensitivity (24%), and (3) highly maladjusted with high sensitivity (10%). Children with mothers who had higher levels of education were more likely to be in the maladjusted with moderate sensitivity group than the asymptomatic with low sensitivity group. Latino children were less likely to be in both maladjusted groups compared to the asymptomatic group. Overall, the findings suggest differential effects of family environmental factors on PTS and psychopathology symptoms among children exposed to IPV. Implications for research and practice are discussed. PMID:27337691

Children exposed to intimate partner violence: Identifying differential effects of family environment on children's trauma and psychopathology symptoms through regression mixture models.

PubMed

McDonald, Shelby Elaine; Shin, Sunny; Corona, Rosalie; Maternick, Anna; Graham-Bermann, Sandra A; Ascione, Frank R; Herbert Williams, James

2016-08-01

The majority of analytic approaches aimed at understanding the influence of environmental context on children's socioemotional adjustment assume comparable effects of contextual risk and protective factors for all children. Using self-reported data from 289 maternal caregiver-child dyads, we examined the degree to which there are differential effects of severity of intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure, yearly household income, and number of children in the family on posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) and psychopathology symptoms (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems) among school-age children between the ages of 7-12 years. A regression mixture model identified three latent classes that were primarily distinguished by differential effects of IPV exposure severity on PTS and psychopathology symptoms: (1) asymptomatic with low sensitivity to environmental factors (66% of children), (2) maladjusted with moderate sensitivity (24%), and (3) highly maladjusted with high sensitivity (10%). Children with mothers who had higher levels of education were more likely to be in the maladjusted with moderate sensitivity group than the asymptomatic with low sensitivity group. Latino children were less likely to be in both maladjusted groups compared to the asymptomatic group. Overall, the findings suggest differential effects of family environmental factors on PTS and psychopathology symptoms among children exposed to IPV. Implications for research and practice are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental justice in Scotland: policy, pedagogy and praxis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scandrett, Eurig

2007-10-01

In the first decade of Scottish devolution, environmental justice became a significant component of environmental policy for the Scottish Executive, especially under First Minister Jack McConnell. This paper analyses how a discourse developed within policy narratives which separated environmental justice from economic growth and the interests of capital. In particular, it explores the role which research has played in justifying this discourse. By contrast, an alternative discourse has developed through reflexive and dialogical research associated with the praxis of the environmental organization Friends of the Earth Scotland. This alternative discourse is embedded in the embryonic environmental justice movement in Scotland, and identifies environmental justice as a social conflict which exposes negative externalities at the heart of economic development.

Assessing the Exposome with External Measures: Commentary on the State of the Science and Research Recommendations.

PubMed

Turner, Michelle C; Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark; Anderson, Kim; Balshaw, David; Cui, Yuxia; Dunton, Genevieve; Hoppin, Jane A; Koutrakis, Petros; Jerrett, Michael

2017-03-20

The exposome comprises all environmental exposures that a person experiences from conception throughout the life course. Here we review the state of the science for assessing external exposures within the exposome. This article reviews (a) categories of exposures that can be assessed externally, (b) the current state of the science in external exposure assessment, (c) current tools available for external exposure assessment, and (d) priority research needs. We describe major scientific and technological advances that inform external assessment of the exposome, including geographic information systems; remote sensing; global positioning system and geolocation technologies; portable and personal sensing, including smartphone-based sensors and assessments; and self-reported questionnaire assessments, which increasingly rely on Internet-based platforms. We also discuss priority research needs related to methodological and technological improvement, data analysis and interpretation, data sharing, and other practical considerations, including improved assessment of exposure variability as well as exposure in multiple, critical life stages.

New Directions in the Economic Theory of the Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carraro, Carlo; Siniscalco, Domenico

1998-01-01

This volume provides a broad survey of the recent developments in the new economics of the environment and reports the state of the art on a new set of environmental problems, analytical tools and economic policies. Throughout the volume environmental problems are analyzed in an open, generally noncompetitive economy with transnational or global externalities. The first part deals with the relationship between the environment, economic growth and technological innovation. The second part analyzes the optimal design of environmental taxation, while the third part considers the international dimension of environmental policy.

Direct observation of coherent energy transfer in nonlinear micromechanical oscillators.

PubMed

Chen, Changyao; Zanette, Damián H; Czaplewski, David A; Shaw, Steven; López, Daniel

2017-05-26

Energy dissipation is an unavoidable phenomenon of physical systems that are directly coupled to an external environmental bath. In an oscillatory system, it leads to the decay of the oscillation amplitude. In situations where stable oscillations are required, the energy dissipated by the vibrations is usually compensated by replenishment from external energy sources. Consequently, if the external energy supply is removed, the amplitude of oscillations start to decay immediately, since there is no means to restitute the energy dissipated. Here, we demonstrate a novel dissipation engineering strategy that can support stable oscillations without supplying external energy to compensate losses. The fundamental intrinsic mechanism of resonant mode coupling is used to redistribute and store mechanical energy among vibrational modes and coherently transfer it back to the principal mode when the external excitation is off. To experimentally demonstrate this phenomenon, we exploit the nonlinear dynamic response of microelectromechanical oscillators to couple two different vibrational modes through an internal resonance.

The influence of restrained and external eating patterns on overeating.

PubMed

Burton, Pat; Smit, Hendrik J; Lightowler, Helen J

2007-07-01

Eating in response to an increasingly obesogenic environment has been strongly implicated as a salient aspect of eating behaviour, arguably influenced by learning and experience. Interindividual differences in susceptibility to weight gain may be due, in part, to variability in response to environmental triggers. The phenomenon of food craving may also be an important factor influencing appetite control. The present study tested a model, in which food craving was hypothesised to be an intervening causal variable, on a causal pathway between responsivity to environmental cues and the development of obesity. One hundred and twenty four participants (aged 21-71 years, 83 females and 41 males) completed the study. Participants completed the Dutch eating behaviour questionnaire (DEBQ), measuring external eating (externality), emotional eating (emotionality) and restrained eating behaviour (restraint), and an adapted form of the food craving inventory (FCI), assessing cravings for carbohydrate, fats, sweets and fast food fats, in addition to total food cravings. Initial analysis showed positive correlations between FCI-tot and body mass index (BMI), FCI-fats and BMI and FCI-fast food fats and BMI in both men and women, and between FCI-carbohydrates and BMI in men only. Multiple regression analyses showed externality as the principal predictor of food craving, which was greater in males compared to females, but differential for different food groups between genders. Restrained eating and cravings for fats and fast food fats were negatively associated in women only. As predicted, total cravings, and cravings for fats and fast food foods mediated the positive association between external eating and BMI. It is concluded that appetitive response to external cues as an important risk factor in appetite control is mediated through cravings for particular food groups and is gender-dependent.

Addressing Externalities From Swine Production to Reduce Public Health and Environmental Impacts

PubMed Central

Osterberg, David; Wallinga, David

2004-01-01

Animal agriculture in the United States for the most part has industrialized, with negative consequences for air and water quality and antibiotic use. We consider health and environmental impacts of current US swine production and give an overview of current federal, state, and local strategies being used to address them. PMID:15451736

Common Genetic and Nonshared Environmental Factors Contribute to the Association between Socioemotional Dispositions and the Externalizing Factor in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Jeanette; Allan, Nicholas; Mikolajewski, Amy J.; Hart, Sara A.

2013-01-01

Background: Childhood behavioral disorders including conduct disorder (CD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often co-occur. Prior twin research shows that common sets of genetic and environmental factors are associated with these various disorders and they form a latent factor called…

An Assessment of Decision-Making Processes: The Feasibility of Incorporating Climate Change Information into Land Protection Planning (External Review Draft)

EPA Science Inventory

This report was prepared by the Global Change Research Program (GCRP) in the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) of the Office of Research and Development (ORD) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This draft report is a review of decision-making pro...

EFFECT OF CARBONIC ANHYDRASE INHIBITORS ON THE INORGANIC CARBON UPTAKE BY PHYTOPLANKTON NATURAL ASSEMBLAGES(1).

PubMed

Mercado, Jesús M; Ramírez, Teodoro; Cortés, Dolores; Liger, Esperanza

2009-02-01

The role of carbonic anhydrase (CA) in inorganic carbon acquisition (dissolved inorganic carbon, DIC) was examined in Alboran Sea phytoplankton assemblages. The study area was characterized by a relatively high variability in nutrient concentration and in abundance and taxonomic composition of phytoplankton. Therefore, the relationship between environmental variability and capacity for using HCO3 (-) via external CA (eCA) was examined. Acetazolamide (AZ, an inhibitor of eCA) inhibited the primary productivity (PP) in 50% of the samples, with inhibition percentages ranging from 13% to 60%. The AZ effect was more prominent in the samples that exhibited PP >1 mg C · m(-3)  · h(-1) , indicating that the contribution of eCA to the DIC photosynthetic flux was irrelevant at low PP. The inhibition of primary productivity by AZ was significantly correlated to the abundance of diatoms. However, there was no a relationship between AZ effect and CO2 partial pressure (pCO2 ) or nutrient concentration, indicating that the variability in the PP percentage supported by eCA was mainly due to differences in taxonomic composition of the phytoplankton assemblages. Ethoxyzolamide (EZ, an inhibitor of both external and internal CA) affected 13 of 14 analyzed samples, with PP inhibition percentages varying from 50% to 95%. The effects of AZ and EZ were partially reversed by doubling DIC concentration. These results imply that CA activity (external and/or internal) was involved in inorganic carbon acquisition in most the samples. However, EZ effect was not correlated with pCO2 or taxonomic composition of the phytoplankton. © 2009 Phycological Society of America.

Demonstrating the cost effectiveness of an expert occupational and environmental health nurse: application of AAOHN's success tools. American Association of Occupational Health Nurses.

PubMed

Morris, J A; Smith, P S

2001-12-01

According to DiBenedetto, "Occupational health nurses enhance and maximize the health, safety, and productivity of the domestic and global work force" (1999b). This project clearly defined the multiple roles and activities provided by an occupational and environmental health nurse and assistant, supported by a part time contract occupational health nurse. A well defined estimate of the personnel costs for each of these roles is helpful both in demonstrating current value and in future strategic planning for this department. The model highlighted both successes and a business cost savings opportunity for integrated disability management. The AAOHN's Success Tools (1998) were invaluable in launching the development of this cost effectiveness model. The three methods were selected from several tools of varying complexities offered. Collecting available data to develop these metrics required internal consultation with finance, human resources, and risk management, as well as communication with external health, safety, and environmental providers in the community. Benchmarks, surveys, and performance indicators can be found readily in the literature and online. The primary motivation for occupational and environmental health nurses to develop cost effectiveness analyses is to demonstrate the value and worth of their programs and services. However, it can be equally important to identify which services are not cost effective so knowledge and skills may be used in ways that continue to provide value to employers (AAOHN, 1996). As evidence based health care challenges the occupational health community to demonstrate business rationale and financial return on investment, occupational and environmental health nurses must meet that challenge if they are to define their preferred future (DiBenedetto, 2000).

Environmental factors that distinguish between clinical and healthy samples with childhood experiences of abuse and neglect.

PubMed

Infurna, Maria Rita; Giannone, Francesca; Guarnaccia, Cinzia; Lo Cascio, Maria; Parzer, Peter; Kaess, Michael

2015-01-01

Childhood maltreatment is associated with a wide range of problems in adulthood. However, specific environmental factors (either positive or negative) influence mental health outcomes in maltreated children. The present study investigated the effect of environmental factors by comparing a group of clinical participants with experiences of abuse/neglect with a healthy group with similar patterns of experiences. Environmental factors selected were: separation from parents, financial hardship, parental psychiatric disorders, and low social involvement. The study included 55 mixed clinical participants and 23 healthy participants. All participants were investigated using the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse (CECA) interview. The two groups were specifically matched with regard to patterns of childhood maltreatment. The findings indicated that psychopathological outcome was associated with a greater presence of negative environmental factors (p < 0.001). In particular, lack of social support seemed to be the only one predictor (OR = 27.86). This study is the first to investigate the influence of specific environmental factors in two groups with similar childhood experiences of abuse/neglect but different mental health outcomes. These findings suggest that efforts should be made to incorporate both familial and external sources of social support in promoting mental health for maltreated children. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

On the Uselessness of Men - Comparison of Sexual and Asexual Reproduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stauffer, D.; Sá Martins, J. S.; de Oliveira, S. Moss

A comparison of sexual with asexual reproduction in the Penna aging model for a single species shows the separation into males and females at a disadvantage due to the halved number of births. Also meiotic and apomictic parthenogenesis and hermaphroditism seem better than sex, even when the individuals follow the suggestion of Jan et al. to engage in sex only when their lifes are endangered by a large number of harmful mutations. In our comparison, we looked only for intrinsic effects, not for external influences like parasites or environmental catastrophes.

Synchronization in Biochemical Substance Exchange Between Two Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mihailović, Dragutin T.; Balaž, Igor

In this paper, Mihailović et al. [Mod. Phys. Lett. B 25 (2011) 2407-2417] introduce a simplified model of cell communication in a form of coupled difference logistic equations. Then we investigated stability of exchange of signaling molecules under variability of internal and external parameters. However, we have not touched questions about synchronization and effect of noise on biochemical substance exchange between cells. In this paper, we consider synchronization in intercellular exchange in dependence of environmental and cell intrinsic parameters by analyzing the largest Lyapunov exponent, cross sample entropy and bifurcation maps.

Picking battles wisely: plant behaviour under competition.

PubMed

Novoplansky, Ariel

2009-06-01

Plants are limited in their ability to choose their neighbours, but they are able to orchestrate a wide spectrum of rational competitive behaviours that increase their prospects to prevail under various ecological settings. Through the perception of neighbours, plants are able to anticipate probable competitive interactions and modify their competitive behaviours to maximize their long-term gains. Specifically, plants can minimize competitive encounters by avoiding their neighbours; maximize their competitive effects by aggressively confronting their neighbours; or tolerate the competitive effects of their neighbours. However, the adaptive values of these non-mutually exclusive options are expected to depend strongly on the plants' evolutionary background and to change dynamically according to their past development, and relative sizes and vigour. Additionally, the magnitude of competitive responsiveness is expected to be positively correlated with the reliability of the environmental information regarding the expected competitive interactions and the expected time left for further plastic modifications. Concurrent competition over external and internal resources and morphogenetic signals may enable some plants to increase their efficiency and external competitive performance by discriminately allocating limited resources to their more promising organs at the expense of failing or less successful organs.

Effects of ball milling on the physicochemical and sorptive properties of biochar: Experimental observations and governing mechanisms.

PubMed

Lyu, Honghong; Gao, Bin; He, Feng; Zimmerman, Andrew R; Ding, Cheng; Huang, Hua; Tang, Jingchun

2018-02-01

With the goal of combining the advantages of ball-milling and biochar technologies, a variety of ball-milled biochars (BM-biochars) were synthesized, characterized, and tested for nickel (Ni(II)) removal from aqueous solution. Ball milling increased only the external surface area of low temperature biochars, but still dramatically enhanced their ability to sorb aqueous Ni(II). For higher temperature biochars with relatively low surface area, ball milling increased both external and internal surface area. Measurements of pH, zeta potential, stability, and Boehm titration demonstrated that ball milling also added oxygen-containing functional groups (e.g., carboxyl, lactonic, and hydroxyl) to biochar's surface. With these changed, all the BM-biochars showed much better Ni(II) removal efficiency than unmilled biochars. Ball-milled 600 °C bagasse biochar (BMBG600) showed the greatest Ni(II) adsorption capacity (230-650 compared to 26-110 mmol/kg for unmilled biochar) and the adsorption was dosage and pH dependent. Compared with the unmilled biochar, BMBG600 also displayed faster adsorption kinetics, likely due to an increase in rates of intra-particle diffusion in the latter. Experimental and modeling results suggest that the increase in BM-biochar's external and internal surface areas exposed its graphitic structure, thus enhancing Ni(II) adsorption via strong cation-π interaction. In addition, the increase in acidic surface functional groups enhanced Ni(II) adsorption by BM-biochar via electrostatic interaction and surface complexation. Ball milling thus has great potential to increase the efficiency of environmentally friendly biochar for various environmental applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vulnerability of countries to food-production crises propagating in the virtual water trade network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamea, S.; Laio, F.; Ridolfi, L.

2015-12-01

In recent years, the international trade of food and agricultural commodities has undergone a marked increase of exchanged volumes and an expansion of the trade network. This globalization of trade has both positive and negative effects, but the interconnectedness and external dependency of countries generate complex dynamics which are often difficult to understand and model. In this study we consider the volume of water used for the production of agricultural commodities, virtually exchanged among countries through commodity trade, i.e. the virtual water trade. Then, we set up a parsimonious mechanistic model describing the propagation, into the global trade network, of food-production crises generated locally by a social, economic or environmental event (such as war, economic crisis, drought, pest). The model, accounting for the network structure and the virtual water balance of all countries, bases on rules derived from observed virtual water flows and on data-based and statistically verified assumption. It is also tested on real case studies that prove its capability to capture the main features of crises propagation. The model is then employed as the basis for the development of an index of country vulnerability, measuring the exposure of countries to crises propagating in the virtual water trade network. Results of the analysis are discussed within the context of socio-economic and environmental conditions of countries, showing that not only water-scarce, but also wealthy and globalized countries, are among the most vulnerable to external crises. The temporal analysis for the period 1986-2011 reveals that the global average vulnerability has strongly increased over time, confirming the increased exposure of countries to external crises which may occur in the virtual water trade network.

IRIS Toxicological Review of Ammonia (Interagency Science ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

On June 1, 2012, the draft Toxicological Review of Ammonia and the draft charge to external peer reviewers were released for external peer review and public comment. The Toxicological Review and charge were reviewed internally by EPA and by other federal agencies and White House Offices before public release. Consistent with the May 2009 IRIS assessment development process, all written comments on IRIS assessments submitted by other federal agencies and White House Offices are made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency science consultation materials provided to other agencies, including interagency review drafts of the IRIS Toxicological Review of Ammonia and the charge to external peer reviewers, are posted on this site. EPA is undertaking an Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) health assessment for ammonia. IRIS is an EPA database containing Agency scientific positions on potential adverse human health effects that may result from chronic (or lifetime) exposure to chemicals in the environment. IRIS contains chemical-specific summaries of qualitative and quantitative health information in support of two steps of the risk assessment paradigm, i.e., hazard identification and dose-response evaluation. IRIS assessments are used in combination with specific situational exposure assessment information to evaluate potential public health risk associated with environmental contaminants.

IRIS Toxicological Review of n-Butanol (Interagency Science ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

On September 8, 2011, the Toxicological Review of n-Butanol (External Review Draft) was released for external peer review and public comment. The Toxicological Review and charge were reviewed internally by EPA and by other federal agencies and White House Offices before public release. In the new IRIS process, introduced by the EPA Administrator, all written comments on IRIS assessments submitted by other federal agencies and White House Offices will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments with EPA's response and the interagency science consultation draft of the IRIS Toxicological Review of n-Butanol and the charge to external peer reviewers are posted on this site. EPA is undertaking an Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) health assessment for n-butanol. IRIS is an EPA database containing Agency scientific positions on potential adverse human health effects that may result from chronic (or lifetime) exposure to chemicals in the environment. IRIS contains chemical-specific summaries of qualitative and quantitative health information in support of two steps of the risk assessment paradigm, i.e., hazard identification and dose-response evaluation. IRIS assessments are used in combination with specific situational exposure assessment information to evaluate potential public health risk associated with environmental contaminants.

Estimating the Roles of Genetic Risk, Perinatal Risk, and Marital Hostility on Early Childhood Adjustment: Medical Records and Self-Reports

PubMed Central

Neiderhiser, Jenae M.; Marceau, Kristine; De Araujo-Greecher, Marielena; Ganiban, Jody M.; Mayes, Linda C.; Shaw, Daniel S.; Reiss, David; Leve, Leslie D.

