42 CFR 137.285 - Are Self-Governance Tribes required to accept Federal environmental responsibilities to enter...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...-Governance Tribes required to accept Federal environmental responsibilities to enter into a construction... 42 Public Health 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Are Self-Governance Tribes required to accept Federal environmental responsibilities to enter into a construction project agreement? 137.285 Section 137...

Harnessing the power of big data: infusing the scientific method with machine learning to transform ecology

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Most efforts to harness the power of big data for ecology and environmental sciences focus on data and metadata sharing, standardization, and accuracy. However, many scientists have not accepted the data deluge as an integral part of their research because the current scientific method is not scalab...

Low-Cost Aqueous Coal Desulfurization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kalvinskas, J. J.; Vasilakos, N.; Corcoran, W. H.; Grohmann, K.; Rohatgi, N. K.

1982-01-01

Water-based process for desulfurizing coal not only eliminates need for costly organic solvent but removes sulfur more effectively than an earlier solvent-based process. New process could provide low-cost commercial method for converting high-sulfur coal into environmentally acceptable fuel.

32 CFR 651.44 - Incomplete information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... approaches or research methods generally accepted in the scientific community. ... 32 National Defense 4 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Incomplete information. 651.44 Section 651.44 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY...

32 CFR 651.44 - Incomplete information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... approaches or research methods generally accepted in the scientific community. ... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Incomplete information. 651.44 Section 651.44 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY...

Acceptable Risk Analysis for Abrupt Environmental Pollution Accidents in Zhangjiakou City, China.

PubMed

Du, Xi; Zhang, Zhijiao; Dong, Lei; Liu, Jing; Borthwick, Alistair G L; Liu, Renzhi

2017-04-20

Abrupt environmental pollution accidents cause considerable damage worldwide to the ecological environment, human health, and property. The concept of acceptable risk aims to answer whether or not a given environmental pollution risk exceeds a societally determined criterion. This paper presents a case study on acceptable environmental pollution risk conducted through a questionnaire survey carried out between August and October 2014 in five representative districts and two counties of Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, China. Here, environmental risk primarily arises from accidental water pollution, accidental air pollution, and tailings dam failure. Based on 870 valid questionnaires, demographic and regional differences in public attitudes towards abrupt environmental pollution risks were analyzed, and risk acceptance impact factors determined. The results showed females, people between 21-40 years of age, people with higher levels of education, public servants, and people with higher income had lower risk tolerance. People with lower perceived risk, low-level risk knowledge, high-level familiarity and satisfaction with environmental management, and without experience of environmental accidents had higher risk tolerance. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that public satisfaction with environmental management was the most significant factor in risk acceptance, followed by perceived risk of abrupt air pollution, occupation, perceived risk of tailings dam failure, and sex. These findings should be helpful to local decision-makers concerned with environmental risk management (e.g., selecting target groups for effective risk communication) in the context of abrupt environmental accidents.

Use of QSARs in international decision-making frameworks to predict ecologic effects and environmental fate of chemical substances.

PubMed Central

Cronin, Mark T D; Walker, John D; Jaworska, Joanna S; Comber, Michael H I; Watts, Christopher D; Worth, Andrew P

2003-01-01

This article is a review of the use, by regulatory agencies and authorities, of quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) to predict ecologic effects and environmental fate of chemicals. For many years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been the most prominent regulatory agency using QSARs to predict the ecologic effects and environmental fate of chemicals. However, as increasing numbers of standard QSAR methods are developed and validated to predict ecologic effects and environmental fate of chemicals, it is anticipated that more regulatory agencies and authorities will find them to be acceptable alternatives to chemical testing. PMID:12896861

Detection of coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli by multiplex polymerase chain reaction: comparison with defined substrate and plating methods for water quality monitoring.

PubMed Central

Bej, A K; McCarty, S C; Atlas, R M

1991-01-01

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gene probe detection of target lacZ and uidA genes were used to detect total coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli, respectively, for determining water quality. In tests of environmental water samples, the lacZ PCR method gave results statistically equivalent to those of the plate count and defined substrate methods accepted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for water quality monitoring and the uidA PCR method was more sensitive than 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucuronide-based defined substrate tests for specific detection of E. coli. Images PMID:1768116

Moving Genetic Biomonitoring from a Concept to a Tool

EPA Science Inventory

Molecular genetic techniques like DNA barcoding and environmental DNA have been proposed as tools for aquatic biomonitoring for nearly a decade, but have yet to break through into widespread acceptance. The potential benefits of these methods, such as quicker, cheaper, more detai...

EXPERIMENTAL AND MATHEMATICAL MODELING METHODS FOR THE INVESTIGATION OF TOXICOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS

EPA Science Inventory

While procedures have been developed and used for many years to assess risk and determine acceptable exposure levels to individual chemicals, most cases of environmental contamination can result in concurrent or sequential exposure to more than one chemical. Toxicological predict...

Acceptable Risk Analysis for Abrupt Environmental Pollution Accidents in Zhangjiakou City, China

PubMed Central

Du, Xi; Zhang, Zhijiao; Dong, Lei; Liu, Jing; Borthwick, Alistair G. L.; Liu, Renzhi

2017-01-01

Abrupt environmental pollution accidents cause considerable damage worldwide to the ecological environment, human health, and property. The concept of acceptable risk aims to answer whether or not a given environmental pollution risk exceeds a societally determined criterion. This paper presents a case study on acceptable environmental pollution risk conducted through a questionnaire survey carried out between August and October 2014 in five representative districts and two counties of Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, China. Here, environmental risk primarily arises from accidental water pollution, accidental air pollution, and tailings dam failure. Based on 870 valid questionnaires, demographic and regional differences in public attitudes towards abrupt environmental pollution risks were analyzed, and risk acceptance impact factors determined. The results showed females, people between 21–40 years of age, people with higher levels of education, public servants, and people with higher income had lower risk tolerance. People with lower perceived risk, low-level risk knowledge, high-level familiarity and satisfaction with environmental management, and without experience of environmental accidents had higher risk tolerance. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that public satisfaction with environmental management was the most significant factor in risk acceptance, followed by perceived risk of abrupt air pollution, occupation, perceived risk of tailings dam failure, and sex. These findings should be helpful to local decision-makers concerned with environmental risk management (e.g., selecting target groups for effective risk communication) in the context of abrupt environmental accidents. PMID:28425956

Value for money? A contingent valuation study of the optimal size of the Swedish health care budget.

PubMed

Eckerlund, I; Johannesson, M; Johansson, P O; Tambour, M; Zethraeus, N

1995-11-01

The contingent valuation method has been developed in the environmental field to measure the willingness to pay for environmental changes using survey methods. In this exploratory study the contingent valuation method was used to analyse how much individuals are willing to spend in total in the form of taxes for health care in Sweden, i.e. to analyse the optimal size of the 'health care budget' in Sweden. A binary contingent valuation question was included in a telephone survey of a random sample of 1260 households in Sweden. With a conservative interpretation of the data the result shows that 50% of the respondents would accept an increased tax payment to health care of about SEK 60 per month ($1 = SEK 8). It is concluded that the results indicate that the population overall thinks that the current spending on health care in Sweden is on a reasonable level. There seems to be a willingness to increase the tax payments somewhat, but major increases does not seem acceptable to a majority of the population.

Selectively strippable paint schemes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stein, R.; Thumm, D.; Blackford, Roger W.

1993-03-01

In order to meet the requirements of more environmentally acceptable paint stripping processes many different removal methods are under evaluation. These new processes can be divided into mechanical and chemical methods. ICI has developed a paint scheme with intermediate coat and fluid resistant polyurethane topcoat which can be stripped chemically in a short period of time with methylene chloride free and phenol free paint strippers.

Investigating Elementary School Students' Technology Acceptance by Applying Digital Game-Based Learning to Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Yuh-Ming; Lou, Shi-Jer; Kuo, Sheng-Huang; Shih, Ru-Chu

2013-01-01

In order to improve and promote students' environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour, integrating environmental education into the primary education curriculum has become a key issue for environmental education. For this reason, this study aimed to investigate elementary school students' acceptance of technology applying digital game-based…

Quantifying the measurement uncertainty of results from environmental analytical methods.

PubMed

Moser, J; Wegscheider, W; Sperka-Gottlieb, C

2001-07-01

The Eurachem-CITAC Guide Quantifying Uncertainty in Analytical Measurement was put into practice in a public laboratory devoted to environmental analytical measurements. In doing so due regard was given to the provisions of ISO 17025 and an attempt was made to base the entire estimation of measurement uncertainty on available data from the literature or from previously performed validation studies. Most environmental analytical procedures laid down in national or international standards are the result of cooperative efforts and put into effect as part of a compromise between all parties involved, public and private, that also encompasses environmental standards and statutory limits. Central to many procedures is the focus on the measurement of environmental effects rather than on individual chemical species. In this situation it is particularly important to understand the measurement process well enough to produce a realistic uncertainty statement. Environmental analytical methods will be examined as far as necessary, but reference will also be made to analytical methods in general and to physical measurement methods where appropriate. This paper describes ways and means of quantifying uncertainty for frequently practised methods of environmental analysis. It will be shown that operationally defined measurands are no obstacle to the estimation process as described in the Eurachem/CITAC Guide if it is accepted that the dominating component of uncertainty comes from the actual practice of the method as a reproducibility standard deviation.

Effect-based trigger values for in vitro and in vivo bioassays performed on surface water extracts supporting the environmental quality standards (EQS) of the European Water Framework Directive.

PubMed

Escher, Beate I; Aїt-Aїssa, Selim; Behnisch, Peter A; Brack, Werner; Brion, François; Brouwer, Abraham; Buchinger, Sebastian; Crawford, Sarah E; Du Pasquier, David; Hamers, Timo; Hettwer, Karina; Hilscherová, Klára; Hollert, Henner; Kase, Robert; Kienle, Cornelia; Tindall, Andrew J; Tuerk, Jochen; van der Oost, Ron; Vermeirssen, Etienne; Neale, Peta A

2018-07-01

Effect-based methods including cell-based bioassays, reporter gene assays and whole-organism assays have been applied for decades in water quality monitoring and testing of enriched solid-phase extracts. There is no common EU-wide agreement on what level of bioassay response in water extracts is acceptable. At present, bioassay results are only benchmarked against each other but not against a consented measure of chemical water quality. The EU environmental quality standards (EQS) differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable surface water concentrations for individual chemicals but cannot capture the thousands of chemicals in water and their biological action as mixtures. We developed a method that reads across from existing EQS and includes additional mixture considerations with the goal that the derived effect-based trigger values (EBT) indicate acceptable risk for complex mixtures as they occur in surface water. Advantages and limitations of various approaches to read across from EQS are discussed and distilled to an algorithm that translates EQS into their corresponding bioanalytical equivalent concentrations (BEQ). The proposed EBT derivation method was applied to 48 in vitro bioassays with 32 of them having sufficient information to yield preliminary EBTs. To assess the practicability and robustness of the proposed approach, we compared the tentative EBTs with observed environmental effects. The proposed method only gives guidance on how to derive EBTs but does not propose final EBTs for implementation. The EBTs for some bioassays such as those for estrogenicity are already mature and could be implemented into regulation in the near future, while for others it will still take a few iterations until we can be confident of the power of the proposed EBTs to differentiate good from poor water quality with respect to chemical contamination. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Online solid phase extraction liquid chromatography using bonded zwitterionic stationary phases and tandem mass spectrometry for rapid environmental trace analysis of highly polar hydrophilic compounds - Application for the antiviral drug Zanamivir.

PubMed

Lindberg, Richard H; Fedorova, Ganna; Blum, Kristin M; Pulit-Prociak, Jolanta; Gillman, Anna; Järhult, Josef; Appelblad, Patrik; Söderström, Hanna

2015-08-15

Zanamivir (Za) is a highly polar and hydrophilic antiviral drug used for the treatment of influenza A viruses. Za has been detected in rivers of Japan and it's environmental occurrence has the risk of inducing antiviral resistant avian influenza viruses. In this study, a rapid automated online solid phase extraction liquid chromatography method using bonded zwitterionic stationary phases and tandem mass spectrometry (SPE/LC-MS/MS) for trace analysis of Za was developed. Furthermore, an internal standard (IS) calibration method capable of quantifying Za in Milli-Q, surface water, sewage effluent and sewage influent was evaluated. Optimum pre-extraction sample composition was found to be 95/5 v/v acetonitrile/water sample and 1% formic acid. The developed method showed acceptable linearities (r(2)≥0.994), filtration recovery (≥91%), and intra-day precisions (RSD≤16%), and acceptable and environmentally relevant LOQs (≤20ngL(-1)). Storage tests showed no significant losses of Za during 20 days and +4/-20°C (≤12%) with the exception of influent samples, which should be kept at -20°C to avoid significant Za losses. The applicability of the method was demonstrated in a study on phototransformation of Za in unfiltered and filtered surface water during 28 days of artificial UV irradiation exposure. No significant (≤12%) phototransformation was found in surface water after 28 days suggesting a relatively high photostability of Za and that Za should be of environmental concern. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Potential Role of Virtual Reality in Environmental Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Gregory L.; Disinger, John F.

1997-01-01

Investigates the acceptability and possible role of virtual reality (VR) in environmental education. Among the principal findings were that the sample population of environmental educators indicated an acceptance of VR as a teaching tool. VR applications that allow students to have an experience not available in the physical world were perceived…

Mercury concentrations in estuarine sediments, Lavaca and Matagorda bays, Texas, 1992

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, David S.; Snyder, Grant L.; Taylor, R. Lynn

1998-01-01

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Method 7471 (Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption) was an acceptable analytical method for determining the total mercury concentrations in the Lavaca-Matagorda Bays estuarine sediment samples. Measurement of additional trace metals would aid in the characterization of total mercury concentrations and in the identification of concentrator/collector relations that are principally responsible for the adsorption of mercurous compounds to particulates in the bottom sediments.

Assessment of the environmental fate and effects of azilsartan, a selective antagonist of angiotensin II type 1.

PubMed

Weltman, R; Brands, C M J; Corral, E; Desmares-Koopmans, M J E; Migchielsen, M H J; Oudhoff, K A; de Roode, D F

2012-06-01

In this paper the results of a thorough evaluation of the environmental fate and effects of azilsartan are presented. Azilsartan medoxomil is administered as a pro-drug for the treatment of patients with essential hypertension. The pro-drug is converted by hydrolysis to the active pharmaceutical ingredient azilsartan. Laboratory tests to evaluate the environmental fate and effects of azilsartan medoxomil were conducted with azilsartan and performed in accordance with OECD test guidelines. The predicted environmental concentration (PEC) in surface water was estimated at 0.32 μg L(-1) (above the action limit of 0.01 μg L(-1)), triggering a Phase II assessment. Azilsartan is not readily biodegradable. Results of the water sediment study demonstrated significant shifting of azilsartan metabolites to sediment. Based on the equilibrium partitioning method, metabolites are unlikely to pose a risk to sediment-dwelling organisms. Ratios of the predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) to the predicted-no-effect concentrations (PNECs) did not exceed the relevant triggers, and the risk to aquatic, sewage treatment plant (STP), groundwater and sediment compartments was concluded acceptable. A terrestrial assessment was not triggered. Azilsartan poses an acceptable risk to the environment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimating willingness to accept using paired comparison choice experiments: tests of robustness

Treesearch

David C. Kingsley; Thomas C. Brown

2013-01-01

Paired comparison (PC) choice experiments offer researchers and policy-makers an alternative nonmarket valuation method particularly apt when a ranking of the public's priorities across policy alternatives is paramount. Similar to contingent valuation, PC choice experiments estimate the total value associated with a specific environmental good or service. Similar...

Potential roles of omics data in the use of adverse outcome pathways for environmental risk assessment

EPA Science Inventory

The current approach to assessing adverse effects of chemicals in the environment is largely based on a battery of in-vivo study methods and a limited number of accepted in-silico approaches. For most substances the pool of data from which to predict ecosystem effects is limited ...

Approaches to acceptable risk

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

Whipple, C

Several alternative approaches to address the question {open_quotes}How safe is safe enough?{close_quotes} are reviewed and an attempt is made to apply the reasoning behind these approaches to the issue of acceptability of radiation exposures received in space. The approaches to the issue of the acceptability of technological risk described here are primarily analytical, and are drawn from examples in the management of environmental health risks. These include risk-based approaches, in which specific quantitative risk targets determine the acceptability of an activity, and cost-benefit and decision analysis, which generally focus on the estimation and evaluation of risks, benefits and costs, inmore » a framework that balances these factors against each other. These analytical methods tend by their quantitative nature to emphasize the magnitude of risks, costs and alternatives, and to downplay other factors, especially those that are not easily expressed in quantitative terms, that affect acceptance or rejection of risk. Such other factors include the issues of risk perceptions and how and by whom risk decisions are made.« less

Acceptability and Feasibility of Using a Novel Geospatial Method to Measure Neighborhood Contexts and Mobility Among Transgender Women in New York City

PubMed Central

Goedel, William C.; Reisner, Sari L.; Janssen, Aron C.; Poteat, Tonia C.; Regan, Seann D.; Kreski, Noah T.; Confident, Gladyne; Duncan, Dustin T.

2017-01-01

Abstract Purpose: To date, no studies utilizing global positioning system (GPS) technologies to measure mobility and environmental exposures have been conducted among a sample of transgender women despite the potential salient role neighborhood contexts may play in the health of this population. As such, the purpose of this study was to assess the acceptability and feasibility of a weeklong GPS protocol among a sample of transgender women in New York City. Methods: A sample of 14 transgender women residing in the New York City metropolitan area were recruited through community based methods to wear and charge a GPS device for 7 days to measure daily mobility. The acceptability of these methods was assessed using a pre- and postprotocol survey and their feasibility was measured using objective data derived from the GPS device. Pre- and postprotocol survey measures were compared using McNemar's test. Results: Participants reported high ratings of preprotocol acceptability, as well as few concerns regarding safety, appearance, and losing the device, all of which were maintained after completing the protocol. All 14 devices that were distributed were returned. In addition, all 14 participants had GPS data for at least 1 h on 1 day, and nine participants (64.3%) had at least 8 h of GPS data on all days. Conclusion: The findings of this pilot study demonstrate that the GPS methods are both acceptable and feasible among this sample of transgender women. GPS devices may be used in research among transgender women to understand neighborhood determinants of HIV and other STIs. PMID:29082330

Arc tracking of cables for space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koenig, D.; Frontzek, F. R.; Hanson, J.; Reher, H. J.; Judd, M. D.; Bryant, D.

1995-01-01

The main objective of this study is to develop a new test method that is suitable for the assessment of the resistance of aerospace cables to arc tracking for different specific environmental and network conditions of spacecrafts. This paper reports the purpose, test conditions, test specimen, test procedure, and test acceptance criteria of seven different (200-250 mm long) cables.

Performance of the BG1Luc ER TA method in a qHTS format.

PubMed

Ceger, Patricia; Allen, David; Huang, Ruili; Xia, Menghang; Casey, Warren

2015-01-01

In 2012, the BG1Luc4E2 estrogen receptor (ER) transactivation (TA) method (BG1Luc ER TA) was accepted by U.S. regulatory agencies and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to detect substances with ER agonist activity. The method is now part of the Tier 1 testing battery in the Environmental Protection Agency's Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program. The BG1Luc ER TA method uses the BG1 ovarian cell line that endogenously expresses full-length ER (α and β) and is stably transfected with a plasmid containing four estrogen responsive elements upstream of a luciferase reporter gene. To allow increased throughput and testing efficiency, the BG1Luc ER TA ("BG1 manual") method was adapted for quantitative high-throughput screening (BG1 qHTS) in the U.S. Tox21 testing program. The BG1 qHTS test method was used to test approximately 10,000 chemicals three times each, and concentration-response data (n=15) were analyzed to evaluate test method performance. The balanced accuracy of the BG1 qHTS test method (97% [32/33]) was determined by comparing results to ER TA performance standards for the BG1 manual method. Concordance between the BG1 manual and qHTS methods was 92% (57/62) when calculated for a larger set of non-reference chemicals tested in both methods. These data demonstrate that the performance of the BG1 qHTS is similar to the currently accepted BG1 manual method, thereby establishing the utility of the BG1 qHTS method for identifying ER active environmental chemicals.

Designer carbon nanotubes for contaminant removal in water and wastewater: A critical review.

PubMed

Sarkar, Binoy; Mandal, Sanchita; Tsang, Yiu Fai; Kumar, Pawan; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Ok, Yong Sik

2018-01-15

The search for effective materials for environmental cleanup is a scientific and technological issue of paramount importance. Among various materials, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess unique physicochemical, electrical, and mechanical properties that make them suitable for potential applications as environmental adsorbents, sensors, membranes, and catalysts. Depending on the intended application and the chemical nature of the target contaminants, CNTs can be designed through specific functionalization or modification processes. Designer CNTs can remarkably enhance contaminant removal efficiency and facilitate nanomaterial recovery and regeneration. An increasing number of CNT-based materials have been used to treat diverse organic, inorganic, and biological contaminants. These success stories demonstrate their strong potential in practical applications, including wastewater purification and desalination. However, CNT-based technologies have not been broadly accepted for commercial use due to their prohibitive cost and the complex interactions of CNTs with other abiotic and biotic environmental components. This paper presents a critical review of the existing literature on the interaction of various contaminants with CNTs in water and soil environments. The preparation methods of various designer CNTs (surface functionalized and/or modified) and the functional relationships between their physicochemical characteristics and environmental uses are discussed. This review will also help to identify the research gaps that must be addressed for enhancing the commercial acceptance of CNTs in the environmental remediation industry. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Acceptance of drinking and driving and alcohol-involved driving crashes in California

PubMed Central

Karriker-Jaffe, Katherine J.; Ragland, David R.; Satariano, William A.; Kelley-Baker, Tara; Lacey, John H.

2016-01-01

Background Alcohol-impaired driving accounts for substantial proportion of traffic-related fatalities in the U.S. Risk perceptions for drinking and driving have been associated with various measures of drinking and driving behavior. In an effort to understand how to intervene and to better understand how risk perceptions may be shaped, this study explored whether an objective environmental-level measure (proportion of alcohol-involved driving crashes in one's residential city) were related to individual-level perceptions and behavior. Methods Using data from a 2012 cross-sectional roadside survey of 1,147 weekend nighttime drivers in California, individual-level self-reported acceptance of drinking and driving and past-year drinking and driving were merged with traffic crash data using respondent ZIP codes. Population average logistic regression modeling was conducted for the odds of acceptance of drinking and driving and self-reported, past-year drinking and driving. Results A non-linear relationship between city-level alcohol-involved traffic crashes and individual-level acceptance of drinking and driving was found. Acceptance of drinking and driving did not mediate the relationship between the proportion of alcohol-involved traffic crashes and self-reported drinking and driving behavior. However, it was directly related to behavior among those most likely to drink outside the home. Discussion The present study surveys a particularly relevant population and is one of few drinking and driving studies to evaluate the relationship between an objective environmental-level crash risk measure and individual-level risk perceptions. In communities with both low and high proportions of alcohol-involved traffic crashes there was low acceptance of drinking and driving. This may mean that in communities with low proportions of crashes, citizens have less permissive norms around drinking and driving, whereas in communities with a high proportion of crashes, the incidence of these crashes may serve as an environmental cue which informs drinking and driving perceptions. Perceptual information on traffic safety can be used to identify places where people may be at greater risk for drinking and driving. Community-level traffic fatalities may be a salient cue for tailoring risk communication. PMID:25980918

Consumer acceptability of cucumber pickles produced by fermentation in calcium chloride brine for reduced environmental impact

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fermentation of cucumbers in calcium chloride brine has been proposed as an alternative process to reduce the environmental impact of traditional, high salt fermentations. The objective of this research was to determine whether consumer acceptability of pickle products would be impacted by fermentat...

Determining estrogenic activity in serum from ovariectomized rats treated with environmental compounds using an in vitro estrogen-mediated transcriptional activation assay (T47D-KBluc).

EPA Science Inventory

The use of cell-based assays to quantify low levels of estrogen in human serum is an accepted method. These assays are more sensitive but less specific than radioimmunoassays (RIA). Thus, we hypothesized that estrogen responsive T47D-KBluc cells would detect estrogenic activity i...

Determining estrogenic activity in serum from ovariectomized rats treated with environmental compounds using an in vitro estrogen-mediated transcriptional activation assay (T47D-KBluc)

EPA Science Inventory

The use of cell-based assays to quantify low levels of estrogen in human serum is an accepted method. These assays are more sensitive but less specific than radioimmunoassays (RIA). Thus, we hypothesized that estrogen responsive T47D-KBluc cells would detect estrogenic activity i...

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

Chen, Longgao; Yang, Xiaoyan; School of Environmental Science and Spatial Informatics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116

The implementation of land use planning (LUP) has a large impact on environmental quality. There lacks a widely accepted and consolidated approach to assess the LUP environmental impact using Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). In this paper, we developed a state-impact-state (SIS) model employed in the LUP environmental impact assessment (LUPEA). With the usage of Matter-element (ME) and Extenics method, the methodology based on the SIS model was established and applied in the LUPEA of Zoucheng County, China. The results show that: (1) this methodology provides an intuitive and easy understanding logical model for both the theoretical analysis and application ofmore » LUPEA; (2) the spatial multi-temporal assessment from base year, near-future year to planning target year suggests the positive impact on the environmental quality in the whole County despite certain environmental degradation in some towns; (3) besides the spatial assessment, other achievements including the environmental elements influenced by land use and their weights, the identification of key indicators in LUPEA, and the appropriate environmental mitigation measures were obtained; and (4) this methodology can be used to achieve multi-temporal assessment of LUP environmental impact of County or Town level in other areas. - Highlights: • A State-Impact-State model for Land Use Planning Environmental Assessment (LUPEA). • Matter-element (ME) and Extenics methods were embedded in the LUPEA. • The model was applied to the LUPEA of Zoucheng County. • The assessment shows improving environment quality since 2000 in Zoucheng County. • The method provides a useful tool for the LUPEA in the county level.« less

Environmental Remediation Activities in Japan Following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Reactor Incident - 12603

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

Lively, J.W.; Kelley, J.L.; Marcial, M.R.

2012-07-01

In March 2011, the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactor power plant was crippled by the Great Pacific earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Much of the focus in the news was on the reactor site itself as the utility company (TEPCO), the Japanese government, and experts from around the world worked to bring the damaged plants into a safe shutdown condition and stem the release of radioactivity to the environment. Most of the radioactivity released was carried out to sea with the prevailing winds. Still, as weather patterns changed and winds shifted, a significant plume of radioactive materials released from the plant deposited inmore » the environment surrounding the plant, contaminating large land areas of the Fukushima Prefecture. The magnitude of the radiological impact to the surrounding environmental is so large that the Japanese government has had to reevaluate the meaning of 'acceptably clean'. In many respects, 'acceptably clean' cannot be a one-size-fits-all standard. The economics costs of such an approach would make impossible what is already an enormous and costly environmental response and remediation task. Thus, the Japanese government has embarked upon an approach that is both situation-specific and reasonably achievable. For example, the determination of acceptably clean for a nursery school or kindergarten play yard may be different from that for a parking lot. The acceptably clean level of residual radioactivity in the surface soil of a rice paddy is different from that in a forested area. The recognized exposure situation (scenario) thus plays a large role in the decision process. While sometimes complicated to grasp or implement, such an approach does prioritize national resources to address environment remediation based upon immediate and significant risks. In addition, the Japanese government is testing means and methods, including advanced or promising technologies, that could be proven to be effective in reducing the amount of radioactivity in the environment beyond a fixed, concentration based limit. Essentially, the definition of acceptably clean includes the concept of reasonably achievable, given the available technology, means and methods, and the cost to implement such. The Japanese government recently issued three technology demonstration contracts expressly designed to test and evaluate the available technologies, means, and methods, which, if implemented, might produce the greatest risk reduction from environmental contamination for the best value. One of the Japanese contract holders, Obayashi JV, has teamed with AMEC to demonstrate the applicability and capabilities of the Orion ScanPlot{sup SM} and ScanSort{sup SM} technologies in radiologically impacted towns both inside and immediately outside the 20 km restricted zone. This presentation provides some unique images and informative insight into the environmental radioactive impacts in and around the exclusion zone. It will provide a look at one element of the Japanese government?s efforts to achieve the greatest risk reduction that is reasonably achievable. The Orion ScanPlot{sup SM} and ScanSort{sup SM} are being used with success on the Japan Town Demonstration Project to assess pre-remedial action contamination levels, document the post-remedial action contamination levels and to precisely measure and segregate excavated soils based on their radioactive content and the prescribed segregation limits (DCS). Initial results suggest that these technologies could provide capabilities to the remedial action efforts that would result in considerable improvements in field data certainty and compliance with remedial objectives while reducing overall costs. (authors)« less

Bibliometrics for Social Validation.