2016-01-01

A wide variety of perinatal risk factors have been linked to later developmental outcomes in children. Much of this work has relied on either birth/medical records or mothers’ self-reports collected after delivery, and there has been an ongoing debate about which strategy provides the most accurate and reliable data. This report uses a parent-offspring adoption design (N = 561 families) to (1) examine the correspondence between medical record data and self-report data, (2) examine how perinatal risk factors may influence child internalizing and externalizing behavior at age 4.5 years, and (3) explore interactions among genetic, perinatal risk, and rearing environment on child internalizing and externalizing behavior during early childhood. The agreement of self-reports and medical records data was relatively high (51–100%), although there was some variation based on the construct. There were few main effects of perinatal risk on child outcomes; however, there were several 2- and 3-way interactions suggesting that the combined influences of genetic, perinatal, and rearing environmental risks are important, particularly for predicting whether children exhibit internalizing versus externalizing symptoms at age 4.5 years. PMID:27075497

Comparison of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s CAP88 PC versions 3.0 and 4.0

DOE PAGES

Jannik, Tim; Farfan, Eduardo B.; Dixon, Ken; ...

2015-08-01

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) with the assistance of Georgia Regents University, completed a comparison of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) environmental dosimetry code CAP88 PC V3.0 with the recently developed V4.0. CAP88 is a set of computer programs and databases used for estimation of dose and risk from radionuclide emissions to air. At the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site, CAP88 is used by SRNL for determining compliance with EPA's National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (40 CFR 61, Subpart H) regulations. Using standardized input parameters, individual runs were conducted for each radionuclide within itsmore » corresponding database. Some radioactive decay constants, human usage parameters, and dose coefficients changed between the two versions, directly causing a proportional change in the total effective 137Cs, 3H, 129I, 239Pu, and 90Sr) is provided. In general, the total effective doses will decrease for alpha/beta emitters because of reduced inhalation and ingestion rates in V4.0. However, for gamma emitters, such as 60Co and 137Cs, the total effective doses will increase because of changes EPA made in the external ground shine calculations.« less

Embedding ecosystem services into the Marine Strategy Framework Directive: Illustrated by eutrophication in the North Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Higgins, T. G.; Gilbert, A. J.

2014-03-01

The introduction of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) with its focus on an Ecosystem Approach places an emphasis on the human dimensions of environmental problems. Human activities may be the source of marine degradation, but may also be adversely affected should degradation compromise the provision of ecosystem services. The MSFD marks a shift away from management aiming to restore past, undegraded states toward management for Good Environmental Status (GEnS) based on delivery of marine goods and services. An example relating ecosystem services to criteria for Good Environmental Status is presented for eutrophication, a long recognised problem in many parts of Europe's seas and specifically targeted by descriptors for GEnS. Taking the North Sea as a case study the relationships between the eutrophication criteria of the MSFD and final and intermediate marine ecosystem services are examined. Ecosystem services are valued, where possible in monetary terms, in order to illustrate how eutrophication affects human welfare (economic externalities) through its multiple effects on ecosystem services.

A framework for considering externalities in urban water asset management.

PubMed

Marlow, David; Pearson, Leonie; Macdonald, Darla Hatton; Whitten, Stuart; Burn, Stewart

2011-01-01

Urban communities rely on a complex network of infrastructure assets to connect them to water resources. There is considerable capital investment required to maintain, upgrade and extend this infrastructure. As the remit of a water utility is broader than just financial considerations, infrastructure investment decisions must be made in light of environmental and societal issues. One way of facilitating this is to integrate consideration of externalities into decision making processes. This paper considers the concept of externalities from an asset management perspective. A case study is provided to show the practical implications to a water utility and asset managers. A framework for the inclusion of externalities in asset management decision making is also presented. The potential for application of the framework is highlighted through a brief consideration of its key elements.

Aerophytic Cyanobacteria as a Factor in the Biodegradation of Technical Materials on External Building Walls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piontek, Marlena; Lechów, Hanna

2014-12-01

A study conducted at the Institute of Environmental Engineering, University of Zielona Góra showed the presence of 4 species of aerophytic cyanobacteria in the biological material sampled from the external building wall with visible biocorrosion: Gloeocapsa montana Kützing, Phormidium calcareum Kützing, Aphanothece saxicola Nägeli, Gloeothece caldariorum (P. Richter) Hollerbach. High levels of moisture were detected in the places of biofilm occurrence.

Our Environment Shapes Us: The Importance of Environment and Sex Differences in Regulation of Autoantibody Production

PubMed Central

Edwards, Michael; Dai, Rujuan; Ahmed, S. Ansar

2018-01-01

Consequential differences exist between the male and female immune systems’ ability to respond to pathogens, environmental insults or self-antigens, and subsequent effects on immunoregulation. In general, females when compared with their male counterparts, respond to pathogenic stimuli and vaccines more robustly, with heightened production of antibodies, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and chemokines. While the precise reasons for sex differences in immune response to different stimuli are not yet well understood, females are more resistant to infectious diseases and much more likely to develop autoimmune diseases. Intrinsic (i.e., sex hormones, sex chromosomes, etc.) and extrinsic (microbiome composition, external triggers, and immune modulators) factors appear to impact the overall outcome of immune responses between sexes. Evidence suggests that interactions between environmental contaminants [e.g., endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)] and host leukocytes affect the ability of the immune system to mount a response to exogenous and endogenous insults, and/or return to normal activity following clearance of the threat. Inherently, males and females have differential immune response to external triggers. In this review, we describe how environmental chemicals, including EDCs, may have sex differential influence on the outcome of immune responses through alterations in epigenetic status (such as modulation of microRNA expression, gene methylation, or histone modification status), direct and indirect activation of the estrogen receptors to drive hormonal effects, and differential modulation of microbial sensing and composition of host microbiota. Taken together, an intriguing question develops as to how an individual’s environment directly and indirectly contributes to an altered immune response, dysregulation of autoantibody production, and influence autoimmune disease development. Few studies exist utilizing well-controlled cohorts of both sexes to explore the sex differences in response to EDC exposure and the effects on autoimmune disease development. Translational studies incorporating multiple environmental factors in animal models of autoimmune disease are necessary to determine the interrelationships that occur between potential etiopathological factors. The presence or absence of autoantibodies is not a reliable predictor of disease. Therefore, future studies should incorporate all the susceptibility/influencing factors, coupled with individual genomics, epigenomics, and proteomics, to develop a model that better predicts, diagnoses, and treats autoimmune diseases in a personalized-medicine fashion. PMID:29662485

Similar causes of various reproductive disorders in early life.

PubMed

Svechnikov, Konstantin; Stukenborg, Jan-Bernd; Savchuck, Iuliia; Söder, Olle

2014-01-01

During the past few decades, scientific evidence has been accumulated concerning the possible adverse effects of the exposure to environmental chemicals on the well-being of wildlife and human populations. One large and growing group of such compounds of anthropogenic or natural origin is referred to as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), due to their deleterious action on the endocrine system. This concern was first focused on the control of reproductive function particularly in males, but has later been expanded to include all possible endocrine functions. The present review describes the underlying physiology behind the cascade of developmental events that occur during sexual differentiation of males and the specific role of androgen in the masculinization process and proper organogenesis of the external male genitalia. The impact of the genetic background, environmental exposures and lifestyle factors in the etiology of hypospadias, cryptorchidism and testicular cancer are reviewed and the possible role of EDCs in the development of these reproductive disorders is discussed critically. Finally, the possible direct and programming effects of exposures in utero to widely use therapeutic compounds, environmental estrogens and other chemicals on the incidence of reproductive abnormalities and poor semen quality in humans are also highlighted.

Ecological restoration of farmland: progress and prospects.

PubMed

Wade, Mark R; Gurr, Geoff M; Wratten, Steve D

2008-02-27

Sustainable agricultural practices in conjunction with ecological restoration methods can reduce the detrimental effects of agriculture. The Society for Ecological Restoration International has produced generic guidelines for conceiving, organizing, conducting and assessing ecological restoration projects. Additionally, there are now good conceptual frameworks, guidelines and practical methods for developing ecological restoration programmes that are based on sound ecological principles and supported by empirical evidence and modelling approaches. Restoration methods must also be technically achievable and socially acceptable and spread over a range of locations. It is important to reconcile differences between methods that favour conservation and those that favour economic returns, to ensure that conservation efforts are beneficial for both landowners and biodiversity. One option for this type of mutual benefit is the use of agri-environmental schemes to provide financial incentives to landholders in exchange for providing conservation services and other benefits. However, further work is required to define and measure the effectiveness of agri-environmental schemes. The broader potential for ecological restoration to improve the sustainability of agricultural production while conserving biodiversity in farmscapes and reducing external costs is high, but there is still much to learn, particularly for the most efficient use of agri-environmental schemes to change land use practice.

Settlement behavior of municipal solid waste due to internal and external environmental factors in a lysimeter.

PubMed

Melo, Márcio C; Caribé, Rômulo M; Ribeiro, Libânia S; Sousa, Raul B A; Monteiro, Veruschka E D; de Paiva, William

2016-12-05

Long-term settlement magnitude is influenced by changes in external and internal factors that control the microbiological activity in the landfill waste body. To improve the understanding of settlement phenomena, it is instructive to study lysimeters filled with MSW. This paper aims to understand the settlement behavior of MSW by correlating internal and external factors that influence waste biodegradation in a lysimeter. Thus, a lysimeter was built, instrumented and filled with MSW from the city of Campina Grande, the state of Paraíba, Brazil. Physicochemical analysis of the waste (from three levels of depth of the lysimeter) was carried out along with MSW settlement measurements. Statistical tools such as descriptive analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were also performed. The settlement/compression, coefficient of variation and PCA results indicated the most intense rate of biodegradation in the top layer. The PCA results of intermediate and bottom levels presented fewer physicochemical and meteorological variables correlated with compression data in contrast with the top layer. It is possible to conclude that environmental conditions may influence internal indicators of MSW biodegradation, such as the settlement.

CIEMAT EXTERNAL DOSIMETRY SERVICE: ISO/IEC 17025 ACCREDITATION AND 3 Y OF OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE AS AN ACCREDITED LABORATORY.

PubMed

Romero, A M; Rodríguez, R; López, J L; Martín, R; Benavente, J F

2016-09-01

In 2008, the CIEMAT Radiation Dosimetry Service decided to implement a quality management system, in accordance with established requirements, in order to achieve ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. Although the Service comprises the approved individual monitoring services of both external and internal radiation, this paper is specific to the actions taken by the External Dosimetry Service, including personal and environmental dosimetry laboratories, to gain accreditation and the reflections of 3 y of operational experience as an accredited laboratory. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Understanding Suicidal Ideation in Latino/a Adolescents Living in Puerto Rico.

PubMed

Duarté-Vélez, Yovanska; Jones, Richard N; Spirito, Anthony

2017-12-05

Puerto Rican adolescents, as well as other Latinos/as, have been identified at higher risk for suicidal ideation and attempts compared to other ethnic groups. However, research designed to better understand suicidality among Puerto Rican adolescents is rare. A socio-cognitive vulnerability model of suicidal ideation was tested in adolescents living in Puerto Rico. Multiple group path analyses were performed to assess the effect of self-reported socio-environmental and vulnerability factors on suicidal ideation, by sex, in 233 students from the metropolitan area of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Overall, the model explained a large amount of the variance in suicidal ideation (r 2  = .59 for females and r2 = .48 for males). Depressive symptoms had the strongest total effect on suicidal ideation for both sexes (r = .69 for females and r = .53 for males) and negative life events were the most salient socio-environmental factor. Hopelessness had a direct effect on suicidal ideation for males only. Externalizing behaviors had a direct effect on suicidal ideation for both males and females, but it was particularly strong for females. Results support the mediating role of vulnerability factors and the differential importance of socio-environmental and vulnerability factors in understanding suicidal ideation among Puerto Rican adolescents. The relevance of exploring different developmental paths to suicidal ideation, separately by sex, is discussed.

Enterprise-Level Motivations, Regulatory Pressures, and Corporate Environmental Management in Guangzhou, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Shui-Yan; Li, Pansy Honying; Fryxell, Gerald E.; Lo, Carlos Wing-Hung

2015-09-01

This study examines the effects of internal motivations and external pressures on the integration of environmental management (EM) practices within manufacturing operations in China. The moderating role of perceptions toward the regulatory process is also considered along with comparisons between wholly Chinese-owned and foreign-owned enterprises. From a sample of 131 manufacturing companies in the Guangzhou area, it was found that the salience of fees and fines has a strong positive influence on perceptions toward the regulator (the local Environmental Protection Bureau, EPB). This also has a positive effect on perceptions toward regulations themselves for foreign-owned enterprises. Business-case motivations for EM positively shape enterprise perceptions toward regulations, whereas risk-reduction motivations have a negative effect on perceptions toward regulations in foreign-owned enterprises. Enterprise perceptions toward the regulatory process have direct effects on the integration of EM practices in wholly Chinese-owned enterprises, but in opposite directions. While positive perceptions toward regulations have positive influence, positive perceptions toward regulators (i.e., the EPB) negatively affect it. Overall, these results indicated that promoting the adoption of EM practices depends on convincing business leaders that EM practices contribute to profit making. The regulatory process can potentially promote these practices, but measures need to be taken to ensure that the regulator is not co-opted by the regulated, especially in wholly Chinese-owned enterprises.

Enterprise-Level Motivations, Regulatory Pressures, and Corporate Environmental Management in Guangzhou, China.

PubMed

Tang, Shui-Yan; Li, Pansy Honying; Fryxell, Gerald E; Lo, Carlos Wing-Hung

2015-09-01

This study examines the effects of internal motivations and external pressures on the integration of environmental management (EM) practices within manufacturing operations in China. The moderating role of perceptions toward the regulatory process is also considered along with comparisons between wholly Chinese-owned and foreign-owned enterprises. From a sample of 131 manufacturing companies in the Guangzhou area, it was found that the salience of fees and fines has a strong positive influence on perceptions toward the regulator (the local Environmental Protection Bureau, EPB). This also has a positive effect on perceptions toward regulations themselves for foreign-owned enterprises. Business-case motivations for EM positively shape enterprise perceptions toward regulations, whereas risk-reduction motivations have a negative effect on perceptions toward regulations in foreign-owned enterprises. Enterprise perceptions toward the regulatory process have direct effects on the integration of EM practices in wholly Chinese-owned enterprises, but in opposite directions. While positive perceptions toward regulations have positive influence, positive perceptions toward regulators (i.e., the EPB) negatively affect it. Overall, these results indicated that promoting the adoption of EM practices depends on convincing business leaders that EM practices contribute to profit making. The regulatory process can potentially promote these practices, but measures need to be taken to ensure that the regulator is not co-opted by the regulated, especially in wholly Chinese-owned enterprises.

Influence of parental depressive symptoms on adopted toddler behaviors: an emerging developmental cascade of genetic and environmental effects.

PubMed

Pemberton, Caroline K; Neiderhiser, Jenae M; Leve, Leslie D; Natsuaki, Misaki N; Shaw, Daniel S; Reiss, David; Ge, Xiaojia

2010-11-01

This study examined the developmental cascade of both genetic and environmental influences on toddlers' behavior problems through the longitudinal and multigenerational assessment of psychosocial risk. We used data from the Early Growth and Development Study, a prospective adoption study, to test the intergenerational transmission of risk through the assessment of adoptive mother, adoptive father, and biological parent depressive symptoms on toddler behavior problems. Given that depression is often chronic, we control for across-time continuity and find that in addition to associations between adoptive mother depressive symptoms and toddler externalizing problems, adoptive father depressive symptoms when the child is 9 months of age were associated with toddler problems and associated with maternal depressive symptoms. Findings also indicated that a genetic effect may indirectly influence toddler problems through prenatal pregnancy risk. These findings help to describe how multiple generations are linked through genetic (biological parent), timing (developmental age of the child), and contextual (marital partner) pathways.

Influence of Parental Depressive Symptoms on Adopted Toddler Behaviors: An Emerging Developmental Cascade of Genetic and Environmental Effects

PubMed Central

Pemberton, Caroline K.; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.; Leve, Leslie D.; Natsuaki, Misaki N.; Shaw, Daniel S.; Reiss, David; Ge, Xiaojia

2011-01-01

This study examined the developmental cascade of both genetic and environmental influences on toddlers’ behavior problems through the longitudinal and multi-generational assessment of psychosocial risk. We used data from the Early Growth and Development Study, a prospective adoption study, to test the intergenerational transmission of risk through the assessment of adoptive mother, adoptive father, and biological parent depressive symptoms on toddler behavior problems. Given that depression is often chronic, we control for across-time continuity and find that in addition to associations between adoptive mother depressive symptoms and toddler externalizing problems, adoptive father depressive symptoms when the child is 9-months of age were associated with toddler problems and associated with maternal depressive symptoms. Findings also indicated that a genetic effect may indirectly influence toddler problems through prenatal pregnancy risk. These findings help to describe how multiple generations are linked through genetic (biological parent), timing (developmental age of the child), and contextual (marital partner) pathways. PMID:20883583

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wei Chen; Kan, A.T.; Tomson, M.B.

Both the adsorption and the desorption processes play important roles in the transport and fate of organic contaminants in water-sediments and groundwater systems. The adsorption-desorption processes are shown to be influenced by a number of factors, including sediments organic carbon content, contaminant aqueous solubility, aqueous-phase concentration as well as some natural environmental factors such as pH, pE, ionic strength and temperature. External mechanical forces, such as sediment perturbation, and repeated dredging will also have finite effect on the microscopic interparticle forces that control bonds between large and small grain particles. The objective of this research is to study the influencesmore » of various environmental effects on the equilibrium or non-equilibrium desorption behavior of nonpolar organic pollutants in historically contaminated natural sediments of Lake Charles, LA. Differences of desorption behavior between freshly and historically contaminated sediments will be compared in order to evaluated the desorption mechanism. The influences of particle size, mineral composition, organic matter concentration, and aqueous phase matrix composition on desorption behaviour will also be evaluated.« less

Effect of environmental parameters on biodiversity of the fungal component in lithic Antarctic communities.

PubMed

Selbmann, Laura; Onofri, Silvano; Coleine, Claudia; Buzzini, Pietro; Canini, Fabiana; Zucconi, Laura

2017-11-01

A wide sampling of rocks, colonized by microbial epi-endolithic communities, was performed along an altitudinal gradient from sea level to 3600 m asl and sea distance from the coast to 100 km inland along the Victoria Land Coast, Antarctica. Seventy-two rock samples of different typology, representative of the entire survey, were selected and studied using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to compare variation in fungal diversity according to environmental conditions along this altitudinal and sea distance transect. Lichenized fungi were largely predominant in all the samples studied and the biodiversity was heavily influenced even by minimal local variations. The n-MDS analysis showed that altitude and sea distance affect fungal biodiversity, while sandstone allows the communities to maintain high biodiversity indices. The Pareto-Lorenz curves indicate that all the communities analyzed are highly adapted to extreme conditions but scarcely resilient, so any external perturbation may have irreversible effects on these fragile ecosystems.

Effects of tributyltin (TBT) on Xenopus tropicalis embryos at environmentally relevant concentrations.

PubMed

Guo, Suzhen; Qian, Lijuan; Shi, Huahong; Barry, Terence; Cao, Qinzhen; Liu, Junqi

2010-04-01

Tributyltin (TBT) has been widely used as a biocide in antifouling paints and is a known endocrine disrupting chemical. In this paper, we exposed embryos of Xenopus tropicalis to 50-400ngL(-1) tributyltin chloride. TBT significantly decreased the survival rate, reduced the body length and retarded the development of embryos after 24, 36 and 48h of exposure. These effects of TBT were concentration- and time-dependent. Embryos treated with TBT showed multiple malformations. The most obvious alterations were abnormal eyes, enlarged proctodaeum, narrow fins, and skin hypopigmentation. Enlarged proctodaeum and narrow fins were mainly observed after 36 and 48h of exposure. The loss of eye pigmentation or the absence of external eyes occurred after 24 and 36h of exposure, while extended lenses or edemas of eyes were more commonly observed after 48h of exposure. Additional malformations included: small anterior region of heads, pericardial edemas, enlarged trunks, and bent tails. These results suggested that TBT is very toxic to X. tropicalis embryos at environmentally relevant concentrations.

A linear regression approach to evaluate the green supply chain management impact on industrial organizational performance.

PubMed

Mumtaz, Ubaidullah; Ali, Yousaf; Petrillo, Antonella

2018-05-15

The increase in the environmental pollution is one of the most important topic in today's world. In this context, the industrial activities can pose a significant threat to the environment. To manage problems associate to industrial activities several methods, techniques and approaches have been developed. Green supply chain management (GSCM) is considered one of the most important "environmental management approach". In developing countries such as Pakistan the implementation of GSCM practices is still in its initial stages. Lack of knowledge about its effects on economic performance is the reason because of industries fear to implement these practices. The aim of this research is to perceive the effects of GSCM practices on organizational performance in Pakistan. In this research the GSCM practices considered are: internal practices, external practices, investment recovery and eco-design. While, the performance parameters considered are: environmental pollution, operational cost and organizational flexibility. A set of hypothesis propose the effect of each GSCM practice on the performance parameters. Factor analysis and linear regression are used to analyze the survey data of Pakistani industries, in order to authenticate these hypotheses. The findings of this research indicate a decrease in environmental pollution and operational cost with the implementation of GSCM practices, whereas organizational flexibility has not improved for Pakistani industries. These results aim to help managers regarding their decision of implementing GSCM practices in the industrial sector of Pakistan. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Critical Trends and Events Affecting the Future of Texas Higher Education. Proceedings of the Texas Association for Institutional Research (TAIR) Preconference Workshop on Environmental Scanning (1995).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, James L.

This proceedings report describes exercises used in a workshop on environmental scanning, designed to assist institutional research officers to develop competency in establishing and maintaining an external analysis capability on their campuses. The workshop offered an opportunity for participants to experience several techniques used in…

Vulnerability Assessments in Support of the Climate Ready Estuaries Program: A Novel Approach Using Expert Judgement, Volume II: Results for the Massachusetts Bays Program (External Review Draft)

EPA Science Inventory

As part of the Climate Ready Estuaries (CRE) program, the Global Change Research Program (GCRP) in the National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has prepared a report exploring a new methodology fo...

Vulnerability Assessments in Support of the Climate Ready Estuaries Program: A Novel Approach Using Expert Judgment, Volume I: Results for the San Francisco Estuary Partnership (External Review Draft)

EPA Science Inventory

As part of the Climate Ready Estuaries (CRE) program, the Global Change Research Program (GCRP) in the National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has prepared this draft report exploring a new metho...

Preliminary Steps Towards Integrating Climate and Land Use (ICLUS): the Development of Land-Use Scenarios Consistent with Climate Change Emissions Storylines (2008, External Review Draft)

EPA Science Inventory

This report was prepared by the Global Change Research Program (GCRP) in the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) of the Office of Research and Development (ORD) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This draft report is a description of the methods u...

Global effects of local food-production crises: a virtual water perspective

PubMed Central

Tamea, Stefania; Laio, Francesco; Ridolfi, Luca

2016-01-01

By importing food and agricultural goods, countries cope with the heterogeneous global water distribution and often rely on water resources available abroad. The virtual displacement of the water used to produce such goods (known as virtual water) connects together, in a global water system, all countries participating to the international trade network. Local food-production crises, having social, economic or environmental origin, propagate in this network, modifying the virtual water trade and perturbing local and global food availability, quantified in terms of virtual water. We analyze here the possible effects of local crises by developing a new propagation model, parsimonious but grounded on data-based and statistically-verified assumptions, whose effectiveness is proved on the Argentinean crisis in 2008–09. The model serves as the basis to propose indicators of crisis impact and country vulnerability to external food-production crises, which highlight that countries with largest water resources have the highest impact on the international trade, and that not only water-scarce but also wealthy and globalized countries are among the most vulnerable to external crises. The temporal analysis reveals that global average vulnerability has increased over time and that stronger effects of crises are now found in countries with low food (and water) availability. PMID:26804492

Global effects of local food-production crises: a virtual water perspective.

PubMed

Tamea, Stefania; Laio, Francesco; Ridolfi, Luca

2016-01-25

By importing food and agricultural goods, countries cope with the heterogeneous global water distribution and often rely on water resources available abroad. The virtual displacement of the water used to produce such goods (known as virtual water) connects together, in a global water system, all countries participating to the international trade network. Local food-production crises, having social, economic or environmental origin, propagate in this network, modifying the virtual water trade and perturbing local and global food availability, quantified in terms of virtual water. We analyze here the possible effects of local crises by developing a new propagation model, parsimonious but grounded on data-based and statistically-verified assumptions, whose effectiveness is proved on the Argentinean crisis in 2008-09. The model serves as the basis to propose indicators of crisis impact and country vulnerability to external food-production crises, which highlight that countries with largest water resources have the highest impact on the international trade, and that not only water-scarce but also wealthy and globalized countries are among the most vulnerable to external crises. The temporal analysis reveals that global average vulnerability has increased over time and that stronger effects of crises are now found in countries with low food (and water) availability.

Global effects of local food-production crises: a virtual water perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamea, Stefania; Laio, Francesco; Ridolfi, Luca

2016-01-01

By importing food and agricultural goods, countries cope with the heterogeneous global water distribution and often rely on water resources available abroad. The virtual displacement of the water used to produce such goods (known as virtual water) connects together, in a global water system, all countries participating to the international trade network. Local food-production crises, having social, economic or environmental origin, propagate in this network, modifying the virtual water trade and perturbing local and global food availability, quantified in terms of virtual water. We analyze here the possible effects of local crises by developing a new propagation model, parsimonious but grounded on data-based and statistically-verified assumptions, whose effectiveness is proved on the Argentinean crisis in 2008-09. The model serves as the basis to propose indicators of crisis impact and country vulnerability to external food-production crises, which highlight that countries with largest water resources have the highest impact on the international trade, and that not only water-scarce but also wealthy and globalized countries are among the most vulnerable to external crises. The temporal analysis reveals that global average vulnerability has increased over time and that stronger effects of crises are now found in countries with low food (and water) availability.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ji, Changyoon, E-mail: changyoon@yonsei.ac.kr; Hong, Taehoon, E-mail: hong7@yonsei.ac.kr

Previous studies have proposed several methods for integrating characterized environmental impacts as a single index in life cycle assessment. Each of them, however, may lead to different results. This study presents internal and external normalization methods, weighting factors proposed by panel methods, and a monetary valuation based on an endpoint life cycle impact assessment method as the integration methods. Furthermore, this study investigates the differences among the integration methods and identifies the causes of the differences through a case study in which five elementary school buildings were used. As a result, when using internal normalization with weighting factors, the weightingmore » factors had a significant influence on the total environmental impacts whereas the normalization had little influence on the total environmental impacts. When using external normalization with weighting factors, the normalization had more significant influence on the total environmental impacts than weighing factors. Due to such differences, the ranking of the five buildings varied depending on the integration methods. The ranking calculated by the monetary valuation method was significantly different from that calculated by the normalization and weighting process. The results aid decision makers in understanding the differences among these integration methods, and, finally, help them select the method most appropriate for the goal at hand.« less

Economic values and corporate financial statements.

PubMed

Magness, Vanessa

2003-07-01

Corporate financial statements do not include environmental values. This deficiency has contributed to the criticism that company managers do not include environmental impacts in the internal decision-making process. The accounting profession has not developed effective environmental reporting guidelines. This situation contributes to a second problem: the apparent inability of corporate reports to provide useful information to external parties. It has been suggested that by using nonmarket valuation methodologies, financial statements can be used to measure progress toward sustainable development. Nonmarket valuations are not generally accepted by the accounting profession. They are too subjective to support effective decisions, and too costly to obtain. Furthermore, demand for this sort of information appears small. Some of these issues may be resolved over time. The most serious challenge, however, concerns how enhanced financial reports would be used. Financial statements are supposed to help investors assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of future cash flows. A substantial portion of environmental value is based on nonuse benefits, much of which will never be realized in company cash flows. In other words, the role of financial statements would have to change. Furthermore, since there is no general agreement as to the meaning of "sustainable development," efforts to operationalize the term have been fraught with difficulty. Moreover, monetization of environmental values could jeopardize their preservation, leaving some to question the overall objective of this form of reporting. For these reasons, while it is to be hoped that better reporting of environmental impacts will be forthcoming, the greatest advances will likely be outside the financial statements themselves.

Life-cycle evaluation of nitrogen-use in rice-farming systems: implications for economically-optimal nitrogen rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Y.; Yan, X.

2011-11-01

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer plays an important role in agricultural systems in terms of food yield. However, N application rates (NARs) are often overestimated over the rice (Oryza sativa L.) growing season in the Taihu Lake region of China. This is largely because negative externalities are not entirely included when evaluating economically-optimal nitrogen rate (EONR), such as only individual N losses are taken into account, or the inventory flows of reactive N have been limited solely to the farming process when evaluating environmental and economic effects of N fertilizer. This study integrates important material and energy flows resulting from N use into a rice agricultural inventory that constitutes the hub of the life-cycle assessment (LCA) method. An economic evaluation is used to determine an environmental and economic NAR for the Taihu Lake region. The analysis reveals that production and exploitation processes consume the largest proportion of resources, accounting for 77.2 % and 22.3 % of total resources, respectively. Regarding environmental impact, global warming creates the highest cost with contributions stemming mostly from fertilizer production and farming processes. Farming process incurs the biggest environmental impact of the three environmental impact categories considered, whereas transportation has a much smaller effect. When taking account of resource consumption and environmental cost, the marginal benefit of 1 kg rice would decrease from 2.4 to only 1.05 yuan. Accordingly, our current EONR has been evaluated at 187 kg N ha-1 for a single rice-growing season. This could enhance profitability, as well as reduce the N losses associated with rice growing.

Interactions between toxic chemicals and natural environmental factors--a meta-analysis and case studies.

PubMed

Laskowski, Ryszard; Bednarska, Agnieszka J; Kramarz, Paulina E; Loureiro, Susana; Scheil, Volker; Kudłek, Joanna; Holmstrup, Martin

2010-08-15

The paper addresses problems arising from effects of natural environmental factors on toxicity of pollutants to organisms. Most studies on interactions between toxicants and natural factors, including those completed in the EU project NoMiracle (Novel Methods for Integrated Risk Assessment of Cumulative Stressors in Europe) described herein, showed that effects of toxic chemicals on organisms can differ vastly depending purely on external conditions. We compiled data from 61 studies on effects of temperature, moisture and dissolved oxygen on toxicity of a range of chemicals representing pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, plant protection products of bacterial origin and trace metals. In 62.3% cases significant interactions (p< or =0.05 or less) between natural factors and chemicals were found, reaching 100% for the effect of dissolved oxygen on toxicity of waterborne chemicals. The meta-analysis of the 61 studies showed that the null hypothesis assuming no interactions between toxic chemicals and natural environmental factors should be rejected at p=2.7 x 10(-82) (truncated product method probability). In a few cases of more complex experimental designs, also second-order interactions were found, indicating that natural factors can modify interactions among chemicals. Such data emphasize the necessity of including information on natural factors and their variation in time and across geographic regions in ecological risk assessment. This can be done only if appropriate ecotoxicological test designs are used, in which test organisms are exposed to toxicants at a range of environmental conditions. We advocate designing such tests for the second-tier ecological risk assessment procedures. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mixing states of aerosols over four environmentally distinct atmospheric regimes in Asia: coastal, urban, and industrial locations influenced by dust.

PubMed

Ramachandran, S; Srivastava, Rohit

2016-06-01

Mixing can influence the optical, physical, and chemical characteristics of aerosols, which in turn can modify their life cycle and radiative effects. Assumptions on the mixing state can lead to uncertain estimates of aerosol radiative effects. To examine the effect of mixing on the aerosol characteristics, and their influence on radiative effects, aerosol mixing states are determined over four environmentally distinct locations (Karachi, Gwangju, Osaka, and Singapore) in Asia, an aerosol hot spot region, using measured spectral aerosol optical properties and optical properties model. Aerosol optical depth (AOD), single scattering albedo (SSA), and asymmetry parameter (g) exhibit spectral, spatial, and temporal variations. Aerosol mixing states exhibit large spatial and temporal variations consistent with aerosol characteristics and aerosol type over each location. External mixing of aerosol species is unable to reproduce measured SSA over Asia, thus providing a strong evidence that aerosols exist in mixed state. Mineral dust (MD) (core)-Black carbon (BC) (shell) is one of the most preferred aerosol mixing states. Over locations influenced by biomass burning aerosols, BC (core)-water soluble (WS, shell) is a preferred mixing state, while dust gets coated by anthropogenic aerosols (BC, WS) over urban regions influenced by dust. MD (core)-sea salt (shell) mixing is found over Gwangju corroborating the observations. Aerosol radiative forcing exhibits large seasonal and spatial variations consistent with features seen in aerosol optical properties and mixing states. TOA forcing is less negative/positive for external mixing scenario because of lower SSA. Aerosol radiative forcing in Karachi is a factor of 2 higher when compared to Gwangju, Osaka, and Singapore. The influence of g on aerosol radiative forcing is insignificant. Results emphasize that rather than prescribing one single aerosol mixing state in global climate models regionally and temporally varying aerosol mixing states should be included for more accurate assessment of aerosol radiative effects.

The adoption of sustainable remediation behaviour in the US and UK: a cross country comparison and determinant analysis.

PubMed

Hou, Deyi; Al-Tabbaa, Abir; Guthrie, Peter

2014-08-15

The sustainable remediation concept, aimed at maximizing the net environmental, social, and economic benefits in contaminated site remediation, is being increasingly recognized by industry, governments, and academia. However, there is limited understanding of actual sustainable behaviour being adopted and the determinants of such sustainable behaviour. The present study identified 27 sustainable practices in remediation. An online questionnaire survey was used to rank and compare them in the US (n=112) and the UK (n=54). The study also rated ten promoting factors, nine barriers, and 17 types of stakeholders' influences. Subsequently, factor analysis and general linear models were used to determine the effects of internal characteristics (i.e. country, organizational characteristics, professional role, personal experience and belief) and external forces (i.e. promoting factors, barriers, and stakeholder influences). It was found that US and UK practitioners adopted many sustainable practices to similar extents. Both US and UK practitioners perceived the most effectively adopted sustainable practices to be reducing the risk to site workers, protecting groundwater and surface water, and reducing the risk to the local community. Comparing the two countries, we found that the US adopted innovative in-situ remediation more effectively; while the UK adopted reuse, recycling, and minimizing material usage more effectively. As for the overall determinants of sustainable remediation, the country of origin was found not to be a significant determinant. Instead, organizational policy was found to be the most important internal characteristic. It had a significant positive effect on reducing distant environmental impact, sustainable resource usage, and reducing remediation cost and time (p<0.01). Customer competitive pressure was found to be the most extensively significant external force. In comparison, perceived stakeholder influence, especially that of primary stakeholders (site owner, regulator, and primary consultant), did not appear to have as extensive a correlation with the adoption of sustainability as one would expect. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Risk communication and human biomonitoring: which practical lessons from the Belgian experience are of use for the EU perspective?

PubMed Central

Keune, Hans; Morrens, Bert; Loots, Ilse

2008-01-01

Background In order to investigate and monitor environmental health in Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium), the Flemish government funded the Centre of Expertise for Environment and Health, which started a human biomonitoring campaign in 2001. In addition to environmental health experts measuring environmental pollutants and health effects in human beings, social scientific experts at the Centre focus on risk communication associated with the human biomonitoring campaign. Methods In the literature about risk communication an evolution can be traced from traditional, one-way communication, restricted to the dissemination of information from experts to the public, to more modern, two-way risk communication, with a focus on participation and cooperation between scientists, policy-makers and the public. Within the Centre of Expertise for Environment and Health this discourse was first translated into some general principles and guidelines for external communication, at a 'Ten Commandments level'. These principles needed to be incorporated in the day-to-day practice of human biomonitoring research. Results The social scientific experts at the Centre developed a combined risk communication strategy. On the one hand the strategy consists of traditional risk communication for external communication purposes, for example information meetings and digital newsletters. On the other hand it consists of a step by step approach of incorporating more modern risk communication, for example a risk perception questionnaire, dialogical experiments for involving local stakeholders, and an action-plan for interpreting results for policy making. Conclusion With a parallel strategy of traditional and modern communication, of external and internal reflection, and through different social scientific projects, the Flemish Centre of Expertise of Environment and Health incorporates risk communication in the day-to-day practice of human biomonitoring research. A direct and continuous involvement of the social scientist, an openness between all colleagues involved, and the awareness of a fine balance between quality and practicability are important success factors. These lessons may be helpful and inspirational for a European human biomonitoring project. PMID:18541065

Environmentally relevant concentrations of polyethylene microplastics negatively impact the survival, growth and emergence of sediment-dwelling invertebrates.

PubMed

Ziajahromi, Shima; Kumar, Anupama; Neale, Peta A; Leusch, Frederic D L

2018-05-01

Microplastics are a widespread environmental pollutant in aquatic ecosystems and have the potential to eventually sink to the sediment, where they may pose a risk to sediment-dwelling organisms. While the impacts of exposure to microplastics have been widely reported for marine biota, the effects of microplastics on freshwater organisms at environmentally realistic concentrations are largely unknown, especially for benthic organisms. Here we examined the effects of a realistic concentration of polyethylene microplastics in sediment on the growth and emergence of a freshwater organism Chironomus tepperi. We also assessed the influence of microplastic size by exposing C. tepperi larvae to four different size ranges of polyethylene microplastics (1-4, 10-27, 43-54 and 100-126 μm). Exposure to an environmentally relevant concentration of microplastics, 500 particles/kg sediment , negatively affected the survival, growth (i.e. body length and head capsule) and emergence of C. tepperi. The observed effects were strongly dependent on microplastic size with exposure to particles in the size range of 10-27 μm inducing more pronounced effects. While growth and survival of C. tepperi were not affected by the larger microplastics (100-126 μm), a significant reduction in the number of emerged adults was observed after exposure to the largest microplastics, with the delayed emergence attributed to exposure to a stressor. While scanning electron microscopy showed a significant reduction in the size of the head capsule and antenna of C. tepperi exposed to microplastics in the 10-27 μm size range, no deformities to the external structure of the antenna and mouth parts in organisms exposed to the same size range of microplastics were observed. These results indicate that environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics in sediment induce harmful effects on the development and emergence of C. tepperi, with effects greatly dependent on particle size. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Epigenetics: relevance and implications for public health.

PubMed

Rozek, Laura S; Dolinoy, Dana C; Sartor, Maureen A; Omenn, Gilbert S

2014-01-01

Improved understanding of the multilayer regulation of the human genome has led to a greater appreciation of environmental, nutritional, and epigenetic risk factors for human disease. Chromatin remodeling, histone tail modifications, and DNA methylation are dynamic epigenetic changes responsive to external stimuli. Careful interpretation can provide insights for actionable public health through collaboration between population and basic scientists and through integration of multiple data sources. We review key findings in environmental epigenetics both in human population studies and in animal models, and discuss the implications of these results for risk assessment and public health protection. To ultimately succeed in identifying epigenetic mechanisms leading to complex phenotypes and disease, researchers must integrate the various animal models, human clinical approaches, and human population approaches while paying attention to life-stage sensitivity, to generate effective prescriptions for human health evaluation and disease prevention.