PubMed

Hicks, Daniel J

2016-01-01

This paper introduces a bibliometric, citation network-based method for assessing the social validation of novel research, and applies this method to the development of high-throughput toxicology research at the US Environmental Protection Agency. Social validation refers to the acceptance of novel research methods by a relevant scientific community; it is formally independent of the technical validation of methods, and is frequently studied in history, philosophy, and social studies of science using qualitative methods. The quantitative methods introduced here find that high-throughput toxicology methods are spread throughout a large and well-connected research community, which suggests high social validation. Further assessment of social validation involving mixed qualitative and quantitative methods are discussed in the conclusion.

Bibliometrics for Social Validation

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

This paper introduces a bibliometric, citation network-based method for assessing the social validation of novel research, and applies this method to the development of high-throughput toxicology research at the US Environmental Protection Agency. Social validation refers to the acceptance of novel research methods by a relevant scientific community; it is formally independent of the technical validation of methods, and is frequently studied in history, philosophy, and social studies of science using qualitative methods. The quantitative methods introduced here find that high-throughput toxicology methods are spread throughout a large and well-connected research community, which suggests high social validation. Further assessment of social validation involving mixed qualitative and quantitative methods are discussed in the conclusion. PMID:28005974

Environmentally evaluated HPLC-ELSD method to monitor enzymatic synthesis of a non-ionic surfactant.

PubMed

Gaber, Yasser; Akerman, Cecilia Orellana; Hatti-Kaul, Rajni

2014-01-01

N-Lauroyl-N-methylglucamide is a biodegradable surfactant derived from renewable resources. In an earlier study, we presented an enzymatic solvent-free method for synthesis of this compound. In the present report, the HPLC method developed to follow the reaction between lauric acid/methyl laurate and N-methyl glucamine (MEG) and its environmental assessment are described. Use of ultraviolet (UV) absorption or refractive index (RI) detectors did not allow the detection of N-methyl glucamine (MEG). With Evaporative light scattering detector ELSD, it was possible to apply a gradient elution, and detect MEG with a limit of detection, LOD = 0.12 μg. A good separation of the peaks: MEG, lauric acid, product (amide) and by-product (amide-ester) was achieved with the gradient program with a run time of 40 min. The setting of ELSD detector was optimized using methyl laurate as the analyte. LC-MS/MS was used to confirm the amide and amide-ester peaks. We evaluated the greenness of the developed method using the freely available software HPLC-Environmental Assessment Tool (HPLC-EAT) and the method got a scoring of 73 HPLC-EAT units, implying that the analytical procedure was more environmentally benign compared to some other methods reported in literature whose HPLC-EAT values scored up to 182. Use of ELSD detector allowed the detection and quantification of the substrates and the reaction products of enzymatic synthesis of the surfactant, N-lauroyl-N-methylglucamide. The developed HPLC method has acceptable environmental profile based on HPLC-EAT evaluation.

Environmentally evaluated HPLC-ELSD method to monitor enzymatic synthesis of a non-ionic surfactant

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background N-Lauroyl-N-methylglucamide is a biodegradable surfactant derived from renewable resources. In an earlier study, we presented an enzymatic solvent-free method for synthesis of this compound. In the present report, the HPLC method developed to follow the reaction between lauric acid/methyl laurate and N-methyl glucamine (MEG) and its environmental assessment are described. Results Use of ultraviolet (UV) absorption or refractive index (RI) detectors did not allow the detection of N-methyl glucamine (MEG). With Evaporative light scattering detector ELSD, it was possible to apply a gradient elution, and detect MEG with a limit of detection, LOD = 0.12 μg. A good separation of the peaks: MEG, lauric acid, product (amide) and by-product (amide-ester) was achieved with the gradient program with a run time of 40 min. The setting of ELSD detector was optimized using methyl laurate as the analyte. LC-MS/MS was used to confirm the amide and amide-ester peaks. We evaluated the greenness of the developed method using the freely available software HPLC-Environmental Assessment Tool (HPLC-EAT) and the method got a scoring of 73 HPLC-EAT units, implying that the analytical procedure was more environmentally benign compared to some other methods reported in literature whose HPLC-EAT values scored up to 182. Conclusion Use of ELSD detector allowed the detection and quantification of the substrates and the reaction products of enzymatic synthesis of the surfactant, N-lauroyl-N-methylglucamide. The developed HPLC method has acceptable environmental profile based on HPLC-EAT evaluation. PMID:24914404

Environmental risk assessment for plant pests: a procedure to evaluate their impacts on ecosystem services.

PubMed

Gilioli, G; Schrader, G; Baker, R H A; Ceglarska, E; Kertész, V K; Lövei, G; Navajas, M; Rossi, V; Tramontini, S; van Lenteren, J C

2014-01-15

The current methods to assess the environmental impacts of plant pests differ in their approaches and there is a lack of the standardized procedures necessary to provide accurate and consistent results, demonstrating the complexity of developing a commonly accepted scheme for this purpose. By including both the structural and functional components of the environment threatened by invasive alien species (IAS), in particular plant pests, we propose an environmental risk assessment scheme that addresses this complexity. Structural components are investigated by evaluating the impacts of the plant pest on genetic, species and landscape diversity. Functional components are evaluated by estimating how plant pests modify ecosystem services in order to determine the extent to which an IAS changes the functional traits that influence ecosystem services. A scenario study at a defined spatial and temporal resolution is then used to explore how an IAS, as an exogenous driving force, may trigger modifications in the target environment. The method presented here provides a standardized approach to generate comparable and reproducible results for environmental risk assessment as a component of Pest Risk Analysis. The method enables the assessment of overall environmental risk which integrates the impacts on different components of the environment and their probabilities of occurrence. The application of the proposed scheme is illustrated by evaluating the environmental impacts of the invasive citrus long-horn beetle, Anoplophora chinensis. © 2013.

Evaluation of the suitability of neural network method for prediction of uranium activity ratio in environmental alpha spectra.

PubMed

Einian, Mohammad Reza; Aghamiri, Seyed Mahmood Reza; Ghaderi, Reza

2015-11-01

Applying Artificial Neural Network to an alpha spectrometry system is a good idea to discriminate the composition of environmental and non-environmental materials by the estimation of the (234)U/(238)U activity ratio. Because it eliminates limitations of classical approaches by the extraction the desired information from the average of a partial uranium raw spectrum. The network was trained by an alpha spectrum library which was developed in this work. The results indicated that there was a small difference between the target values and the predictions. These results were acceptable, because the thickness of samples and the inferring elements were different in the real library. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

77 FR 21551 - New York City Department of Environmental Protection; Notice of Application Accepted for filing...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-10

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 13287-004] New York City Department of Environmental Protection; Notice of Application Accepted for filing And Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public...

Functional sensorial complementation during host orientation in an Asilidae parasitoid larva.

PubMed

Pueyrredon, J M; Crespo, J E; Castelo, M K

2017-10-01

Changes in environmental conditions influence the performance of organisms in every aspect of their life. Being capable of accurately sensing these changes allow organisms to better adapt. The detection of environmental conditions involves different sensory modalities. There are many studies on the morphology of different sensory structures but not so many studies showing their function. Here we studied the morphology of different sensory structures in the larva of a dipteran parasitoid. We occluded the putative sensory structures coupling the morphology with their function. First, we could develop a non-invasive method in which we occluded the putative sensorial structures annulling their function temporarily. Regarding their functionality, we found that larvae of Mallophora ruficauda require simultaneously of the sensilla found both in the antennae and those of the maxillary palps in order to orient to its host. When either both antennae or both maxillary palps were occluded, no orientation to the host was observed. We also found that these structures are not involved in the acceptance of the host because high and similar proportion of parasitized hosts was found in host acceptance experiments. We propose that other sensilla could be involved in host acceptance and discuss how the different sensilla in the antennae and maxillary palps complement each other to provide larvae with the information for locating its host.

Environmental Communications Today: An Educator's Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoenfeld, Clay

1979-01-01

The article traces the origins of environmental communications and focuses on several categories of environmental communication. It specifies the common denominators of the various forms of environmental communications. An appendix of journals that accept freelance environmental articles is included. (RE)

Developmental and Environmental Influences on Young Children’s Vegetable Preferences and Consumption123

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Food intake patterns begin to be shaped at the earliest points in life. Early exposures and experiences are critical for the acceptance of some foods, particularly healthful foods such as vegetables, which often have a bitter component in their flavor profiles. In addition to repeated exposure to these foods, the quality and emotional tone of parent-child interactions are important in facilitating children’s acceptance of vegetables. During early childhood, parents are challenged by children’s developmental characteristics related to eating, such as the emergence of child neophobia, and by individual characteristics of the child that are more biologically based, including genetic predispositions to bitter taste and sensory sensitivities. Experimental studies consistently show that repeated exposure to novel and rejected familiar foods is the most powerful method to improve acceptance. However, the manner and persistence with which these exposures are performed are critical. Research investigating influences on children’s vegetable acceptance and ingestion has focused on associations among availability, parent intakes, child neophobia, and the parental feeding response to children’s reluctance to try and consume vegetables. Because young children’s dietary intakes are low and below dietary recommendations, investigations have focused more on factors that impede children’s vegetable acceptance, such as controlling feeding practices, than on positive influences. Research that addresses the multifaceted nature of these interactions among different levels of social-ecological environment, individual traits, parental feeding styles and practices, and socioeconomic influences and that uses longitudinal designs and complex statistical approaches is called for to ascertain more effective methods to improve children’s vegetable acceptance. PMID:26773030

Developmental and Environmental Influences on Young Children's Vegetable Preferences and Consumption.

PubMed

Johnson, Susan L

2016-01-01

Food intake patterns begin to be shaped at the earliest points in life. Early exposures and experiences are critical for the acceptance of some foods, particularly healthful foods such as vegetables, which often have a bitter component in their flavor profiles. In addition to repeated exposure to these foods, the quality and emotional tone of parent-child interactions are important in facilitating children's acceptance of vegetables. During early childhood, parents are challenged by children's developmental characteristics related to eating, such as the emergence of child neophobia, and by individual characteristics of the child that are more biologically based, including genetic predispositions to bitter taste and sensory sensitivities. Experimental studies consistently show that repeated exposure to novel and rejected familiar foods is the most powerful method to improve acceptance. However, the manner and persistence with which these exposures are performed are critical. Research investigating influences on children's vegetable acceptance and ingestion has focused on associations among availability, parent intakes, child neophobia, and the parental feeding response to children's reluctance to try and consume vegetables. Because young children's dietary intakes are low and below dietary recommendations, investigations have focused more on factors that impede children's vegetable acceptance, such as controlling feeding practices, than on positive influences. Research that addresses the multifaceted nature of these interactions among different levels of social-ecological environment, individual traits, parental feeding styles and practices, and socioeconomic influences and that uses longitudinal designs and complex statistical approaches is called for to ascertain more effective methods to improve children's vegetable acceptance. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

Lightweight Combat Vehicle S and T Campaign

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-06

research in nano-materials, self - healing /diagnosing materials, multi-functional materials, and environmentally acceptable materials. The application...research includes nano-materials, self - healing /diagnosing materials, multi-functional materials, and environmentally acceptable materials.5 The 2003...hubs must be led by a not-for-profit organization, provide 50% cost share match, and are expected to become self -sufficient in 5 years. So far, all

18 CFR 5.22 - Notice of acceptance and ready for environmental analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Notice of acceptance and ready for environmental analysis. 5.22 Section 5.22 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY REGULATIONS UNDER THE FEDERAL POWER ACT INTEGRATED LICENSE APPLICATION PROCESS § 5.22 Notice o...

'Nuisance Dust' - a Case for Recalibration?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Datson, Hugh; Marker, Brian

2013-04-01

This paper considers the case for a review and recalibration of limit values and acceptability criteria for 'nuisance dust', a widely encountered but poorly defined and regulated aspect of particulate matter pollution. Specific dust fractions such as PM10 and asbestiforms are well characterised and have limit values enshrined in legislation. National, and international, limit values for acceptable concentrations of PM10 and other fractions of particulate matter have been defined and agreed. In the United Kingdom (UK), these apply to both public and workplace exposures. By contrast, there is no standard definition or universal criteria against which acceptable levels for 'nuisance dust' can be assessed. This has implications for land-use planning and resource utilisation. Without meaningful limit values, inappropriate development might take place too near to residential dwellings or land containing economically important mineral resources may be effectively sterilised. Furthermore, the expression 'nuisance dust' is unhelpful in that 'nuisance' has a specific meaning in environmental law whilst 'nuisance dust' is often taken to mean 'generally visible particulate matter'. As such, it is associated with the social and broader environmental impacts of particulate matter. PM10 concentrations are usually expressed as a mass concentration over time. These can be determined using a range of techniques. While results from different instruments are generally comparable, data obtained from alternative methods for measuring 'nuisance dust' are rarely interchangeable. In the UK, many of the methods typically used are derived from approaches developed under the HMIP (Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution) regime in the 1960s onwards. Typical methods for 'nuisance dust' sampling focus on measurement of dust mass (from the weight of dust collected in an open container over time) or dust soiling (from loss of reflectance and or obscuration of a surface discoloured by dust over time). 'Custom and practice' acceptance criteria for dust samples obtained by mass or soiling techniques have been developed and are widely applied even though they were not necessarily calibrated thoroughly and have not been reviewed recently. Furthermore, as sampling techniques have evolved, criteria developed for one method have been adapted for another. Criteria and limit values have sometimes been based on an insufficient knowledge of sampler characteristics. Ideally, limit values should be calibrated for the locality to take differences in dust density and visibility into account. Work is needed on the definition of criteria and limit values, and sampling practices for coarse dust fractions, followed by discussion of good practices for securing effective monitoring that is proportionate and fit for purpose. With social changes and the evolution of environmental controls since the 1960s, the public perception of 'nuisance dust' has changed and needs to be addressed by reviewing existing thresholds in relation to the range of monitoring devices currently in use.

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.

Review of achievements of the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials' Testing and Assessment Programme. From exploratory testing to test guidelines.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Kirsten; González, Mar; Kearns, Peter; Sintes, Juan Riego; Rossi, François; Sayre, Phil

2016-02-01

This paper charts the almost ten years of history of OECD's work on nanosafety, during which the programme of the OECD on the Testing and Assessment of Manufactured Nanomaterials covered the testing of eleven nanomaterials for about 59 end-points addressing physical-chemical properties, mammalian and environmental toxicity, environmental fate and material safety. An overview of the materials tested, the test methods applied and the discussions regarding the applicability of the OECD test guidelines, which are recognised methods for regulatory testing of chemicals, are given. The results indicate that many existing OECD test guidelines are suitable for nanomaterials and consequently, hazard data collected using such guidelines will fall under OECD's system of Mutual Acceptance of Data (MAD) which is a legally binding instrument to facilitate the international acceptance of information for the regulatory safety assessment of chemicals. At the same time, some OECD test guidelines and guidance documents need to be adapted to address nanomaterials while new test guidelines and guidance documents may be needed to address endpoints that are more relevant to nanomaterials. This paper presents examples of areas where test guidelines or guidance for nanomaterials are under development. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sulfide tails management within the framework of sustainable development in mineral sand mines--the case study of Sierra Rutile Ltd.

PubMed

Kallon, Senesie B; Jabati, Ansu M; Samura, Alusine

2011-01-01

The study discussed here assessed Sierra Rutile Ltd.'s (SRLs) water-cover sulfide tails management method. Monthly and quarterly water samples from SRLs Sulfide Tails Pond (STP), Total Tails Pond (TTP), and the Titan Domestic Pond (TDP) were analyzed for 15 months. Results indicated acceptable quality for the STP. From Student's t-test analysis, it was found that the mean pH of the TTP was significantly lower than that of the TDP (p < .05). Results did not indicate pollution of the TDP by SRLs tailings management. The water-cover method significantly suppressed sulfide oxidation in the STP. Concerns to be addressed, however, include potential overtopping of the pond, water level fluctuations, and the need for periodic reinforcement of the tailings embankments. A dedicated environmental monitoring campaign that includes other proximate water bodies is suggested; this should inform timely mitigation of any environmental contamination and promote sound environmental and public health outcomes.

[Evaluation of eco-environmental quality based on artificial neural network and remote sensing techniques].

PubMed

Li, Hongyi; Shi, Zhou; Sha, Jinming; Cheng, Jieliang

2006-08-01

In the present study, vegetation, soil brightness, and moisture indices were extracted from Landsat ETM remote sensing image, heat indices were extracted from MODIS land surface temperature product, and climate index and other auxiliary geographical information were selected as the input of neural network. The remote sensing eco-environmental background value of standard interest region evaluated in situ was selected as the output of neural network, and the back propagation (BP) neural network prediction model containing three layers was designed. The network was trained, and the remote sensing eco-environmental background value of Fuzhou in China was predicted by using software MATLAB. The class mapping of remote sensing eco-environmental background values based on evaluation standard showed that the total classification accuracy was 87. 8%. The method with a scheme of prediction first and classification then could provide acceptable results in accord with the regional eco-environment types.

Systematic reviews: Separating fact from fiction.

PubMed

Haddaway, Neal R; Bilotta, Gary S

2016-01-01

The volume of scientific literature continues to expand and decision-makers are faced with increasingly unmanageable volumes of evidence to assess. Systematic reviews (SRs) are powerful tools that aim to provide comprehensive, transparent, reproducible and updateable summaries of evidence. SR methods were developed, and have been employed, in healthcare for more than two decades, and they are now widely used across a broad range of topics, including environmental management and social interventions in crime and justice, education, international development, and social welfare. Despite these successes and the increasing acceptance of SR methods as a 'gold standard' in evidence-informed policy and practice, misconceptions still remain regarding their applicability. The aim of this article is to separate fact from fiction, addressing twelve common misconceptions that can influence the decision as to whether a SR is the most appropriate method for evidence synthesis for a given topic. Through examples, we illustrate the flexibility of SR methods and demonstrate their suitability for addressing issues on environmental health and chemical risk assessment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 21877 - Environmental Management Advisory Board

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-19

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Advisory Board AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of call for nominations for appointment to the Environmental Management Advisory Board. SUMMARY... Environmental Management Advisory Board. DATES: Nominations will be accepted through May 13, 2011. ADDRESSES...

Structural damage detection for in-service highway bridge under operational and environmental variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Chenhao; Li, Jingcheng; Jang, Shinae; Sun, Xiaorong; Christenson, Richard

2015-03-01

Structural health monitoring has drawn significant attention in the past decades with numerous methodologies and applications for civil structural systems. Although many researchers have developed analytical and experimental damage detection algorithms through vibration-based methods, these methods are not widely accepted for practical structural systems because of their sensitivity to uncertain environmental and operational conditions. The primary environmental factor that influences the structural modal properties is temperature. The goal of this article is to analyze the natural frequency-temperature relationships and detect structural damage in the presence of operational and environmental variations using modal-based method. For this purpose, correlations between natural frequency and temperature are analyzed to select proper independent variables and inputs for the multiple linear regression model and neural network model. In order to capture the changes of natural frequency, confidence intervals to detect the damages for both models are generated. A long-term structural health monitoring system was installed on an in-service highway bridge located in Meriden, Connecticut to obtain vibration and environmental data. Experimental testing results show that the variability of measured natural frequencies due to temperature is captured, and the temperature-induced changes in natural frequencies have been considered prior to the establishment of the threshold in the damage warning system. This novel approach is applicable for structural health monitoring system and helpful to assess the performance of the structure for bridge management and maintenance.

77 FR 15091 - Environmental Management Advisory Board

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-14

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Advisory Board AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of Solicitation of Nominations for Appointment as a member of the Environmental Management... Environmental Management Advisory Board (EMAB). DATES: The deadline for nominations for members will be accepted...

Acceptability of tick control interventions to prevent Lyme disease in Switzerland and Canada: a mixed-method study.

PubMed

Aenishaenslin, Cécile; Michel, Pascal; Ravel, André; Gern, Lise; Waaub, Jean-Philippe; Milord, François; Bélanger, Denise

2016-01-05

Lyme disease control strategies may include tick control interventions in high risk areas. Public authorities may be interested to assess how these types of interventions are perceived by the public which may then impact their acceptability. The aims of this paper are to compare socio-cognitive factors associated with high acceptability of tick control interventions and to describe perceived issues that may explain their low acceptability in populations living in two different regions, one being an endemic region for LD since the last 30 years, the Neuchâtel canton, in Switzerland, and another where the disease is emerging, the Montérégie region, in Canada. A mixed methods' design was chosen. Quantitative data were collected using web-surveys conducted in both regions (n = 814). Multivariable logistic regressions were used to compare socio-cognitive factors associated with high acceptability of selected interventions. Qualitative data were collected using focus group's discussions to describe perceived issues relative to these interventions. Levels of acceptability in the studied populations were the lowest for the use of acaricides and landscaping and were under 50 % in both regions for six out of eight interventions, but were higher overall in Montérégie. High perceived efficacy of the intervention was strongly associated with high acceptability of tick control interventions. A high perceived risk about LD was also associated with a high acceptability of intervention under some models. High level of knowledge about LD was negatively associated with high acceptability of the use of acaricides in Neuchâtel. Perceived issues explaining low acceptability included environmental impacts, high costs to the public system, danger of individual disempowerment and perceptions that tick control interventions were disproportionate options for the level of LD risk. This study suggests that the perceived efficacy and LD risk perception may be key factors to target to increase the acceptability of tick control interventions. Community-level issues seem to be important considerations driving low acceptability of public health interventions. Results of this study highlight the importance for decision-makers to account for socio-cognitive factors and perceived issues that may affect the acceptability of public health interventions in order to maximize the efficacy of actions to prevent and control LD.

Geostatistical applications in environmental remediation

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

Stewart, R.N.; Purucker, S.T.; Lyon, B.F.

1995-02-01

Geostatistical analysis refers to a collection of statistical methods for addressing data that vary in space. By incorporating spatial information into the analysis, geostatistics has advantages over traditional statistical analysis for problems with a spatial context. Geostatistics has a history of success in earth science applications, and its popularity is increasing in other areas, including environmental remediation. Due to recent advances in computer technology, geostatistical algorithms can be executed at a speed comparable to many standard statistical software packages. When used responsibly, geostatistics is a systematic and defensible tool can be used in various decision frameworks, such as the Datamore » Quality Objectives (DQO) process. At every point in the site, geostatistics can estimate both the concentration level and the probability or risk of exceeding a given value. Using these probability maps can assist in identifying clean-up zones. Given any decision threshold and an acceptable level of risk, the probability maps identify those areas that are estimated to be above or below the acceptable risk. Those areas that are above the threshold are of the most concern with regard to remediation. In addition to estimating clean-up zones, geostatistics can assist in designing cost-effective secondary sampling schemes. Those areas of the probability map with high levels of estimated uncertainty are areas where more secondary sampling should occur. In addition, geostatistics has the ability to incorporate soft data directly into the analysis. These data include historical records, a highly correlated secondary contaminant, or expert judgment. The role of geostatistics in environmental remediation is a tool that in conjunction with other methods can provide a common forum for building consensus.« less

Integrated Environmental Risk Assessment and Whole-Process Management System in Chemical Industry Parks

PubMed Central

Shao, Chaofeng; Yang, Juan; Tian, Xiaogang; Ju, Meiting; Huang, Lei

2013-01-01

Chemical industry parks in China are considered high-risk areas because they present numerous risks that can damage the environment, such as pollution incidents. In order to identify the environmental risks and the principal risk factors in these areas, we have developed a simple physical model of a regional environmental risk field (ERF) using existing dispersal patterns and migration models. The regional ERF zoning was also conducted and a reference value for diagnostic methods was developed to determine risk-acceptable, risk-warning, and risk-mitigation zones, which can provide a risk source layout for chemical industry parks. In accordance with the environmental risk control requirements, this study focused on the three stages of control and management of environmental risk and established an environmental risk management system including risk source identification and assessment, environmental safety planning, early risk warning, emergency management, assessment of environmental effects, and environmental remediation of pollution accidents. By using this model, the environmental risks in Tianjin Binhai New Area, the largest chemical industry park in China, were assessed and the environmental risk zoning map was drawn, which suggested the existence of many unacceptable environmental risks in this area. Thus, relevant suggestions have been proposed from the perspective of the adjustment of risk source layout, intensified management of environmental risk control and so on. PMID:23603866

Integrated environmental risk assessment and whole-process management system in chemical industry parks.

PubMed

Shao, Chaofeng; Yang, Juan; Tian, Xiaogang; Ju, Meiting; Huang, Lei

2013-04-19

Chemical industry parks in China are considered high-risk areas because they present numerous risks that can damage the environment, such as pollution incidents. In order to identify the environmental risks and the principal risk factors in these areas, we have developed a simple physical model of a regional environmental risk field (ERF) using existing dispersal patterns and migration models. The regional ERF zoning was also conducted and a reference value for diagnostic methods was developed to determine risk-acceptable, risk-warning, and risk-mitigation zones, which can provide a risk source layout for chemical industry parks. In accordance with the environmental risk control requirements, this study focused on the three stages of control and management of environmental risk and established an environmental risk management system including risk source identification and assessment, environmental safety planning, early risk warning, emergency management, assessment of environmental effects, and environmental remediation of pollution accidents. By using this model, the environmental risks in Tianjin Binhai New Area, the largest chemical industry park in China, were assessed and the environmental risk zoning map was drawn, which suggested the existence of many unacceptable environmental risks in this area. Thus, relevant suggestions have been proposed from the perspective of the adjustment of risk source layout, intensified management of environmental risk control and so on.

The Effects of Sequential Environmental and Harvest Stressors on the Sensory Characteristics of Cultured Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) Fillets.

PubMed

Ciaramella, Michael A; Kim, Taejo; Avery, Jimmy L; Allen, Peter J; Schilling, M Wes

2016-08-01

Stress during fish culture alters physiological homeostasis and affects fillet quality. Maintenance of high-quality seafood is important to ensure the production of a marketable product. This study assessed how sequential stressors affect the sensory and quality characteristics of catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) fillets. Three stress trials were conducted where temperature (25 or 33 °C) and dissolved oxygen (DO, approximately 2.5 or >5 mg/L) were manipulated followed by socking and transport stress. After each stage of harvest (environmental stress, socking, and transport), fillet yield, consumer acceptability, descriptive evaluation, cook loss, tenderness, and pH were evaluated. Fillet yield decreased with increasing severity of environmental stress. Fillets from the severe stress treatment (33 °C, approximately 2.5 mg/L) received the highest acceptability scores (P < 0.05). Control fillets (25 °C, >5 mg/L) were the least acceptable (P < 0.05). Increased intensity of less favorable flavor attributes commonly associated with catfish resulted in the differences in acceptability among treatments. As fish progressed through the harvest event, cook loss decreased, tenderness increased, and pH increased, indicating that stress induced textural changes. The data suggest that although environmental stress results in slight changes in flavor attributes, its effects on acceptability are minor with fillets from all treatments still liked (>6 on a 9 point scale). Socking and transport were identified to positively affect textural characteristics of catfish fillets. Although the effects observed were not likely to negatively impact consumer acceptance, a strict management plan should be followed to maintain consistency in the product and avoid changes in stressors that might alter quality more drastically. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-30

CO2 >60% ASTM D-5864 Shake flask test CO2 >60% EPA 560/6-82-003 BODIS test BOD/COD >60% ISO 10708 Hydrocarbon degradability CEC test Infrared...several criteria proposed over the past few years to describe the point at which chemicals are no longer taken up in the body and bioaccumulated (Arnot...conducted by an approved third -party laboratory. The OSPAR protocols for methods for the testing of chemicals used in the offshore oil industry are

Program and Abstracts for Clay Minerals Society 28th Annual Meeting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

This volume contains abstracts that were accepted for presentation at the annual meeting. Some of the main topics covered include: (1) fundamental properties of minerals and methods of mineral analysis; (2) surface chemistry; (3) extraterrestrial clay minerals; (4) geothermometers and geochronometers; (5) smectite, vermiculite, illite, and related reactions; (6) soils and clays in environmental research; (7) kaolinite, halloysite, iron oxides, and mineral transformations; and (8) clays in lakes, basins, and reservoirs.