Impact of environmental adaptation on tear film assessments.

PubMed

Fagehi, R

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ocular environmental adaptation on clinical tear film assessment. Thirty subjects (male, mean age 23±2.5) participated in this study. A number of clinical tear film tests were applied, including: fluorescein tear break-up time (FTBUT), Schirmer test and tear prism height test (TPH). The tear physiology of each subject was evaluated twice, once immediately when they arrived from the external environment, and then after 30minutes adaptation in the exam room environment. The mean values were: Schirmer test A (22.1±2.99), Schirmer test B (24.2±2.63), FTBUT A (8.00±1.94), FTBUT B (9.13±2.04), TPH A (0.179±0.026) and TPH B* (0.187±0.023). Statistical testing using Wilcoxon-signed rank test showed a significant difference between the Schirmer test results measured at the different times (P=0.008). Also, the FTBUT and tear prism height test results showed significant differences between the two evaluation times, (P=0.001, 0.011, respectively) (A: tear assessed when the subject comes from the outside environment, B: tear film assessed after 30min adaptation in the clinical environment). This study showed a significant difference between the tear film test results evaluated when the subjects were assessed immediately from the outside environment and after an adaptation time in the clinic environment. Practitioners must consider the effect of differences between external and clinical environment adaptation on clinical tear film physiology. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A Regional Multi-permit Market for Ecosystem Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernknopf, R.; Amos, P.; Zhang, E.

2014-12-01

Regional cap and trade programs have been in operation since the 1970's to reduce environmental externalities (NOx and SOx emissions) and have been shown to be beneficial. Air quality and water quality limits are enforced through numerous Federal and State laws and regulations while local communities are seeking ways to protect regional green infrastructure and their ecosystems services. Why not combine them in a market approach to reduce many environmental externalities simultaneously? In a multi-permit market program reforestation (land offsets) as part of a nutrient or carbon sequestration trading program would provide a means to reduce agrochemical discharges into streams, rivers, and groundwater. Land conversions also improve the quality and quantity of other environmental externalities such as air pollution. Collocated nonmarket ecosystem services have societal benefits that can expand the crediting system into a multi-permit trading program. At a regional scale it is possible to combine regulation of water quality, air emissions and quality, and habitat conservation and restoration into one program. This research is about the economic feasibility of a Philadelphia regional multi-permit (cap and trade) program for ecosystem services. Instead of establishing individual markets for ecosystem services, the assumption of the spatial portfolio approach is that it is based on the interdependence of ecosystem functions so that market credits encompasses a range of ecosystem services. Using an existing example the components of the approach are described in terms of scenarios of land portfolios and the calculation of expected return on investment and risk. An experiment in the Schuylkill Watershed will be described for ecosystem services such as nutrients in water and populations of bird species along with Green House Gases. The Philadelphia regional market includes the urban - nonurban economic and environmental interactions and impacts.

How to File a Complaint of Discrimination brochure

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) External Compliance and Complaints (ECC) Program is responsible for enforcing several civil rights laws which, together, prohibit discrimination.

An empirical study on the driving mechanism of proactive corporate environmental management in China.

PubMed

Liu, Xianbing; Liu, Beibei; Shishime, Tomohiro; Yu, Qinqin; Bi, Jun; Fujitsuka, Tetsuro

2010-08-01

Environmentalism in China is under transformation from the traditional command and control model to emphasize the advantages of economic tools and encourage the participation of the public. Firms are much more aware of the importance of environmental issues, and some of them have practiced environmental activities beyond compliance. In order to help understand the driving mechanism of proactive corporate environmental behaviors from the firm's perspective, this paper identifies the drivers affecting the proactive environmental management level (EML(p)) based on the institutional theory, and gives an empirical study on the firms based in Changshu city of Jiangsu Province, China. The usable data, collected from the 117 valid respondents in a questionnaire survey, indicates that EML(p) is still moderately low currently. Less than 10% of the samples are practicing all the six categorized types of voluntary environmental activities. The econometric exercise confirms a significantly positive effect of the externally mimetic pressure on EML(p), which may attribute to a higher sensitivity of Chinese companies to the market factors. However, the roles of the general public and industrial associations are not significant, showing the marginal power of selected normative pressures. Regarding internal factors, firms, which view environmental issues as opportunities and often arrange internal environmental training, are more likely to adopt proactive environmental activities. More concerns from the general public like neighborhood communities and mass media shall be addressed to enhance the normative power to improve EML(p) in China from the future perspective. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Endogenous Circadian Regulation of Pro-inflammatory Cytokines and Chemokines in the Presence of Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide in Humans

PubMed Central

Rahman, Shadab A.; Castanon-Cervantes, Oscar; Scheer, Frank A.J.L.; Shea, Steven A.; Czeisler, Charles A.; Davidson, Alec J.; Lockley, Steven W.

2015-01-01

Various aspects of immune response exhibit 24-hour variations suggesting that infection susceptibility and treatment efficacy may vary by time of day. Whether these 24-hour variations are endogenous or evoked by changes in environmental or behavioral conditions is not known. We assessed the endogenous circadian control and environmental and behavioral influences on ex-vivo lipopolysaccharide stimulation of whole blood in thirteen healthy participants under 48 hours of baseline conditions with standard sleep-wake schedules and 40–50 hours of constant environmental and behavioral (constant routine; CR) conditions. Significant 24-hour rhythms were observed under baseline conditions in Monocyte Chemotactic Protein, Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor and Interleukin 8 but not Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha whereas significant 24-hour rhythms were observed in all four immune factors under CR conditions. The rhythm amplitudes, expressed as a percentage of mean, were comparable between immune factors and across conditions. In contrast, the acrophase time (time of the fitted peak) was different between immune factors, and included daytime and nighttime peaks and changes across behavioral conditions. These results suggest that the endogenous circadian system underpins the temporal organization of immune responses in humans with additional effects of external environmental and behavioral cycles. These findings have implications for understanding the adverse effects of recurrent circadian disruption and sleep curtailment on immune function. PMID:25452149

Phase sensitivity of fundamental mode to external atmospheric pressure for hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xiaobin; Liu, Yangqian; Gao, Fuyu; Song, Ningfang

2018-07-01

Hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers (HC-PBFs) are suitable for spaceborne fiber optical gyroscopes owing to their excellent environmental adaptability. However, hundreds of small holes full of air at one atmosphere of pressure can make the HC-PBF sensitive to external atmospheric pressure. In this study, we investigated the phase sensitivity of the fundamental mode to external atmospheric pressure for the HC-PBF, and the experimental result indicates that the phase sensitivity is approximately 1.6 × 10-5 ppm/Pa, which is mostly contributed by the change in the pressure-induced length. Through the choice of coating, the phase sensitivity to external atmospheric pressure can be reduced by about a factor of five compared to current HC-PBFs, and the excellent temperature performance can be maintained at the same time.

Causes analysis on the serious defect of enterprise environmental responsibility—Based on the perspective of law and economics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fa, L. N.

2017-11-01

As the important Environmental Interests of Subjects, enterprises behoove to undertake the corresponding responsibility of Pollution Control and Environmental Protection. The current situations in our country, however, appear as the serious lack of enterprise environmental responsibility. Based on the analysis of law and economics, this article reaches the conclusion through game analysis and cost-benefit analysis that the prisoners dilemma of environmental interest game between enterprises is the inherent causes for the serious defect of enterprise environmental responsibility. Meanwhile, at the point of cost-benefit, the externality of environment illegal act results in the imbalanced cost-benefit, lacking of the motivation to control pollution and protect environment in an active way.

Analysis of Environmental Stress Factors Using an Artificial Growth System and Plant Fitness Optimization

PubMed Central

Lee, Meonghun; Yoe, Hyun

2015-01-01

The environment promotes evolution. Evolutionary processes represent environmental adaptations over long time scales; evolution of crop genomes is not inducible within the relatively short time span of a human generation. Extreme environmental conditions can accelerate evolution, but such conditions are often stress inducing and disruptive. Artificial growth systems can be used to induce and select genomic variation by changing external environmental conditions, thus, accelerating evolution. By using cloud computing and big-data analysis, we analyzed environmental stress factors for Pleurotus ostreatus by assessing, evaluating, and predicting information of the growth environment. Through the indexing of environmental stress, the growth environment can be precisely controlled and developed into a technology for improving crop quality and production. PMID:25874206

Combined Influences of Genes, Prenatal Environment, Cortisol, and Parenting on the Development of Children's Internalizing Versus Externalizing Problems.

PubMed

Marceau, Kristine; Laurent, Heidemarie K; Neiderhiser, Jenae M; Reiss, David; Shaw, Daniel S; Natsuaki, Misaki N; Fisher, Philip A; Leve, Leslie D

2015-05-01

Research suggests that genetic, prenatal, endocrine, and parenting influences across development individually contribute to internalizing and externalizing problems in children. The present study tests the combined contributions of genetic risk for psychopathology, prenatal environments (maternal drug use and internalizing symptoms), child cortisol at age 4.5 years, and overreactive parenting influences across childhood on 6-year-old children's internalizing and externalizing problems. We used data from an adoption design that included 361 domestically adopted children and their biological and adopted parents prospectively followed from birth. Only parenting influences contributed (independently) to externalizing problems. However, genetic influences were indirectly associated with internalizing problems (through increased prenatal risk and subsequent morning cortisol), and parenting factors were both directly and indirectly associated with internalizing problems (through morning cortisol). Results suggest that prenatal maternal drug use/symptoms and children's morning cortisol levels are mechanisms of genetic and environmental influences on internalizing problems, but not externalizing problems, in childhood.

Direct observation of coherent energy transfer in nonlinear micromechanical oscillators

DOE PAGES

Chen, Changyao; Zanette, Damian H.; Czaplewski, David A.; ...

2017-05-26

Energy dissipation is an unavoidable phenomenon of physical systems that are directly coupled to an external environmental bath. In an oscillatory system, it leads to the decay of the oscillation amplitude. In situations where stable oscillations are required, the energy dissipated by the vibrations is usually compensated by replenishment from external energy sources. Consequently, if the external energy supply is removed, the amplitude of oscillations start to decay immediately, since there is no means to restitute the energy dissipated. Here, we demonstrate a novel dissipation engineering strategy that can support stable oscillations without supplying external energy to compensate losses. Themore » fundamental intrinsic mechanism of resonant mode coupling is used to redistribute and store mechanical energy among vibrational modes and coherently transfer it back to the principal mode when the external excitation is off. To experimentally demonstrate this phenomenon, we exploit the nonlinear dynamic response of microelectromechanical oscillators to couple two different vibrational modes through an internal resonance.« less

Direct observation of coherent energy transfer in nonlinear micromechanical oscillators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Changyao; Zanette, Damian H.; Czaplewski, David A.

Energy dissipation is an unavoidable phenomenon of physical systems that are directly coupled to an external environmental bath. In an oscillatory system, it leads to the decay of the oscillation amplitude. In situations where stable oscillations are required, the energy dissipated by the vibrations is usually compensated by replenishment from external energy sources. Consequently, if the external energy supply is removed, the amplitude of oscillations start to decay immediately, since there is no means to restitute the energy dissipated. Here, we demonstrate a novel dissipation engineering strategy that can support stable oscillations without supplying external energy to compensate losses. Themore » fundamental intrinsic mechanism of resonant mode coupling is used to redistribute and store mechanical energy among vibrational modes and coherently transfer it back to the principal mode when the external excitation is off. To experimentally demonstrate this phenomenon, we exploit the nonlinear dynamic response of microelectromechanical oscillators to couple two different vibrational modes through an internal resonance.« less

Combined influences of genes, prenatal environment, cortisol, and parenting on the development of children’s internalizing vs. externalizing problems

PubMed Central

Marceau, Kristine; Laurent, Heidemarie K.; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.; Reiss, David; Shaw, Daniel S.; Natsuaki, Misaki; Fisher, Philip A.; Leve, Leslie D.

2014-01-01

Research suggests that genetic, prenatal, endocrine, and parenting influences across development individually contribute to internalizing and externalizing problems in children. The present study tests the combined contributions of genetic risk for psychopathology, prenatal environments (maternal drug use and internalizing symptoms), child cortisol at age 4.5 years, and overreactive parenting influences across childhood on 6-year-old children’s internalizing and externalizing problems. We used data from an adoption design that included 361 domestically adopted children and their biological and adopted parents prospectively followed from birth. Only parenting influences contributed (independently) to externalizing problems. However, genetic influences were indirectly associated with internalizing problems (through increased prenatal risk and subsequent morning cortisol), and parenting factors were both directly and indirectly associated with internalizing problems (through morning cortisol). Results suggest that prenatal maternal drug use/symptoms and children’s morning cortisol levels are mechanisms of genetic and environmental influences on internalizing problems, but not externalizing problems, in childhood. PMID:25355319

Creating a Social World

PubMed Central

Kendler, Kenneth S.; Jacobson, Kristen C.; Gardner, Charles O.; Gillespie, Nathan; Aggen, Steven A.; Prescott, Carol A.

2014-01-01

Context Peer-group deviance is strongly associated with externalizing behaviors. We have limited knowledge of the sources of individual differences in peer-group deviance. Objective To clarify genetic and environmental contributions to peer-group deviance in twins from mid-childhood through early adulthood. Design Retrospective assessments using a life-history calendar. Analysis by biometric growth curves. Setting General community. Participants Members of male-male pairs from the population-based Virginia Twin Registry personally interviewed in 1998–2004 (n=1802). Main Outcome Measure Self-reported peer-group deviance at ages 8 to 11, 12 to 14, 15 to 17, 18 to 21, and 22 to 25 years. Results Mean and variance of peer-group deviance increased substantially with age. Genetic effects on peer-group deviance showed a strong and steady increase over time. Family environment generally declined in importance over time. Individual-specific environmental influences on peer-group deviance levels were stable in the first 3 age periods and then increased as most twins left home. When standardized, the heritability of peer-group deviance is approximately 30% at ages 8 to 11 years and rises to approximately 50% across the last 3 time periods. Both genes and shared environment contributed to individual differences in the developmental trajectory of peer-group deviance. However, while the correlation between childhood peer-group deviance levels and the subsequent slope of peer-group deviance over time resulting from genetic factors was positive, the same relationship resulting from shared environmental factors was negative. Conclusions As male twins mature and create their own social worlds, genetic factors play an increasingly important role in their choice of peers, while shared environment becomes less influential. The individual specific environment increases in importance when individuals leave home. Individuals who have deviant peers in childhood, as a result of genetic vs shared environmental influences, have distinct developmental trajectories. Understanding the risk factors for peer-group deviance will help clarify the etiology of a range of externalizing psychopathology. PMID:17679640

Creating a social world: a developmental twin study of peer-group deviance.

PubMed

Kendler, Kenneth S; Jacobson, Kristen C; Gardner, Charles O; Gillespie, Nathan; Aggen, Steven A; Prescott, Carol A

2007-08-01

Peer-group deviance is strongly associated with externalizing behaviors. We have limited knowledge of the sources of individual differences in peer-group deviance. To clarify genetic and environmental contributions to peer-group deviance in twins from midchildhood through early adulthood. Retrospective assessments using a life-history calendar. Analysis by biometric growth curves. General community. Members of male-male pairs from the population-based Virginia Twin Registry personally interviewed in 1998-2004 (n = 1802). Self-reported peer-group deviance at ages 8 to 11, 12 to 14, 15 to 17, 18 to 21, and 22 to 25 years. Mean and variance of peer-group deviance increased substantially with age. Genetic effects on peer-group deviance showed a strong and steady increase over time. Family environment generally declined in importance over time. Individual-specific environmental influences on peer-group deviance levels were stable in the first 3 age periods and then increased as most twins left home. When standardized, the heritability of peer-group deviance is approximately 30% at ages 8 to 11 years and rises to approximately 50% across the last 3 time periods. Both genes and shared environment contributed to individual differences in the developmental trajectory of peer-group deviance. However, while the correlation between childhood peer-group deviance levels and the subsequent slope of peer-group deviance over time resulting from genetic factors was positive, the same relationship resulting from shared environmental factors was negative. As male twins mature and create their own social worlds, genetic factors play an increasingly important role in their choice of peers, while shared environment becomes less influential. The individual-specific environment increases in importance when individuals leave home. Individuals who have deviant peers in childhood, as a result of genetic vs shared environmental influences, have distinct developmental trajectories. Understanding the risk factors for peer-group deviance will help clarify the etiology of a range of externalizing psychopathology.

Maternal, social and abiotic environmental effects on growth vary across life stages in a cooperative mammal

PubMed Central

English, Sinead; Bateman, Andrew W; Mares, Rafael; Ozgul, Arpat; Clutton-Brock, Tim H

2014-01-01

Resource availability plays a key role in driving variation in somatic growth and body condition, and the factors determining access to resources vary considerably across life stages. Parents and carers may exert important influences in early life, when individuals are nutritionally dependent, with abiotic environmental effects having stronger influences later in development as individuals forage independently. Most studies have measured specific factors influencing growth across development or have compared relative influences of different factors within specific life stages. Such studies may not capture whether early-life factors continue to have delayed effects at later stages, or whether social factors change when individuals become nutritionally independent and adults become competitors for, rather than providers of, food. Here, we examined variation in the influence of the abiotic, social and maternal environment on growth across life stages in a wild population of cooperatively breeding meerkats. Cooperatively breeding vertebrates are ideal for investigating environmental influences on growth. In addition to experiencing highly variable abiotic conditions, cooperative breeders are typified by heterogeneity both among breeders, with mothers varying in age and social status, and in the number of carers present. Recent rainfall had a consistently marked effect on growth across life stages, yet other seasonal terms only influenced growth during stages when individuals were growing fastest. Group size and maternal dominance status had positive effects on growth during the period of nutritional dependence on carers, but did not influence mass at emergence (at 1 month) or growth at independent stages (>4 months). Pups born to older mothers were lighter at 1 month of age and subsequently grew faster as subadults. Males grew faster than females during the juvenile and subadult stage only. Our findings demonstrate the complex ways in which the external environment influences development in a cooperative mammal. Individuals are most sensitive to social and maternal factors during the period of nutritional dependence on carers, whereas direct environmental effects are relatively more important later in development. Understanding the way in which environmental sensitivity varies across life stages is likely to be an important consideration in predicting trait responses to environmental change. PMID:24102215

Avian endocrine responses to environmental pollutants

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rattner, B.A.; Eroschenko, V.P.; Fox, G.A.; Fry, D.M.; Gorsline, J.

1984-01-01

Many environmental contaminants are hazardous to populations of wild birds. Chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides and industrial pollutants are thought to be responsible for population declines of several species of predatory birds through eggshell thinning. Studies have demonstrated that these contaminants have estrogenic potency and may affect the functioning of the gonadal and thyroidal endocrine subsystems. Petroleum crude oil exerts toxicity externally, by oiling of plumage, and internally, by way of ingestion of oil while feeding or preening. Extensive ultrastructural damage to the inner zone of the adrenal, diminished adrenal responsiveness to adrenocorticotrophic hormone, and reduced corticosterone secretion rate suggest that low levels of plasma corticosterone reflect a direct effect of petroleum on the adrenal gland. Suppressive effects of oil on the ovary and decreases in circulating prolactin have been associated with impaired reproductive function. Large-scale field studies of free-living seabirds have confirmed some of the inhibitory effects of oil on reproduction that have been observed in laboratory studies. Organophosphorus insecticides, representing the most widely used class of pesticides in North America, have been shown to impair reproductive function, possibly by altering secretion of luteinizing hormone and progesterone. Relevant areas of future research on the effects of contaminants on avian endocrine function are discussed.

Mental health treatment teams and leadership: a systems model.

PubMed

Yank, G R; Barber, J W; Spradlin, W W

1994-10-01

Mental health treatment teams are living systems at the group level and comprise key productive subsystems of organizations providing mental health care. Effective treatment teams, like effective organizations, are anticipatory systems that contain subsystems that model and predict future system and environmental conditions and enable responses that increase system viability. A systems analysis of treatment teams highlights their potential instability due to their tendencies to regress toward dysfunctional partial systems and their active maintenance in nonequilibrium steady states with their organizational and external environments. Team subsystems are analyzed from the viewpoints of system processes and also with regard to individuals and their roles. Boundary processes are central to effective team functioning, assure constancy of team membership, and regulate the team's interfaces with its parent agency and with the external environment. Various causes and forms of disturbed information processing within hierarchical organizations are examined, and their effects at the treatment team level are discussed. The conclusion of the discussion focuses on team leadership and how leadership expands upon the concept of the decider subsystem to include role and personal factors to the team's leaders, and functions that are anticipatory and integrative in nature. Effective leaders must set appropriate thresholds for feedback regulation processes, and balance several pairs of seemingly opposing forces, including homeostasis and development, role differentiation and role overlap, and personal accountability and empowerment of others.

Comparison of external costs between dry tomb and bioreactor landfills: taking intergenerational effects seriously.

PubMed

Méry, Jacques; Bayer, Stefan

2005-12-01

Dry tomb and bioreactor landfills were analyzed with respect to their external costs in an intergenerational cost-benefit analysis in a partial framework which enabled a sounder comparison to be carried out between these two technologies from a socio-economic viewpoint. Obviously, this approach was only a first step for building a comprehensive basis of any environmental as well as fiscal policy in the field of waste management. All external costs are identified and evaluated in three different scenarios, corresponding to a worst case, a best guess and a best case. Obviously, discounting is crucial with respect to an intergenerational perspective. Generation-adjusted discounting (GAD) was applied to take into account equity as well as efficiency criteria, in order to deal with three different types of uncertainties that are decisive in waste policy decisions: a physical uncertainty is captured by introducing our three different scenarios; a macroeconomic uncertainty is taken into consideration by calculating present values using different real growth rates; and a microeconomic uncertainty is taken into account by considering individual peculiarities reflected in their subjective time preference rate. The findings show, that whenever there is a low real GDP growth of less than 1%, the bioreactor is generally superior to the dry tomb (lower present values of external costs). This statement becomes more valid as the growth rate decreases. However, whenever there are high positive growth rates, it is the dry tomb technology which is superior to the bioreactor system.

Sharing R&D investments in international environmental agreements with asymmetric countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biancardi, Marta; Villani, Giovanni

2018-05-01

This paper studies the coalition formation and the stability of the International Environmental Agreements (IEAs) in a pollution abatement dynamic model. We point out two meaningful aspects of this topic. Firstly, we consider asymmetry among countries, dividing them into two types: developed countries with a considerable environmental awareness and developing ones that pay less attention to environmental preservation. In addition, the former have a high-technology industry that allows for a unit abatement cost lower than the latter, and that are characterized by a labour-intensive industrial structure. Secondly, we introduce a positive externality in the cooperation by considering the R&D investment as two costs, namely the research investment and the developing cost. We assume that countries can coordinate their R&D activities by sharing their fixed research investments in order to avoid duplication of green activities. Moreover, by collaborating developing efforts, cooperators benefit from a reduction of a unit abatement cost higher than defectors. On the other hand, although non-cooperators completely support R&D investments for clean technologies, they realize lower abatements and benefits of a spillover effect due to development investments realized by cooperators. These two aspects could encourage the formation of stable coalitions.

CAED Document Repository

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Compliance Assurance and Enforcement Division Document Repository (CAEDDOCRESP) provides internal and external access of Inspection Records, Enforcement Actions, and National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) documents to all CAED staff. The respository will also include supporting documents, images, etc.

GOES dynamic propagation of attitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markley, F. Landis; Seidewitz, Ed; Chu, Don; Rowe, John N.

1988-09-01

The spacecraft in the next series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES-Next) are Earth pointing and have 5-year mission lifetimes. Because gyros can be depended on only for a few years of continuous use, they will be turned off during routine operations. This means attitude must, at times, be determined without benefit of gyros and, often, using only Earth sensor data. To minimize the interruption caused by dumping angular momentum, these spacecraft have been designed to reduce the environmental torque acting on them and incorporate an adjustable solar trim tab for fine adjustment. A new support requirement for GOES-Next is that of setting the solar trim tab. Optimizing its setting requires an estimate of the unbalanced torque on the spacecraft. These two requirements, determining attitude without gyros and estimating the external torque, are addressed by replacing or supplementing the gyro propagation with a dynamic one, that is, one that integrates the rigid body equations of motion. By processing quarter-orbit or longer batches, this approach takes advantage of roll-yaw coupling to observe attitude completely without Sun sensor data. Telemetered momentum wheel speeds are used as observations of the unbalanced external torques. GOES-Next provides a unique opportunity to study dynamic attitude propagation. The geosynchronous altitude and adjustable trim tab minimize the external torque and its uncertainty, making long-term dynamic propagation feasible. This paper presents the equations for dynamic propagation, an analysis of the environmental torques, and an estimate of the accuracies obtainable with the proposed method.

Incorporation of additional radionuclides and the external exposure pathway into the BECAMP (Basic Environmental Compliance and Monitoring Program) radiological assessment model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ng, Yook C.; Rodean, H.C.; Anspaugh, L.R.

The Nevada Applied Ecology Group (NAEG) Model of transport and dose for transuranic radionuclides was modified and expanded for the analysis of radionuclides other than pure alpha-emitters. Doses from internal and external exposures were estimated for the inventories and soil distributions of the individual radionuclides quantified in Areas 2 and 4 of the Nevada Test Site (NTS). We found that the dose equivalents via inhalation to liver, lungs, bone marrow, and bone surface from the plutonium isotopes and /sup 241/Am, those via ingestion to bone marrow and bone surfaces from /sup 90/Sr, and those via ingestion to all the targetmore » organs from /sup 137/Cs were the highest from internal exposures. The effective dose equivalents from /sup 137/Cs, /sup 152/Eu, and /sup 154/Eu were the highest from the external exposures. The /sup 60/Co, /sup 152/Eu, /sup 154/Eu, and /sup 155/Eu dose estimates for external exposures greatly exceeded those for internal exposures. The /sup 60/Co, /sup 90/Sr, and /sup 137/Cs dose equivalents from internal exposures were underestimated due to the adoption of some of the foodchain parameter values originally selected for /sup 239/Pu. Nonetheless, the ingestion pathway contributed significantly to the dose estimates for /sup 90/Sr and /sup 137/Cs, but contributed very much less than external exposures to the dose estimates for /sup 60/Co. Therefore, the use of more appropriate values would not alter the identification of important radionuclides, pathways, target organs, and exposure modes in this analysis. 19 refs., 13 figs., 12 tabs.« less

Systematic review of reusable versus disposable laparoscopic instruments: costs and safety.

PubMed

Siu, Joey; Hill, Andrew G; MacCormick, Andrew D

2017-01-01

The quality of instruments and surgical expertise in minimally invasive surgery has developed markedly in the last two decades. Attention is now being turned to ways to allow surgeons to adopt more cost-effective and environmental-friendly approaches. This review explores current evidence on the cost and environmental impact of reusable versus single-use instruments. In addition, we aim to compare their quality, functionality and associated clinical outcomes. The Medline and EMBASE databases were searched for relevant literature from January 2000 to May 2015. Subject headings were Equipment Reuse/, Disposable Equipment/, Cholecystectomy/, Laparoscopic/, Laparoscopy/, Surgical Instruments/, Medical Waste Disposal/, Waste Management/, Medical Waste/, Environmental Sustainability/ and Sterilization/. There are few objective comparative analyses between single-use versus reusable instruments. Current evidence suggests that limiting use of disposal instruments to necessity may hold both economical and environmental advantages. Theoretical advantages of single-use instruments in quality, safety, sterility, ease of use and importantly patient outcomes have rarely been examined. Cost-saving methods, environmental-friendly methods, global operative costs, hidden costs, sterilization methods and quality assurance systems vary greatly between studies making it difficult to gain an overview of the comparison between single-use and reusable instruments. Further examination of cost comparisons between disposable and reusable instruments is necessary while externalized environmental costs, instrument function and safety are also important to consider in future studies. © 2016 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Micro-CT Imaging of Denatured Chitin by Silver to Explore Honey Bee and Insect Pathologies

PubMed Central

Butzloff, Peter R.

2011-01-01

Background Chitin and cuticle coatings are important to the environmental and immune defense of honey bees and insect pollinators. Pesticides or environmental effects may target the biochemistry of insect chitin and cuticle coating. Denaturing of chitin involves a combination of deacetylation, intercalation, oxidation, Schweiger-peeling, and the formation of amine hydrochloride salt. The term “denatured chitin” calls attention to structural and property changes to the internal membranes and external carapace of organisms so that some properties affecting biological activities are diminished. Methodology/Principal Findings A case study was performed on honey bees using silver staining and microscopic computer-tomographic x-ray radiography (micro-CT). Silver nitrate formed counter-ion complexes with labile ammonium cations and reacted with amine hydrochloride. Silver was concentrated in the peritrophic membrane, on the abdomen, in the glossa, at intersegmental joints (tarsi), at wing attachments, and in tracheal air sacs. Imaged mono-esters and fatty acids from cuticle coating on external surfaces were apparently reduced by an alcohol pretreatment. Conclusions/Significance The technique provides 3-dimensional and sectional images of individual honey bees consistent with the chemistries of silver reaction and complex formation with denatured chitin. Environmental exposures and influences such as gaseous nitric oxide intercalant, trace oxidants such as ozone gas, oligosachharide salt conversion, exposure to acid rain, and chemical or biochemical denaturing by pesticides may be studied using this technique. Peritrophic membranes, which protect against food abrasion, microorganisms, and permit efficient digestion, were imaged. Apparent surface damage to the corneal lenses of compound eyes by dilute acid exposure consistent with chitin amine hydrochloride formation was imaged. The technique can contribute to existing insect pathology research, and may provide an additional tool for research on CCD. PMID:22110654

The Process of Change: The British Armored Division; Its Development and Employment in North Africa during World War II.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-01

concensus about futrue war because of the nature of the Army’s external and internal environment . The armored force missions which resulted from the several...at the key environmental factors, both external and internal which helped to shape the armored division in the formative years from 1926-1938. An...difficult to understand, particularly during peacetime. The army must correctly project the future nature of war. Since there is no model for this

Socio-hydrologic modeling to understand and mediate the competition for water between agriculture development and environmental health: Murrumbidgee River basin, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Emmerik, T. H. M.; Li, Z.; Sivapalan, M.; Pande, S.; Kandasamy, J.; Savenije, H. H. G.; Chanan, A.; Vigneswaran, S.

2014-10-01

Competition for water between humans and ecosystems is set to become a flash point in the coming decades in many parts of the world. An entirely new and comprehensive quantitative framework is needed to establish a holistic understanding of that competition, thereby enabling the development of effective mediation strategies. This paper presents a modeling study centered on the Murrumbidgee River basin (MRB). The MRB has witnessed a unique system dynamics over the last 100 years as a result of interactions between patterns of water management and climate driven hydrological variability. Data analysis has revealed a pendulum swing between agricultural development and restoration of environmental health and ecosystem services over different stages of basin-scale water resource development. A parsimonious, stylized, quasi-distributed coupled socio-hydrologic system model that simulates the two-way coupling between human and hydrological systems of the MRB is used to mimic and explain dominant features of the pendulum swing. The model consists of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations that describe the interaction between five state variables that govern the co-evolution: reservoir storage, irrigated area, human population, ecosystem health, and environmental awareness. The model simulations track the propagation of the external climatic and socio-economic drivers through this coupled, complex system to the emergence of the pendulum swing. The model results point to a competition between human "productive" and environmental "restorative" forces that underpin the pendulum swing. Both the forces are endogenous, i.e., generated by the system dynamics in response to external drivers and mediated by humans through technology change and environmental awareness, respectively. Sensitivity analysis carried out with the model further reveals that socio-hydrologic modeling can be used as a tool to explain or gain insight into observed co-evolutionary dynamics of diverse human-water coupled systems. This paper therefore contributes to the ultimate development of a generic modeling framework that can be applied to human-water coupled systems in different climatic and socio-economic settings.

An evaluation of the American Indian Air Quality Training Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quartaroli, Marylynn

During centuries of geographic, economic, and cultural domination, the federal government held the responsibility for the management of environmental issues on tribal lands. Today, tribes are reasserting their sovereignty in many ways, including the development of their own environmental programs. Tribal agencies desperately search for tribal members who are qualified to make decisions for the benefit of the tribes from both Western scientific and traditional cultural viewpoints. To meet this need, the American Indian Air Quality Training Program (AIAQTP) offers technical and regulatory training courses that are both scientifically up-to-date and culturally responsive to this community. This study is an evaluation of these courses. To supplement data from existing program documents and databases, I also observed five courses, sent follow-up questionnaires, and interviewed lead instructors and course participants to develop an understanding of their perceptions of the training received. Computer analysis of this quantitative and qualitative data revealed patterns and themes; an external reviewer also independently analyzed the data set. The training courses offered by AIAQTP were judged to have merit and value by the course instructors, the participants, the external evaluator, and me. Designed to be both culturally responsive and technically rigorous, these courses provided relevant and useful information and skills to the tribal environmental professionals in attendance, meeting the demands of their jobs. Although not all training needs or expectations were met, the study participants indicated their intentions to continue their education and training in air quality and other environmental media. A significant benefit of attendance at AIAQTP training courses was the development of a network of tribal professionals across the nation that acts as a support system for the implementation and continuation of changes in the professional practice for the trainees and their tribal environmental programs. As in all educational settings, there is room for improvement in course design and delivery. This study suggested that incorporating cultural considerations plays a role in effective scientific and technical training for Native students. Further, actively promoting the development of professional networks can assist in establishing a geographically dispersed community of practice supportive of personal and institutional change.

Changes in the Optical Properties of Simulated Shuttle Waste Water Deposits: Urine Darkening

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albyn, Keith; Edwards, David; Alred, John

2003-01-01

Manned spacecraft have historically dumped the crew generated waste water overboard, into the environment in which the spacecraft operates, sometimes depositing the waste water on the external spacecraft surfaces. The change in optical properties of wastewater deposited on spacecraft external surfaces, from exposure to space environmental effects, is not well understood. This study used nonvolatile residue (NVR) from Human Urine to simulate wastewater deposits and documents the changes in the optical properties of the NVR deposits after exposure to ultra violet(UV)radiation. Twenty four NVR samples of, 0-angstromes/sq cm to 1000-angstromes/sq cm, and one sample contaminated with 1 to 2-mg/sq cm were exposed to UV radiation over the course of approximately 6151 equivalent sun hours (ESH). Random changes in sample mass, NVR, solar absorbance, and infrared emission were observed during the study. Significant changes in the UV transmittance were observed for one sample contaminated at the mg/sq cm level.

Changes in the Optical Properties of Simulated Shuttle Waste Water Deposits- Urine Darkening

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albyn, Keith; Edwards, David; Alred, John

2004-01-01

Manned spacecraft have historically dumped the crew generated waste waster overboard, into the environment in which the spacecraft operates, sometimes depositing the waste water on the external spacecraft surfaces. The change in optical properties of wastewater deposited on spacecraft external surfaces, from exposure to space environmental effects, is not well understood. This study used nonvolatile residue (NVR) from Human Urine to simulate wastewater deposits and documents the changes in the optical properties of the NVR deposits after exposure to ultra violet (UV) radiation. Twenty NVR samples of, 0-angstromes/sq cm to 1000-angstromes/sq cm, and one sample contaminated with 1 to 2-mg/sq cm were exposed to UV radiation over the course of approximately 6151 equivalent sun hours (ESH). Random changes in sample mass, NVR, solar absorbance, and infrared emission were observed during the study. Significant changes in the UV transmittance were observed for one sample contaminated at the mg/sq cm level.

Effect of ambient humidity on the rate at which blood spots dry and the size of the spot produced.

PubMed

Denniff, Philip; Woodford, Lynsey; Spooner, Neil

2013-08-01

For shipping and storage, dried blood spot (DBS) samples must be sufficiently dry to protect the integrity of the sample. When the blood is spotted the humidity has the potential to affect the size of the spot created and the speed at which it dries. The area of DBS produced on three types of substrates were not affected by the humidity under which they were generated. DBS samples reached a steady moisture content 150 min after spotting and 90 min for humidities less than 60% relative humidity. All packaging materials examined provided some degree of protection from external extreme conditions. However, none of the packaging examined provided a total moisture barrier to extreme environmental conditions. Humidity was shown not to affect the spot area and DBS samples were ready for shipping and storage 2 h after spotting. The packing solutions examined all provided good protection from external high humidity conditions.

Macro- and meiofaunal community features in the critical environmental system of a tourist harbour (Rapallo, Ligurian Sea, NW Mediterranean).

PubMed

Harriague, Anabella Covazzi; Albertelli, Giancarlo; Misic, Cristina

2012-03-01

Two samplings were carried out in a tourist harbour, during low and high touristic activity periods, to study the macro- and meiofaunal communities in relation to the environmental features. A multivariate analysis showed close relationships: the maritime traffic disturbance and the food quality and availability drive the spatial differences of the assemblages, dividing the area into three sub-areas: the area near the Boate torrent that empties into the harbour, the harbour proper, and the external area (just outside the harbour). Macro- and meiofauna showed notably different temporal trends, indicating competition for the resources and the higher sensitivity of the macrofauna to environmental pressures. The macrofauna strongly decreased as a response to heavier harbour activities, with increasing turbidity also affecting the external station outside the harbour. Finally, comparing the macrofaunal communities to those sampled in the same area 10 years before, we found that their abundance, richness and biomass had notably decreased, highlighting the worsening of the harbour environment due to the increased organic load and turbidity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A framework for rating environmental value of urban parks.

PubMed

Jabben, Jan; Weber, Miriam; Verheijen, Edwin

2015-03-01

In this study, indicators are proposed to characterize the intrinsic environmental properties and external value of urban parks. The intrinsic properties involve both acoustic factors and non-acoustic factors, such as visual aspects and size. To assess external value, the restoration level is defined, which measures the nearby presence of a quiet, 'green' area at residential areas outside parks. The restoration levels of green areas are based on intrinsic properties and the distances of each dwelling to urban park areas. The overall environmental value of a park, the group restoration level, is defined as a logarithmic summation of the restoration levels over its surrounding residential areas. Restoration levels were determined for sixteen public parks in the city of Rotterdam and compared with survey data from questionnaires. Results show that the investigated parks display a large variation in the group restoration level levels, mainly due to differences in size and average noise levels. To validate the proposed method, survey data from questionnaires are investigated as to correlation with restoration levels. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's CAP88 PC Versions 3.0 and 4.0.

PubMed

Jannik, Tim; Farfan, Eduardo B; Dixon, Ken; Newton, Joseph; Sailors, Christopher; Johnson, Levi; Moore, Kelsey; Stahman, Richard

2015-08-01

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) with the assistance of Georgia Regents University, completed a comparison of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA) environmental dosimetry code CAP88 PC V3.0 with the recently developed V4.0. CAP88 is a set of computer programs and databases used for estimation of dose and risk from radionuclide emissions to air. At the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site, CAP88 is used by SRNL for determining compliance with U.S. EPA's National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (40 CFR 61, Subpart H) regulations. Using standardized input parameters, individual runs were conducted for each radionuclide within its corresponding database. Some radioactive decay constants, human usage parameters, and dose coefficients changed between the two versions, directly causing a proportional change in the total effective dose. A detailed summary for select radionuclides of concern at the Savannah River Site (60Co, 137Cs, 3H, 129I, 239Pu, and 90Sr) is provided. In general, the total effective doses will decrease for alpha/beta emitters because of reduced inhalation and ingestion rates in V4.0. However, for gamma emitters, such as 60Co and 137Cs, the total effective doses will increase because of changes U.S. EPA made in the external ground shine calculations.