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT - PORTABLE GAS CHROMATOGRAPH - PERKIN-ELMER PHOTOVAC, INC. VOYAGOR

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency, through the Environmental Technology Verification Program, is working to accelerate the acceptance and use of innovative technologies that improve the way the United States manages its environmental problems. Reports document the performa...

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT - CHROMATOGRAPH/MASS SPECTOMETOR INLICON, INC. HAPSITE

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, through the Environmental Technology Verification Program, is working to accelerate the acceptance and use of innovative technologies that improve the way the United States manages its environmental problems. As part of this program, the...

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT - PORTABLE GAS CHROMATOGRAPH - SENTEX SYSTEMS, INC. SCENTOGRAPH PLUS II

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, through the Environmental Technology Verification Program, is working to accelerate the acceptance and use of innovative technologies that improve the way the United States manages its environmental problems. This report documents demons...

MOBILE ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETER OPERATED BY PACE ENVIRONMENTAL FOR METALS-CONTAMINATED SOIL CHARACTERIZATION

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through the Environmental Technology Verification Program, is working to accelerate the acceptance and use of innovative technologies that improve the way the United States manages its environmental problems. This report describes ...

EPA New England Opens Nomination Period for Annual Environmental Merit Awards

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency office in New England is accepting nominations for New England people, organizations, government entities or businesses whose environmental achievements during the past year deserve recognition.

Meanings and implications of acceptability judgements for wilderness use impacts

Treesearch

Amy F. Hoss; Mark W. Brunson

2000-01-01

While the concept of “acceptability” is central to the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) framework, there is inadequate understanding of how “acceptability” is judged and how unacceptable conditions affect visitor experiences. To address this knowledge gap, visitors to nine wilderness areas were interviewed. Judgments of social and environmental conditions fell into...

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT - PORTABLE GAS CHROMATOGRAPH ELECTRONIC SENSOR TECHNOLOGY MODEL 4100

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, through the Environmental Technology Verification Program, is working to accelerate the acceptance and use of innovative technologies that improve the way the United States manages its environmental problems. As part of this program, the...

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT - PHOTOACOUSTIC SPECTROPHOTOMATER INNOVA AIR TECH INSTRUMENTS MODEL 1312 MULTI-GAS MONITOR

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Through the Environmental Technology Verification Program, is working to accelerate the acceptance and use of innovative technologies that improve the way the United States manages its environmental problems. This report documents demons...

Implementation of Leak Test Methods for the International Space Station (ISS) Elements, Systems and Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Underwood, Steve; Lvovsky, Oleg

2007-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS has Qualification and Acceptance Environmental Test Requirements document, SSP 41172 that includes many environmental tests such as Thermal vacuum & Cycling, Depress/Repress, Sinusoidal, Random, and Acoustic Vibration, Pyro Shock, Acceleration, Humidity, Pressure, Electromatic Interference (EMI)/Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMCO), etc. This document also includes (13) leak test methods for Pressure Integrity Verification of the ISS Elements, Systems, and Components. These leak test methods are well known, however, the test procedure for specific leak test method shall be written and implemented paying attention to the important procedural steps/details that, if omitted or deviated, could impact the quality of the final product and affect the crew safety. Such procedural steps/details for different methods include, but not limited to: - Sequence of testing, f or example, pressurization and submersion steps for Method I (Immersion); - Stabilization of the mass spectrometer leak detector outputs fo r Method II (vacuum Chamber or Bell jar); - Proper data processing an d taking a conservative approach while making predictions for on-orbit leakage rate for Method III(Pressure Change); - Proper Calibration o f the mass spectrometer leak detector for all the tracer gas (mostly Helium) Methods such as Method V (Detector Probe), Method VI (Hood), Method VII (Tracer Probe), Method VIII(Accumulation); - Usage of visibl ility aides for Method I (Immersion), Method IV (Chemical Indicator), Method XII (Foam/Liquid Application), and Method XIII (Hydrostatic/Visual Inspection); While some methods could be used for the total leaka ge (either internal-to-external or external-to-internal) rate requirement verification (Vacuum Chamber, Pressure Decay, Hood, Accumulation), other methods shall be used only as a pass/fail test for individual joints (e.g., welds, fittings, and plugs) or for troubleshooting purposes (Chemical Indicator, Detector Probe, Tracer Probe, Local Vacuum Chamber, Foam/Liquid Application, and Hydrostatic/Visual Inspection). Any isolation of SSP 41172 requirements have led to either retesting of hardware or accepting a risk associated with the potential system or component pressure integrity problem during flight.

The microwave-assisted ionic-liquid method: a promising methodology in nanomaterials.

PubMed

Ma, Ming-Guo; Zhu, Jie-Fang; Zhu, Ying-Jie; Sun, Run-Cang

2014-09-01

In recent years, the microwave-assisted ionic-liquid method has been accepted as a promising methodology for the preparation of nanomaterials and cellulose-based nanocomposites. Applications of this method in the preparation of cellulose-based nanocomposites comply with the major principles of green chemistry, that is, they use an environmentally friendly method in environmentally preferable solvents to make use of renewable materials. This minireview focuses on the recent development of the synthesis of nanomaterials and cellulose-based nanocomposites by means of the microwave-assisted ionic-liquid method. We first discuss the preparation of nanomaterials including noble metals, metal oxides, complex metal oxides, metal sulfides, and other nanomaterials by means of this method. Then we provide an overview of the synthesis of cellulose-based nanocomposites by using this method. The emphasis is on the synthesis, microstructure, and properties of nanostructured materials obtained through this methodology. Our recent research on nanomaterials and cellulose-based nanocomposites by this rapid method is summarized. In addition, the formation mechanisms involved in the microwave-assisted ionic-liquid synthesis of nanostructured materials are discussed briefly. Finally, the future perspectives of this methodology in the synthesis of nanostructured materials are proposed. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Quality of life and satisfaction with life of malaria patients in context of acceptance of the disease: quantitative studies

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Health status is one of the basic factors of a high quality of life and the problem of the acceptance of illness is important for adaptation to the limitations imposed by it. The purpose of the study was the evaluation of the quality of life, satisfaction with life and the acceptance of illness by malaria patients, as well as the discovery of a relationship between studied parameters. Methods The study was undertaken in August 2010, on 120 Nigerian patients with confirmed malaria. A method of diagnostic survey, based on standardized scales - Acceptance of Illness Scale, The Satisfaction With Life Scale and a standardized survey questionnaire World Health Organization Quality of Life/BREF - was used in this study. Descriptive statistics, variability range, 95% confidence interval, correlation analysis, Spearman’s non-parametric correlation coefficient, Mann–Whitney test and Kruskal-Wallis test were applied and the, so called, test statistics was calculated, followed by the calculation of the test probability p. Results of analyses were presented in a box graph, and a graph of dispersion. Results A dominating share in the adjective scale of the AIS scale was the category of “no acceptance”, given by 71.7% of respondents. The average level of a “somatic domain” was 41.7, and of a “social domain” was 62.8. The mean satisfaction of life evaluation in the SWLS scale was 18 points. The correlation between acceptance of the disease and quality of life for the psychological domain was 0.39***, and between acceptance of the disease and satisfaction with life was 0.40***. The correlation between satisfaction with life and quality of life for the psychological domain was 0.65***, and between satisfaction with life and quality of life for the environment domain was 0.60***. The mean level of AIS for the studied population of men was 16.5, and test probability: p = 0.0014**, and for the environment domain the level was 50, and the test probability: p = 0.0073**. For quality of life in the social sphere the test probability: p = 0.0013** in relatively older individuals. Conclusion The majority of people do not accept their condition. Evaluation of the quality of life was the highest in the social domain, and the lowest in the somatic domain. There is a statistically significant correlation between the level of acceptance of illness and the quality of life and satisfaction with life. The strongest correlation is found between satisfaction with life and the evaluation of the quality of life in psychological and environmental domains. Men evaluate their quality of life in the environmental domain higher and demonstrate a higher acceptance of their disease. There is a correlation regarding a significantly higher quality of life in the social sphere in relatively older people. PMID:22616635

Are We Meeting the Goal of Responsible Environmental Behavior: An Examination of Nature and Environmental Education Center Goals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simmons, Deborah A.

1991-01-01

Through two surveys of nature and environmental centers throughout the United States, the author compares the centers' expressed goals with the goals of environmental education. These goals were determined by an accepted behavior model that is considered conducive to environmentally responsible behavior. (17 references) (MCO)

Space Station Freedom Environmental Health Care Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richard, Elizabeth E.; Russo, Dane M.

1992-01-01

The paper discusses the environmental planning and monitoring aspects of the Space Station Freedom (SSF) Environmental Health Care Program, which encompasses all phases of the SSF assembly and operation from the first element entry at MB-6 through the Permanent Manned Capability and beyond. Environmental planning involves the definition of acceptability limits and monitoring requirements for the radiation dose barothermal parameters and potential contaminants in the SSF air and water and on internal surfaces. Inflight monitoring will be implemented through the Environmental Health System, which consists of five subsystems: Microbiology, Toxicology, Water Quality, Radiation, and Barothermal Physiology. In addition to the environmental data interpretation and analysis conducted after each mission, the new data will be compared to archived data for statistical and long-term trend analysis and determination of risk exposures. Results of these analyses will be used to modify the acceptability limits and monitoring requirements for the future.

International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System Acceptance Testing for Node 1 Temperature and Humidity Control Subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David E.

2011-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Node 1 Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) System is comprised of five subsystems: Atmosphere Control and Storage (ACS), Atmosphere Revitalization (AR), Fire Detection and Suppression (FDS), Temperature and Humidity Control (THC), and Water Recovery and Management (WRM). This paper will provide a summary of the Node 1 ECLS THC subsystem design and a detailed discussion of the ISS ECLS Acceptance Testing methodology utilized for this subsystem.The International Space Station (ISS) Node 1 Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) System is comprised of five subsystems: Atmosphere Control and Storage (ACS), Atmosphere Revitalization (AR), Fire Detection and Suppression (FDS), Temperature and Humidity Control (THC), and Water Recovery and Management (WRM). This paper will provide a summary of the Node 1 ECLS THC subsystem design and a detailed discussion of the ISS ECLS Acceptance Testing methodology utilized for this subsystem.

US EPA - A*Star Partnership - Accelerating the Acceptance of ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The path for incorporating new alternative methods and technologies into quantitative chemical risk assessment poses a diverse set of scientific challenges. Some of these challenges include development of relevant and predictive test systems and computational models to integrate and extrapolate experimental data, and rapid characterization and acceptance of these systems and models. The series of presentations will highlight a collaborative effort between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) that is focused on developing and applying experimental and computational models for predicting chemical-induced liver and kidney toxicity, brain angiogenesis, and blood-brain-barrier formation. In addressing some of these challenges, the U.S. EPA and A*STAR collaboration will provide a glimpse of what chemical risk assessments could look like in the 21st century. Presentation on US EPA – A*STAR Partnership at international symposium on Accelerating the acceptance of next-generation sciences and their application to regulatory risk assessment in Singapore.

The efficacy of subsurface flow reed bed treatment in the removal of Campylobacter spp., faecal coliforms and Escherichia coli from poultry litter.

PubMed

Duggan, J; Bates, M P; Phillips, C A

2001-06-01

The use of poultry waste as a fertiliser on arable land is an accepted method of waste treatment. However, run-off from such practices may result in contamination of the watercourse by human pathogens. In this study the effectiveness of using constructed wetlands as an alternative treatment for poultry manure waste was evaluated. Enumeration of Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli, total coliforms and total aerobes were carried out on influent and effluent samples from reed beds loaded with poultry waste. For both sequential loading and continuous loading there was a statistically significant mean log reduction of 3.56 and 4.25 for E. coli, 3.2 and 3.88 for coliforms, 3.85 and 4.2 for total aerobic counts and 3.13 and 2.96 for Campylobacter spp., respectively. This method, which has been previously recognised as cost-effective and environmentally acceptable, provides an efficient method for reducing numbers of these bacteria in poultry waste and therefore an effective alternative treatment for such waste or waters containing run off from land previously spread with poultry manure.

Saco River-Camp Ellis Harbor, Saco, Maine. Small Navigation Project, Detailed Project Report and Environmental Assessment.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-12-01

41294) further evaluation of chemical -biological interactive effects is not necessary because the sediments meet the following evaluation criteria...such release would be predicted at the dredge site. bulk chemical analyses were run on the five samples taken in conjunction with maintenance...material to be dredged is therefore considered to be chemically acceptable for beach nourishment purposes or other disposal methods. 38 1%4* 4J 0 0 * M 0 0

Analysis of Ethanolamines: Validation of Semi-Volatile Analysis by HPLC-MS/MS by EPA Method MS888

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

Owens, J; Vu, A; Koester, C

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Region 5 Chicago Regional Laboratory (CRL) developed a method titled 'Analysis of Diethanolamine, Triethanolamine, n-Methyldiethanolamine, and n-Ethyldiethanolamine in Water by Single Reaction Monitoring Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS): EPA Method MS888'. This draft standard operating procedure (SOP) was distributed to multiple EPA laboratories and to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which was tasked to serve as a reference laboratory for EPA's Environmental Reference Laboratory Network (ERLN) and to develop and validate analytical procedures. The primary objective of this study was to validate and verify the analytical procedures described in 'EPA Method MS888' for analysis of themore » listed ethanolamines in aqueous samples. The gathered data from this validation study will be used to: (1) demonstrate analytical method performance; (2) generate quality control acceptance criteria; and (3) revise the SOP to provide a validated method that would be available for use during a homeland security event. The data contained in this report will be compiled, by EPA CRL, with data generated by other EPA Regional laboratories so that performance metrics of 'EPA Method MS888' can be determined.« less

Alternative Test Methods for Developmental Neurotoxicity: A ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Exposure to environmental contaminants is well documented to adversely impact the development of the nervous system. However, the time, animal and resource intensive EPA and OECD testing guideline methods for developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) are not a viable solution to characterizing potential chemical hazards for the thousands of untested chemicals currently in commerce. Thus, research efforts over the past decade have endeavored to develop cost-effective alternative DNT testing methods. These efforts have begun to generate data that can inform regulatory decisions. Yet there are major challenges to both the acceptance and use of this data. Major scientific challenges for DNT include development of new methods and models that are “fit for purpose”, development of a decision-use framework, and regulatory acceptance of the methods. It is critical to understand that use of data from these methods will be driven mainly by the regulatory problems being addressed. Some problems may be addressed with limited datasets, while others may require data for large numbers of chemicals, or require the development and use of new biological and computational models. For example mechanistic information derived from in vitro DNT assays can be used to inform weight of evidence (WoE) or integrated approaches to testing and assessment (IATA) approaches for chemical-specific assessments. Alternatively, in vitro data can be used to prioritize (for further testing) the thousands

The physiological basis for spacecraft environmental limits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Waligora, J. M. (Compiler)

1979-01-01

Limits for operational environments are discussed in terms of acceptable physiological changes. The environmental factors considered are pressure, contaminants, temperature, acceleration, noise, rf radiation, and weightlessness.

Sinks as limited resources? A new indicator for evaluating anthropogenic material flows

PubMed Central

Kral, Ulrich; Brunner, Paul H.; Chen, Pi-Cheng; Chen, Sih-Rong

2014-01-01

Besides recyclables, the use of materials inevitably yields non-recyclable materials such as emissions and wastes for disposal. These flows must be directed to sinks in a way that no adverse effects arise for humans and the environment. The objective of this paper is to present a new indicator for the assessment of substance flows to sinks on a regional scale. The indicator quantifies the environmentally acceptable mass share of a substance in actual waste and emission flows, ranging from 0% as worst case to 100% as best case. This paper consists of three parts: first, the indicator is defined. Second, a methodology to determine the indicator score is presented, including (i) substance flows analysis and (ii) a distant-to-target approach based on an adaptation of the Ecological Scarcity Method 2006. Third, the metric developed is applied in three case studies including copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) in the city of Vienna, and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in Switzerland. The following results were obtained: in Vienna, 99% of Cu flows to geogenic and anthropogenic sinks are acceptable when evaluated by the distant-to-target approach. However, the 0.7% of Cu entering urban soils and the 0.3% entering receiving waters are beyond the acceptable level. In the case of Pb, 92% of all flows into sinks prove to be acceptable, and 8% are disposed of in local landfills with limited capacity. For PFOS, 96% of all flows into sinks are acceptable. 4% cannot be evaluated due to a lack of normative criteria, despite posing a risk for human health and the environment. The examples demonstrate the need (i) for appropriate data of good quality to calculate the sink indicator and (ii) for standards, needed for the assessment of substance flows to urban soils and receiving waters. This study corroborates that the new indicator is well suited as a base for decisions regarding the control of hazardous substances in waste and environmental management. PMID:25368543

Multi-laboratory survey of qPCR enterococci analysis method performance

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has become a frequently used technique for quantifying enterococci in recreational surface waters, but there are several methodological options. Here we evaluated how three method permutations, type of mastermix, sample extract dilution and use of controls in results calculation, affect method reliability among multiple laboratories with respect to sample interference. Multiple samples from each of 22 sites representing an array of habitat types were analyzed using EPA Method 1611 and 1609 reagents with full strength and five-fold diluted extracts. The presence of interference was assessed three ways: using sample processing and PCR amplifications controls; consistency of results across extract dilutions; and relative recovery of target genes from spiked enterococci in water sample compared to control matrices with acceptable recovery defined as 50 to 200%. Method 1609, which is based on an environmental mastermix, was found to be superior to Method 1611, which is based on a universal mastermix. Method 1611 had over a 40% control assay failure rate with undiluted extracts and a 6% failure rate with diluted extracts. Method 1609 failed in only 11% and 3% of undiluted and diluted extracts analyses. Use of sample processing control assay results in the delta-delta Ct method for calculating relative target gene recoveries increased the number of acceptable recovery results. Delta-delta tended to bias recoveries fr

Some factors contributing to protein-energy malnutrition in the middle belt of Nigeria.

PubMed

Ighogboja, S I

1992-10-01

A number of risk factors leading to malnutrition were investigated among 400 mothers of malnourished children in the middle belt of Nigeria. Poverty, family instability, poor environmental sanitation, faulty weaning practices, illiteracy, ignorance, large family size and preventable infections are the main factors responsible for malnutrition. The strategies for intervention are in the area of health education emphasizing the importance of breastfeeding, family stability, responsible parenthood and small family sizes through culturally acceptable family planning methods. There is need to improve weaning methods through nutrition education, growth monitoring and food demonstration with community participation. Political will is needed to improve literacy status, farming methods and general living conditions.

JV Task 92 - Alcoa/Retec SFE and SPME

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

Steven Hawthorne

2009-02-15

This report summarizes the work performed by the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) under the U.S. Department of Energy Jointly Sponsored Research Program JV Task 92, which is a continuation of JV9. Successful studies performed in 1999 through the end of 2008 demonstrated the potential for using selective supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method for measuring sediment pore water polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to mimic the bioavailability of PAHs from manufactured gas plant and aluminum smelter soils and sediments both in freshwater and saltwater locations. The studies that the EERC has performed with the commercialmore » partners have continued to generate increased interest in both the regulatory communities and in the industries that have historically produced or utilized coal tar products. Both ASTM International and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have accepted the pore water method developed at the EERC as standard methods. The studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of our techniques in predicting bioavailability of PAHs from ca. 250 impacted and background field sediments and soils. The field demonstrations from the final years of the project continued to build the foundation data for acceptance of our methods by the regulatory communities. The JV92 studies provide the single largest database in the world that includes measures of PAH bioavailability along with biological end points. These studies clearly demonstrated that present regulatory paradigms based on equilibrium partitioning greatly overpredict bioavailability. These investigations also laid the foundation for present (non-JV) studies being applied to PAHs and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at EPA Superfund sites, investigations into PAH and PCB bioavailability at U.S Department of Defense sites, and the application of the techniques to investigating the bioavailability of chlorinated dioxins and furans from impacted sediments.« less

An engineering approach to controlling indoor air quality.

PubMed

Woods, J E

1991-11-01

Evidence is accumulating that indicates air quality problems in residential and commercial buildings are nearly always associated with inadequacies in building design and methods of operation. Thus, the very systems depended on to control the indoor environment can become indirect sources of contamination if diligence is not exercised at each stage of a building's life: a) planning and design, b) construction and commissioning, c) operation, and d) demolition or renovation. In this paper, an engineering perspective is presented in which the existing building stock is characterized in terms of its environmental performance. Preliminary data indicate that 20 to 30% of the existing buildings have sufficient problems to manifest as sick-building syndrome or building-related illness, while another 10 to 20% may have undetected problems. Thus, only about 50 to 70% of the existing buildings qualify as healthy buildings. Two methods and three mechanisms of control are described to achieve "acceptable" indoor air quality: source control and exposure control. If sources cannot be removed, some level of occupant exposure will result. To control exposures with acceptable values, the primary sensory receptors of the occupants (i.e., thermal, ocular, auditory, and olfactory) cannot be excessively stimulated. The three exposure control mechanisms are conduction, radiation, and convection. To achieve acceptable occupant responses, it is often practical to integrate the mechanisms of radiation and convection in heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems that are designed to provide acceptable thermal, acoustic, and air quality conditions within occupied spaces.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

An engineering approach to controlling indoor air quality.

PubMed Central

Woods, J E

1991-01-01

Evidence is accumulating that indicates air quality problems in residential and commercial buildings are nearly always associated with inadequacies in building design and methods of operation. Thus, the very systems depended on to control the indoor environment can become indirect sources of contamination if diligence is not exercised at each stage of a building's life: a) planning and design, b) construction and commissioning, c) operation, and d) demolition or renovation. In this paper, an engineering perspective is presented in which the existing building stock is characterized in terms of its environmental performance. Preliminary data indicate that 20 to 30% of the existing buildings have sufficient problems to manifest as sick-building syndrome or building-related illness, while another 10 to 20% may have undetected problems. Thus, only about 50 to 70% of the existing buildings qualify as healthy buildings. Two methods and three mechanisms of control are described to achieve "acceptable" indoor air quality: source control and exposure control. If sources cannot be removed, some level of occupant exposure will result. To control exposures with acceptable values, the primary sensory receptors of the occupants (i.e., thermal, ocular, auditory, and olfactory) cannot be excessively stimulated. The three exposure control mechanisms are conduction, radiation, and convection. To achieve acceptable occupant responses, it is often practical to integrate the mechanisms of radiation and convection in heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems that are designed to provide acceptable thermal, acoustic, and air quality conditions within occupied spaces.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) PMID:1821369

Analysis of Carbamate Pesticides: Validation of Semi-Volatile Analysis by HPLC-MS/MS by EPA Method MS666

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

Owens, J; Koester, C

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Region 5 Chicago Regional Laboratory (CRL) developed a method for analysis of aldicarb, bromadiolone, carbofuran, oxamyl, and methomyl in water by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), titled Method EPA MS666. This draft standard operating procedure (SOP) was distributed to multiple EPA laboratories and to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which was tasked to serve as a reference laboratory for EPA's Environmental Reference Laboratory Network (ERLN) and to develop and validate analytical procedures. The primary objective of this study was to validate and verify the analytical procedures described in MS666 for analysis of carbamatemore » pesticides in aqueous samples. The gathered data from this validation study will be used to: (1) demonstrate analytical method performance; (2) generate quality control acceptance criteria; and (3) revise the SOP to provide a validated method that would be available for use during a homeland security event. The data contained in this report will be compiled, by EPA CRL, with data generated by other EPA Regional laboratories so that performance metrics of Method EPA MS666 can be determined.« less

Analysis of Thiodiglycol: Validation of Semi-Volatile Analysis by HPLC-MS/MS by EPA Method MS777

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

Owens, J; Koester, C

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Region 5 Chicago Regional Laboratory (CRL) developed a method for the analysis of thiodiglycol, the breakdown product of the sulfur mustard HD, in water by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), titled Method EPA MS777 (hereafter referred to as EPA CRL SOP MS777). This draft standard operating procedure (SOP) was distributed to multiple EPA laboratories and to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which was tasked to serve as a reference laboratory for EPA's Environmental Reference Laboratory Network (ERLN) and to develop and validate analytical procedures. The primary objective of this study was to verifymore » the analytical procedures described in MS777 for analysis of thiodiglycol in aqueous samples. The gathered data from this study will be used to: (1) demonstrate analytical method performance; (2) generate quality control acceptance criteria; and (3) revise the SOP to provide a validated method that would be available for use during a homeland security event. The data contained in this report will be compiled, by EPA CRL, with data generated by other EPA Regional laboratories so that performance metrics of Method EPA MS777 can be determined.« less

77 FR 47827 - Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Kissimmee Basin Modified Water...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-10

... more acceptable balance among flood control, water supply, aquatic plant management, and natural... achieve a more acceptable balance among flood control, water supply, aquatic plant management, and natural...

LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORIES: LASER-INDUCED BREAKDOWN SPECTROMETER FOR METALS-CONTAMINATED SOIL CHARACTERIZATION

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through the Environmental Technology Verification Program, is working to accelerate the acceptance and use of innovative technologies that improve the way the United States manages its environmental problems. This report describes ...

MELOK INSTRUMENTS, INC. LASER-INDUCED BREAKDOWN SPECTROMETER FOR METALS-CONTAMINATED SOIL CHARACTERIZATION

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through the Environmental Technology Verification Program, is working to accelerate the acceptance and use of innovative technologies that improve the way the United States manages its environmental problems. This report describes ...

Service Modeling for Service Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimomura, Yoshiki; Tomiyama, Tetsuo

Intensification of service and knowledge contents within product life cycles is considered crucial for dematerialization, in particular, to design optimal product-service systems from the viewpoint of environmentally conscious design and manufacturing in advanced post industrial societies. In addition to the environmental limitations, we are facing social limitations which include limitations of markets to accept increasing numbers of mass-produced artifacts and such environmental and social limitations are restraining economic growth. To attack and remove these problems, we need to reconsider the current mass production paradigm and to make products have more added values largely from knowledge and service contents to compensate volume reduction under the concept of dematerialization. Namely, dematerialization of products needs to enrich service contents. However, service was mainly discussed within marketing and has been mostly neglected within traditional engineering. Therefore, we need new engineering methods to look at services, rather than just functions, called "Service Engineering." To establish service engineering, this paper proposes a modeling technique of service.

International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System Acceptance Testing for Node 1 Atmosphere Control and Supply Subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David E.

2009-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Node 1 Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) System is comprised of five subsystems: Atmosphere Control and Supply (ACS), Atmosphere Revitalization (AR), Fire Detection and Suppression (FDS), Temperature and Humidity Control (THC), and Water Recovery and Management (WRM). This paper provides a summary of the Node 1 ECLS ACS subsystem design and a detailed discussion of the ISS ECLS Acceptance Testing methodology utilized for that subsystem.