Interpreting biomarker data from the COPHES/DEMOCOPHES twin projects: Using external exposure data to understand biomarker differences among countries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smolders, R., E-mail: roel.smolders@vito.be; Den Hond, E.; Koppen, G.

In 2011 and 2012, the COPHES/DEMOCOPHES twin projects performed the first ever harmonized human biomonitoring survey in 17 European countries. In more than 1800 mother–child pairs, individual lifestyle data were collected and cadmium, cotinine and certain phthalate metabolites were measured in urine. Total mercury was determined in hair samples. While the main goal of the COPHES/DEMOCOPHES twin projects was to develop and test harmonized protocols and procedures, the goal of the current paper is to investigate whether the observed differences in biomarker values among the countries implementing DEMOCOPHES can be interpreted using information from external databases on environmental quality andmore » lifestyle. In general, 13 countries having implemented DEMOCOPHES provided high-quality data from external sources that were relevant for interpretation purposes. However, some data were not available for reporting or were not in line with predefined specifications. Therefore, only part of the external information could be included in the statistical analyses. Nonetheless, there was a highly significant correlation between national levels of fish consumption and mercury in hair, the strength of antismoking legislation was significantly related to urinary cotinine levels, and we were able to show indications that also urinary cadmium levels were associated with environmental quality and food quality. These results again show the potential of biomonitoring data to provide added value for (the evaluation of) evidence-informed policy making. - Highlights: • External data was collected to interpret HBM data from DEMOCOPHES. • Hg in hair could be related to fish consumption across different countries. • Urinary cotinine was related to strictness of anti-smoking legislation. • Urinary Cd was borderline significantly related to air and food quality. • Lack of comparable data among countries hampered the analysis.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sabba, Dellilah

This report, prepared by the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), SLAC Site Office (SSO), provides a comprehensive summary of the environmental program activities at SLAC for calendar year 2015. Annual Site Environmental Reports (ASERs) are prepared for all DOE sites with significant environmental activities, and distributed to relevant external regulatory agencies and other interested organizations or individuals. To the best of my knowledge, this report accurately summarizes the results of the 2015 environmental monitoring, compliance, and restoration programs at SLAC. This assurance can be made based on SSO and SLAC review of themore » ASER, and quality assurance protocols applied to monitoring and data analyses at SLAC.« less

Long-Term Effects of Pre-Placement Risk Factors on Children's Psychological Symptoms and Parenting Stress Among Families Adopting Children From Foster Care.

PubMed

Nadeem, Erum; Waterman, Jill; Foster, Jared; Paczkowski, Emilie; Belin, Thomas R; Miranda, Jeanne

2017-06-01

This exploratory longitudinal study examined behavioral outcomes and parenting stress among families with children adopted from foster care, taking into account environmental and biological risk factors. Child internalizing and externalizing problems and parenting stress were assessed in 82 adopted children and their families at 2 months post-placement, 12 months post-placement, and then yearly until 5 years post-placement. A history of abuse/neglect predicted significantly higher externalizing and internalizing problems at a borderline level of statistical significance. In the initial stages after placement, externalizing problems were significantly higher among children who were 4 years or older at placement versus those who were younger than 4, although differences were no longer significant 5 years post-placement. Statistical trends in parenting stress reflected reduced stress in the first 12 months followed by a plateau for parents who adopted older children and greater stress for parents who adopted younger children. Familiar limitations for observational cohort data apply. Nonetheless, the availability of longitudinal follow-up on a sizable sample of children adopted from foster care adds insight to the psychological dynamics for adoptive families and suggests that families of children adopted from the foster care system may have unique needs for ongoing support around behavioral issues.

IRIS Toxicological Review of Biphenyl (Interagency Science ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

On September 30, 2011, the draft Toxicological Review of Biphenyl and the charge to external peer reviewers were released for external peer review and public comment. The Toxicological Review and charge were reviewed internally by EPA and by other federal agencies and White House Offices before public release. In the new IRIS process (May 2009), introduced by the EPA Administrator, all written comments on IRIS assessments submitted by other federal agencies and White House Offices will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency science consultation draft of the IRIS Toxicological Review of Biphenyl and the charge to external peer reviewers are posted on this site. EPA is undertaking a new health assessment for biphenyl for the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). The outcome of this project will be a Toxicological Review and IRIS and IRIS Summary of biohenyl that will be entered on the IRIS database. IRIS is an EPA database containing Agency scientific positions on potential adverse human health effects that may result from chronic (or lifetime) exposure to chemicals in the environment. IRIS contains chemical-specific summaries of qualitative and quantitative health information to evaluate potential public health risks associated with exposure assessment information to evaluate potential public health risks associated with environmental contaminants. The IRIS database is relied on for the development of risk ass

Neurological Correlates of Reward Responding in Adolescents With and Without Externalizing Behavior Disorders

PubMed Central

Gatzke-Kopp, Lisa M.; Beauchaine, Theodore P.; Shannon, Katherine E.; Chipman, Jane; Fleming, Andrew P.; Crowell, Sheila E.; Liang, Olivia; Aylward, Elizabeth; Johnson, L. Clark

2009-01-01

Opposing theories of striatal hyper- and hypodopaminergic functioning have been suggested in the pathophysiology of externalizing behavior disorders. To test these competing theories, the authors used functional MRI to evaluate neural activity during a simple reward task in 12- to 16-year-old boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and/or conduct disorder (n = 19) and in controls with no psychiatric condition (n = 11). The task proceeded in blocks during which participants received either (a) monetary incentives for correct responses or (b) no rewards for correct responses. Controls exhibited striatal activation only during reward, shifting to anterior cingulate activation during nonreward. In contrast, externalizing adolescents exhibited striatal activation during both reward and nonreward. Externalizing psychopathology appears to be characterized by deficits in processing the omission of predicted reward, which may render behaviors that are acquired through environmental contingencies difficult to extinguish when those contingencies change. PMID:19222326

Impact of behavioral inhibition and parenting style on internalizing and externalizing problems from early childhood through adolescence.

PubMed

Williams, Lela Rankin; Degnan, Kathryn A; Perez-Edgar, Koraly E; Henderson, Heather A; Rubin, Kenneth H; Pine, Daniel S; Steinberg, Laurence; Fox, Nathan A

2009-11-01

Behavioral inhibition (BI) is characterized by a pattern of extreme social reticence, risk for internalizing behavior problems, and possible protection against externalizing behavior problems. Parenting style may also contribute to these associations between BI and behavior problems (BP). A sample of 113 children was assessed for BI in the laboratory at 14 and 24 months of age, self-report of maternal parenting style at 7 years of age, and maternal report of child internalizing and externalizing BP at 4, 7, and 15 years. Internalizing problems at age 4 were greatest among behaviorally inhibited children who also were exposed to permissive parenting. Furthermore, greater authoritative parenting was associated with less of an increase in internalizing behavior problems over time and greater authoritarian parenting was associated with a steeper decline in externalizing problems. Results highlight the importance of considering child and environmental factors in longitudinal patterns of BP across childhood and adolescence.

Longitudinal and Integrative Tests of Family Stress Model Effects on Mexican-Origin Adolescents

PubMed Central

White, Rebecca M. B.; Liu, Yu; Nair, Rajni L.; Tein, Jenn-Yun

2015-01-01

The family stress model represents a common framework through which to examine the effects of environmental stressors on adolescent adjustment. The model suggests that economic and neighborhood stressors influence youth adjustment via disruptions to parenting. Incorporating integrative developmental theory, we examined the degree to which parents’ cultural value orientations mitigated the effects of stressors on parenting disruptions and the degree to which environmental adversity qualified the effect of parenting on adolescent adjustment. We tested the hypothesized Integrative Family Stress Model longitudinally in a sample of mother-youth dyads (N = 749) and father-youth dyads (N = 467) from Mexican origin families, across three times points spanning early to middle adolescence. Providing the first longitudinal evidence of family stress mediated effects, mothers’ perceptions of economic pressure were associated with increases in adolescent externalizing symptoms five years later via intermediate increases in harsh parenting. The remaining findings supported the notion that integrative developmental theory can inform family stress model hypothesis testing that is culturally and contextually relevant for wide range of diverse families and youth. For example, fathers’ perceptions of economic pressure and neighborhood danger had important implications for adolescent internalizing, via reductions in paternal warmth, but only at certain levels of neighborhood adversity. Mothers’ familism value orientations mitigated the effects of economic pressure on maternal warmth, protecting their adolescents from experiencing developmental costs associated with environmental stressors. Results are discussed in terms of identifying how integrative developmental theory intersects with the family stress model to set diverse youth on different developmental pathways. PMID:25751100

Longitudinal and integrative tests of family stress model effects on Mexican origin adolescents.

PubMed

White, Rebecca M B; Liu, Yu; Nair, Rajni L; Tein, Jenn-Yun

2015-05-01

The family stress model represents a common framework through which to examine the effects of environmental stressors on adolescent adjustment. The model suggests that economic and neighborhood stressors influence youth adjustment via disruptions to parenting. Incorporating integrative developmental theory, we examined the degree to which parents' cultural value orientations mitigated the effects of stressors on parenting disruptions and the degree to which environmental adversity qualified the effect of parenting on adolescent adjustment. We tested the hypothesized integrative family stress model longitudinally in a sample of mother-youth dyads (N = 749) and father-youth dyads (N = 467) from Mexican origin families, across 3 times points spanning early to middle adolescence. Providing the first longitudinal evidence of family stress mediated effects, mothers' perceptions of economic pressure were associated with increases in adolescent externalizing symptoms 5 years later via intermediate increases in harsh parenting. The remaining findings supported the notion that integrative developmental theory can inform family stress model hypothesis testing that is culturally and contextually relevant for a wide range of diverse families and youth. For example, fathers' perceptions of economic pressure and neighborhood danger had important implications for adolescent internalizing, via reductions in paternal warmth, but only at certain levels of neighborhood adversity. Mothers' familism value orientations mitigated the effects of economic pressure on maternal warmth, protecting their adolescents from experiencing developmental costs associated with environmental stressors. Results are discussed in terms of identifying how integrative developmental theory intersects with the family stress model to set diverse youth on different developmental pathways. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Environmental Stimulation Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zentall, Sydney S.

1977-01-01

An approach to treatment of hyperactive children is suggested which is based on the assumption that the hyperactive child is actually understimulated and hyperactive behaviors function to increase the external stimulation to approach a more optimal level. (Author/GW)

Ceramic with zircon coating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Hongyu (Inventor)

2003-01-01

An article comprises a silicon-containing substrate and a zircon coating. The article can comprise a silicon carbide/silicon (SiC/Si) substrate, a zircon (ZrSiO.sub.4) intermediate coating and an external environmental/thermal barrier coating.

Total Risk Integrated Methodology (TRIM) - Peer Review and Publications

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Peer review: Consistent with Agency peer review policy, and the 1994 Agency Task Force on Environmental Regulatory Modeling, internal and external peer review has been an integral part of the TRIM development plan.

The Emerging Field of Human Social Genomics

PubMed Central

Slavich, George M.; Cole, Steven W.

2013-01-01

Although we generally experience our bodies as being biologically stable across time and situations, an emerging field of research is demonstrating that external social conditions, especially our subjective perceptions of those conditions, can influence our most basic internal biological processes—namely, the expression of our genes. This research on human social genomics has begun to identify the types of genes that are subject to social-environmental regulation, the neural and molecular mechanisms that mediate the effects of social processes on gene expression, and the genetic polymorphisms that moderate individual differences in genomic sensitivity to social context. The molecular models resulting from this research provide new opportunities for understanding how social and genetic factors interact to shape complex behavioral phenotypes and susceptibility to disease. This research also sheds new light on the evolution of the human genome and challenges the fundamental belief that our molecular makeup is relatively stable and impermeable to social-environmental influence. PMID:23853742

Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Environmental contaminants and their effects on fish in the Yukon River Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hinck, Jo Ellen; Bartish, Timothy M.; Blazer, Vicki; Denslow, Nancy D.; Gross, Tim S.; Myers, Mark S.; Anderson, Patrick J.; Orazio, Carl E.; Tillitt, Donald E.

2004-01-01

This project collected, examined, and analyzed 217 fish representing three species at 10 stations in the U.S. portion of the Yukon River Basin (YRB) from May to October 2002. Four sampling sites were located on the Yukon River; two were located on the Porcupine River, and one site was on each of the Ray, Tanana, Tolavana, and Innoko Rivers. Norther pike (Esox lucius), longnose sucker (Catostomus catostomus), and burbot (Lota lota) were weighed and measured, and examined in the field for external and internal lesions, and liver, spleen, and gonads were weighed to compute somatic indices. Selected tissues and fluids were collected and preserved for analysis of fish health and reproductive biomarkers. Composite samples of whole fish from each station were grouped by species and gender and analyzed for organochlorines and elemental contaminants and for dioxin-like activity using H4IIE rat hepatoma cell bioassay.

High-performance fiber optic link for ECM antenna remoting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edge, Colin; Burgess, John W.; Wale, Michael J.; Try, Nicholas W.

1998-11-01

The ability to remotely radiate microwave signals has become an essential feature of modern electronic counter-measures (ECM) systems. The use of fiber optics allows remote microwave links to be constructed which have very low propagation loss and dispersion, are very flexible and light in weight, and have a high degree of immunity from external electromagnetic fields, crosstalk and environmental effects. This combination of desirable characteristics are very beneficial to avionic ECM antenna remoting as well as many other applications. GEC-Marconi have developed high performance fiber components for use in a towed radar decoy. The resulting rugged and compact optical transmitter and receiver modules have been developed and proven to maintain the required performance over the full hostile range of environmental conditions encountered on a fast jet. Packaged fiber optic links have been produced which can achieve a compression dynamic range of greater than 87 dB in 1 MHz bandwidth over a 2 to 18 GHz.

The Expression of Leptin, Estrogen Receptors, and Vitellogenin mRNAs in Migrating Female Chum Salmon, Oncorhynchus keta: The Effects of Hypo-osmotic Environmental Changes

PubMed Central

Choi, Young Jae; Kim, Na Na; Shin, Hyun Suk; Choi, Cheol Young

2014-01-01

Leptin plays an important role in energy homeostasis and reproductive function in fish, especially in reproduction. Migrating fish, such as salmonoids, are affected by external environmental factors, and salinity changes are a particularly important influence on spawning migrations. The aim of this study was to test whether changes in salinity affect the expression of leptin, estrogen receptors (ERs), and vitellogenin (VTG) in chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta). The expression and activity of leptin, the expression of ERs and VTG, and the levels of estradiol-17β and cortisol increased after the fish were transferred to FW, demonstrating that changes in salinity stimulate the HPG axis in migrating female chum salmon. These findings reveal details about the role of elevated leptin levels and sex steroid hormones in stimulating sexual maturation and reproduction in response to salinity changes in chum salmon. PMID:25049977

Bioaccumulation and toxicodynamics of cadmium to freshwater planarian and the protective effect of N-acetylcysteine.

PubMed

Wu, Jui-Pin; Chen, Hon-Cheng; Li, Mei-Hui

2012-08-01

Although toxic responses of freshwater planarians after exposure to environmental toxicants can be observed through external toxicological end points, physiological responses inside the bodies of treated planarians have rarely been investigated. The present study was designed, using cadmium (Cd) as a reference toxicant, to determine its bioaccumulation and toxicodynamics in the freshwater planarian, Dugesia japonica, after acute toxicity was obtained. Accumulated Cd concentrations, metallothionein levels, and the oxidative status in planarians were determined after exposure to Cd. Furthermore, we hypothesized that the acute death of Cd-treated planarians was associated with increased oxidative stress. After Cd-treated planarians were coexposed to antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), we found that NAC protected planarians from Cd lethality by maintaining the oxidative status and decreasing the bioaccumulation of Cd. The results of the present study support planarians being used as a practical model for toxicological studies of environmental contaminants in the future.

Emergent long-range synchronization of oscillating ecological populations without external forcing described by Ising universality

PubMed Central

Noble, Andrew E.; Machta, Jonathan; Hastings, Alan

2015-01-01

Understanding the synchronization of oscillations across space is fundamentally important to many scientific disciplines. In ecology, long-range synchronization of oscillations in spatial populations may elevate extinction risk and signal an impending catastrophe. The prevailing assumption is that synchronization on distances longer than the dispersal scale can only be due to environmental correlation (the Moran effect). In contrast, we show how long-range synchronization can emerge over distances much longer than the length scales of either dispersal or environmental correlation. In particular, we demonstrate that the transition from incoherence to long-range synchronization of two-cycle oscillations in noisy spatial population models is described by the Ising universality class of statistical physics. This result shows, in contrast to all previous work, how the Ising critical transition can emerge directly from the dynamics of ecological populations. PMID:25851364

Numerical modelling of temporal and spatial patterns of petroleum hydrocarbons concentration in the Bohai Sea.

PubMed

Guo, Weijun; Wu, Guoxiang; Xu, Tiaojian; Li, Xueyan; Ren, Xiaozhong; Hao, Yanni

2018-02-01

The discharge of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs; ~10,000tons annually) into the Bohai Sea, a shallow inland sea in China, presents a serious threat to the marine environment. To evaluate the effects of PHs pollution and estimate the corresponding environmental capacity, we have developed a genetic algorithm-based coupled hydrodynamic/transport for simulating PHs concentration evolution and distribution from July 2006 to October 2007, with the predicted values being in good agreement with monitoring results. Importantly, the mean PHs concentrations and seasonal concentration variations were primarily determined by external loading, i.e., currents were shown to drive PHs transport, reconfigure local PHs patterns, and increase PHs concentration in water masses, even at large distances from discharge sources. The developed model could realistically simulate PHs distribution and evolution, thus being a useful tool for estimating the seasonal environmental capacity of PHs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Mathematic concept model of accumulation of functional disorders associated with environmental factors].

PubMed

Zaĭtseva, N V; Trusov, P V; Kir'ianov, D A

2012-01-01

The mathematic concept model presented describes accumulation of functional disorders associated with environmental factors, plays predictive role and is designed for assessments of possible effects caused by heterogenous factors with variable exposures. Considering exposure changes with self-restoration process opens prospects of using the model to evaluate, analyse and manage occupational risks. To develop current theoretic approaches, the authors suggested a model considering age-related body peculiarities, systemic interactions of organs, including neuro-humoral regulation, accumulation of functional disorders due to external factors, rehabilitation of functions during treatment. General objective setting covers defining over a hundred unknow coefficients that characterize speed of various processes within the body. To solve this problem, the authors used iteration approach, successive identification, that starts from the certain primary approximation of the model parameters and processes subsequent updating on the basis of new theoretic and empirical knowledge.

How Effective Have Thirty Years of Internationally Driven Conservation and Development Efforts Been in Madagascar?

PubMed

Waeber, Patrick O; Wilmé, Lucienne; Mercier, Jean-Roger; Camara, Christian; Lowry, Porter P

2016-01-01

Conservation and development are intricately linked. The international donor community has long provided aid to tropical countries in an effort to alleviate poverty and conserve biodiversity. While hundreds of millions of $ have been invested in over 500 environmental-based projects in Madagascar during the period covered by a series of National Environmental Action Plans (1993-2008) and the protected areas network has expanded threefold, deforestation remains unchecked and none of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) established for 2000-2015 were likely be met. Efforts to achieve sustainable development had failed to reduce poverty or deliver progress toward any of the MDGs. Cross-sectorial policy adjustments are needed that (i) enable and catalyze Madagascar's capacities rather than deepening dependency on external actors such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and donor countries, and that (ii) deliver improvements to the livelihoods and wellbeing of the country's rural poor.