High gradient magnetic beneficiation of dry pulverized coal via upwardly directed recirculating fluidization

DOEpatents

Eissenberg, David M.; Liu, Yin-An

1980-01-01

This invention relates to an improved device and method for the high gradient magnetic beneficiation of dry pulverized coal, for the purpose of removing sulfur and ash from the coal whereby the product is a dry environmentally acceptable, low-sulfur fuel. The process involves upwardly directed recirculating air fluidization of selectively sized powdered coal in a separator having sections of increasing diameters in the direction of air flow, with magnetic field and flow rates chosen for optimum separations depending upon particulate size.

Recovering gold from thiosulfate leach pulps via ion exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicol, Michael J.; O'Malley, Glen

2002-10-01

Increasing environmental and occupational safety concerns about the use of cyanide in gold processing has increased interest in more acceptable alternative lixiviants, the most promising of which is thiosulfate. However, the thiosulfate process lacks a proven inpulp method of recovering the dissolved gold because activated carbon is not effective for the absorption of the gold-thiosulfate complex. This paper describes work aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of commercially available anion exchange resins for the recovery of gold from thiosulfate leach liquors and pulps.

Military Standard: Technical Reviews and Audits for Systems, Equipments, and Computer Software

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-06-04

Concept Exploration or Demonstration and Validation phase. Such reviews may De conducted at any time but normal’y -dill be conducted after the...method of re•olutiun shall also De reviewed." All proposed environmental tests shall De reviewe• for compatibility wi•h the specified na•ura...accepted. See Attachment _ for comments. Attached is a list of de `iciencies. Signature(s) of FCA Team Member(s) "Sub-Team Chairperscn 0. Figure 3 Page 5 of

Different shades of green: a case study of support for wind farms in the rural midwest.

PubMed

Mulvaney, Kate K; Woodson, Patrick; Prokopy, Linda Stalker

2013-05-01

Benton County, in north-central Indiana, USA has successfully sited more than 500 turbines. To understand Benton County's acceptance of wind farms, a holistic case study was conducted that included a document review, a survey of local residents and interviews with key stakeholders. Survey questionnaires were sent to 750 residents asking questions about attitudes toward the wind farms, perceived benefits and impacts from the wind farms, environmental attitudes, and demographic information. Key stakeholders were also interviewed for a deeper understanding of the historical timeline and community acceptance of the wind farm development. While there is limited opposition to the turbines, on the whole the community presents a front of acceptance. Financial, rather than environmental, benefits are the main reason for the acceptance. Although significant in other case studies, transparency and participation do not play a large role in Benton County's acceptance. Most residents are not concerned with either visual impacts or noise from the wind turbines. More concrete benefits to the community, such as reduced energy bills for county residents, could help to extend acceptance even further within the community. Although there are concerns about the acceptance of wind farms and the impacts of those farms on local residents in both peer-reviewed literature and popular media, we found little evidence of those concerns in Benton County. Instead, we found Benton County to be a community largely accepting of wind farms.

Different Shades of Green: A Case Study of Support for Wind Farms in the Rural Midwest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulvaney, Kate K.; Woodson, Patrick; Prokopy, Linda Stalker

2013-05-01

Benton County, in north-central Indiana, USA has successfully sited more than 500 turbines. To understand Benton County's acceptance of wind farms, a holistic case study was conducted that included a document review, a survey of local residents and interviews with key stakeholders. Survey questionnaires were sent to 750 residents asking questions about attitudes toward the wind farms, perceived benefits and impacts from the wind farms, environmental attitudes, and demographic information. Key stakeholders were also interviewed for a deeper understanding of the historical timeline and community acceptance of the wind farm development. While there is limited opposition to the turbines, on the whole the community presents a front of acceptance. Financial, rather than environmental, benefits are the main reason for the acceptance. Although significant in other case studies, transparency and participation do not play a large role in Benton County's acceptance. Most residents are not concerned with either visual impacts or noise from the wind turbines. More concrete benefits to the community, such as reduced energy bills for county residents, could help to extend acceptance even further within the community. Although there are concerns about the acceptance of wind farms and the impacts of those farms on local residents in both peer-reviewed literature and popular media, we found little evidence of those concerns in Benton County. Instead, we found Benton County to be a community largely accepting of wind farms.

The NSF/RANN FY 1975 program for geothermal resources research and technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kruger, P.

1974-01-01

The specific goal of the NSF geothermal program is the rapid development by industry of the nation's geothermal resources that can be demonstrated to be commercially, environmentally and socially acceptable as alternate energy sources. NSF, as the lead agency for the federal geothermal energy research program, is expediting a program which encompasses the objectives necessary for significant utilization. These include: acceleration of exploration and assessment methods to identify commercial geothermal resources; development of innovative and improved technology to achieve economic feasibility; evaluation of policy options to resolve environmental, legal, and institutional problems; and support of experimental research facilities for each type of geothermal resource. Specific projects in each of these four objective areas are part of the NSF program for fiscal year 1975.

Metal bioavailability in ecological risk assessment of freshwater ecosystems: From science to environmental management.

PubMed

Väänänen, Kristiina; Leppänen, Matti T; Chen, XuePing; Akkanen, Jarkko

2018-01-01

Metal contamination in freshwater ecosystems is a global issue and metal discharges to aquatic environments are monitored in order to protect aquatic life and human health. Bioavailability is an important factor determining metal toxicity. In aquatic systems, metal bioavailability depends on local water and sediment characteristics, and therefore, the risks are site-specific. Environmental quality standards (EQS) are used to manage the risks of metals in aquatic environments. In the simplest form of EQSs, total concentrations of metals in water or sediment are compared against pre-set acceptable threshold levels. Now, however, the environmental administration bodies have stated the need to incorporate metal bioavailability assessment tools into environmental regulation. Scientific advances have been made in metal bioavailability assessment, including passive samplers and computational models, such as biotic ligand models (BLM). However, the cutting-edge methods tend to be too elaborate or laborious for standard environmental monitoring. We review the commonly used metal bioavailability assessment methods and introduce the latest scientific advances that might be applied to environmental management in the future. We present the current practices in environmental management in North America, Europe and China, highlighting the good practices and the needs for improvement. Environmental management has met these new challenges with varying degrees of success: the USA has implemented site-specific environmental risk assessment for water and sediment phases, and they have already implemented metal mixture toxicity evaluation. The European Union is promoting the use of bioavailability and BLMs in ecological risk assessment (ERA), but metal mixture toxicity and sediment phase are still mostly neglected. China has regulation only for total concentrations of metals in surface water. We conclude that there is a need for (1) Advanced and up-to-date guidelines and legislation, (2) New and simple scientific methods for assessing metal bioavailability and (3) Improvement of knowledge and skills of administrators. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Affective Learning: Environmental Ethics and Human Ecology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gough, Noel P.

1977-01-01

This discussion of home economics as a discipline which should focus on its affective foundations, covers the following areas: Affective context of home economics education, the adequacy of the home economics value complex for coping with environmental problems, and toward an acceptable environmental ethic. (SH)

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT: ECR TECHNOLOGIES, INC., EARTHLINKED GROUND-SOURCE HEAT PUMP WATER HEATING SYSTEM

EPA Science Inventory

EPA has created the Environmental Technology Verification program to provide high quality, peer reviewed data on technology performance. This data is expected to accelerate the acceptance and use of improved environmental protection technologies. The Greenhouse Gas Technology C...

The affective profiles, psychological well-being, and harmony: environmental mastery and self-acceptance predict the sense of a harmonious life

PubMed Central

Al Nima, Ali; Kjell, Oscar N.E.

2014-01-01

Background. An important outcome from the debate on whether wellness equals happiness, is the need of research focusing on how psychological well-being might influence humans’ ability to adapt to the changing environment and live in harmony. To get a detailed picture of the influence of positive and negative affect, the current study employed the affective profiles model in which individuals are categorised into groups based on either high positive and low negative affect (self-fulfilling); high positive and high negative affect (high affective); low positive and low negative affect (low affective); and high negative and low positive affect (self-destructive). The aims were to (1) investigate differences between affective profiles in psychological well-being and harmony and (2) how psychological well-being and its dimensions relate to harmony within the four affective profiles. Method. 500 participants (mean age = 34.14 years, SD. = ±12.75 years; 187 males and 313 females) were recruited online and required to answer three self-report measures: The Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule; The Scales of Psychological Well-Being (short version) and The Harmony in Life Scale. We conducted a Multivariate Analysis of Variance where the affective profiles and gender were the independent factors and psychological well-being composite score, its six dimensions as well as the harmony in life score were the dependent factors. In addition, we conducted four multi-group (i.e., the four affective profiles) moderation analyses with the psychological well-being dimensions as predictors and harmony in life as the dependent variables. Results. Individuals categorised as self-fulfilling, as compared to the other profiles, tended to score higher on the psychological well-being dimensions: positive relations, environmental mastery, self-acceptance, autonomy, personal growth, and purpose in life. In addition, 47% to 66% of the variance of the harmony in life was explained by the dimensions of psychological well-being within the four affective profiles. Specifically, harmony in life was significantly predicted by environmental mastery and self-acceptance across all affective profiles. However, for the low affective group high purpose in life predicted low levels of harmony in life. Conclusions. The results demonstrated that affective profiles systematically relate to psychological well-being and harmony in life. Notably, individuals categorised as self-fulfilling tended to report higher levels of both psychological well-being and harmony in life when compared with the other profiles. Meanwhile individuals in the self-destructive group reported the lowest levels of psychological well-being and harmony when compared with the three other profiles. It is proposed that self-acceptance and environmental acceptance might enable individuals to go from self-destructive to a self-fulfilling state that also involves harmony in life. PMID:24688843

How credible are the study results? Evaluating and applying internal validity tools to literature-based assessments of environmental health hazards

PubMed Central

Rooney, Andrew A.; Cooper, Glinda S.; Jahnke, Gloria D.; Lam, Juleen; Morgan, Rebecca L.; Boyles, Abee L.; Ratcliffe, Jennifer M.; Kraft, Andrew D.; Schünemann, Holger J.; Schwingl, Pamela; Walker, Teneille D.; Thayer, Kristina A.; Lunn, Ruth M.

2016-01-01

Environmental health hazard assessments are routinely relied upon for public health decision-making. The evidence base used in these assessments is typically developed from a collection of diverse sources of information of varying quality. It is critical that literature-based evaluations consider the credibility of individual studies used to reach conclusions through consistent, transparent and accepted methods. Systematic review procedures address study credibility by assessing internal validity or “risk of bias” — the assessment of whether the design and conduct of a study compromised the credibility of the link between exposure/intervention and outcome. This paper describes the commonalities and differences in risk-of-bias methods developed or used by five groups that conduct or provide methodological input for performing environmental health hazard assessments: the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group, the Navigation Guide, the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) and Office of the Report on Carcinogens (ORoC), and the Integrated Risk Information System of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-IRIS). Each of these groups have been developing and applying rigorous assessment methods for integrating across a heterogeneous collection of human and animal studies to inform conclusions on potential environmental health hazards. There is substantial consistency across the groups in the consideration of risk-of-bias issues or “domains” for assessing observational human studies. There is a similar overlap in terms of domains addressed for animal studies; however, the groups differ in the relative emphasis placed on different aspects of risk of bias. Future directions for the continued harmonization and improvement of these methods are also discussed. PMID:26857180

How credible are the study results? Evaluating and applying internal validity tools to literature-based assessments of environmental health hazards.

PubMed

Rooney, Andrew A; Cooper, Glinda S; Jahnke, Gloria D; Lam, Juleen; Morgan, Rebecca L; Boyles, Abee L; Ratcliffe, Jennifer M; Kraft, Andrew D; Schünemann, Holger J; Schwingl, Pamela; Walker, Teneille D; Thayer, Kristina A; Lunn, Ruth M

2016-01-01

Environmental health hazard assessments are routinely relied upon for public health decision-making. The evidence base used in these assessments is typically developed from a collection of diverse sources of information of varying quality. It is critical that literature-based evaluations consider the credibility of individual studies used to reach conclusions through consistent, transparent and accepted methods. Systematic review procedures address study credibility by assessing internal validity or "risk of bias" - the assessment of whether the design and conduct of a study compromised the credibility of the link between exposure/intervention and outcome. This paper describes the commonalities and differences in risk-of-bias methods developed or used by five groups that conduct or provide methodological input for performing environmental health hazard assessments: the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group, the Navigation Guide, the National Toxicology Program's (NTP) Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) and Office of the Report on Carcinogens (ORoC), and the Integrated Risk Information System of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-IRIS). Each of these groups have been developing and applying rigorous assessment methods for integrating across a heterogeneous collection of human and animal studies to inform conclusions on potential environmental health hazards. There is substantial consistency across the groups in the consideration of risk-of-bias issues or "domains" for assessing observational human studies. There is a similar overlap in terms of domains addressed for animal studies; however, the groups differ in the relative emphasis placed on different aspects of risk of bias. Future directions for the continued harmonization and improvement of these methods are also discussed. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Application of Bayesian networks in a hierarchical structure for environmental risk assessment: a case study of the Gabric Dam, Iran.

PubMed

Malekmohammadi, Bahram; Tayebzadeh Moghadam, Negar

2018-04-13

Environmental risk assessment (ERA) is a commonly used, effective tool applied to reduce adverse effects of environmental risk factors. In this study, ERA was investigated using the Bayesian network (BN) model based on a hierarchical structure of variables in an influence diagram (ID). ID facilitated ranking of the different alternatives under uncertainty that were then used to evaluate comparisons of the different risk factors. BN was used to present a new model for ERA applicable to complicated development projects such as dam construction. The methodology was applied to the Gabric Dam, in southern Iran. The main environmental risk factors in the region, presented by the Gabric Dam, were identified based on the Delphi technique and specific features of the study area. These included the following: flood, water pollution, earthquake, changes in land use, erosion and sedimentation, effects on the population, and ecosensitivity. These risk factors were then categorized based on results from the output decision node of the BN, including expected utility values for risk factors in the decision node. ERA was performed for the Gabric Dam using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method to compare results of BN modeling with those of conventional methods. Results determined that a BN-based hierarchical structure to ERA present acceptable and reasonable risk assessment prioritization in proposing suitable solutions to reduce environmental risks and can be used as a powerful decision support system for evaluating environmental risks.

Environmental Risk Assessment of Pharmaceutical Mixtures: Demands, Gaps, and Possible Bridges.

PubMed

Backhaus, Thomas

2016-07-01

The ecotoxicological risk of pharmaceutical mixtures typically exceeds the risk of each individual compound, which calls specific attention to the fact that monitoring surveys routinely find complex pharmaceutical mixtures in various environmental compartments. However, although the body of evidence on the ecotoxicology of pharmaceutical mixtures is quite consistent, the current guidelines for the environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals often do not explicitly address mixture effects. Data availability and acceptable methods often limit such assessments. A tiered approach that begins with summing up individual risk quotients, i.e., the ratio between the predicted or measured environmental concentration and the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) is therefore suggested in this paper, in order to improve the realism of the environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals. Additionally, the use of a mixture-specific assessment factor, as well as the classical mixture toxicity concepts of concentration addition and independent action is explored. Finally, specific attention is given to the exposure-based waiving of environmental risk assessments, as currently implemented in screening or pre-screening phases (tier 0 in Europe, categorical exclusion in the USA), since even low, individually non-toxic concentrations might combine to produce substantial mixture effects.

Ensuring Environmentally Sustainable Production of Dedicated Biomass Feedstocks

Treesearch

V.R. Tolbert; D.A. Mays; A. Houston; D.D. Tyler; C.H. Perry; K.E. Brooks; F.C. Thornton; B.R. Bock; J.D. Joslin; Carl C. Trettin; J. Isebrands

2000-01-01

Ensuring acceptance of dedicated biomass feedstocks by landowners, agricultural communities, environmental and public interest groups, requires that the environmental benefits, concerns, and risks associated with their production be quantified. Establishment and management measures to benefit soil and water quality are being identified by ongoing research. Field...

36 CFR 215.6 - Comments on proposed actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) Environmental Assessment. Comments on the proposed action shall be accepted for 30 days following the date of publication of the legal notice. (ii) Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Comments on the proposed action... period for the opportunity to comment on environmental assessments shall not be extended. (2) Computation...

36 CFR 215.6 - Comments on proposed actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) Environmental Assessment. Comments on the proposed action shall be accepted for 30 days following the date of publication of the legal notice. (ii) Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Comments on the proposed action... period for the opportunity to comment on environmental assessments shall not be extended. (2) Computation...

36 CFR 215.6 - Comments on proposed actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) Environmental Assessment. Comments on the proposed action shall be accepted for 30 days following the date of publication of the legal notice. (ii) Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Comments on the proposed action... period for the opportunity to comment on environmental assessments shall not be extended. (2) Computation...

36 CFR 215.6 - Comments on proposed actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) Environmental Assessment. Comments on the proposed action shall be accepted for 30 days following the date of publication of the legal notice. (ii) Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Comments on the proposed action... period for the opportunity to comment on environmental assessments shall not be extended. (2) Computation...

36 CFR 215.6 - Comments on proposed actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) Environmental Assessment. Comments on the proposed action shall be accepted for 30 days following the date of publication of the legal notice. (ii) Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Comments on the proposed action... period for the opportunity to comment on environmental assessments shall not be extended. (2) Computation...

A simultaneous analysis method of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nicotine, cotinine and metals in human hair.

PubMed

Li, Zhenjiang; Wang, Bin; Ge, Shufang; Yan, Lailai; Liu, Yingying; Li, Zhiwen; Ren, Aiguo

2016-12-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nicotine, cotinine, and metals in human hair have been used as important environmental exposure markers. We aimed to develop a simple method to simultaneously analyze these pollutants using a small quantity of hair. The digestion performances of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for human hair were compared. Various solvents or their mixtures including n-hexane (HEX), dichloromethane (DCM) and trichloromethane (TCM), HEX:DCM32 (3/2) and HEX:TCM73 (7/3) were adopted to extract organics. The recoveries of metals were determined under an optimal operation of digestion and extraction. Our results showed that TMAH performed well in dissolving human hair and even better than NaOH. Overall, the recoveries for five solutions were acceptable for PAHs, nicotine in the range of 80%-110%. Except for HEX, other four extraction solutions had acceptable extraction efficiency for cotinine from HEX:TCM73 (88 ± 4.1%) to HEX:DCM32 (100 ± 2.8%). HEX:DCM32 was chosen as the optimal solvent in consideration of its extraction efficiency and lower density than water. The recoveries of 12 typical major or trace metals were mainly in the range of 90%-110% and some of them were close to 100%. In conclusion, the simultaneous analysis of PAHs, nicotine, cotinine, and metals was feasible. Our study provided a simple and low-cost technique for environmental epidemiological studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

10 CFR 51.108 - Public hearings on Commission findings that inspections, tests, analyses, and acceptance criteria...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... CFR 52.103(b), the Commission will not admit any contentions on environmental issues, the adequacy of... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION REGULATIONS FOR DOMESTIC LICENSING AND RELATED REGULATORY FUNCTIONS National Environmental Policy Act-Regulations Implementing Section 102(2...

76 FR 52656 - Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-23

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 14211-000] Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing Applications On June 10, 2011, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management...

49 CFR 1200.2 - Adoption of generally accepted accounting principles issued by the Financial Accounting Standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Financial Accounting Standards by the FASB, and provided that the Office of Economics, Environmental... regulations, the Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration shall issue an Accounting... ASC. The ASC issued by the Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration will remain...

49 CFR 1200.2 - Adoption of generally accepted accounting principles issued by the Financial Accounting Standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Financial Accounting Standards by the FASB, and provided that the Office of Economics, Environmental... regulations, the Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration shall issue an Accounting... ASC. The ASC issued by the Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration will remain...

49 CFR 1200.2 - Adoption of generally accepted accounting principles issued by the Financial Accounting Standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Financial Accounting Standards by the FASB, and provided that the Office of Economics, Environmental... regulations, the Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration shall issue an Accounting... ASC. The ASC issued by the Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration will remain...

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT, TEST REPORT OF MOBILE SOURCE EMISSION CONTROL DEVICES: MITSUI ENGINEERING & SHIPBUILDING DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER

EPA Science Inventory

EPA‘s Environmental Technology Verification program is designed to further environmental protection by accelerating the acceptance and use of improved and cost effective technologies. This is done by providing high-quality, peer reviewed data on technology performance to those in...

40 CFR 600.007 - Vehicle acceptability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... a different maximum value for electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel cell... 600.007 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) ENERGY POLICY FUEL... Administrator will judge the acceptability of a fuel economy data vehicle on the basis of the information...

40 CFR 600.007 - Vehicle acceptability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... a different maximum value for electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel cell... 600.007 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) ENERGY POLICY FUEL... Administrator will judge the acceptability of a fuel economy data vehicle on the basis of the information...

40 CFR 600.007 - Vehicle acceptability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... a different maximum value for electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel cell... 600.007 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) ENERGY POLICY FUEL... Administrator will judge the acceptability of a fuel economy data vehicle on the basis of the information...

Chlorophyll derivatives for pest and disease control: Are they safe?

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

Azizullah, Azizullah, E-mail: azizswabi@gmail.com; Murad, Waheed

2015-01-15

Chlorophyll derivatives are getting widespread acceptance among the researchers as natural photosensitizers for photodynamic control of pests and disease vectors; however, rare attention has been given to evaluation of their toxicity to non-target organisms in the environment. This perspective article highlights that chlorophyll derivatives may not be as safe as believed and can possibly pose risk to non-target organisms in the environment. We invite the attention of environmental biologists, particularly ecotoxicologists, to contribute their role in making the application of chlorophyll derivatives more environmentally friendly and publicly acceptable.

International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System Acceptance Testing for the Pressurized Mating Adapters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David E.

2008-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMAs) Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) System is comprised of three subsystems: Atmosphere Control and Supply (ACS), Temperature and Humidity Control (THC), and Water Recovery and Management (WRM). PMAs 1 and 2 flew to ISS on Flight 2A and Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA) 3 flew to ISS on Flight 3A. This paper provides a summary of the PMAs ECLS design and a detailed discussion of the ISS ECLS Acceptance Testing methodologies utilized for the PMAs.

Analysis of environmental contamination resulting from catastrophic incidents: part 2. Building laboratory capability by selecting and developing analytical methodologies.

PubMed

Magnuson, Matthew; Campisano, Romy; Griggs, John; Fitz-James, Schatzi; Hall, Kathy; Mapp, Latisha; Mullins, Marissa; Nichols, Tonya; Shah, Sanjiv; Silvestri, Erin; Smith, Terry; Willison, Stuart; Ernst, Hiba

2014-11-01

Catastrophic incidents can generate a large number of samples of analytically diverse types, including forensic, clinical, environmental, food, and others. Environmental samples include water, wastewater, soil, air, urban building and infrastructure materials, and surface residue. Such samples may arise not only from contamination from the incident but also from the multitude of activities surrounding the response to the incident, including decontamination. This document summarizes a range of activities to help build laboratory capability in preparation for sample analysis following a catastrophic incident, including selection and development of fit-for-purpose analytical methods for chemical, biological, and radiological contaminants. Fit-for-purpose methods are those which have been selected to meet project specific data quality objectives. For example, methods could be fit for screening contamination in the early phases of investigation of contamination incidents because they are rapid and easily implemented, but those same methods may not be fit for the purpose of remediating the environment to acceptable levels when a more sensitive method is required. While the exact data quality objectives defining fitness-for-purpose can vary with each incident, a governing principle of the method selection and development process for environmental remediation and recovery is based on achieving high throughput while maintaining high quality analytical results. This paper illustrates the result of applying this principle, in the form of a compendium of analytical methods for contaminants of interest. The compendium is based on experience with actual incidents, where appropriate and available. This paper also discusses efforts aimed at adaptation of existing methods to increase fitness-for-purpose and development of innovative methods when necessary. The contaminants of interest are primarily those potentially released through catastrophes resulting from malicious activity. However, the same techniques discussed could also have application to catastrophes resulting from other incidents, such as natural disasters or industrial accidents. Further, the high sample throughput enabled by the techniques discussed could be employed for conventional environmental studies and compliance monitoring, potentially decreasing costs and/or increasing the quantity of data available to decision-makers. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Application of the risk assessment paradigm to the induction of allergic contact dermatitis.

PubMed

Felter, Susan P; Ryan, Cindy A; Basketter, David A; Gilmour, Nicola J; Gerberick, G Frank

2003-02-01

The National Academy of Science (NAS) risk assessment paradigm has been widely accepted as a framework for estimating risk from exposure to environmental chemicals (NAS, 1983). Within this framework, quantitative risk assessments (QRAs) serve as the cornerstone of health-based exposure limits, and have been used routinely for both cancer and noncancer endpoints. These methods have focused primarily on the extrapolation of data from laboratory animals to establish acceptable levels of exposure for humans. For health effects associated with a threshold, uncertainty and variability inherent in the extrapolation process is generally dealt with by the application of "uncertainty factors (UFs)." The adaptation of QRA methods to address skin sensitization is a natural and desirable extension of current practices. Based on our chemical, cellular and molecular understanding of the induction of allergic contact dermatitis, one can conduct a QRA using established methods of identifying a NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) or other point of departure, and applying appropriate UFs. This paper describes the application of the NAS paradigm to characterize risks from human exposure to skin sensitizers; consequently, this method can also be used to establish an exposure level for skin allergens that does not present an appreciable risk of sensitization. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Science (USA)

40 CFR 240.200 - Solid wastes accepted.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Solid wastes accepted. 240.200 Section 240.200 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES GUIDELINES FOR THE THERMAL PROCESSING OF SOLID WASTES Requirements and Recommended Procedures § 240.200 Solid...

40 CFR 240.200 - Solid wastes accepted.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Solid wastes accepted. 240.200 Section 240.200 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES GUIDELINES FOR THE THERMAL PROCESSING OF SOLID WASTES Requirements and Recommended Procedures § 240.200 Solid...

Use and acceptance of long lasting insecticidal net screens for dengue prevention in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico.

PubMed

Jones, Catrin H; Benítez-Valladares, David; Guillermo-May, Guillermo; Dzul-Manzanilla, Felipe; Che-Mendoza, Azael; Barrera-Pérez, Mario; Selem-Salas, Celia; Chablé-Santos, Juan; Sommerfeld, Johannes; Kroeger, Axel; O'Dempsey, Timothy; Medina-Barreiro, Anuar; Manrique-Saide, Pablo

2014-08-14

Dengue, recognized by the WHO as the most important mosquito-borne viral disease in the world, is a growing problem. Currently, the only effective way of preventing dengue is vector control. Standard methods have shown limited effect, and there have been calls to develop new integrated vector management approaches. One novel tool, protecting houses with long lasting insecticidal screens on doors and windows, is being trialled in a cluster randomised controlled trial by a joint UADY/WHO TDR/IDRC study in various districts of Acapulco, Mexico, with exceptionally high levels of crime and insecurity.This study investigated the community's perspectives of long lasting insecticidal screens on doors and windows in homes and in schools, in order to ascertain their acceptability, to identify challenges to further implementation and opportunities for future improvements. This was a sequential mixed-methods study. The quantitative arm contained a satisfaction survey administered to 288 houses that had received the intervention examining their perspectives of both the intervention and dengue prevention in general. The qualitative arm consisted of Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with those who had accepted the intervention and key informant interviews with: schoolteachers to discuss the use of the screens in schools, program staff, and community members who had refused the intervention. Overall satisfaction and acceptance of the screens was very high, with only some operational and technical complaints relating to screen fragility and the installation process. However, the wider social context of urban violence and insecurity was a major barrier to screen acceptance. Lack of information dissemination and community collaboration were identified as project weaknesses. The screens are widely accepted by the population, but the project implementation could be improved by reassuring the community of its legitimacy in the context of insecurity. More community engagement and better information sharing structures are needed.The screens could be a major new dengue prevention tool suitable for widespread use, if further research supports their entomological and epidemiological effectiveness and their acceptability in different social and environmental contexts. Further research is needed looking at the impact of insecurity of dengue prevention programmes.

Cost-oriented evaluation of ecosystem services under consideration of income risks and risk attitudes of farmers.

PubMed

Dörschner, T; Musshoff, O

2013-09-30

Agri-environmental measures are often not as accepted among farmers as is expected. The present study investigates whether changes in income risks and the individual risk attitudes of farmers may constitute an explanatory approach for the low acceptance of the measures. For this purpose, a normative model is developed that calculates the premia claimed by the farmers for adopting environmental measures under the consideration of income risks and different risk attitudes. We apply this model to environmental measures aiming at an increase of the faunistic diversity of species on grassland and showing that changes in income risks and the decision makers' risk attitudes can significantly influence farmers' minimum compensation claims. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scientific Assessment of Stratospheric Ozone: 1989, volume 2. Appendix: AFEAS Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The results are presented of the Alternative Fluorocarbon Environmental Acceptability Study (AFEAS), which was organized to evaluate the potential effects on the environment of alternate compounds targeted to replace fully halogenated chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). All relevant current scientific information to determine the environmental acceptability of the alternative fluorocarbons. Special emphasis was placed on: the potential of the compounds to affect stratospheric ozone; their potential to affect tropospheric ozone; their potential to contribute to model calculated global warming; the atmospheric degradation mechanisms of the compounds, in order to identify their products; and the potential environmental effects of the decomposition products. The alternative compounds to be studied were hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) with one or two carbon atoms and one or more each of fluorine and hydrogen.

Performance Evaluation Tests for Environmental Research (PETER): evaluation of 114 measures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bittner, A. C. Jr; Carter, R. C.; Kennedy, R. S.; Harbeson, M. M.; Krause, M.

1986-01-01

The goal of the Performance Evaluation Tests for Environmental Research (PETER) Program was to identify a set of measures of human capabilities for use in the study of environmental and other time-course effects. 114 measures studied in the PETER Program were evaluated and categorized into four groups based upon task stability and task definition. The Recommended category contained 30 measures that clearly obtained total stabilization and had an acceptable level of reliability efficiency. The Acceptable-But-Redundant category contained 15 measures. The 37 measures in the Marginal category, which included an inordinate number of slope and other derived measures, usually had desirable features which were outweighed by faults. The 32 measures in the Unacceptable category had either differential instability or weak reliability efficiency. It is our opinion that the 30 measures in the Recommended category should be given first consideration for environmental research applications. Further, it is recommended that information pertaining to preexperimental practice requirements and stabilized reliabilities should be utilized in repeated-measures environmental studies.

Validating Analytical Protocols to Determine Selected Pesticides and PCBs Using Routine Samples.

PubMed

Pindado Jiménez, Oscar; García Alonso, Susana; Pérez Pastor, Rosa María

2017-01-01

This study aims at providing recommendations concerning the validation of analytical protocols by using routine samples. It is intended to provide a case-study on how to validate the analytical methods in different environmental matrices. In order to analyze the selected compounds (pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls) in two different environmental matrices, the current work has performed and validated two analytical procedures by GC-MS. A description is given of the validation of the two protocols by the analysis of more than 30 samples of water and sediments collected along nine months. The present work also scopes the uncertainty associated with both analytical protocols. In detail, uncertainty of water sample was performed through a conventional approach. However, for the sediments matrices, the estimation of proportional/constant bias is also included due to its inhomogeneity. Results for the sediment matrix are reliable, showing a range 25-35% of analytical variability associated with intermediate conditions. The analytical methodology for the water matrix determines the selected compounds with acceptable recoveries and the combined uncertainty ranges between 20 and 30%. Analyzing routine samples is rarely applied to assess trueness of novel analytical methods and up to now this methodology was not focused on organochlorine compounds in environmental matrices.

Experimental Evaluation of Preservation Techniques for Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Total Xylenes in Water Samples.

PubMed

Arnold, Ray; Kong, Deyuan; Douglas, Gregory; Hardenstine, Jeffery; Rouhani, Shahrokh; Gala, William

2018-01-01

An experiment was designed to address the validity of the prescribed maximum allowable holding-time limit of 14 days when acidified at < 2 pH and maintained at 4°C to prevent significant loss of benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in preserved water samples. Preservation methods prescribed by the United State Environmental Protection Agency were used as well as adaptions of that procedure to determine stability between 3 and 21 days. Water samples preserved at 4°C and pH of < 2 with hydrochloric acid did not result in unacceptable (> 15%) BTEX losses during the study as defined by procedures and statistical methods described by the American Society for Testing and Materials International. In addition, water samples preserved only with acid (pH < 2) at ambient temperatures (20-27°C) also provided acceptable results during the 21-day study. These results have demonstrated the acceptability of BTEX data derived from water samples exceeding the standard holding-time and/or temperature limits.

Analysis of Phosphonic Acids: Validation of Semi-Volatile Analysis by HPLC-MS/MS by EPA Method MS999

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

Owens, J; Vu, A; Koester, C

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Region 5 Chicago Regional Laboratory (CRL) developed a method titled Analysis of Diisopropyl Methylphosphonate, Ethyl Hydrogen Dimethylamidophosphate, Isopropyl Methylphosphonic Acid, Methylphosphonic Acid, and Pinacolyl Methylphosphonic Acid in Water by Multiple Reaction Monitoring Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry: EPA Version MS999. This draft standard operating procedure (SOP) was distributed to multiple EPA laboratories and to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which was tasked to serve as a reference laboratory for EPA's Environmental Reference Laboratory Network (ERLN) and to develop and validate analytical procedures. The primary objective of this study was to validate and verify the analytical procedures describedmore » in EPA Method MS999 for analysis of the listed phosphonic acids and surrogates in aqueous samples. The gathered data from this validation study will be used to: (1) demonstrate analytical method performance; (2) generate quality control acceptance criteria; and (3) revise the SOP to provide a validated method that would be available for use during a homeland security event. The data contained in this report will be compiled, by EPA CRL, with data generated by other EPA Regional laboratories so that performance metrics of EPA Method MS999 can be determined.« less

Case Study: Advances in Modelling Exposure

EPA Science Inventory

Concerned about the health impacts of air pollution. many environmental agencies around the world are implementing regulations to reduce emissions from various sectors, thus maintaining ambient air quality at acceptable levels. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (E...

Designing Base and Subbase to Resist Environmental Effects on Pavements

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-02-02

MnDOTs current pavement thickness design procedures do not characterize the effects of subgrade soil frost susceptibility. Previous research indicates frost action is the most severe environmental factor on pavement performance. The most accepted ...

Teaching a Cross-Disciplinary Environmental Science, Policy, and Culture Course on Costa Rica's Ecotourism to Business Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lester, Toni; Rodgers, Vikki L.

2012-01-01

Within the business world, there is growing evidence and increasing acceptance that sustainability and environmental practices are the main drivers for current innovation and success. We developed an interdisciplinary, offshore course where undergraduate business students could truly investigate and experience the benefits of environmentally and…

Diversity and Equity in Environmental Organizations: The Salience of These Factors to Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Dorceta E.

2007-01-01

Diversity in environmental institutions is of increasing concern to scholars and practitioners. The author examined student perceptions of the importance of 20 diversity and equity factors in their decisions to accept a job. A national sample of 1,239 students in 9 environmental disciplines (biological sciences, geosciences, natural resources,…

Cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment of syngas electricity from woody biomass residues

Treesearch

Hongmei Gu; Richard Bergman

2017-01-01

Forest restoration and fire suppression activities in the western United States have resulted in large volumes of low-to-no value residues. An environmental assessment would enable greater use while maintaining environmental sustainability of these residues for energy products. One internationally accepted sustainable metric tool that can assess environmental impacts...

Educational Reflections on the "Ecological Crisis": EcoJustice, Environmentalism, and Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Michael P.

2009-01-01

There is a tendency by scholars arguing for a more just and sustainable future to position the "ecological crisis" as a fundamental reason for major educational reforms. Relying on crisis-talk to fuel social and environmental justice and environmentalism reinforces the thinking of the past, which inadvertently perpetuates the acceptance of present…

Parental Acceptability of Contraceptive Methods Offered to their Teen During a Confidential Health Care Visit

PubMed Central

Hartman, Lauren B; Shafer, Mary-Ann; Pollack, Lance M; Wibbelsman, Charles; Chang, Fay; Tebb, Kathleen P

2013-01-01

Purpose To examine parental acceptability of contraceptive methods offered confidentially to their adolescent daughter. Methods A random sample of 261 parents/guardians with a daughter between 12–17 completed a telephone survey examining the relationship between parental acceptability of seven contraceptive methods with adolescents’ likelihood to have sex, parenting beliefs, parents’ sexual health as teens, sexually transmitted infection (STI) knowledge, and demographic factors. Results Acceptability was highest for oral contraceptive pills (59%), and lowest for intrauterine device (IUD) (18%). Parental acceptance of teens’ autonomy was significantly associated with increased acceptability of all methods. Parental knowledge of STIs was poor and 51% found it acceptable for clinicians to provide their sexually active teen with condoms. Conclusion Conclusions: Parents were more accepting of OCPs and condoms, compared to IUDs and implants. Parental recognition of their teen’s autonomy was associated with greater parental acceptability of clinicians providing their adolescent with contraceptives (regardless of the specific type of method being offered). PMID:23332493

Development of NIRS method for quality control of drug combination artesunate–azithromycin for the treatment of severe malaria

PubMed Central

Boyer, Chantal; Gaudin, Karen; Kauss, Tina; Gaubert, Alexandra; Boudis, Abdelhakim; Verschelden, Justine; Franc, Mickaël; Roussille, Julie; Boucher, Jacques; Olliaro, Piero; White, Nicholas J.; Millet, Pascal; Dubost, Jean-Pierre

2012-01-01

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) methods were developed for the determination of analytical content of an antimalarial-antibiotic (artesunate and azithromycin) co-formulation in hard gelatin capsule (HGC). The NIRS consists of pre-processing treatment of spectra (raw spectra and first-derivation of two spectral zones), a unique principal component analysis model to ensure the specificity and then two partial least-squares regression models for the determination content of each active pharmaceutical ingredient. The NIRS methods were developed and validated with no reference method, since the manufacturing process of HGC is basically mixed excipients with active pharmaceutical ingredients. The accuracy profiles showed β-expectation tolerance limits within the acceptance limits (±5%). The analytical control approach performed by reversed phase (HPLC) required two different methods involving two different preparation and chromatographic methods. NIRS offers advantages in terms of lower costs of equipment and procedures, time saving, environmentally friendly. PMID:22579599

Safe, acceptable anti-microbial strategies for distillate fuels

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

Hill, E.C.

1995-05-01

Microbiological fouling, spoilage and corrosion have for years been considered as end-user problems but they have now become endemic up-stream affecting cargoes, tank farms and terminals. Trading agreements to share storage and distribution facilities impose the need to mutually agree antimicrobial strategies which satisfy all health, safety and environmental regulations wherever that fuel is distributed and used. Also agreed must be the infection levels at which antimicrobial action is initiated. Physical decontamination methods are described and the use of biocides discussed in relation to increasing regulatory restrictions.

Diet and psychological health.

PubMed

Miller, M

1996-09-01

This article reviews research that suggests a relationship between diet and psychological symptoms. Mind-body dualism (as it relates to clinical practice) and the limited role of nutrition in mainstream biomedical training and treatment are discussed as background issues. Two areas of inquiry that have generated relevant research findings in this area are reviewed: (1) orthomolecular theory and vitamin deficiencies, and (2) clinical ecology/environmental medicine theory and the impact of "food allergies." Although clinical case reports and promising research findings have been reported, the impact of diet on psychological health is neither widely accepted nor integrated into mental health treatment methods. Ongoing research findings in brain biochemistry and psychoneuroimmunology point to communication pathways that can provide a clearer understanding of the links between nutritional intake, central nervous system and immune function, and psychological health status. These findings may lead to greater acceptance of dietary treatment approaches among health practitioners addressing psychological disorders.

Children's Exposure to Environmental Contaminants: An Editorial Reflection of Articles in the IJERPH Special Issue Entitled, "Children's Exposure to Environmental Contaminants".

PubMed

Ferguson, Alesia; Solo-Gabriele, Helena

2016-11-09

Children are at increased vulnerability to many environmental contaminants compared to adults due to their unique behavior patterns, increased contaminant intake per body weight, and developing biological systems. Depending upon their age, young children may crawl on the floor and may practice increased hand to mouth activity that may increase their dose-intake of specific contaminants that accumulate in dust and other matrices. Children are also smaller in size than adults, resulting in a greater body burden for a given contaminant dose. Because children undergo rapid transitions through particular developmental stages they are also especially vulnerable during certain growth-related time windows. A Special Issue was organized focused on the latest findings in the field of children's environmental exposure for these reasons. This editorial introduces articles in this Special Issue and emphasizes their main findings in advancing the field. From the many articles submitted to this Special Issue from around the world, 23 were accepted and published. They focus on a variety of research areas such as children's activity patterns, improved risk assessment methods to estimate exposures, and exposures in various contexts and to various contaminants. The future health of a nation relies on protecting the children from adverse exposures and understanding the etiology of childhood diseases. The field of children's environmental exposures must consider improved and comprehensive research methods aimed at introducing mitigation strategies locally, nationally, and globally. We are happy to introduce a Special Issue focused on children's environmental exposure and children's health and hope that it contributes towards improved health of children.

Human annoyance, acceptability and concern as responses to vibration from the construction of Light Rapid Transit lines in residential environments.

PubMed

Wong-McSweeney, D; Woodcock, J S; Peris, E; Waddington, D C; Moorhouse, A T; Redel-Macías, M D

2016-10-15

The aim of this paper is to investigate the use of different self-reported measures for assessing the human response to environmental vibration from the construction of an urban LRT (Light Rapid Transit) system. The human response to environmental stressors such as vibration and noise is often expressed in terms of exposure-response relationships that describe annoyance as a function of the magnitude of the vibration. These relationships are often the basis of noise and vibration policy and the setting of limit values. This paper examines measures other than annoyance by expressing exposure-response relationships for vibration in terms of self-reported concern about property damage and acceptability. The exposure-response relationships for concern about property damage and for acceptability are then compared with those for annoyance. It is shown that concern about property damage occurs at vibration levels well below those where there is any risk of damage. Earlier research indicated that concern for damage is an important moderator of the annoyance induced. Acceptability, on the other hand, might be influenced by both annoyance and concern, as well as by other considerations. It is concluded that exposure-response relationships expressing acceptability as a function of vibration exposure could usefully complement existing relationships for annoyance in future policy decisions regarding environmental vibration. The results presented in this paper are derived from data collected through a socio-vibration survey (N=321) conducted for the construction of an urban LRT in the United Kingdom. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

77 FR 25995 - Western Technical College; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing With the Commission...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-02

... Technical College; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing With the Commission, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental Analysis, Intent To Waive Scoping, Soliciting Comments....: 13417-002. c. Date filed: October 21, 2011. d. Applicant: Western Technical College. e. Name of Project...

40 CFR 35.917-6 - Acceptance by implementing governmental units.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Acceptance by implementing governmental units. 35.917-6 Section 35.917-6 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works-Clean...

WHEN HAS A MODEL BEEN SUFFICIENTLY CALIBRATED AND TESTED TO BE PUT TO EFFICIENT USE?

EPA Science Inventory

The question of what degree of predictive error is acceptable for environmental models is explored. Two schools of thought are presented. The universalist school would argue that it is possible to agree on general acceptance criteria for specific categories of models, particula...

40 CFR 205.57-7 - Acceptance and rejection of batch sequence.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Acceptance and rejection of batch sequence. 205.57-7 Section 205.57-7 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) NOISE ABATEMENT PROGRAMS TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT NOISE EMISSION CONTROLS Medium and Heavy Trucks § 205...

40 CFR 205.57-6 - Acceptance and rejection of batches.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Acceptance and rejection of batches. 205.57-6 Section 205.57-6 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) NOISE ABATEMENT PROGRAMS TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT NOISE EMISSION CONTROLS Medium and Heavy Trucks § 205.57-6...

40 CFR 600.009 - Hearing on acceptance of test data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Hearing on acceptance of test data. 600.009 Section 600.009 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) ENERGY POLICY FUEL ECONOMY AND GREENHOUSE GAS EXHAUST EMISSIONS OF MOTOR VEHICLES General Provisions § 600.009...

40 CFR 600.009 - Hearing on acceptance of test data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Hearing on acceptance of test data. 600.009 Section 600.009 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) ENERGY POLICY FUEL ECONOMY AND GREENHOUSE GAS EXHAUST EMISSIONS OF MOTOR VEHICLES General Provisions § 600.009...

40 CFR 600.009 - Hearing on acceptance of test data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Hearing on acceptance of test data. 600.009 Section 600.009 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) ENERGY POLICY FUEL ECONOMY AND GREENHOUSE GAS EXHAUST EMISSIONS OF MOTOR VEHICLES General Provisions § 600.009...

Pesticide mixtures in the Swedish streams: Environmental risks, contributions of individual compounds and consequences of single-substance oriented risk mitigation.

PubMed

Gustavsson, Mikael; Kreuger, Jenny; Bundschuh, Mirco; Backhaus, Thomas

2017-11-15

This paper presents the ecotoxicological assessment and environmental risk evaluation of complex pesticide mixtures occurring in freshwater ecosystems in southern Sweden. The evaluation is based on exposure data collected between 2002 and 2013 by the Swedish pesticide monitoring program and includes 1308 individual samples, detecting mixtures of up to 53 pesticides (modal=8). Pesticide mixture risks were evaluated using three different scenarios for non-detects (best-case, worst-case and using the Kaplan-Meier method). The risk of each scenario was analyzed using Swedish Water Quality Objectives (WQO) and trophic-level specific environmental thresholds. Using the Kaplan-Meier method the environmental risk of 73% of the samples exceeded acceptable levels, based on an assessment using Concentration-Addition and WQOs for the individual pesticides. Algae were the most sensitive organism group. However, analytical detection limits, especially for insecticides, were insufficient to analyze concentrations at or near their WQO's. Thus, the risk of the analyzed pesticide mixtures to crustaceans and fish is systematically underestimated. Treating non-detects as being present at their individual limit of detection increased the estimated risk by a factor 100 or more, compared to the best-case or the Kaplan-Meier scenario. Pesticide mixture risks are often driven by only 1-3 compounds. However, the risk-drivers (i.e., individual pesticides explaining the largest share of potential effects) differ substantially between sites and samples, and 83 of the 141 monitored pesticides need to be included in the assessment to account for 95% of the risk at all sites and years. Single-substance oriented risk mitigation measures that would ensure that each individual pesticide is present at a maximum of 95% of its individual WQO, would also reduce the mixture risk, but only from a median risk quotient of 2.1 to a median risk quotient of 1.8. Also, acceptable total risk levels would still be exceeded in more than 70% of the samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The readability and audience acceptance of printed health promotion materials used by environmental health departments.

PubMed

Harvey, Harold D; Fleming, Paul

2003-01-01

A significant part of the work of an environmental health professional is the communication of information to clients, customers, and the public in the context of safety and health promotion or as an adjunct to enforcement activities. While a wide range of communication methods are available today, printed material still forms an important aspect of the communications methodology of environmental health departments. This paper raises a number of questions about the effectiveness of environmental health promotion brochures in common use in the United Kingdom and the problems that could arise from simply assuming that the brochures are conveying the intended message to the target audience. Through a series of case studies conducted in environmental health departments, evaluative data on a range of brochures were gathered in two interlinked stages: a readability test and a target-audience questionnaire survey. The sources of the brochures included the central government, charities, trade unions, and commercial enterprises; some brochures were produced "in house." Results indicated a common mismatch between the estimated reading age of the target audience and the reading age determined by the readability test; concern about the efficacy of using commercially sourced brochures carrying advertising that may conflict with advice on other environmental health issues; "in-house" brochures that appeared to optimize self-promotion rather than the conveyance of topic information; ineffective brochures used as an adjunct to enforcement activity; and the possibility that the latter could be introduced as defense evidence in related legal proceedings. Overall, the study showed that a well-structured method for brochure choice and ongoing evaluation are essential tools for environmental health departments seeking to maximize their resources and effectiveness.

Comparative research on NIMBY risk acceptability between Chinese and Japanese college students.

PubMed

Wu, Yunqing; Zhai, Guofang; Li, Shasha; Ren, Chongqiang; Tsuchida, Shoji

2014-10-01

Along with the progressive acceleration of urbanization, the need to identify potentially troublesome "Not In My Back Yard" (NIMBY) facilities in the city is inevitable. To resolve NIMBY conflict, it is important to know people's NIMBY risk acceptability for these facilities. A questionnaire survey was used among Chinese and Japanese college students to identify NIMBY risk acceptability. LISREL was used to construct a structural equation model to analyze the difference in NIMBY risk acceptability between the Chinese and Japanese college students. Factors that may affect NIMBY risk acceptability were analyzed: "perceiving utility," "perceiving risk," "trust in government," "reasonable compensation," and "procedural justice." The findings show that Japanese students' concerns were greater than Chinese students' concerns. Perceiving utility and perceiving risk were the most important factors that affect people's NIMBY risk acceptability, followed by procedural justice, trust in government, and reasonable compensation. There is a difference between the different cultural backgrounds in confronting the risk: Chinese students focus more on the reputation and value of real estate, while Japanese students pay more attention to environmental pollution and damage to health. Furthermore, cultural influences play a role in students' risk perception. To improve the risk acceptability for NIMBY facilities and provide a basis for resolving NIMBY conflicts, it is necessary to ensure the benefits of the NIMBY facility while reducing environmental pollution. The findings of this study may be of interest for policy makers and practitioners to devise future NIMBY strategies.

Utilization of urban sewage sludge: Chinese perspectives.

PubMed

Chen, H; Yan, S-H; Ye, Z-L; Meng, H-J; Zhu, Y-G

2012-06-01

Urbanization and industrialization in China has resulted in a dramatic increase in the volume of wastewater and sewage sludge produced from wastewater treatment plants. Problems associated with sewage sludge have attracted increasing attention from the public and urban planners. How to manage sludge in an economically and environmentally acceptable manner is one of the critical issues that modern societies are facing. Sludge treatment systems consist of thickening, dewatering, and several different alternative main treatments (anaerobic digestion, aerobic digestion, drying, composting, and incineration). Agricultural application, landfill, and incineration are the principal disposal methods for sewage sludge in China. However, sewage sludge disposal in the future should focus on resource recovery, reducing environmental impacts and saving economic costs. The reuse of biosolids in all scenarios can be environmentally beneficial and cost-effective. Anaerobic digestion followed by land application is the preferable options due to low economic and energy costs and material reuse. It is necessary to formulate a standard suitable for the utilization of sewage sludge in China.

Environmentally Compliant Coating Remover Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-30

22 9 Total of 491 products evaluated 7 Background • Many DoD depainting operations currently use environmentally compliant peroxide -assisted... benzyl alcohol strippers • These strippers have acceptable coating removal rates with minimal physical damage to metallic substrates • However, several...Coatings • Environmentally compliant benzyl alcohol product • Passed corrosion testing conducted by SMI in 2011 11 Laboratory Testing Scope

Isolation and characterization of the environmental bacterial and fungi contamination in a pharmaceutical unit of mesenchymal stem cell for clinical use.

PubMed

Martín, Patricia Gálvez; González, María Bermejo; Martínez, Adolfina Ruiz; Lara, Visitación Gallardo; Naveros, Beatriz Clares

2012-09-01

Design and implementation of an environmental monitoring program is vital to assure the maintenance of acceptable quality conditions in a pharmaceutical manufacturing unit of human mesenchymal stem cells. Since sterility testing methods require 14 days and these cells are only viable for several hours, they are currently administered without the result of this test. Consequently environmental monitoring is a key element in stem cell banks for assuring low levels of potential introduction of contaminants into the cell products. The aim of this study was to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the environmental microbiological quality in a pharmaceutical manufacturing unit of human mesenchymal stem cells production for use in advanced therapies. Two hundred and sixty one points were tested monthly during one year, 156 from air and 105 from surfaces. Among the 6264 samples tested, 231 showed contamination, 76.6% for bacteria and 23.4% for fungi. Microbial genuses isolated were Staphylococcus (89.7%), Microccocus (4.5%), Kocuria (3.2%) and Bacillus (2.6%). In the identification of fungi, three genuses were detected: Aspergillus (56%), Penicillium (26%) and Cladosporium (18%). The origin of the contamination was found to be due to personnel manipulation and air microbiota. For all sampling methods, alert limits were set and corrective measures suggested. Copyright © 2012 The International Alliance for Biological Standardization. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biodiesel production with special emphasis on lipase-catalyzed transesterification.

PubMed

Bisen, Prakash S; Sanodiya, Bhagwan S; Thakur, Gulab S; Baghel, Rakesh K; Prasad, G B K S

2010-08-01

The production of biodiesel by transesterification employing acid or base catalyst has been industrially accepted for its high conversion and reaction rates. Downstream processing costs and environmental problems associated with biodiesel production and byproducts recovery have led to the search for alternative production methods. Recently, enzymatic transesterification involving lipases has attracted attention for biodiesel production as it produces high purity product and enables easy separation from the byproduct, glycerol. The use of immobilized lipases and immobilized whole cells may lower the overall cost, while presenting less downstream processing problems, to biodiesel production. The present review gives an overview on biodiesel production technology and analyzes the factors/methods of enzymatic approach reported in the literature and also suggests suitable method on the basis of evidence for industrial production of biodiesel.

75 FR 8339 - Difenzoquat; Product Cancellation Order for Certain Pesticide Registrations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-24

... stakeholders including environmental, human health, and agricultural advocates; the chemical industry... Cancellation Order for Certain Pesticide Registrations AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION... registrant and accepted by the Agency, of products containing the pesticide difenzoquat, pursuant to section...

Dynamics of subcellular compartmentalization of steroid receptors in living cells as a strategic screening method to determine the biological impact of suspected endocrine disruptors.

PubMed

Tyagi, Rakesh Kumar

2003-04-01

Although a number of screening methods being used for identifying potential endocrine disruptors have generated a wealth of information, a search for alternative combination of methods is still needed to overcome experimental artefacts. There are no generally accepted or validated screening methods for monitoring and studying impact of environmental endocrine disruptors. Also, no single assay can accurately predict all the deleterious effects of endocrine disruptors. For this reason various environmental protection agencies, mainly European and US, have urged that a battery of tests in current use need to be designed to assess their adequacy in detecting the effects of endocrine disruptors. Some details about endocrine disruptors and screening programs can be found at http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/oscpendo/whatis.htm. Several studies in recent years have used fusion proteins between steroid receptors (estrogen, androgen, progesterone, etc.) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) that can serve as an alternative potent screening method to study intracellular dynamics of receptors in living cells. An approach employing nucleocytoplasmic trafficking of steroid receptors as a parameter in response to potential xenobiotic chemicals in living cells may prove to be promising in terms of being direct, fast, reliable, simple and inexpensive. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd.

[Alternative treatment methods in ENT].

PubMed

Friese, K H

1997-08-01

In this review, the most important complementary und alternative therapies are discussed, focusing particularly on their use in otorhinolaryngology. These therapies include balneology, Kneipp therapy, microbiological therapy, fasting, excretion therapy, different oxygen therapies, hydro-colon therapy, urine therapy, own-blood therapy, Bach therapy, orthomolecular therapy, order therapy, environmental medicine, phytotherapy, homeopathy, complex homeopathy, anthroposophy, neural therapy, electroaccupuncture according to Voll and similar therapies, nasal reflex therapy, reflex-zone massage, manual therapy, massage, lymph drainage, aroma therapy, thermotherapy, bioresonance, kinesiology, hopi candles, and dietetics. Some of these methods and regimens can be recommended, but others should be rejected. In universities, these methods are only represented to a minor extend, but are more accepted by otorhinolaryngologists in practice. This paper provides a guide to which alternative therapies are sensible and possible in otorhinolaryngology. The aim is to stimulate interest in these methods. It is necessary to discuss these alternative methods reasonably and credibly with patients.

Assessment of serious water shortage in the Icelandic water resource system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonsdottir, H.; Eliasson, J.; Madsen, H.