An Enduring Investment for Global Stability: Establishing Professional Values as the Foundation of Building Partnership Capacity in a Fiscally Constrained 21st Century

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-01

partnership between U.S. and Colombian forces. This approach requires introspection, understanding, and adaptation across the U.S. national security...status. Not all national militaries focus on external threats. Some environmental or national capacity circumstances require military professionals...desired impact, outcomes, and outputs through a strategic planning process providing direction, consultation with stakeholders, and environmentally driven

Economic optimal nitrogen application rates for rice cropping in the Taihu Lake region of China: taking account of negative externalities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Y.; Yan, X.

2011-07-01

Nitrogen application rates (NARs) is often overestimated over the rice (Oryza sativa L.) growing season in the Taihu Lake region of China. This is largely because only individual nitrogen (N) losses are taken into account, or the inventory flows of reactive N have been limited solely to the farming process when evaluating environmental and economic effects of N fertilizer. Since N can permeate the ecosystem in numerous forms commencing from the acquisition of raw material, through manufacturing and use, to final losses in the farming process (e.g., N2O, NH3, NO3- leaching, etc.), the costs incurred also accumulate and should be taken into account if economically-optimal N rates (EONRs) are to be established. This study integrates important material and energy flows resulting from N use into a rice agricultural inventory that constitutes the hub of the life-cycle assessment (LCA) method. An economic evaluation is used to determine an environmental and economic NAR for the Taihu Lake region. The analysis reveals that production and exploitation processes consume the largest proportion of resources, accounting for 77.2 % and 22.3 % of total resources, respectively. Regarding environmental impact, global warming creates the highest cost with contributions stemming mostly from fertilizer production and raw material exploitation processes. Farming process incurs the biggest environmental impact of the three environmental impact categories considered, whereas transportation has a much smaller effect. When taking account of resource consumption and environmental cost, the marginal benefit of 1 kg rice would decrease from 2.4 to only 1.01 yuan. Accordingly, our current EONR has been evaluated at 185 kg N ha-1 for a single rice-growing season. This could enhance profitability, as well as reduce the N losses associated with rice growing.

Effect of Surface Preparation on the 815°C Oxidation of Single-Crystal Nickel-Based Superalloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudbrack, Chantal K.; Beckett, Devon L.; MacKay, Rebecca A.

2015-11-01

A primary application for single-crystal superalloys has been jet engine turbine blades, where operation temperatures reach well above 1000°C. The NASA Glenn Research Center is considering use of single-crystal alloys for future, lower temperature application in the rims of jet engine turbine disks. Mechanical and environmental properties required for potential disk rim operation at 815°C are being examined, including the oxidation and corrosion behavior, where there is little documentation at intermediate temperatures. In this study, single-crystal superalloys, LDS-1101+Hf and CMSX-4+Y, were prepared with different surface finishes and compared after isothermal and cyclic oxidation exposures. Surface finish has a clear effect on oxide formation at 815°C. Machined low-stress ground surfaces after exposure for 440 h produce thin Al2O3 external scales, which is consistent with higher temperature oxidation, whereas polished surfaces with a mirror finish yield much thicker NiO external scales with subscale of Cr2O3-spinel-Al2O3, which may offer less reliable oxidation resistance. Additional experiments separate the roles of cold-work, localized deformation, and the extent of polishing and surface roughness on oxide formation.

Bacterial navigation in chemical and nonchemical environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Bo; Tu, Yuhai

2014-03-01

Navigation of cells to the optimal environmental niches is critical for their survival and growth. E. coli cells, for example, can detect various chemicals and move up or down those chemical gradients (i.e., chemotaxis). Using the same signaling machinery, they can also sense other external factors such as pH and temperature and navigate from both sides toward some intermediate levels of those stimuli. This mode of precision sensing is more sophisticated than the (unidirectional) chemotaxis strategy and requires distinctive molecular mechanisms. To understand different bacterial taxis behaviors, we develop a theoretical model which incorporates microscopic signaling events in individual cells into macroscopic population dynamics. We find that the equilibrium population distribution is governed by an effective potential, the landscape of which depends on the external environment (chemical stimuli, pH, and temperature). We uncover the key conditions for various taxis behaviors and directly connects the cellular taxis performances with the underlying molecular parameters. This approach is used to examine and predict how background attractants and downstream temperature effects influence the performance and stability of thermotaxis, which can be tested in future experiments. This work is supported by the National Institutes of Health Grant GM081747.

Resumption of dynamism in damaged networks of coupled oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kundu, Srilena; Majhi, Soumen; Ghosh, Dibakar

2018-05-01

Deterioration in dynamical activities may come up naturally or due to environmental influences in a massive portion of biological and physical systems. Such dynamical degradation may have outright effect on the substantive network performance. This requires us to provide some proper prescriptions to overcome undesired circumstances. In this paper, we present a scheme based on external feedback that can efficiently revive dynamism in damaged networks of active and inactive oscillators and thus enhance the network survivability. Both numerical and analytical investigations are performed in order to verify our claim. We also provide a comparative study on the effectiveness of this mechanism for feedbacks to the inactive group or to the active group only. Most importantly, resurrection of dynamical activity is realized even in time-delayed damaged networks, which are considered to be less persistent against deterioration in the form of inactivity in the oscillators. Furthermore, prominence in our approach is substantiated by providing evidence of enhanced network persistence in complex network topologies taking small-world and scale-free architectures, which makes the proposed remedy quite general. Besides the study in the network of Stuart-Landau oscillators, affirmative influence of external feedback has been justified in the network of chaotic Rössler systems as well.

Non-targeted, high resolution mass spectrometry strategy for simultaneous monitoring of xenobiotics and endogenous compounds in green sea turtles on the Great Barrier Reef.

PubMed

Heffernan, Amy L; Gómez-Ramos, Maria M; Gaus, Caroline; Vijayasarathy, Soumini; Bell, Ian; Hof, Christine; Mueller, Jochen F; Gómez-Ramos, Maria J

2017-12-01

Chemical contamination poses a threat to ecosystem, biota and human health, and identifying these hazards is a complex challenge. Traditional hazard identification relies on a priori-defined targets of limited chemical scope, and is generally inappropriate for exploratory studies such as explaining toxicological effects in environmental systems. Here we present a non-target high resolution mass spectrometry environmental monitoring study with multivariate statistical analysis to simultaneously detect biomarkers of exposure (e.g. xenobiotics) and biomarkers of effect in whole turtle blood. Borrowing the concept from clinical chemistry, a case-control sampling approach was used to investigate the potential influence of xenobiotics of anthropogenic origin on free-ranging green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) from a remote, offshore 'control' site; and two coastal 'case' sites influenced by urban/industrial and agricultural activities, respectively, on the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland, Australia. Multiple biomarkers of exposure, including sulfonic acids (n=9), a carbamate insecticide metabolite, and other industrial chemicals; and five biomarkers of effect (lipid peroxidation products), were detected in case sites. Additionally, two endogenous biomarkers of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress were identified, and showed moderate-to-strong correlations with clinical measures of inflammation and liver dysfunction. Our data filtering strategy overcomes limitations of traditional a priori selection of target compounds, and adds to the limited environmental xenobiotic metabolomics literature. To our knowledge this is the first case-control study of xenobiotics in marine megafauna, and demonstrates the utility of green sea turtles to link internal and external exposure, to explain potential toxicological effects in environmental systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Elusive inheritance: Transgenerational effects and epigenetic inheritance in human environmental disease.

PubMed

Martos, Suzanne N; Tang, Wan-Yee; Wang, Zhibin

2015-07-01

Epigenetic mechanisms involving DNA methylation, histone modification, histone variants and nucleosome positioning, and noncoding RNAs regulate cell-, tissue-, and developmental stage-specific gene expression by influencing chromatin structure and modulating interactions between proteins and DNA. Epigenetic marks are mitotically inherited in somatic cells and may be altered in response to internal and external stimuli. The idea that environment-induced epigenetic changes in mammals could be inherited through the germline, independent of genetic mechanisms, has stimulated much debate. Many experimental models have been designed to interrogate the possibility of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance and provide insight into how environmental exposures influence phenotypes over multiple generations in the absence of any apparent genetic mutation. Unexpected molecular evidence has forced us to reevaluate not only our understanding of the plasticity and heritability of epigenetic factors, but of the stability of the genome as well. Recent reviews have described the difference between transgenerational and intergenerational effects; the two major epigenetic reprogramming events in the mammalian lifecycle; these two events making transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of environment-induced perturbations rare, if at all possible, in mammals; and mechanisms of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in non-mammalian eukaryotic organisms. This paper briefly introduces these topics and mainly focuses on (1) transgenerational phenotypes and epigenetic effects in mammals, (2) environment-induced intergenerational epigenetic effects, and (3) the inherent difficulties in establishing a role for epigenetic inheritance in human environmental disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Economic evaluation of interventions for problem drinking and alcohol dependence: do within-family external effects make a difference?

PubMed

Mortimer, Duncan; Segal, Leonie

2006-01-01

To propose methods for the inclusion of within-family external effects in clinical and economic evaluations. To demonstrate the extent of bias due to the exclusion of within-family external effects when measuring the relative performance of interventions for problem drinking and alcohol dependence. The timing and magnitude of treatment effects are modified to accommodate the external health-related quality of life impact of having a problem or dependent drinker in the family home. The inclusion of within-family external effects reduces cost per QALY estimates of interventions for problem drinking and alcohol dependence thereby improving the performance of all evaluated interventions. In addition, the inclusion of within-family external effects improves the relative performance of interventions targeted at those with moderate-to-severe alcohol dependence as compared to interventions targeted at less severe alcohol problems. Failure to take account of external effects in clinical and economic evaluations results in an uneven playing field. Interventions with readily quantifiable health benefits (where social costs and benefits are predominantly comprised of private costs and benefits) are at a distinct advantage when competing for public funding against interventions with quantitatively important external effects.

Magnetic hydroxyapatite nanoparticles: an efficient adsorbent for the separation and removal of nitrate and nitrite ions from environmental samples.

PubMed

Ghasemi, Ensieh; Sillanpää, Mika

2015-01-01

A novel type of magnetic nanosorbent, hydroxyapatite-coated Fe2O3 nanoparticles was synthesized and used for the adsorption and removal of nitrite and nitrate ions from environmental samples. The properties of synthesized magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray powder diffraction. After the adsorption process, the separation of γ-Fe2O3@hydroxyapatite nanoparticles from the aqueous solution was simply achieved by applying an external magnetic field. The effects of different variables on the adsorption efficiency were studied simultaneously using an experimental design. The variables of interest were amount of magnetic hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, sample volume, pH, stirring rate, adsorption time, and temperature. The experimental parameters were optimized using a Box-Behnken design and response surface methodology after a Plackett-Burman screening design. Under the optimum conditions, the adsorption efficiencies of magnetic hydroxyapatite nanoparticles adsorbents toward NO3(-) and NO2(-) ions (100 mg/L) were in the range of 93-101%. The results revealed that the magnetic hydroxyapatite nanoparticles adsorbent could be used as a simple, efficient, and cost-effective material for the removal of nitrate and nitrite ions from environmental water and soil samples. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Physiological Employment Standards III: physiological challenges and consequences encountered during international military deployments.

PubMed

Nindl, Bradley C; Castellani, John W; Warr, Bradley J; Sharp, Marilyn A; Henning, Paul C; Spiering, Barry A; Scofield, Dennis E

2013-11-01

Modern international military deployments in austere environments (i.e., Iraq and Afghanistan) place considerable physiological demands on soldiers. Significant physiological challenges exist: maintenance of physical fitness and body composition, rigors of external load carriage, environmental extremes (heat, cold, and altitude), medical illnesses, musculoskeletal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and environmental exposure hazards (i.e., burn pits, vehicle exhaust, etc.). To date there is very little published research and no comprehensive reviews on the physiological effects of deployments. The purpose of this paper is to overview what is currently known from the literature related mainly to current military conflicts with regard to the challenges and consequences from deployments. Summary findings include: (1) aerobic capacity declines while muscle strength, power and muscular endurance appear to be maintained, (2) load carriage continues to tax the physical capacities of the Soldier, (3) musculoskeletal injuries comprise the highest proportion of all injury categories, (4) environmental insults occur from both terrestrial extremes and pollutant exposure, and (5) post-deployment concerns linger for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. A full understanding of these responses will assist in identifying the most effective risk mitigation strategies to ensure deployment readiness and to assist in establishment of military employment standards.

5-Point programme for sustainable plant protection.

PubMed

Frische, Tobias; Egerer, Sina; Matezki, Steffen; Pickl, Christina; Wogram, Jörn

2018-01-01

This position paper intends to stimulate a profound rethinking of contemporary agricultural practice. We criticise the current intensity of chemical plant protection in Germany as ecologically unsustainable and thus threatening the achievement of key targets of environmental protection and nature conservation policies. In the first part of the paper, we provide background information on the use of plant protection products (PPP) in German agriculture, the role of agricultural policy, European pesticide legislation, the principles of and framework for environmental risk assessment and risk management of PPP, as well as environmental effects of PPP. The second part is presented against the backdrop of the European "Sustainable Use Directive" (2009/128/EC). This directive requires that "Member States shall adopt National Action Plans to set up their quantitative objectives, targets, measures, and timetables to reduce risks and impacts of pesticide use on human health and the environment and to encourage the development and introduction of integrated pest management and of alternative approaches or techniques to reduce dependency on the use of pesticides." Reflecting on the corresponding debate in Germany, we suggest the following five key principles for a sustainable use of PPP and provide recommendations for their implementation: (1) minimising use; (2) identifying, quantifying, and communicating risks; (3) optimising risk management; (4) compensating for unavoidable effects; (5) internalising external costs.

Determination and Applications of Environmental Costs at Different Sized Airports: Aircraft Noise and Engine Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, Cherie; Lierens, Abigail

2003-01-01

With the increasing trend of charging for externalities and the aim of encouraging the sustainable development of the air transport industry, there is a need to evaluate the social costs of these undesirable side effects, mainly aircraft noise and engine emissions, for different airports. The aircraft noise and engine emissions social costs are calculated in monetary terms for five different airports, ranging from hub airports to small regional airports. The number of residences within different levels of airport noise contours and the aircraft noise classifications are the main determinants for accessing aircraft noise social costs. Whist, based on the damages of different engine pollutants on the human health, vegetation, materials, aquatic ecosystem and climate, the aircraft engine emissions social costs vary from engine types to aircraft categories. The results indicate that the relationship appears to be curvilinear between environmental costs and the traffic volume of an airport. The results and methodology of environmental cost calculation could input for to the proposed European wide harmonized noise charges as well as the social cost benefit analysis of airports.

The concept of self-organizing systems. Why bother?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elverfeldt, Kirsten v.; Embleton-Hamann, Christine; Slaymaker, Olav

2016-04-01

Complexity theory and the concept of self-organizing systems provide a rather challenging conceptual framework for explaining earth systems change. Self-organization - understood as the aggregate processes internal to an environmental system that lead to a distinctive spatial or temporal organization - reduces the possibility of implicating a specific process as being causal, and it poses some restrictions on the idea that external drivers cause a system to change. The concept of self-organizing systems suggests that many phenomena result from an orchestration of different mechanisms, so that no causal role can be assigned to an individual factor or process. The idea that system change can be due to system-internal processes of self-organization thus proves a huge challenge to earth system research, especially in the context of global environmental change. In order to understand the concept's implications for the Earth Sciences, we need to know the characteristics of self-organizing systems and how to discern self-organizing systems. Within the talk, we aim firstly at characterizing self-organizing systems, and secondly at highlighting the advantages and difficulties of the concept within earth system sciences. The presentation concludes that: - The concept of self-organizing systems proves especially fruitful for small-scale earth surface systems. Beach cusps and patterned ground are only two of several other prime examples of self-organizing earth surface systems. They display characteristics of self-organization like (i) system-wide order from local interactions, (ii) symmetry breaking, (iii) distributed control, (iv) robustness and resilience, (v) nonlinearity and feedbacks, (vi) organizational closure, (vii) adaptation, and (viii) variation and selection. - It is comparatively easy to discern self-organization in small-scale systems, but to adapt the concept to larger scale systems relevant to global environmental change research is more difficult: Self-organizing systems seem to form nested hierarchies, and on different hierarchical levels self-organizing and externally driven subsystems might occur simultaneously. - Traditional geomorphological concepts such as sensitivity to change, and intrinsic or extrinsic thresholds are compatible with the concept of self-organizing system, and these concepts are even enriched in their explanatory power when viewed in the larger framework of self-organization. The conceptual step to acknowledge self-organizing system change within earth system sciences thus can be regarded as relatively small. The concept of self-organization suggests a change of focus for earth system change research: a shift from input-output relations toward the inner organization of systems, since external controls rather limit the degrees of freedom of a system instead of triggering changes. Many systems might in fact be rather autonomous, and the specific and observable external trigger might be less important than the intrinsic system state. Hence, neither gradual nor catastrophic system changes necessarily need an external driver. The concept of self-organization provides important caveats to generally attributing environmental change to external drivers, and it encourages a frank admission of ignorance in the face of complexity.

Embryotoxic and biochemical effects of waste crankcase oil on birds' eggs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoffman, D.J.; Eastin, W.C.; Gay, M.L.

1982-01-01

Waste crankcase oil (WCO) is a major source of oil pollution in both the aquatic and terrestrial environment and has been implicated in the poisoning of mammals and fish. It is also mutagenic. Since birds' eggs are highly sensitive to external microliter applications of environmentally polluting oils, we examined the developmental effects of external applications of WCO on eggs of the mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) and the bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus). At 48 hr of development, mallard eggs were exposed externally to 2, 5, or 15 :l of WCO or 15 :l of clean crankcase oil (CCO) while bobwhite eggs received proportional doses of 0.5, 1, or 3 :l of WCO and 3 :l of CCO in a similar manner. WCO was highly embryotoxic to both species compared to CCO and resulted in dose-dependent mortality, reduced growth, and abnormal survivors. Application of 15 :l WCO resulted in 84% mortality in mallards and 3 :l WCO resulted in 88% mortality in bobwhites. Abnormal survivors included embryos with subcutaneous edema, incomplete ossification, and eye and brain defects. Red blood cell *-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity, liver ALAD activity, and hemoglobin concentration were significantly lower after treatment with WCO in embryos and hatchlings of both species. Plasma uric acid, plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and plasma aspartate aminotransferese (AST) were significantly elevated in WCO-treated mallards after hatching. Biochemical effects, growth retardation, and mortality at proportionally lower dose levels were more pronounced in mallards than in bobwhites. Chemical analysis of the WCO and CCO revealed a considerably higher content of aromatic hydrocarbons in WCO than in CCO. Lead levels were highly elevated in WCO (4600 ppm) compared to CCO (2 ppm).

Perchlorate disrupts embryonic androgen synthesis and reproductive development in threespine stickleback without changing whole-body levels of thyroid hormone

PubMed Central

Petersen, Ann M.; Dillon, Danielle; Bernhardt, Richard A.; Torunsky, Roberta; Postlethwait, John H.; von Hippel, Frank A.; Buck, C. Loren; Cresko, William A.