Water resources are economically important and environmentally extremely vulnerable. The electrical power system in Iceland is hydropower based and due to the country’s isolation, power import is not an option as elsewhere in Europe. In the hydropower system, a water shortage is met by flow augmentation from reservoirs. The management of these reservoirs are a human intervention in a natural flow and therefore necessarily limited by environmental regulations. During a heavy drought, the available water storage in the reservoir may not be sufficient to cater for the demand and consequently there will be a shortage of electrical power. This is politically acceptable as long as it only touches heavy industries but not power deliveries to the common market. Empty or near empty reservoirs cause power shortage that will be felt by homeowners and businesses, until spring thaw sets in and inflow to the reservoirs begins. If such a power shortage event occurs, it will cause heavy social problems and a political decision making will follow. It is commonly agreed, that management methods leading to such a disastrous event as a general power shortage in the whole country, are not acceptable. It is therefore very important to have mathematical tools to estimate the risk of water shortage in the system when searching for the best management method. In view of the fact that the subject is to estimate the risk of events that have to be very rare, i.e. with large recurrence time, stochastic simulation is used to produce synthetically run-off records with adequate length, in order to estimate very rare droughts. The method chosen is to make the run-off series stationary in the mean and the variance and simulating the resulting stationary process. When this method is chosen, future trends in the run-off from climate change and glacier reduction can easily be incorporated in the model. The probabilities of extreme droughts are calculated and their frequencies are compared to theoretical distributions.

Developing analytical approaches to explore the connection between endocrine-active pharmaceuticals in water to effects in fish

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones-Lepp, Tammy L.; Taniguchi-Fu, Randi L.; Morgan, Jade; Nance Jr., Trevor; Ward, Matthew; Alvarez, David A.; Mills, Lesley

2015-01-01

The emphasis of this research project was to develop and optimize a solid-phase extraction method and highperformance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionizationmass spectrometry method, such that a linkage between the detection of endocrine-active pharmaceuticals (EAPs) in the aquatic environment and subsequent effects on fish populations could eventually be studied. Four EAPs were studied: tamoxifen (TAM), exemestane (EXE), letrozole (LET), anastrozole (ANA); and three TAM metabolites: 4- hydroxytamoxifen, e/z endoxifen, and n-desmethyl tamoxifen. In aqueous matrices, the use of isotopically labeled standards for the EAPs allowed for the generation of good recoveries, greater than 80 %, and low relative standard deviations (% RSDs) (3 to 27 %). TAM metabolites had lower recoveries in the spiked water matrices: 35 to 93 % in waste/source water compared to 58 to 110 % in DI water. The precision in DI water was acceptable ranging from 8 to 38 % RSD. However, the precision in real environmental wastewaters could be poor, ranging from 15 to 120 % RSD, dependent upon unique matrix effects. In plasma, the overall recoveries of the EAPs were acceptable: 88 to 110 %, with %RSDs of 6 to 18 % (Table 3). The spiked recoveries of the TAM metabolites from plasma were good, ranging from 77 to 120 %, with %RSDs ranging from 27 to 32 %. Two of the TAM metabolites, 4- hydroxytamoxifen and n-desmethyl tamoxifen, were confirmed in most of the environmental aqueous samples. The discovery of TAM metabolites demonstrates that the source of the TAM metabolites, TAM, is constant, introducing a pseudo-persistence of this chemical into the environment.

Development and validation of an ultra-performance convergence chromatography method for the quality control of Angelica gigas Nakai.

PubMed

Kim, Hyo Seon; Chun, Jin Mi; Kwon, Bo-In; Lee, A-Reum; Kim, Ho Kyoung; Lee, A Yeong

2016-10-01

Ultra-performance convergence chromatography, which integrates the advantages of supercritical fluid chromatography and ultra high performance liquid chromatography technologies, is an environmentally friendly analytical method that uses dramatically reduced amounts of organic solvents. An ultra-performance convergence chromatography method was developed and validated for the quantification of decursinol angelate and decursin in Angelica gigas using a CSH Fluoro-Phenyl column (2.1 mm × 150 mm, 1.7 μm) with a run time of 4 min. The method had an improved resolution and a shorter analysis time in comparison to the conventional high-performance liquid chromatography method. This method was validated in terms of linearity, precision, and accuracy. The limits of detection were 0.005 and 0.004 μg/mL for decursinol angelate and decursin, respectively, while the limits of quantitation were 0.014 and 0.012 μg/mL, respectively. The two components showed good regression (correlation coefficient (r 2 ) > 0.999), excellent precision (RSD < 2.28%), and acceptable recoveries (99.75-102.62%). The proposed method can be used to efficiently separate, characterize, and quantify decursinol angelate and decursin in Angelica gigas and its related medicinal materials or preparations, with the advantages of a shorter analysis time, greater sensitivity, and better environmental compatibility. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Prevalidation of an Acute Inhalation Toxicity Test Using the EpiAirway In Vitro Human Airway Model

PubMed Central

Jackson, George R.; Maione, Anna G.; Klausner, Mitchell

2018-01-01

Abstract Introduction: Knowledge of acute inhalation toxicity potential is important for establishing safe use of chemicals and consumer products. Inhalation toxicity testing and classification procedures currently accepted within worldwide government regulatory systems rely primarily on tests conducted in animals. The goal of the current work was to develop and prevalidate a nonanimal (in vitro) test for determining acute inhalation toxicity using the EpiAirway™ in vitro human airway model as a potential alternative for currently accepted animal tests. Materials and Methods: The in vitro test method exposes EpiAirway tissues to test chemicals for 3 hours, followed by measurement of tissue viability as the test endpoint. Fifty-nine chemicals covering a broad range of toxicity classes, chemical structures, and physical properties were evaluated. The in vitro toxicity data were utilized to establish a prediction model to classify the chemicals into categories corresponding to the currently accepted Globally Harmonized System (GHS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) system. Results: The EpiAirway prediction model identified in vivo rat-based GHS Acute Inhalation Toxicity Category 1–2 and EPA Acute Inhalation Toxicity Category I–II chemicals with 100% sensitivity and specificity of 43.1% and 50.0%, for GHS and EPA acute inhalation toxicity systems, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the EpiAirway prediction model for identifying GHS specific target organ toxicity-single exposure (STOT-SE) Category 1 human toxicants were 75.0% and 56.5%, respectively. Corrosivity and electrophilic and oxidative reactivity appear to be the predominant mechanisms of toxicity for the most highly toxic chemicals. Conclusions: These results indicate that the EpiAirway test is a promising alternative to the currently accepted animal tests for acute inhalation toxicity. PMID:29904643

Prevalidation of an Acute Inhalation Toxicity Test Using the EpiAirway In Vitro Human Airway Model.

PubMed

Jackson, George R; Maione, Anna G; Klausner, Mitchell; Hayden, Patrick J

2018-06-01

Introduction: Knowledge of acute inhalation toxicity potential is important for establishing safe use of chemicals and consumer products. Inhalation toxicity testing and classification procedures currently accepted within worldwide government regulatory systems rely primarily on tests conducted in animals. The goal of the current work was to develop and prevalidate a nonanimal ( in vitro ) test for determining acute inhalation toxicity using the EpiAirway™ in vitro human airway model as a potential alternative for currently accepted animal tests. Materials and Methods: The in vitro test method exposes EpiAirway tissues to test chemicals for 3 hours, followed by measurement of tissue viability as the test endpoint. Fifty-nine chemicals covering a broad range of toxicity classes, chemical structures, and physical properties were evaluated. The in vitro toxicity data were utilized to establish a prediction model to classify the chemicals into categories corresponding to the currently accepted Globally Harmonized System (GHS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) system. Results: The EpiAirway prediction model identified in vivo rat-based GHS Acute Inhalation Toxicity Category 1-2 and EPA Acute Inhalation Toxicity Category I-II chemicals with 100% sensitivity and specificity of 43.1% and 50.0%, for GHS and EPA acute inhalation toxicity systems, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the EpiAirway prediction model for identifying GHS specific target organ toxicity-single exposure (STOT-SE) Category 1 human toxicants were 75.0% and 56.5%, respectively. Corrosivity and electrophilic and oxidative reactivity appear to be the predominant mechanisms of toxicity for the most highly toxic chemicals. Conclusions: These results indicate that the EpiAirway test is a promising alternative to the currently accepted animal tests for acute inhalation toxicity.

Acceptability of Mental Health Apps for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Mills, Patj Patj Janama Robert; Dingwall, Kylie Maree; Lowell, Anne; Singer, Judy; Rotumah, Darlene; Bennett-Levy, James; Nagel, Tricia

2016-01-01

Background Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians experience high rates of mental illness and psychological distress compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. E-mental health tools offer an opportunity for accessible, effective, and acceptable treatment. The AIMhi Stay Strong app and the ibobbly suicide prevention app are treatment tools designed to combat the disproportionately high levels of mental illness and stress experienced within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Objective This study aimed to explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members’ experiences of using two culturally responsive e-mental health apps and identify factors that influence the acceptability of these approaches. Methods Using qualitative methods aligned with a phenomenological approach, we explored the acceptability of two culturally responsive e-mental health apps through a series of three 3-hour focus groups with nine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members. Thematic analysis was conducted and coresearcher and member checking were used to verify findings. Results Findings suggest strong support for the concept of e-mental health apps and optimism for their potential. Factors that influenced acceptability related to three key themes: personal factors (eg, motivation, severity and awareness of illness, technological competence, and literacy and language differences), environmental factors (eg, community awareness, stigma, and availability of support), and app characteristics (eg, ease of use, content, graphics, access, and security and information sharing). Specific adaptations, such as local production, culturally relevant content and graphics, a purposeful journey, clear navigation, meaningful language, options to assist people with language differences, offline use, and password protection may aid uptake. Conclusions When designed to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, e-mental health tools add an important element to public health approaches for improving the well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. PMID:26969043

77 FR 67352 - City of New York; Notice of Application Ready for Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-09

... accepted and is now ready for environmental analysis. l. Project facilities would include: (1) An existing... 42,281 megawatt-hours of electricity annually. m. A copy of the application is available for review...

40 CFR 1518.3 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT FUND § 1518.3 Policy. (a) All studies and projects financed through the OEQ Management Fund shall be... Quality Improvement Act. (b) Agency funds accepted by the Director for transfer into the OEQ Management...

TESTING INDOOR AIR PRODUCTS: ONE APPROACH TO DEVELOPING WIDELY ACCEPTED PROTOCOLS

EPA Science Inventory

The paper describes an approach to developing widely acce ted products for testing indoor air products. [NOTE: Research Triangle Institute (RTI) is a partner in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program with responsibil...

Physiological spacecraft environment data documentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The physiological limits of exposure to environmental parameters encountered during space flight was documented. The environmental limits which have been previously established were described in terms of acceptable physiological changes. The process of coordinating data and assembling the completed data book is described in this report.

48 CFR 1552.215-71 - Evaluation factors for award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... award. 1552.215-71 Section 1552.215-71 Federal Acquisition Regulations System ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... acceptable, equal price (cost) offers, the Government will consider socioeconomic, environmental and other similar factors, as listed below in descending order of importance: (b) Factors and significant subfactors...

48 CFR 1552.215-71 - Evaluation factors for award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... award. 1552.215-71 Section 1552.215-71 Federal Acquisition Regulations System ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... acceptable, equal price (cost) offers, the Government will consider socioeconomic, environmental and other similar factors, as listed below in descending order of importance: (b) Factors and significant subfactors...

48 CFR 1552.215-71 - Evaluation factors for award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... award. 1552.215-71 Section 1552.215-71 Federal Acquisition Regulations System ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... acceptable, equal price (cost) offers, the Government will consider socioeconomic, environmental and other similar factors, as listed below in descending order of importance: (b) Factors and significant subfactors...

48 CFR 1552.215-71 - Evaluation factors for award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... award. 1552.215-71 Section 1552.215-71 Federal Acquisition Regulations System ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... acceptable, equal price (cost) offers, the Government will consider socioeconomic, environmental and other similar factors, as listed below in descending order of importance: (b) Factors and significant subfactors...

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

Gaba, J.M.

Three areas are addressed in this paper: generic issues that arise simply in the process of decision-making under environmental statutes; different decision-making standards under various environmental statutes; and efforts to legislate a {open_quotes}safe{close_quotes} or {open_quotes}acceptable{close_quotes} risk from exposure to carcinogenic chemicals.

49 CFR 1200.2 - Adoption of generally accepted accounting principles issued by the Financial Accounting Standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... principles issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). 1200.2 Section 1200.2 Transportation... COMMERCE ACT § 1200.2 Adoption of generally accepted accounting principles issued by the Financial... Financial Accounting Standards by the FASB, and provided that the Office of Economics, Environmental...

Payload test philosophy. [JPL views on qualification/acceptance testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gindorf, T.

1979-01-01

The general philosophy of how JPL views payload qualification/acceptance testing for programs that are done either in-house or by contractors is described. Particular attention is given to mission risk classifications, preliminary critical design reviews, environmental design requirements, the thermal and dynamics development tests, and the flight spacecraft system test.

Student Acceptance of the TICCIT System: A Preliminary Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asay, Calvin S.; Schneider, Edward W.

Twenty male and female students from a high school psychology class participated in a formative evaluation of student acceptance and performance with the Primary Instruction Logic of the TICCIT delivery system. A secondary goal was a pilot effort to design a carrel that would optimize certain parameters of the physical/environmental conditions…

24 CFR 51.105 - Exceptions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Exceptions. 51.105 Section 51.105... ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA AND STANDARDS Noise Abatement and Control § 51.105 Exceptions. (a) Flexibility for non... acceptability standard of 65 decibels, the Acceptable Zone may be shifted to Ldn 70 on a case-by-case basis if...

24 CFR 51.105 - Exceptions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Exceptions. 51.105 Section 51.105... ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA AND STANDARDS Noise Abatement and Control § 51.105 Exceptions. (a) Flexibility for non... acceptability standard of 65 decibels, the Acceptable Zone may be shifted to Ldn 70 on a case-by-case basis if...

24 CFR 51.105 - Exceptions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Exceptions. 51.105 Section 51.105... ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA AND STANDARDS Noise Abatement and Control § 51.105 Exceptions. (a) Flexibility for non... acceptability standard of 65 decibels, the Acceptable Zone may be shifted to Ldn 70 on a case-by-case basis if...

24 CFR 51.105 - Exceptions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Exceptions. 51.105 Section 51.105... ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA AND STANDARDS Noise Abatement and Control § 51.105 Exceptions. (a) Flexibility for non... acceptability standard of 65 decibels, the Acceptable Zone may be shifted to Ldn 70 on a case-by-case basis if...

24 CFR 51.105 - Exceptions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Exceptions. 51.105 Section 51.105... ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA AND STANDARDS Noise Abatement and Control § 51.105 Exceptions. (a) Flexibility for non... acceptability standard of 65 decibels, the Acceptable Zone may be shifted to Ldn 70 on a case-by-case basis if...

76 FR 12719 - City of Escondido, California, and Vista Irrigation District; Notice of Application Accepted for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-08

..., California, and Vista Irrigation District; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, Ready for Environmental... Filed: December 3, 2010. d. Applicant: City of Escondido, California, (Escondido) and Vista Irrigation District (Vista). e. Name of Project: Bear Valley Powerhouse Project. f. Location: On the San Luis Rey...

76 FR 12720 - City of Escondido, CA, and Vista Irrigation District; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-08

..., CA, and Vista Irrigation District; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, Ready for Environmental...: City of Escondido, California (Escondido) and Vista Irrigation District (Vista). e. Name of Project... owned by the La Jolla, San Pasqual, and Rincon Indian Tribes. g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act...

Hydrological processes and model representation: impact of soft data on calibration

Treesearch

J.G. Arnold; M.A. Youssef; H. Yen; M.J. White; A.Y. Sheshukov; A.M. Sadeghi; D.N. Moriasi; J.L. Steiner; Devendra Amatya; R.W. Skaggs; E.B. Haney; J. Jeong; M. Arabi; P.H. Gowda

2015-01-01

Hydrologic and water quality models are increasingly used to determine the environmental impacts of climate variability and land management. Due to differing model objectives and differences in monitored data, there are currently no universally accepted procedures for model calibration and validation in the literature. In an effort to develop accepted model calibration...

49 CFR 1200.2 - Adoption of generally accepted accounting principles issued by the Financial Accounting Standards...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... principles issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). 1200.2 Section 1200.2 Transportation... COMMERCE ACT § 1200.2 Adoption of generally accepted accounting principles issued by the Financial... Financial Accounting Standards by the FASB, and provided that the Office of Economics, Environmental...

78 FR 59919 - Pershing County Water Conservation District; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing With the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-30

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 14327-000] Pershing County Water Conservation District; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing With the Commission, Intent to Waive Scoping, Soliciting Motions to Intervene and Protests, Ready For Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Terms and Conditions,...

A Slippery Slope: Children's Perceptions of Their Role in Environmental Preservation in the Peruvian Amazon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galeano, Rebecca

2013-01-01

Despite international attention and attempts to preserve the environmental diversity of the Amazon, it is an accepted fact that those who inhabit the forest must be the ones who preserve it. This article presents an analysis of how children in small rural riverine communities along the Amazon understand the importance of environmental preservation…

Environmental Problems: A Global Security Threat. Report of the United Nations of the Next Decade Conference (24th, Hamilton Parish, Bermuda, June 18-23, 1989).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley Foundation, Muscatine, IA.

The world's political structure and many economic practices are out of harmony with nature. This disharmony threatens environmentally sustainable growth and human survival. United Nations (UN) conference participants discussed the degree of political acceptance of concepts such as environmental security and sustainable development. Their reading…

Preformed amide-containing biopolymer for improving the environmental performance of synthesized urea–formaldehyde in agro-fiber composites

Treesearch

Altaf H. Basta; Houssni El-Saied; Jerrold E. Winandy; Ronald Sabo

2011-01-01

Investigations have continued for production high performance agro-based composites using environmentally acceptable approaches. This study examines the role of adding amide-containing biopolymers during synthesis of urea–formaldehyde (UF) on properties of adhesive produced, especially its adhesion potential. The environmental performance of UF-resin synthesized in the...

Improving diet sustainability through evolution of food choices: review of epidemiological studies on the environmental impact of diets

PubMed Central

Perignon, Marlène; Vieux, Florent; Soler, Louis-Georges; Masset, Gabriel

2017-01-01

The Food and Agriculture Organization defines sustainable diets as nutritionally adequate, safe, healthy, culturally acceptable, economically affordable diets that have little environmental impact. This review summarizes the studies assessing, at the individual level, both the environmental impact and the nutritional quality or healthiness of self-selected diets. Reductions in meat consumption and energy intake were identified as primary factors for reducing diet-related greenhouse gas emissions. The choice of foods to replace meat, however, was crucial, with some isocaloric substitutions possibly increasing total diet greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, nutritional adequacy was rarely or only partially assessed, thereby compromising the assessment of diet sustainability. Furthermore, high nutritional quality was not necessarily associated with affordability or lower environmental impact. Hence, when identifying sustainable diets, each dimension needs to be assessed by relevant indicators. Finally, some nonvegetarian self-selected diets consumed by a substantial fraction of the population showed good compatibility with the nutritional, environmental, affordability, and acceptability dimensions. Altogether, the reviewed studies revealed the scarcity of standardized nationally representative data for food prices and environmental indicators and suggest that diet sustainability might be increased without drastic dietary changes. PMID:27974596

Importance of perceived naturalness for acceptance of food additives and cultured meat.

PubMed

Siegrist, Michael; Sütterlin, Bernadette

2017-06-01

Four experiments examined some factors influencing the perceived naturalness of food products and their biasing effect on risk perception. The results of Experiment 1a showed that three food additives displaying their respective E-numbers (i.e., codes for food additives in the European Union and Switzerland) decreased perceived naturalness. Experiment 1b demonstrated that mentioning possible health effects decreased the perceived naturalness of a plant-based food additive. This experiment further showed that it would not matter for perceived naturalness whether the food was synthetic or nature-identical. Moreover, the results of Experiments 2 and 3 suggested that the same risk associated with meat consumption was much more acceptable for traditionally produced meat compared with in-vitro meat. Experiment 3 further indicated that the perceived naturalness of the meat (i.e., traditional or cultured meat) had a full mediation effect on participants' evaluation of the acceptability of the risk of colon cancer associated with the meat consumption. Even if the new production method (i.e., cultured meat) was more environmentally friendly and less harmful to animals, the perceived lack of naturalness might reduce the acceptability of the risk associated with such a product. The present study provides evidence that consumers rely on symbolic information when evaluating foods, which may lead to biased judgments and decisions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

75 FR 8942 - Maneb; Product Cancellation Order for Certain Pesticide Registrations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-26

... including environmental, human health, and agricultural advocates; the chemical industry; pesticide users... Order for Certain Pesticide Registrations AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Order... and accepted by the Agency, of products containing the pesticide maneb, pursuant to section 6(f)(1) of...

40 CFR 164.122 - Final order and order of suspension.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

.... 164.122 Section 164.122 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED... RODENTICIDE ACT, ARISING FROM REFUSALS TO REGISTER, CANCELLATIONS OF REGISTRATIONS, CHANGES OF CLASSIFICATIONS... Environmental Appeals Board shall issue a final decision and order. Such final order may accept or reject in...

40 CFR 164.122 - Final order and order of suspension.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

.... 164.122 Section 164.122 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED... RODENTICIDE ACT, ARISING FROM REFUSALS TO REGISTER, CANCELLATIONS OF REGISTRATIONS, CHANGES OF CLASSIFICATIONS... Environmental Appeals Board shall issue a final decision and order. Such final order may accept or reject in...

Parental acceptability of contraceptive methods offered to their teen during a confidential health care visit.

PubMed

Hartman, Lauren B; Shafer, Mary-Ann; Pollack, Lance M; Wibbelsman, Charles; Chang, Fay; Tebb, Kathleen P

2013-02-01

To examine parental acceptability of contraceptive methods offered confidentially to their adolescent daughter. A random sample of 261 parents/guardians with a daughter aged 12-17 years completed a telephone survey examining the relationship between parental acceptability of seven contraceptive methods and adolescents' likelihood to have sex, parenting beliefs, parents' sexual health as teens, sexually transmitted infection knowledge, and demographic factors. Acceptability was highest for oral contraceptive pills (59%) and lowest for intrauterine device (18%). Parental acceptance of teens' autonomy was significantly associated with increased acceptability of all methods. Parental knowledge of sexually transmitted infections was poor, and 51% found it acceptable for clinicians to provide their sexually active teen with condoms. Parents were more accepting of oral contraceptive pills and condoms compared with intrauterine devices and implants. Parental recognition of their teen's autonomy was associated with greater parental acceptability of clinicians providing their adolescent with contraceptives (regardless of the specific type of method being offered). Copyright © 2013 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Qualitative methods to ensure acceptability of behavioral and social interventions to the target population

PubMed Central

Ayala, Guadalupe X.; Elder, John P.

2013-01-01

This paper introduces qualitative methods for assessing the acceptability of an intervention. Acceptability refers to determining how well an intervention will be received by the target population and the extent to which the new intervention or its components might meet the needs of the target population and organizational setting. In this paper, we focus on two common qualitative methods for conducting acceptability research and their advantages and disadvantages: focus groups and interviews. We provide examples from our own research and other studies to demonstrate the use of these methods for conducting acceptability research and how one might adapt this approach for oral health research. Finally, we present emerging methods for conducting acceptability research, including the use of community-based participatory research, as well as the utility of conducting acceptability research for assessing the appropriateness of measures in intervention research. PMID:21656958

Identification of inactivity behavior in smart home.

PubMed

Poujaud, J; Noury, N; Lundy, J-E

2008-01-01

To help elderly people live independently at home, the TIMC-IMAG laboratory developed Health Smart Homes called 'HIS'. These smart Homes are composed of several sensors to monitor the activities of daily living of the patients. Volunteers have accepted to be monitored during 2 years in their own flats. During one year, we carried out our survey on one elderly patient. Thanks to this experimentation, we will access to relevant information like physiological, environmental and activity. This paper focuses on daily living activity. We will introduce an original data splitting method based on the relationship between the frame of time and the location in the flat. Moreover we will present two different methods to determine a threshold of critical inactivity and eventually we will discuss their possible utilities.

NEXT GENERATION LEACHING TESTS FOR EVALUATING ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

In the U.S. as in other countries, there is increased interest in using industrial by-products as alternative or secondary materials, helping to conserve virgin or raw materials. The LEAF and associated test methods are being used to develop the source term for leaching or any inorganic constituents of potential concern (COPC) in determining what is environmentally acceptable. The leaching test methods include batch equilibrium, percolation column and semi-dynamic mass transport tests for monolithic and compacted granular materials. By testing over a range of values for pH, liquid/solid ratio, and physical form of the material, this approach allows one data set to be used to evaluate a range of management scenarios for a material, representing different environmental conditions (e.g., disposal or beneficial use). The results from these tests may be interpreted individually or integrated to identify a solid material’s characteristic leaching behavior. Furthermore the LEAF approach provides the ability to make meaningful comparisons of leaching between similar and dissimilar materials from national and worldwide origins. To present EPA's research under SHC to implement validated leaching tests referred to as the Leaching Environmental Assessment Framework (LEAF). The primary focus will be on the guidance for implementation of LEAF describing three case studies for developing source terms for evaluating inorganic constituents.

Silicone rod extraction followed by liquid desorption-large volume injection-programmable temperature vaporiser-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for trace analysis of priority organic pollutants in environmental water samples.

PubMed

Delgado, Alejandra; Posada-Ureta, Oscar; Olivares, Maitane; Vallejo, Asier; Etxebarria, Nestor

2013-12-15

In this study a priority organic pollutants usually found in environmental water samples were considered to accomplish two extraction and analysis approaches. Among those compounds organochlorine compounds, pesticides, phthalates, phenols and residues of pharmaceutical and personal care products were included. The extraction and analysis steps were based on silicone rod extraction (SR) followed by liquid desorption in combination with large volume injection-programmable temperature vaporiser (LVI-PTV) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Variables affecting the analytical response as a function of the programmable temperature vaporiser (PTV) parameters were firstly optimised following an experimental design approach. The SR extraction and desorption conditions were assessed afterwards, including matrix modification, time extraction, and stripping solvent composition. Subsequently, the possibility of performing membrane enclosed sorptive coating extraction (MESCO) as a modified extraction approach was also evaluated. The optimised method showed low method detection limits (3-35 ng L(-1)), acceptable accuracy (78-114%) and precision values (<13%) for most of the studied analytes regardless of the aqueous matrix. Finally, the developed approach was successfully applied to the determination of target analytes in aqueous environmental matrices including estuarine and wastewater samples. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced intelligent water drops algorithm for multi-depot vehicle routing problem

PubMed Central

Akutsah, Francis; Olusanya, Micheal O.; Adewumi, Aderemi O.

2018-01-01

The intelligent water drop algorithm is a swarm-based metaheuristic algorithm, inspired by the characteristics of water drops in the river and the environmental changes resulting from the action of the flowing river. Since its appearance as an alternative stochastic optimization method, the algorithm has found applications in solving a wide range of combinatorial and functional optimization problems. This paper presents an improved intelligent water drop algorithm for solving multi-depot vehicle routing problems. A simulated annealing algorithm was introduced into the proposed algorithm as a local search metaheuristic to prevent the intelligent water drop algorithm from getting trapped into local minima and also improve its solution quality. In addition, some of the potential problematic issues associated with using simulated annealing that include high computational runtime and exponential calculation of the probability of acceptance criteria, are investigated. The exponential calculation of the probability of acceptance criteria for the simulated annealing based techniques is computationally expensive. Therefore, in order to maximize the performance of the intelligent water drop algorithm using simulated annealing, a better way of calculating the probability of acceptance criteria is considered. The performance of the proposed hybrid algorithm is evaluated by using 33 standard test problems, with the results obtained compared with the solutions offered by four well-known techniques from the subject literature. Experimental results and statistical tests show that the new method possesses outstanding performance in terms of solution quality and runtime consumed. In addition, the proposed algorithm is suitable for solving large-scale problems. PMID:29554662

Enhanced intelligent water drops algorithm for multi-depot vehicle routing problem.

PubMed

Ezugwu, Absalom E; Akutsah, Francis; Olusanya, Micheal O; Adewumi, Aderemi O

2018-01-01

The intelligent water drop algorithm is a swarm-based metaheuristic algorithm, inspired by the characteristics of water drops in the river and the environmental changes resulting from the action of the flowing river. Since its appearance as an alternative stochastic optimization method, the algorithm has found applications in solving a wide range of combinatorial and functional optimization problems. This paper presents an improved intelligent water drop algorithm for solving multi-depot vehicle routing problems. A simulated annealing algorithm was introduced into the proposed algorithm as a local search metaheuristic to prevent the intelligent water drop algorithm from getting trapped into local minima and also improve its solution quality. In addition, some of the potential problematic issues associated with using simulated annealing that include high computational runtime and exponential calculation of the probability of acceptance criteria, are investigated. The exponential calculation of the probability of acceptance criteria for the simulated annealing based techniques is computationally expensive. Therefore, in order to maximize the performance of the intelligent water drop algorithm using simulated annealing, a better way of calculating the probability of acceptance criteria is considered. The performance of the proposed hybrid algorithm is evaluated by using 33 standard test problems, with the results obtained compared with the solutions offered by four well-known techniques from the subject literature. Experimental results and statistical tests show that the new method possesses outstanding performance in terms of solution quality and runtime consumed. In addition, the proposed algorithm is suitable for solving large-scale problems.

Single-pixel imaging using balanced detection and a digital micromirror device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soldevila, F.; Clemente, P.; Tajahuerce, E.; Uribe-Patarroyo, Néstor; Andrés, P.; Lancis, J.

2018-02-01

Over the past decade, single-pixel imaging (SPI) has established as a viable tool in scenarios where traditional imaging techniques struggle to provide images with acceptable quality in practicable times and reasonable costs. However, SPI still has several limitations inherent to the technique, such as working with spurious light and in real time. Here we present a novel approach, using complementary measurements and a single balanced detector. By using balanced detection, we improve the frame rate of the complementary measurement architectures by a factor of two. Furthermore, the use of a balanced detector provides environmental light immunity to the method.

Woody biomass outreach in the southern United States: A case study

Treesearch

Martha Monroe; Annie Oxarart

2011-01-01

Woody biomass is one potential renewable energy source that is technically feasible where environmental and economic factors are promising. It becomes a realistic option when it is also socially acceptable. Public acceptance and support of wood to energy proposals require community education and outreach. The Wood to Energy Outreach Program provides science-based...

A sensitive immunosorbent bio-barcode assay based on real-time immuno-PCR for detecting 3,4,3',4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl.

PubMed

Yang, Guang-Xin; Zhuang, Hui-Sheng; Chen, Han-Yu; Ping, Xian-Yin; Bu, Dan

2014-02-01

A functionalized gold-nanoparticle bio-barcode assay, based on real-time immuno-PCR (IPCR), was designed for the determination of 3,4,3',4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB77). 15 nm gold nanoparticles were synthesized, and modified with thiol-capped DNA and goat anti-rabbit IgG. The nanoparticle probes were used to replace antibody-DNA conjugate in the IPCR, and were fixed on the PCR tube wall via the immune reaction. Real-time PCR was performed to quantify the DNA signal directly. Under optimized conditions, the new method was used to detect PCB77 with a linearity range from 5 pg L(-1) to 10 ng L(-1), and the limit of detection (LOD) was 1.72 pg L(-1). Real samples of Larimichthys polyactis, collected from the East China Sea, were analyzed. Recovery was from 82 % to 112 %, and the coefficient of variation (CV) was acceptable. The results were compared with GC-ECD, revealing that the method would be acceptable for providing rapid, semi-quantitative, and reliable test results for making environmental decisions.

Biomagnetism using SQUIDs: status and perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sternickel, Karsten; Braginski, Alex I.

2006-03-01

Biomagnetism involves the measurement and analysis of very weak local magnetic fields of living organisms and various organs in humans. Such fields can be of physiological origin or due to magnetic impurities or markers. This paper reviews existing and prospective applications of biomagnetism in clinical research and medical diagnostics. Currently, such applications require sensitive magnetic SQUID sensors and amplifiers. The practicality of biomagnetic methods depends especially on techniques for suppressing the dominant environmental electromagnetic noise, and on suitable nearly real-time data processing and interpretation methods. Of the many biomagnetic methods and applications, only the functional studies of the human brain (magnetoencephalography) and liver susceptometry are in clinical use, while functional diagnostics of the human heart (magnetocardiography) approaches the threshold of clinical acceptance. Particularly promising for the future is the ongoing research into low-field magnetic resonance anatomical imaging using SQUIDs.

Environmental Virology Workshop Summary, Tucson, Arizona, Jan 7-12, 2013

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

Sullivan, Matthew

Full Text of the report: A total of 66 researchers participated in this workshop, including 44 attendees, 3 program officers from private and federal funding agencies, and 19 workshop teachers. The workshop was incredibly productive and focused on identifying knowledge-gaps critical for predictive modeling, and developing the framework (experimental, informatic, theoretical) needed to obtain the data. All attendees developed a strong foundation in cutting-edge methods and a network of researchers that are now aiding in advancing environmental virology research. To more broadly reach Environmental Virologists, a subset of the attendees since proposed and ran a viromics workshop at the Americanmore » Society of Microbiology meeting in 2014 in Boston, MA where the workshop sold-out. The workshop proposal was accepted again by ASM and is scheduled to occur at the New Orleans meeting in May, 2015. Additionally, PI Sullivan is co-convening a ''Viromics: Tools and Concepts'' session at the FEMS meeting in the Netherlands in June 2015 to continue getting the word out about Environmental Virology. A second formal Environmental Virology Workshop is being planned to occur in Scotland in summer 2016, likely held jointly with the Aquatic Virology Workshop. I wish to thank DOE for their critical support for this workshop which has helped galvanize the field.« less

Practical measures for reducing the risk of environmental contamination in shale energy production.

PubMed

Ziemkiewicz, Paul; Quaranta, John D; McCawley, Michael

2014-07-01

Gas recovery from shale formations has been made possible by advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology. Rapid adoption of these methods has created a surge in natural gas production in the United States and increased public concern about its environmental and human health effects. We surveyed the environmental literature relevant to shale gas development and studied over fifteen well sites and impoundments in West Virginia to evaluate pollution caused by air emissions, light and noise during drilling. Our study also characterized liquid and solid waste streams generated by drilling and hydraulic fracturing and evaluated the integrity of impoundments used to store fluids produced by hydraulic fracturing. While most shale gas wells are completed with little or no environmental contamination, we found that many of the problems associated with shale gas development resulted from inattention to accepted engineering practices such as impoundment construction, improper liner installation and a lack of institutional controls. Recommendations are provided based on the literature and our field studies. They will address not all but a great many of the deficiencies that result in environmental release of contaminants from shale gas development. We also identified areas where new technologies are needed to fully address contaminant releases to air and water.

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

PubMed

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

2013-10-21

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

Improved exposure estimation in soil screening and cleanup criteria for volatile organic chemicals.

PubMed

DeVaull, George E

2017-09-01

Soil cleanup criteria define acceptable concentrations of organic chemical constituents for exposed humans. These criteria sum the estimated soil exposure over multiple pathways. Assumptions for ingestion, dermal contact, and dust exposure generally presume a chemical persists in surface soils at a constant concentration level for the entire exposure duration. For volatile chemicals, this is an unrealistic assumption. A calculation method is presented for surficial soil criteria that include volatile depletion of chemical for these uptake pathways. The depletion estimates compare favorably with measured concentration profiles and with field measurements of soil concentration. Corresponding volatilization estimates compare favorably with measured data for a wide range of volatile and semivolatile chemicals, including instances with and without the presence of a mixed-chemical residual phase. Selected examples show application of the revised factors in estimating screening levels for benzene in surficial soils. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:861-869. © 2017 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). © 2017 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Sustainability Characterization for Additive Manufacturing.

PubMed

Mani, Mahesh; Lyons, Kevin W; Gupta, S K

2014-01-01

Additive manufacturing (AM) has the potential to create geometrically complex parts that require a high degree of customization, using less material and producing less waste. Recent studies have shown that AM can be an economically viable option for use by the industry, yet there are some inherent challenges associated with AM for wider acceptance. The lack of standards in AM impedes its use for parts production since industries primarily depend on established standards in processes and material selection to ensure the consistency and quality. Inability to compare AM performance against traditional manufacturing methods can be a barrier for implementing AM processes. AM process sustainability has become a driver due to growing environmental concerns for manufacturing. This has reinforced the importance to understand and characterize AM processes for sustainability. Process characterization for sustainability will help close the gaps for comparing AM performance to traditional manufacturing methods. Based on a literature review, this paper first examines the potential environmental impacts of AM. A methodology for sustainability characterization of AM is then proposed to serve as a resource for the community to benchmark AM processes for sustainability. Next, research perspectives are discussed along with relevant standardization efforts.

Experiences in Tick Control by Acaricide in the Traditional Cattle Sector in Zambia and Burkina Faso: Possible Environmental and Public Health Implications.

PubMed

De Meneghi, Daniele; Stachurski, Frédéric; Adakal, Hassane

2016-01-01

Livestock, especially cattle, play a paramount role in agriculture production systems, particularly in poor countries throughout the world. Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) have an important impact on livestock and agriculture production in sub-Saharan Africa. The authors review the most common methods used for the control of ticks and TBDs. Special emphasis is given to the direct application of acaricides to the host animals. The possible environmental and public health adverse effects (i.e., risks for the workers, residues in the environment and in food products of animal origin) are mentioned. The authors present two case studies, describing different field experiences in controlling ticks in two African countries. In Zambia (Southern Africa), a strategic dipping regime was used to control Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks, vectors of theileriosis, a deadly disease affecting cattle in the traditional livestock sector in Southern Province. The dipping regime adopted allowed to reduce the tick challenge and cattle mortally rate and, at the same time, to employ less acaricide as compared to the intensive dipping used so far, without disrupting the building-up of enzootic stability. In Burkina Faso (West Africa), where dipping was never used for tick control, an acaricide footbath was employed as an alternative method to the traditional technique used locally (portable manual sprayers). This was developed from field observations on the invasion/attachment process of the Amblyomma variegatum ticks - vector of cowdriosis - on the animal hosts, leading to a control method aimed to kill ticks temporarily attached to the interdigital areas before their permanent attachment to the predilection sites. This innovative method has been overall accepted by the local farmers. It has the advantage of greatly reducing costs of treatments and has a minimal environmental impact, making footbath a sustainable and replicable method, adoptable also in other West African countries. Although the two methods described, developed in very different contexts, are not comparable - if public health and environmental implications are taken into account, if a balance among efficacy of the control method(s), cost-effectiveness and sustainability is reached - a way forward for the implementation of a One Health strategy can be set.

Working the Dark Edges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weston, Anthony

2014-01-01

Environmentalism's wider and wilder possibilities today appear as regions of seeming darkness that bracket or frame acceptable environmental thinking. One of these barely-mentionable darknesses is outer space--the cosmos. Another is the inner and chthonic powers of the land and natural beings generally. This essay aims to bring these two kinds of…

Resources, Number 39. Some Highlights of 1971.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Resources for the Future, Inc., Washington, DC.

Focusing on some significant events of 1971 relating to the use and management of natural resources, this report points out that environmental concern is coming of age. Government activities, congressional messages and action, major court cases, and citizen action are reviewed in the light of growing public acceptance of environmental quality as…

32 CFR Enclosure 1 - Requirements for Environmental Considerations-Global Commons

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... the responsible decision-making official to be informed of pertinent environmental considerations. The... making an appropriate record with respect to this requirement is for the decision-maker to sign and date...-making process. Other means of making an appropriate record are also acceptable. 9. Timing. No decision...

Genetically-engineered baculovirus pesticides and their environmental safety

Treesearch

H. Alan Wood; Yu Zailin

1991-01-01

Baculoviruses such as the Lymantria dispar nuclear polyhedrosis virus (LdMNPV) are ecologically attractive alternatives to chemical insect pesticides but have a slow rate of control. To overcome this we have developed and are field testing an environmentally acceptable strategy which can be used for the introduction and expression of pesticide-...

TEST DESIGN FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION (ETV) OF ADD-ON NOX CONTROL UTILIZING OZONE INJECTION

EPA Science Inventory

The paper discusses the test design for environmental technology verification (ETV) of add-0n nitrogen oxides (NOx) control utilizing ozone injection. (NOTE: ETV is an EPA-established program to enhance domestic and international market acceptance of new or improved commercially...

The "New Environmental Paradigm"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunlap, Riley E.; Van Liere, Kent D.

2008-01-01

The "New Environmental Paradigm" or NEP appears to have gained considerable popularity in academic and intellectual circles, as well as among many college students; however, very little is known concerning the degree to which the general public has come to accept the ideas embodied in it. Thus, although there have been dozens of studies…

10 CFR 503.34 - Inability to comply with applicable environmental requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... environmental compliance of the facility, including an analysis of its ability to meet applicable standards and... will be based solely on an analysis of the petitioner's capacity to physically achieve applicable... exemption. All such analysis must be based on accepted analytical techniques, such as air quality modeling...

10 CFR 503.34 - Inability to comply with applicable environmental requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... environmental compliance of the facility, including an analysis of its ability to meet applicable standards and... will be based solely on an analysis of the petitioner's capacity to physically achieve applicable... exemption. All such analysis must be based on accepted analytical techniques, such as air quality modeling...

Why the WTA - WTP disparity matters

Treesearch

Brown Thomas C.; Gregory R.

1999-01-01

The disparity between willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to accept compensation (WTA) has been demonstrated repeatedly. Because using WTP estimates of value where a WTA estimate is appropriate tends to undervalue environmental assets, this issue is important to environmental managers. We summarize reasons for the disparity and then discuss some of the...

[Family planning at the turn of the 21st century].

PubMed

Trias, M

1994-06-01

This work constitutes a plea for the widest possible acceptance and encouragement of family planning throughout the world in order to avoid the irreversible environmental damage that will inevitably come with excessive numbers. Limitation of reproduction, preferably voluntarily, is possible by means of the effective and generally safe contraceptive methods now available. Preservation of the environment will require effective antipollution policies and an unwelcome control of the rampant consumerism of contemporary culture. Alarm among demographers in developed countries concerning exponential population increase developed about a half-century ago, only shortly after the feminist-led struggle for reproductive freedom provided a moral and juridical foundation for family planning. The demographic focus was not used to promote family planning among Third World countries, as that would have been viewed as heavy handed intrusion into the most intimate realm of domestic life. Instead, the nondemographic benefits such as improved maternal and child health and family well-being were stressed. It may be time to modify the focus. Ecologists must strive for a radical transformation of consumerist culture but must not ignore the pressure of numbers. Satisfying the needs of the world's most impoverished will greatly increase pressure on resources. Family planning has been accepted by the majority of the world's couples, but the unsatisfied demand has been estimated to amount to 100 million couples throughout the world. Providing information and services for such couples is the greatest challenge facing family planning programs. Many enemies of family planning have lost influence, but some critics from within family planning programs have deflected attention from the tasks of service delivery and may have postponed progress in some areas. Feminists who object to the concentration on female methods, developmentalists who believe that contraception will be accepted eventually as living standards improve, and integrationists who emphasize maternal-child health services to the detriment of family planning are examples. In view of the environmental threat as the twenty-first century dawns, the time may have come to view family planning not only as a right, but as a duty.

Mitigation of adverse environmental effects on lunar-based astronomical instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Charles L.; Dietz, Kurtis L.; Armstrong, T. W.; Colborn, B. L.

The galactic cosmic-ray flux incident on the moon was examined for its potential adverse impact on the performance of the large lunar telescope (LLT) proposed as a part of NASA's Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). Noise produced by the cosmic-ray flux in the charge coupled devices to be used as the primary photodetector in the telescope was estimated. It was calculated that approximately 2.5 m of regolith would provide the shielding necessary to reduce the noise to an acceptable level. Dust is an omnipresent environmental concern for any human-assisted or robotic scientific instruments deployed on the moon. The degree to which dust poses an operational risk to the telescope was examined. Three potential methods for reducing this risk were identified: locating scientific instruments at remote locations; utilizing a prepared, dust-free site for all rocket activities; and covering the optics during high-risk times.

Mitigation of adverse environmental effects on lunar-based astronomical instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Les; Dietz, Kurtis L.; Armstrong, T. W.; Colborn, B. L.

1994-02-01

The galactic cosmic-ray flux incident on the Moon was examined for its potential adverse impact on the performance of the large lunar telescope (LLT) proposed as a part of NASA's Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). Noise produced by the cosmic-ray flux in the charge coupled devices (CCD's) to be used as the primary photodetector in the telescope was estimated. It was calculated that approximately 2.5 m of regolith would provide the shielding necessary to reduce the noise to an acceptable level. Dust is an omnipresent environmental concern for any human-assisted or robotic scientific instruments deployed on the Moon. The degree to which dust poses an operational risk to the telescope was examined. Three potential methods for reducing this risk were identified: locating scientific instruments at remote locations; utilizing a prepared, dust-free site for all rocket activities; and covering the optics during high-risk times.

Polar Lakes and Springs as Analogs for Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McKay, C. P.

1995-01-01

If we accept the fluvial features as evidence of liquid water on Mars we conclude that early in Martian history there was an extensive period during which liquid water was prevalent and stable. The duration of this epoch and the environmental conditions that allowed for water flow are uncertain but because liquid water is the most critical environmental requirement for life on Earth, the observation that there was liquid water on Mars during on early epoch is a strong motivation for considering the possibility of past life. Microbial ecosystems can thrive in polar lakes and springs on Earth, such as those in the Antarctic dry valleys, even when the mean temperatures are well below freezing. Mars need not have ever been above freezing for life to persist. These microbial ecosystems provide specific models for possible past martian ecosystems and can be used in the development of methods to locate and identify analogous Martian fossil forms, if they exist.

Mitigation of adverse environmental effects on lunar-based astronomical instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Charles L.; Dietz, Kurtis L.; Armstrong, T. W.; Colborn, B. L.

1992-01-01

The galactic cosmic-ray flux incident on the moon was examined for its potential adverse impact on the performance of the large lunar telescope (LLT) proposed as a part of NASA's Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). Noise produced by the cosmic-ray flux in the charge coupled devices to be used as the primary photodetector in the telescope was estimated. It was calculated that approximately 2.5 m of regolith would provide the shielding necessary to reduce the noise to an acceptable level. Dust is an omnipresent environmental concern for any human-assisted or robotic scientific instruments deployed on the moon. The degree to which dust poses an operational risk to the telescope was examined. Three potential methods for reducing this risk were identified: locating scientific instruments at remote locations; utilizing a prepared, dust-free site for all rocket activities; and covering the optics during high-risk times.

Mitigation of adverse environmental effects on lunar-based astronomical instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Les; Dietz, Kurtis L.; Armstrong, T. W.; Colborn, B. L.

1994-01-01

The galactic cosmic-ray flux incident on the Moon was examined for its potential adverse impact on the performance of the large lunar telescope (LLT) proposed as a part of NASA's Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). Noise produced by the cosmic-ray flux in the charge coupled devices (CCD's) to be used as the primary photodetector in the telescope was estimated. It was calculated that approximately 2.5 m of regolith would provide the shielding necessary to reduce the noise to an acceptable level. Dust is an omnipresent environmental concern for any human-assisted or robotic scientific instruments deployed on the Moon. The degree to which dust poses an operational risk to the telescope was examined. Three potential methods for reducing this risk were identified: locating scientific instruments at remote locations; utilizing a prepared, dust-free site for all rocket activities; and covering the optics during high-risk times.

Hydrology for Engineers, Geologists, and Environmental Professionals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ince, Simon

For people who are involved in the applied aspects of hydrology, it is refreshing to find a textbook that begins with a meaningful disclaimer, albeit in fine print on the back side of the frontispiece:“The present book and the accompanying software have been written according to the latest techniques in scientific hydrology. However, hydrology is at best an inexact science. A good book and a good computer software by themselves do not guarantee accurate or even realistic predictions. Acceptable results in the applications of hydrologic methods to engineering and environmental problems depend to a greater extend (sic) on the skills, logical assumptions, and practical experience of the user, and on the quantity and quality of long-term hydrologic data available. Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility or any liability, explicitly or implicitly, on the results or the consequences of using the information contained in this book or its accompanying software.”

Repeatability of a new method for measuring tear evaporation rates.

PubMed

Petznick, Andrea; Tan, Jen Hong; Boo, Shiao Khee; Lee, Sze Yee; Acharya, U Rajendra; Tong, Louis

2013-04-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the repeatability of tear evaporimetry based on infrared thermography in a clinical room setting and to test the effect of changing environmental humidity on ocular surface temperature (OST) and tear evaporation rates (TERs) in a controlled adverse environmental (CAE) chamber. Twenty-six healthy participants were enrolled, of whom 16 underwent repeatability measurements in a clinical room and 10 were exposed to a constant temperature of 30°C with a humidity of 45 and 65% in a CAE. Participants were acclimatized to each condition for at least 20 minutes before OSTs were taken. Tear film breakup time was assessed in the CAE only. Number of blinks and OSTs were continuously measured for 20 seconds for the cornea, conjunctiva, and overall ocular surface with an infrared camera; corresponding TERs were calculated. The OSTs and TERs showed acceptable strength of agreement between the first and second measurements. The coefficients of repeatability were 0.4°C for OST and 6.0 W m for TER. An increase in chamber humidity (from 45 to 65%) increased OST (p < 0.05). The TER was not changed significantly (p > 0.05). The tear film breakup time and number of blinks were not significantly affected by different humidity conditions. This technique has acceptable repeatability and has potential to document individual tear evaporation changes with time where humidity may differ by less than 20%.

Incorporating geoethics into environmental engineering lectures - three years of experience from international students visiting Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finger, David C.

2017-04-01

Never before has human kind been facing bigger environmental challenges than today. The challenges are overwhelming: growing human population, increasing ecological footprints, accelerated climate change, severe soil degradation, eutrophication of vital fresh water resources, acidification of oceans, health threatening air pollution and rapid biodiversity loss, to name just a few. It is the task of environmental scientists to transmit established knowledge on these complex and interdisciplinary challenges while demonstrating that management and engineering solutions exist to meet these threats. In this presentation I will outline the concept of my environmental impact (EI) assessment course, where prospective engineering students can select a topic of their choice, assess the environmental impacts, discuss with relevant stakeholders and come up with innovative solutions. The course is structured in three parts: i) lecturing of theoretical methods frequently used within the EI assessment process, ii) interaction with local businesses to acquire first-hand experience and iii) hands on training by writing an EI statement on a selected topic (see link below). Over the course of three years over 70 prospective engineering students from all over the world have not only acquired environmental system understanding, but also enhanced their awareness and developed potential solutions to mitigate, compensate and reverse the persistent environmental challenges. Most importantly, during this process all involved stakeholders (students, teachers, industry partners, governmental bodies and NGO partners) will hopefully develop a mutual understanding of the above mentioned environmental challenges and engage in an open and constructive dialogue necessary to generate acceptable solutions. Link to student projects from previous years: https://fingerd.jimdo.com/teaching/courses/environmental-impact-assessment/

Evaluating the effects of monthly river flow trends on Environmental Flow allocation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torabi Haghighi, Ali; Klove, Bjorn

2010-05-01

The Natural river flow regime can be changed by the construction of hydraulic structures such as dams, hydropower plants, pump stations and so on. Due to the new river flow regime, some parts of water resources must be allocated to environmental flow (EF). There are more than 62 hydrological methods which have been proposed for calculating EF, although these methods don't have enough acceptability to be used in practical cases and The so other methods are preferred such as holistic,….. Most hydrological methods do not take basin physiography, climate, location of hydraulic structures, monthly river flow regime, historical trend of river (annually regime), purpose of hydraulic structures and so on, into consideration. In the present work, data from more than 180 rivers from Asia (71 rivers and 16 countries), Europe (79 Rivers and 23 countries), Americas (23 rivers and 10 countries) and Africa (12 rivers and 6 countries) were used to assess EF. The rivers were divided into 5 main groups of regular permanent rivers, semi regular permanent rivers, irregular permanent rivers, seasonal rivers and dry rivers, for each groups EF calculated by some hydrological methods and compared with the natural flow regime. The results showed that besides the amount of EF, the monthly distribution of flow is very important and should be considered in reservoir operation. In seasonal rivers and dry rivers, hydraulic structure construction can be useful for conserving aquatic ecosystems

Status of DOE efforts to renew acceptance of foreign research reactor spent nuclear fuel

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

Head, C.R.

1997-08-01

This presentation summarizes the efforts being made by the Department of Energy to renew acceptance of spent nuclear fuel shipments from foreign research reactors. The author reviews the actions undertaken in this process in a fairly chronological manner, through the present time, as well as the development of an environmental impact statement to support the proposed actions.

Draft environmental assessment: Lavender Canyon site, Utah. Nuclear Waste Policy Act (Section 112). [Contains glossary

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

Not Available

1984-12-01

In February 1983, the US Department of Energy (DOE) identified the Lavender Canyon site in Utah, as one of nine potentially acceptable sites for a mined geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. To determine their suitability, the Lavender Canyon site and the eight other potentially acceptable sites h

Improving diet sustainability through evolution of food choices: review of epidemiological studies on the environmental impact of diets.

PubMed

Perignon, Marlène; Vieux, Florent; Soler, Louis-Georges; Masset, Gabriel; Darmon, Nicole

2017-01-01

The Food and Agriculture Organization defines sustainable diets as nutritionally adequate, safe, healthy, culturally acceptable, economically affordable diets that have little environmental impact. This review summarizes the studies assessing, at the individual level, both the environmental impact and the nutritional quality or healthiness of self-selected diets. Reductions in meat consumption and energy intake were identified as primary factors for reducing diet-related greenhouse gas emissions. The choice of foods to replace meat, however, was crucial, with some isocaloric substitutions possibly increasing total diet greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, nutritional adequacy was rarely or only partially assessed, thereby compromising the assessment of diet sustainability. Furthermore, high nutritional quality was not necessarily associated with affordability or lower environmental impact. Hence, when identifying sustainable diets, each dimension needs to be assessed by relevant indicators. Finally, some nonvegetarian self-selected diets consumed by a substantial fraction of the population showed good compatibility with the nutritional, environmental, affordability, and acceptability dimensions. Altogether, the reviewed studies revealed the scarcity of standardized nationally representative data for food prices and environmental indicators and suggest that diet sustainability might be increased without drastic dietary changes. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute.

Health policy and ethnic diversity in older Americans. Dissonance or harmony?

PubMed Central

Wray, L A

1992-01-01

The rapid growth and diversity of the older population have long-term implications for health care policies in the United States. Current policies designed for a homogeneous population are increasingly obsolete. To ameliorate obstacles that handicap many ethnic minority elders and to provide equal access to adequate and acceptable health care, several factors need to be considered. Enhanced data collection and analytic techniques are needed. The effects of race or ethnicity must be separated from other biologic, environmental, socioeconomic, cultural, and temporal factors on health status and behavior. Health care professionals and organizations serving minority elders must continue to expand their advocacy efforts to articulate the findings and their concerns to policymakers. Policymakers must understand and acknowledge the implications of an increasingly diverse society and determine what will constitute adequate, accessible, and acceptable health care within continuing fiscal constrains. Program planning, implementation, and evaluation methods must be revised to meet future health care needs effectively and efficiently. PMID:1413784

Development of a recombinant human ovarian (BG1) cell line containing estrogen receptor α and β for improved detection of estrogenic/antiestrogenic chemicals.