2014-01-01

Perchlorate, an environmental contaminant, disrupts normal functioning of the thyroid. We previously showed that perchlorate disrupts behavior and gonad development, and induces external morphological changes in a vertebrate model organism, the threespine stickleback. Whether perchlorate alters these phenotypes via a thyroid-mediated mechanism, and the extent to which the effects depend on dose, are unknown. To address these questions, we chronically exposed stickleback to control conditions and to three concentrations of perchlorate (10, 30 and 100 ppm) at various developmental stages from fertilization to reproductive maturity. Adults chronically exposed to perchlorate had increased numbers of thyroid follicles and decreased numbers of thyrocytes. Surprisingly, T4 and T3 levels in larval, juvenile, and adult whole fish chronically exposed to perchlorate did not differ from controls, except at the lowest perchlorate dose, suggesting a non-monotonic dose response curve. We found no detectable abnormalities in external phenotype at any dose of perchlorate, indicating that the increased number of thyroid follicles compensated for the disruptive effects of these doses. In contrast to external morphology, gonadal development was altered substantially, with the highest dose of perchlorate causing the largest effects. Perchlorate increased the number both of early stage ovarian follicles in females and of advanced spermatogenic stages in males. Perchlorate also disrupted embryonic androgen levels. We conclude that chronic perchlorate exposure may not result in lasting adult gross morphological changes but can produce lasting modifications to gonads when compensation of T3 and T4 levels occurs by thyroid follicle hyperplasia. Perchlorate may therefore affect vertebrate development via both thyroidal and non-thyroidal mechanisms. PMID:25448260

The effects of multiple interpersonal traumas on psychological maladjustment of sexually abused children in Korea.

PubMed

Choi, Ji Young; Oh, Kyung Ja

2013-02-01

The purpose of the present study was to explore the effects of multiple interpersonal traumas on psychiatric diagnosis and behavior problems of sexually abused children in Korea. With 495 children (ages 4-13 years) referred to a public counseling center for sexual abuse in Korea, we found significant differences in the rate of psychiatric diagnoses (r = .23) and severity of behavioral problems (internalizing d = 0.49, externalizing d = 0.40, total d = 0.52) between children who were victims of sexual abuse only (n = 362) and youth who were victims of interpersonal trauma experiences in addition to sexual abuse (n = 133). The effects of multiple interpersonal trauma experiences on single versus multiple diagnoses remained significant in the logistic regression analysis where demographic variables, family environmental factors, sexual abuse characteristics, and postincident factors were considered together, odds ratio (OR) = 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [0.25, 0.77], p < .01. Similarly, multiple regression analyses revealed a significant effect of multiple interpersonal trauma experiences on severity of behavioral problems above and beyond all aforementioned variables (internalizing β =.12, p = .019, externalizing β = .11, p = .036, total β = .14, p =.008). The results suggested that children with multiple interpersonal traumas are clearly at a greater risk for negative consequences following sexual abuse. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Healthy people with nature in mind.

PubMed

Annerstedt van den Bosch, Matilda; Depledge, Michael H

2015-12-11

The global disease burden resulting from climate change is likely to be substantial and will put further strain on public health systems that are already struggling to cope with demand. An up- stream solution, that of preventing climate change and associated adverse health effects, is a promising approach, which would create win-win-situations where both the environment and human health benefit. One such solution would be to apply methods of behaviour change to prompt pro-environmentalism, which in turn benefits health and wellbeing. Based on evidence from the behavioural sciences, we suggest that, like many social behaviours, pro- environmental behaviour can be automatically induced by internal or external stimuli. A potential trigger for such automatic pro-environmental behaviour would be natural environments themselves. Previous research has demonstrated that natural environments evoke specific psychological and physiological reactions, as demonstrated by self-reports, epidemiological studies, brain imaging techniques, and various biomarkers. This suggests that exposure to natural environments could have automatic behavioural effects, potentially in a pro-environmental direction, mediated by physiological reactions. Providing access and fostering exposure to natural environments could then serve as a public health tool, together with other measures, by mitigating climate change and achieving sustainable health in sustainable ecosystems. However, before such actions are implemented basic research is required to elucidate the mechanisms involved, and applied investigations are needed to explore real world impacts and effect magnitudes. As environmental research is still not sufficiently integrated within medical or public health studies there is an urgent need to promote interdisciplinary methods and investigations in this critical field. Health risks posed by anthropogenic climate change are large, unevenly distributed, and unpredictable. To ameliorate negative impacts, pro-environmental behaviours should be fostered. Potentially this could be achieved automatically through exposure to favourable natural environments, with an opportunity for cost-efficient nature-based solutions that provide benefits for both the environment and public health.

International certification in developing countries: the role of internal and external institutional pressure.

PubMed

Fikru, Mahelet G

2014-11-01

This paper examines the different internal and external institutional factors that affect the decision of businesses in developing countries to adopt international certification (IC). Past studies focus on pressure from international laws, the role of multinationals, and businesses mimicking practices of their counterparts in developed countries. This paper finds that, in addition to these external factors, internal factors may have a significant role. Even though environmental regulation is weak in developing countries, governments do not ignore industrial pollution and casualties. They respond by increasing bureaucratic regulations for businesses and this can affect the decision to adopt IC. Furthermore, internal pressure may come from workers' unions that push for a safe and healthy working environment. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Externalizing problems in childhood and adolescence predict subsequent educational achievement but for different genetic and environmental reasons.

PubMed

Lewis, Gary J; Asbury, Kathryn; Plomin, Robert

2017-03-01

Childhood behavior problems predict subsequent educational achievement; however, little research has examined the etiology of these links using a longitudinal twin design. Moreover, it is unknown whether genetic and environmental innovations provide incremental prediction for educational achievement from childhood to adolescence. We examined genetic and environmental influences on parental ratings of behavior problems across childhood (age 4) and adolescence (ages 12 and 16) as predictors of educational achievement at age 16 using a longitudinal classical twin design. Shared-environmental influences on anxiety, conduct problems, and peer problems at age 4 predicted educational achievement at age 16. Genetic influences on the externalizing behaviors of conduct problems and hyperactivity at age 4 predicted educational achievement at age 16. Moreover, novel genetic and (to a lesser extent) nonshared-environmental influences acting on conduct problems and hyperactivity emerged at ages 12 and 16, adding to the genetic prediction from age 4. These findings demonstrate that genetic and shared-environmental factors underpinning behavior problems in early childhood predict educational achievement in midadolescence. These findings are consistent with the notion that early-childhood behavior problems reflect the initiation of a life-course persistent trajectory with concomitant implications for social attainment. However, we also find evidence that genetic and nonshared-environment innovations acting on behavior problems have implications for subsequent educational achievement, consistent with recent work arguing that adolescence represents a sensitive period for socioaffective development. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Histopathology investigation on the Vardar chub (Squalius vardarensis) populations captured from the rivers impacted by mining activities.

PubMed

Jordanova, Maja; Rebok, Katerina; Dragun, Zrinka; Ramani, Sheriban; Ivanova, Lozenka; Kostov, Vasil; Valić, Damir; Krasnići, Nesrete; Filipović Marijić, Vlatka; Kapetanović, Damir

2016-07-01

Many natural freshwater ecosystems, especially in the north eastern Macedonia, are polluted with heavy metals, which are released by active mines. Long-term exposure to high levels of dissolved metals might result in increased metal bioaccumulation in organs of aquatic organisms, and consequently might cause various sub-toxic and toxic effects. The aim of this study was to assess the health of Vardar chub (Squalius vardarensis) inhabiting mining impacted rivers Zletovska and Kriva, in comparison with chub from the reference Bregalnica River. It was done by use of indicators of tissue damage (histopathology of liver and gonads) and general indicators of exposure to environmental stressors (condition factor, organo-somatic indices and external/internal macroscopic lesions). Histological assessment of gonads revealed good reproductive health in all three rivers, indicating high tolerance of gonads to contaminant exposure. Contrary, several external/internal lesions were more pronounced in chub from severely metal contaminated Zletovska River. Prevalence of hepatic lesions was also higher in mining impacted rivers (in Kriva, 70%; in Zletovska, 59%) compared to Bregalnica River (38%). The spectrum of histological lesions observed in chub liver varied from non-specific minor degenerative conditions, such as lymphocyte infiltration, fibrosis, parasites, granulomas and lipidosis, to extensive and/or more severe changes such as bile duct proliferation, necrosis, megalocytosis, light-dark hepatocytes and hepatocytes regeneration. The results of histopathological investigation for all three rivers showed clear signs of water contamination, especially prominent in mining influenced rivers. More research efforts should be devoted to study of environmental conditions and metal contamination in the mining impacted rivers worldwide, especially of their effects on health of local ichthyofauna. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

EPA Region 8 Policy for Environmental Protection in Indian Country

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This guidance is intended to respond to and clarify questions that are most frequently raised by our internal and external customers and constituents, relating to: Agency protocol in working with federally recognized tribes and more

Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Analysis of Passive House with Variable Construction Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baďurová, Silvia; Ponechal, Radoslav; Ďurica, Pavol

2013-11-01

The term "passive house" refers to rigorous and voluntary standards for energy efficiency in a building, reducing its ecological footprint. There are many ways how to build a passive house successfully. These designs as well as construction techniques vary from ordinary timber constructions using packs of straw or constructions of clay. This paper aims to quantify environmental quality of external walls in a passive house, which are made of a timber frame, lightweight concrete blocks and sand-lime bricks in order to determine whether this constructional form provides improved environmental performance. Furthermore, this paper assesses potential benefit of energy savings at heating of houses in which their external walls are made of these three material alternatives. A two storey residential passive house, with floorage of 170.6 m2, was evaluated. Some measurements of air and surface temperatures were done as a calibration etalon for a method of simulation.

Multi-Market Impacts of Market-Based Recycling Initiatives.

PubMed

Fisher, Linda R

1999-09-01

In 1995 the average tipping fee in the state of New York was $70/ton, with some landfills charging as high as $100. 1 In New Jersey, fees reached prices as high as $165/ton. 2 With budget crises occurring at all levels of government, economists, environmental scientists, policy-makers, and others are scrambling to find alternatives to waste disposal. Recycling as a solution has risen to the forefront, most likely because it both saves landfill space and may use fewer resources than virgin material processing. At every level of government, policies are being set that encourage recycling. Unfortunately, some of these programs may be resulting in unintended and undesirable side effects. To understand these effects, a broader view of the many factors involved in materials use, waste generation, and disposal is necessary. Within this paper, the broader view is considered, including a discussion of the externalities that exist in the markets affected by waste and an analysis of the effects on all alternatives to recycling, including composting and reuse. Through use of mathematical optimization, this paper shows that a recycling subsidy, or the more complicated tax/subsidy scheme, does not necessarily provide greater environmental benefits compared with disposal taxes.

Smartphones for distributed multimode sensing: biological and environmental sensing and analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feitshans, Tyler; Williams, Robert

2013-05-01

Active and Agile Environmental and Biological sensing are becoming obligatory to generate prompt warnings for the troops and law enforcements conducting missions in hostile environments. The traditional static sensing mesh networks which provide a coarse-grained (far-field) measurement of the environmental conditions like air quality, radiation , CO2, etc … would not serve the dynamic and localized changes in the environment, which requires a fine-grained (near-field) sensing solutions. Further, sensing the biological conditions of (healthy and injured) personnel in a contaminated environment and providing a personalized analysis of the life-threatening conditions in real-time would greatly aid the success of the mission. In this vein, under SATE and YATE programs, the research team at AFRL Tec^Edge Discovery labs had demonstrated the feasibility of developing Smartphone applications , that employ a suite of external environmental and biological sensors, which provide fine-grained and customized sensing in real-time fashion. In its current state, these smartphone applications leverage a custom designed modular standalone embedded platform (with external sensors) that can be integrated seamlessly with Smartphones for sensing and further provides connectivity to a back-end data architecture for archiving, analysis and dissemination of real-time alerts. Additionally, the developed smartphone applications have been successfully tested in the field with varied environmental sensors to sense humidity, CO2/CO, wind, etc…, ; and with varied biological sensors to sense body temperature and pulse with apt real-time analysis

Effects of environmental novelty on fear-related behavior and stress responses of rats to emotionally relevant odors.

PubMed

Nikaido, Y; Nakashima, T

2009-05-16

Although various emotional behaviors and activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis of rats are induced by the exposure of 2,5-dihydro-2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline: TMT, a component of fox odor, these odor-induced responses are influenced by the external environment. Our previous study demonstrated that exposure to green odor, a mixture of cis-3-hexenol and trans-2-hexenal, attenuated stress-induced elevation of the plasma ACTH level in rats. The present study investigated the effect of TMT or green odor on emotional behavior and the HPA axis stress response with or without the influence of environmental novelty. We exposed rats to TMT or green odor in "familiar" or "unfamiliar" environments and compared the various responses, including fear-related behaviors, non-defensive behaviors and plasma ACTH concentrations. TMT induced enhanced freezing behavior, reduced exploration behavior and elevations in plasma ACTH concentrations in two environmental conditions. Comparing TMT-induced responses in an unfamiliar environment with the familiar environment showed that environmental novelty enhanced TMT-induced fear-related behaviors and elevations of plasma ACTH concentrations. These results revealed that TMT causes fear and stress responses in both familiar and unfamiliar environments, although the novelty of an unfamiliar environment enhances these TMT-induced responses. On the other hand, green odor did not induce any responses in either environment. These findings indicate that odor-induced responses are influenced by the surrounding environment.

Drivers of multidimensional eco-innovation: empirical evidence from the Brazilian industry.

PubMed

da Silva Rabêlo, Olivan; de Azevedo Melo, Andrea Sales Soares

2018-03-08

The study analyses the relationships between the main drivers of eco-innovation introduced by innovative industries, focused on cooperation strategy. Eco-innovation is analysed by means of a multidimensional identification strategy, showing the relationships between the independent variables and the variable of interest. The literature discussing environmental innovation is different from the one discussing other types of innovation inasmuch as it seeks to grasp its determinants and to mostly highlight the relevance of environmental regulation. The key feature of this paper is that it ascribes special relevance to cooperation strategy with external partners and to the propensity of innovative industry introducing eco-innovation. A sample of 35,060 Brazilian industries were analysed, between 2003 and 2011, by means of Binomial, Multinomial and Ordinal logistic regressions with microdata collected with the research and innovation department (PINTEC) from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística). The econometric results estimated by the Logit Multinomial method suggest that the cooperation with external partners practiced by innovative industries facilitates the adoption of eco-innovation in dimension 01 with probability of 64.59%, 57.63% in dimension 02 and 81.02% in dimension 03. The data reveal that the higher the degree of eco-innovation complexity, the harder industries seek to obtain cooperation with external partners. When calculating with the Logit Ordinal and Binomial models, cooperation increases the probability that the industry is eco-innovative in 65.09% and 89.34%, respectively. Environmental regulation and innovation in product and information management were also positively correlated as drivers of eco-innovation.

Etiological contributions to the covariation between children's perceptions of inter-parental conflict and child behavioral problems.

PubMed

Nikolas, Molly; Klump, Kelly L; Burt, S Alexandra

2013-02-01

Prior work has suggested that inter-parental conflict likely plays an etiological role in child behavior problems. However, family-level measurement of inter-parental conflict in most traditional child twin studies has made it difficult to tease apart the specific causal mechanisms underlying this association. The Children's Perception of Inter-parental Conflict scale (CPIC) provides a child-specific measurement tool for examining these questions, as its subscales tap multiple dimensions of conflict assessed from the child's (rather than the parent's) perspective. The current study examined (1) the degree of genetic and environmental influence on each of the CPIC subscales, and (2) etiological contributions to the covariation between the CPIC scales and parental reports of child behavioral problems. The CPIC was completed by 1,200 child twins (aged 6-11 years) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR). Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to assess child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Multivariate models were examined to evaluate the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to both the CPIC scales and to their overlap with child behavioral outcomes. Modeling results indicated no significant moderation of sex or age. Significant environmental overlap emerged between the CPIC conflict properties scale and child internalizing and externalizing problems. By contrast, significant genetic correlations emerged between the CPIC self-blame scale and externalizing problems as well as between the CPIC threat scale and internalizing problems. Overall, findings suggest that the subscales of the CPIC are somewhat etiologically diverse and may provide a useful tool for future investigations of possible gene-environment interplay.

A Proposal of a Method to Measure and Evaluate the Effect to Apply External Support Measures for Owners by Construction Management Method, etc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tada, Hiroshi; Miyatake, Ichiro; Mouri, Junji; Ajiki, Norihiko; Fueta, Toshiharu

In Japan, various approaches have been taken to ensure the quality of public works or to support the procurement regime of the governmental agencies, as a means to utilize external resources, which include the procurement support service or the construction management (CM) method. Although discussions on these measures to utilize external resources (hereinafter referred to as external support measure) have been going on, as well as the follow-up surveys showing the positive effects of such measures have been conducted, the surveys only deal with the matters concerning the overall effects of the external support measure on the whole, meaning that the effect of each item of the tasks have not been addressed, and that the extent it dealt with the expectations of the client is unknown. However, the effective use of the external support measure in future cannot be achieved without knowing what was the purpose to introduce the external support measure, and what effect was expected on each task item, and what extent the expectation fulfilled. Furthermore, it is important to clarify not only the effect as compared to the client's expectation (performance), but also the public benefit of this measure (value improvement). From this point of view, there is not an established method to figure out the effect of the client's measure to utilize external resources. In view of this background, this study takes the CM method as an example of the external support measure, and proposes a method to measure and evaluate the effect by each task item, and suggests the future issues and possible responses, in the aim of contributing the promotion, improvement, and proper implementation of the external support measures in future.

Diagnostic techniques and treatments for internal disorders of Koi (Cyprinus carpio).

PubMed

Saint-Erne, Nicholas

2010-09-01

The most common problems that occur in koi involve external pathogens and environmental conditions. Techniques for external fish examination and water quality analysis have been well described in the veterinary literature. However, there are also some internal disorders of koi, such as gas bladder abnormalities affecting the fish's buoyancy, neoplasia, egg binding (roe retention), and spinal disorders that can be diagnosed with common veterinary medical procedures. Diagnostic techniques along with available treatments for these disorders are presented in this article. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of environmental conditions and chemicals on the neuronal epigenome.

PubMed

Del Blanco, Beatriz; Barco, Angel

2018-06-15

During development, chromatin changes contribute to establishing and maintaining the distinct gene-expression profiles of each individual cell type in a multicellular organism. This feat is especially remarkable in the human brain considering the sheer number of distinct cell types that make up this organ. This epigenetic programing is sensitive to environmental influences such as the presence of toxicants, diet, temperature, maternal behavior and many other external factors that can lead to sustained differences in neuronal gene expression. Here, we review a number of studies that demonstrate the existence of these environmental fingerprints in the neuronal epigenome and discuss the current challenges and prospects of environmental neuroepigenetics research. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Issues and options in addressing the environmental consequences of livestock sector's growth.

PubMed

Gerber, P J; Vellinga, T V; Steinfeld, H

2010-02-01

The growth of the livestock sector is being achieved at substantial environmental costs. Today, livestock are a major stressor of the global environmental, occupying a quarter of emerged land (including a third of arable land), contributing close to a fifth of the anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, using eight percent of all water resources and threatening a wide range of endangered species. At the same time, livestock are also a crucial engine of rural growth and a tool for improving food security. Policies are required to guide the sector in achieving sometimes conflicting development objectives. Potential pathways include encouraging resource use efficiency, correcting for environmental externalities and accelerating technological change.

Managing the plant microbiome for biocontrol fungi: Examples from Hypocreales

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Feeding an increasing global population requires continued improvements in agricultural efficiency and productivity. Meeting estimated future production levels requires the adoption of practices that increase output without environmental degradation associated with external inputs to supplement nut...

Greener and sustainable remediation using iron nanomaterials

EPA Science Inventory

The main goal of remediation is to protect humans and the environment. Unfortunately, many remedial actions in the past concentrated more on site-specific environmental risks and conditions completely ignoring external social and economic impacts. Thus, new approach called green ...