PubMed

Brennan, Jennifer C; Bassal, Arzoo; He, Guochun; Denison, Michael S

2016-01-01

Estrogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals are found in environmental and biological samples, commercial and consumer products, food, and numerous other sources. Given their ubiquitous nature and potential for adverse effects, a critical need exists for rapidly detecting these chemicals. The authors developed an estrogen-responsive recombinant human ovarian (BG1Luc4E2) cell line recently accepted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as a bioanalytical method to detect estrogen receptor (ER) agonists/antagonists. Unfortunately, these cells appear to contain only 1 of the 2 known ER isoforms, ERα but not ERβ, and the differential ligand selectivity of these ERs indicates that the currently accepted screening method only detects a subset of total estrogenic chemicals. To improve the estrogen screening bioassay, BG1Luc4E2 cells were stably transfected with an ERβ expression plasmid and positive clones identified using ERβ-selective ligands (genistein and Br-ERβ-041). A highly responsive clone (BG1LucERβc9) was identified that exhibited greater sensitivity and responsiveness to ERβ-selective ligands than BG1Luc4E2 cells, and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction confirmed the presence of ERβ expression in these cells. Screening of pesticides and industrial chemicals identified chemicals that preferentially stimulated ERβ-dependent reporter gene expression. Together, these results not only demonstrate the utility of this dual-ER recombinant cell line for detecting a broader range of estrogenic chemicals than the current BG1Luc4E2 cell line, but screening with both cell lines allows identification of ERα- and ERβ-selective chemicals. © 2015 SETAC.

Medications at school: disposing of pharmaceutical waste.

PubMed

Taras, Howard; Haste, Nina M; Berry, Angela T; Tran, Jennifer; Singh, Renu F

2014-03-01

This project quantified and categorized medications left unclaimed by students at the end of the school year. It determined the feasibility of a model medication disposal program and assessed school nurses' perceptions of environmentally responsible medication disposal. At a large urban school district all unclaimed medications were collected at the end of a school year to determine the extent and nature of this problem. Nurses documented unclaimed medications and transported them to a central district location. An environmentally responsible medication disposal program, consisting of sealed containers bound for a local hospital's disposal system, was implemented. In a school district of approximately 133,000 students, there were 926 different medications abandoned at the end of a school year brought to a central disposal area. Nurses complied with the newly implemented protocol. Information collected from nurses indicates acceptance of the program. Disposal of unclaimed medications at a central location, use of secured containers, and transportation to a hospital for environmentally responsible disposal proved to be feasible and acceptable to the staff. Unclaimed medications at school each year pose a potentially huge environmental risk when disposed of improperly. It is feasible to implement an environmentally responsible medication disposal protocol at schools. © 2014, American School Health Association.

A model for choosing an automated ultraviolet-C disinfection system and building a case for the C-suite: Two case reports.

PubMed

Spencer, Maureen; Vignari, Michelle; Bryce, Elizabeth; Johnson, Helen Boehm; Fauerbach, Loretta; Graham, Denise

2017-03-01

Environmental disinfection has become the new frontier in the ongoing battle to reduce the risk of health care-associated infections. Evidence demonstrating the persistent contamination of environmental surfaces despite traditional cleaning and disinfection methods has led to the widespread acceptance that there is both a need for reassessing traditional cleaning protocols and for using secondary disinfection technologies. Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) disinfection is one type of no-touch technology shown to be a successful adjunct to manual cleaning in reducing environmental bioburden. The dilemma for the infection preventionist, however, is how to choose the system best suited for their facility among the many UV-C surface disinfection delivery systems available and how to build a case for acquisition to present to the hospital administration/C-suite. This article proposes an approach to these dilemmas based in part on the experience of 2 health care networks. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Environmental health impact in the hospital laundry.

PubMed

Byrns, G E; Bland, L A

1980-01-01

The task of surveying the hospital laundry is often dismissed by public health officials as unnecessary because the laundry cycle is generally considered to be capable of destroying all pathogens. Even though a properly operated laundry can produce a relatively bacteria free product, there are a number of variables that have an impact on the bacterial quality of the linen before it reaches the patient. It is vital that surveillance personnel understand these factors during processing, transporting, or sorting linen so that the final product is aesthetically, chemically, and bacteriologically acceptable for patient use. At the U. S. Public Health Service Hospital laundry in New Orleans, surveillance by the Environmental Health Department has identified potential problem areas. Operational improvements have been instituted at this laundry that would not have been possible without a thorough understanding of the laundry cycle. The authors describe the laundry cycle, including potential problem areas; identify useful microbial and chemical surveillance methods; and discuss process control procedures. This information will help the environmental health worker in discussions with laundry personnel regarding contamination control and operational efficiency.

Phytoremediation of explosives (TNT, RDX, HMX) by wild-type and transgenic plants.

PubMed

Panz, Katarzyna; Miksch, Korneliusz

2012-12-30

The large-scale production and processing of munitions has led to vast environmental pollution by the compounds TNT(2,4,6-trinitrotoluene), RDX(hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine) and HMX(octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine). Explosives contain these toxic and mutagenic xenobiotics, which are stable in the environment and recalcitrant to remediation. Certain technologies used thus far (incineration, adsorption, advanced oxidations processes, chemical reduction etc.) have not only been very expensive but also caused additional environmental problems. During recent decades, the most popular technologies have been biotechnological methods, such as phytoremediation, which is relatively cheap, environmentally friendly, and a highly accepted solution by society. The most promising of these technologies is the usage of genetically modified plants, which combines the ability of bacterial genes to detoxify compounds with the phytoremediation benefits of plants. This paper is a review related to the latest and most important achievements in the field of phytoremediation of water and soil contaminated with TNT, RDX and HMX. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decision makers, scientists and the public as stakeholders: the connection between traffic intervention policy and air quality in a local context.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiand, L.; von Schneidemesser, E.; Schmitz, S.; Niehoff, N.

2017-12-01

Urban mobility is a key issue to make cities more inclusive, safer, and more environmentally friendly. To ensure a sustainable future, local policy should, among other actions, aim to improve access to sustainable transport systems and enhance mobility opportunities, while at the same time addressing critical environmental and health targets. In order to assess whether these objectives are met, measures should be informed and evaluated from a social and environmental perspective. Citizens' opinions and the acceptance of environmental policies are crucial to successful implementation of urban mobility measures. The complexity of urban air quality issues require transparent decision-making processes that are grounded in evidence-based research and embrace local knowledge. From this basis, our research group and the city council collaborated to assess a new policy action intended to address environmental and health targets. This talk will present the results from the assessment of this new policy, that was implemented in large part to alleviate air quality exceedances, from the perspective of public acceptability of the measure and the approach taken by the city council to implement the measure. Parallel to assessing the effect of this policy on the recorded levels of air pollution and traffic counts, we conducted a social survey to examine public opinions of this measure, as well as the link between air quality awareness and mobility decisions. 4661 responses were collected over a one month period. Survey participants were those most affected by the traffic measure, including commuters and local residents. The results show that there is an overall low acceptance rate of the measure (8%) as well as low concern for air quality (2,90 - where 1 = not concerned and 6 = very concerned). We also found that there is a negative relationship between air quality rating and air quality concern. A similar approach was taken to understand climate change concern, which will be discussed further in the talk as well as how concern for air quality can increase acceptability for climate change mitigation policies.

Road-corridor planning in the EIA procedure in Spain. A review of case studies

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

Loro, Manuel, E-mail: manuel.loro@upm.es; Transport Research Centre; Centro de investigación del transporte, TRANSyT-UPM, ETSI Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Prof. Aranguren s/n, 28040 Madrid

The assessment of different alternatives in road-corridor planning must be based on a number of well-defined territorial variables that serve as decision making criteria, and this requires a high-quality preliminary environmental assessment study. In Spain the formal specifications for the technical requirements stipulate the constraints that must be considered in the early stages of defining road corridors, but not how they should be analyzed and ranked. As part of the feasibility study of a new road definition, the most common methodology is to establish different levels of Territorial Carrying Capacity (TCC) in the study area in order to summarize themore » territorial variables on thematic maps and to ease the tracing process of road-corridor layout alternatives. This paper explores the variables used in 22 road-construction projects conducted by the Ministry of Public Works that were subject to the Spanish EIA regulation and published between 2006 and 2008. The aim was to evaluate the quality of the methods applied and the homogeneity and suitability of the variables used for defining the TCC. The variables were clustered into physical, environmental, land-use and cultural constraints for the purpose of comparing the TCC values assigned in the studies reviewed. We found the average quality of the studies to be generally acceptable in terms of the justification of the methodology, the weighting and classification of the variables, and the creation of a synthesis map. Nevertheless, the methods for assessing the TCC are not sufficiently standardized; there is a lack of uniformity in the cartographic information sources and methodologies for the TCC valuation. -- Highlights: • We explore 22 road-corridor planning studies subjected to the Spanish EIA regulation. • We analyze the variables selected for defining territorial carrying capacity. • The quality of the studies is acceptable (methodology, variable weighting, mapping). • There is heterogeneity in the methods for territorial carrying capacity valuation.« less

Consumer acceptance of cultured meat: A systematic review.

PubMed

Bryant, Christopher; Barnett, Julie

2018-09-01

Cultured meat grown in-vitro from animal cells is being developed as a way of addressing many of the ethical and environmental concerns associated with conventional meat production. As commercialisation of this technology appears increasingly feasible, there is growing interest in the research on consumer acceptance of cultured meat. We present a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature, and synthesize and analyse the findings of 14 empirical studies. We highlight demographic variations in consumer acceptance, factors influencing acceptance, common consumer objections, perceived benefits, and areas of uncertainty. We conclude by evaluating the most important objections and benefits to consumers, as well as highlighting areas for future research. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multifunctional Agriculture in Policy and Practice? A Comparative Analysis of Norway and Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bjorkhaug, Hilde; Richards, Carol Ann

2008-01-01

Ideals of productivist agriculture in the Western world have faded as the unintended consequences of intensive agriculture and pastoralism have contributed to rural decline and environmental problems. In Norway and Australia, there has been an increasing acceptance of the equal importance of social and environmental sustainability as well as…

76 FR 17487 - Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: New Substitute in the Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning Sector...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-29

... and to disapprove substitutes that present overall risks to human health and the environment more.... Acceptability Decision B. Use Conditions C. Environmental Impacts D. Health and Safety Impacts E. Retrofit Usage...: Protection of Children From Environmental Health and Safety Risks H. Executive Order 13211: Actions That...

Facilitating Comprehension, Connection and Commitment to Environmentally Responsible Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boehm, Sarah

2015-01-01

Given the increased awareness of the negative effects the building industry has on the environment, designs produced without considering sustainability of the planet can no longer be accepted. Although the concepts of sustainability and environmental responsibility are not new to the field of interior design, a review of the literature reveals…

78 FR 18665 - Proposed Keystone XL Project; Public Meeting Following Release of the Draft Supplemental Impact...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-27

... Keystone XL pipeline. The document is a draft technical review of potential environmental impacts. It does... responding to questions or comments at the meeting. Written comments will also be accepted. The date... comments on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement in written form. Department of State...

Work-Integrated Learning and Professional Accreditation Policies: An Environmental Health Higher Education Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunn, Louise; Nicholson, Rosemary; Ross, Kirstin; Bricknell, Lisa; Davies, Belinda; Hannelly, Toni; Lampard, Jane-Louise; Murray, Zoe; Oosthuizen, Jacques; Roiko, Anne; Wood, James

2018-01-01

The introduction of a new work-integrated learning (WIL) policy for university environmental health education programs seeking professional accreditation identified a number of problems. This included how to evaluate the acceptability of differing approaches to WIL for course accreditation purposes and a need to develop an agreed understanding of…

78 FR 13376 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Cottonwood Cove and Katherine Landing Development...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-27

... Environmental Impact Statement for the Cottonwood Cove and Katherine Landing Development Concept Plans, Clark...) for the Cottonwood Cove and Katherine Landing Development Concept Plans, Lake Mead National Recreation... environment. DATES: The National Park Service will accept comments on the Draft EIS from the public for 60...

76 FR 34763 - Biweekly Notice; Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses Involving No...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-14

... approved [Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)] 04-10, Rev. 1 in accordance with the TS SFCP. NEI 04-10, Rev. 1... environmental impact statement or environmental assessment need be prepared for these amendments. If the... by the proposed amendment. The proposed amendment adopts the NRC-accepted guidelines of NEI [Nuclear...

Understanding and applying principles of social cognition and decision making in adaptive environmental governance.

PubMed

DeCaro, Daniel A; Arnol, Craig Anthony Tony; Boama, Emmanuel Frimpong; Garmestani, Ahjond S

2017-03-01

Environmental governance systems are under greater pressure to adapt and to cope with increased social and ecological uncertainty from stressors like climate change. We review principles of social cognition and decision making that shape and constrain how environmental governance systems adapt. We focus primarily on the interplay between key decision makers in society and legal systems. We argue that adaptive governance must overcome three cooperative dilemmas to facilitate adaptation: (1) encouraging collaborative problem solving, (2) garnering social acceptance and commitment, and (3) cultivating a culture of trust and tolerance for change and uncertainty. However, to do so governance systems must cope with biases in people's decision making that cloud their judgment and create conflict. These systems must also satisfy people's fundamental needs for self-determination, fairness, and security, ensuring that changes to environmental governance are perceived as legitimate, trustworthy, and acceptable. We discuss the implications of these principles for common governance solutions (e.g., public participation, enforcement) and conclude with methodological recommendations. We outline how scholars can investigate the social cognitive principles involved in cases of adaptive governance.

Understanding and applying principles of social cognition and decision making in adaptive environmental governance

PubMed Central

DeCaro, Daniel A.; Arnol, Craig Anthony (Tony); Boama, Emmanuel Frimpong; Garmestani, Ahjond S.

2018-01-01

Environmental governance systems are under greater pressure to adapt and to cope with increased social and ecological uncertainty from stressors like climate change. We review principles of social cognition and decision making that shape and constrain how environmental governance systems adapt. We focus primarily on the interplay between key decision makers in society and legal systems. We argue that adaptive governance must overcome three cooperative dilemmas to facilitate adaptation: (1) encouraging collaborative problem solving, (2) garnering social acceptance and commitment, and (3) cultivating a culture of trust and tolerance for change and uncertainty. However, to do so governance systems must cope with biases in people’s decision making that cloud their judgment and create conflict. These systems must also satisfy people’s fundamental needs for self-determination, fairness, and security, ensuring that changes to environmental governance are perceived as legitimate, trustworthy, and acceptable. We discuss the implications of these principles for common governance solutions (e.g., public participation, enforcement) and conclude with methodological recommendations. We outline how scholars can investigate the social cognitive principles involved in cases of adaptive governance. PMID:29780425

Analysis of case-only studies accounting for genotyping error.

PubMed

Cheng, K F

2007-03-01

The case-only design provides one approach to assess possible interactions between genetic and environmental factors. It has been shown that if these factors are conditionally independent, then a case-only analysis is not only valid but also very efficient. However, a drawback of the case-only approach is that its conclusions may be biased by genotyping errors. In this paper, our main aim is to propose a method for analysis of case-only studies when these errors occur. We show that the bias can be adjusted through the use of internal validation data, which are obtained by genotyping some sampled individuals twice. Our analysis is based on a simple and yet highly efficient conditional likelihood approach. Simulation studies considered in this paper confirm that the new method has acceptable performance under genotyping errors.

Investigating the Transport and Fate of Polychlorinated Biphenyls with Stable Chlorine Isotopes

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-09-30

recently accepted in the journal Organic Geochemistry. We published another manuscript in Environmental Science and Pollution Research on the...Chlorine in the Environment a book written by Ruth Stringer and Paul Johnson. This review will soon appear in the journal Environmental Science and...Heraty, L.J., Holt, B.D., Sturchio, N.C., Eglinton, T.I., Drenzek, N.J., Xu, L., Lake, J.L., Maruya, K.A., 2000. Environmental Science and

Acceptance of drinking and driving and alcohol-involved driving crashes in California.

PubMed

MacLeod, Kara E; Karriker-Jaffe, Katherine J; Ragland, David R; Satariano, William A; Kelley-Baker, Tara; Lacey, John H

2015-08-01

Alcohol-impaired driving accounts for substantial proportion of traffic-related fatalities in the U.S. Risk perceptions for drinking and driving have been associated with various measures of drinking and driving behavior. In an effort to understand how to intervene and to better understand how risk perceptions may be shaped, this study explored whether an objective environmental-level measure (proportion of alcohol-involved driving crashes in one's residential city) were related to individual-level perceptions and behavior. Using data from a 2012 cross-sectional roadside survey of 1147 weekend nighttime drivers in California, individual-level self-reported acceptance of drinking and driving and past-year drinking and driving were merged with traffic crash data using respondent ZIP codes. Population average logistic regression modeling was conducted for the odds of acceptance of drinking and driving and self-reported, past-year drinking and driving. A non-linear relationship between city-level alcohol-involved traffic crashes and individual-level acceptance of drinking and driving was found. Acceptance of drinking and driving did not mediate the relationship between the proportion of alcohol-involved traffic crashes and self-reported drinking and driving behavior. However, it was directly related to behavior among those most likely to drink outside the home. The present study surveys a particularly relevant population and is one of few drinking and driving studies to evaluate the relationship between an objective environmental-level crash risk measure and individual-level risk perceptions. In communities with both low and high proportions of alcohol-involved traffic crashes there was low acceptance of drinking and driving. This may mean that in communities with low proportions of crashes, citizens have less permissive norms around drinking and driving, whereas in communities with a high proportion of crashes, the incidence of these crashes may serve as an environmental cue which informs drinking and driving perceptions. Perceptual information on traffic safety can be used to identify places where people may be at greater risk for drinking and driving. Community-level traffic fatalities may be a salient cue for tailoring risk communication. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dry cleaning of Turkish coal

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

Cicek, T.

2008-07-01

This study dealt with the upgrading of two different type of Turkish coal by a dry cleaning method using a modified air table. The industrial size air table used in this study is a device for removing stones from agricultural products. This study investigates the technical and economical feasibility of the dry cleaning method which has never been applied before on coals in Turkey. The application of a dry cleaning method on Turkish coals designated for power generation without generating environmental pollution and ensuring a stable coal quality are the main objectives of this study. The size fractions of 5-8,more » 3-5, and 1-3 mm of the investigated coals were used in the upgrading experiments. Satisfactory results were achieved with coal from the Soma region, whereas the upgrading results of Hsamlar coal were objectionable for the coarser size fractions. However, acceptable results were obtained for the size fraction 1-3 mm of Hsamlar coal.« less

A review on green trend for oil extraction using subcritical water technology and biodiesel production.

PubMed

Abdelmoez, Weal; Ashour, Eman; Naguib, Shahenaz M

2015-01-01

It became a global agenda to develop clean alternative fuels which were domestically available, environmentally acceptable and technically feasible. Thus, biodiesel was destined to make a substantial contribution to the future energy demands of the domestic and industrial economies. Utilization of the non edible vegetable oils as raw materials for biodiesel production had been handled frequently for the past few years. The oil content of these seeds could be extracted by different oil extraction methods, such as mechanical extraction, solvent extraction and by subcritical water extraction technology SWT. Among them, SWT represents a new promising green extraction method. Therefore this review covered the current used non edible oil seeds for biodiesel production as well as giving a sharp focus on the efficiency of using the SWT as a promising extraction method. In addition the advantages and the disadvantages of the different biodiesel production techniques would be covered.

Determinants of Mobile Learning Acceptance: An Empirical Investigation in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akour, Hassan

2010-01-01

Scope and method of study: The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of mobile learning acceptance in higher education. Mobile learning is a rapidly growing method of learning that utilizes mobile devices to deliver content. Acceptance of mobile learning theory was derived from technology acceptance theories. The study…

Acceptability of Mental Health Apps for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: A Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Povey, Josie; Mills, Patj Patj Janama Robert; Dingwall, Kylie Maree; Lowell, Anne; Singer, Judy; Rotumah, Darlene; Bennett-Levy, James; Nagel, Tricia

2016-03-11

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians experience high rates of mental illness and psychological distress compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. E-mental health tools offer an opportunity for accessible, effective, and acceptable treatment. The AIMhi Stay Strong app and the ibobbly suicide prevention app are treatment tools designed to combat the disproportionately high levels of mental illness and stress experienced within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. This study aimed to explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members' experiences of using two culturally responsive e-mental health apps and identify factors that influence the acceptability of these approaches. Using qualitative methods aligned with a phenomenological approach, we explored the acceptability of two culturally responsive e-mental health apps through a series of three 3-hour focus groups with nine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members. Thematic analysis was conducted and coresearcher and member checking were used to verify findings. Findings suggest strong support for the concept of e-mental health apps and optimism for their potential. Factors that influenced acceptability related to three key themes: personal factors (eg, motivation, severity and awareness of illness, technological competence, and literacy and language differences), environmental factors (eg, community awareness, stigma, and availability of support), and app characteristics (eg, ease of use, content, graphics, access, and security and information sharing). Specific adaptations, such as local production, culturally relevant content and graphics, a purposeful journey, clear navigation, meaningful language, options to assist people with language differences, offline use, and password protection may aid uptake. When designed to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, e-mental health tools add an important element to public health approaches for improving the well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Efficacy testing of cosmetic products. A proposal to the European Community by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Environment and Energy.

PubMed

Serup, J

2001-08-01

Regulations for cosmetic products primarily address safety of the products that may be used by large populations of healthy consumers. Requirements for documentation of efficacy claims are only fragmentary. This synopsis aims to review and conclude a set of standards that may be acceptable to the European Community, and the cosmetic industry, as a legal standard for efficacy documentation in Europe in the future. Ethical, formal, experimental, statistical and other aspects of efficacy testing are described, including validation, quality control and assurance. The importance of user relevant clinical end points, a controlled randomized trial design and evidence-based cosmetic product documentation, validation of methods, statistical power estimation and proper data handling, reporting and archiving is emphasized. The main principles of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) good clinical practice (GCP) should be followed by the cosmetics industry in a spirit of good documentation standard and scientific soundness, but full GCP is not considered mandatory in the field of cosmetics. Documentation by validated bio-instrumental methods may be acceptable, but efficacy documentation based on information about raw materials, reference to literature and laboratory experiments are only acceptable in exceptional cases. Principles for efficacy substantiation of cosmetic products in Europe, as described in this synopsis, are officially proposed by the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy to the European Community as a basis for an amendment to the Cosmetics Directive or otherwise implemented as a European Community regulation.

Manifold traversing as a model for learning control of autonomous robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szakaly, Zoltan F.; Schenker, Paul S.

1992-01-01

This paper describes a recipe for the construction of control systems that support complex machines such as multi-limbed/multi-fingered robots. The robot has to execute a task under varying environmental conditions and it has to react reasonably when previously unknown conditions are encountered. Its behavior should be learned and/or trained as opposed to being programmed. The paper describes one possible method for organizing the data that the robot has learned by various means. This framework can accept useful operator input even if it does not fully specify what to do, and can combine knowledge from autonomous, operator assisted and programmed experiences.

Policy-Led Comparative Environmental Risk Assessment of Genetically Modified Crops: Testing for Increased Risk Rather Than Profiling Phenotypes Leads to Predictable and Transparent Decision-Making

PubMed Central

Raybould, Alan; Macdonald, Phil

2018-01-01

We describe two contrasting methods of comparative environmental risk assessment for genetically modified (GM) crops. Both are science-based, in the sense that they use science to help make decisions, but they differ in the relationship between science and policy. Policy-led comparative risk assessment begins by defining what would be regarded as unacceptable changes when the use a particular GM crop replaces an accepted use of another crop. Hypotheses that these changes will not occur are tested using existing or new data, and corroboration or falsification of the hypotheses is used to inform decision-making. Science-led comparative risk assessment, on the other hand, tends to test null hypotheses of no difference between a GM crop and a comparator. The variables that are compared may have little or no relevance to any previously stated policy objective and hence decision-making tends to be ad hoc in response to possibly spurious statistical significance. We argue that policy-led comparative risk assessment is the far more effective method. With this in mind, we caution that phenotypic profiling of GM crops, particularly with omics methods, is potentially detrimental to risk assessment. PMID:29755975

Screening Chemicals for Estrogen Receptor Bioactivity Using a Computational Model.

PubMed

Browne, Patience; Judson, Richard S; Casey, Warren M; Kleinstreuer, Nicole C; Thomas, Russell S

2015-07-21

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering high-throughput and computational methods to evaluate the endocrine bioactivity of environmental chemicals. Here we describe a multistep, performance-based validation of new methods and demonstrate that these new tools are sufficiently robust to be used in the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). Results from 18 estrogen receptor (ER) ToxCast high-throughput screening assays were integrated into a computational model that can discriminate bioactivity from assay-specific interference and cytotoxicity. Model scores range from 0 (no activity) to 1 (bioactivity of 17β-estradiol). ToxCast ER model performance was evaluated for reference chemicals, as well as results of EDSP Tier 1 screening assays in current practice. The ToxCast ER model accuracy was 86% to 93% when compared to reference chemicals and predicted results of EDSP Tier 1 guideline and other uterotrophic studies with 84% to 100% accuracy. The performance of high-throughput assays and ToxCast ER model predictions demonstrates that these methods correctly identify active and inactive reference chemicals, provide a measure of relative ER bioactivity, and rapidly identify chemicals with potential endocrine bioactivities for additional screening and testing. EPA is accepting ToxCast ER model data for 1812 chemicals as alternatives for EDSP Tier 1 ER binding, ER transactivation, and uterotrophic assays.

Regulatory aspects on the use of fish embryos in environmental toxicology.

PubMed

Halder, Marlies; Léonard, Marc; Iguchi, Taisen; Oris, James T; Ryder, Kathy; Belanger, Scott E; Braunbeck, Thomas A; Embry, Michelle R; Whale, Graham; Norberg-King, Teresa; Lillicrap, Adam

2010-07-01

Animal alternative tests are gaining serious consideration in an array of environmental sciences, particularly as they relate to sound management of chemicals and wastewater discharges. The ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute and the European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC) held an International Workshop on the Application of the Fish Embryo Test in March, 2008. This relatively young discipline is following advances in animal alternatives for human safety sciences, and it is advisable to develop a broad comparison of how animal alternative tests involving fish are viewed in a regulatory context over a wide array of authorities or advising bodies. These include OECD, Western Europe, North America, and Japan. This paper summarizes representative practices from these regions. Presently, the global regulatory environment has varying stances regarding the protection of fish for use as an experimental animal. Such differences have a long-term potential to lead to a lack of harmony in approaches to fish toxicity testing, especially for chemicals in commerce across multiple geographic regions. Implementation of alternative methods and approaches will be most successful if accepted globally, including methods of fish toxicity testing. An important area for harmonization would be in the interpretation of protected and nonprotected life stages of fish. Use of fish embryos represent a promising alternative and allow bridging to more technically challenging alternatives with longer prospective timelines, including cell-based assays, ecotoxicogenomics, and QSARs. (c) 2010 SETAC.

Data standardization. The key to effective management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wagner, C. Russell

1991-01-01

Effective management of the nation's water resources is dependent upon accurate and consistent hydrologic information. Before the emergence of environmental concerns in the 1960's, most hydrologic information was collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and other Federal agencies that used fairly consistent methods and equipment. In the past quarter century, however, increased environmental awareness has resulted in an expansion of hydrologic data collection not only by Federal agencies, but also by state and municipal governments, university investigators, and private consulting firms. The acceptance and use of standard methods of collecting and processing hydrologic data would contribute to cost savings and to greater credibility of flow information vital to responsible assessment and management of the nation's water resources. This paper traces the evolution of the requirements and uses of open-channel flow information in the U.S., and the sequence of efforts to standardize the methods used to obtain this information in the future. The variable nature of naturally flowing rivers results in continually changing hydraulic properties of their channels. Those persons responsible for measurement of water flowing in open channels (streamflow) must use a large amount of judgement in the selection of appropriate equipment and technique to obtain accurate flow information. Standardization of the methods used in the measurement of streamflow is essential to assure consistency of data, but must also allow considerable latitude for individual judgement to meet constantly changing field conditions.

Performance of the AOAC use-dilution method with targeted modifications: collaborative study.

PubMed

Tomasino, Stephen F; Parker, Albert E; Hamilton, Martin A; Hamilton, Gordon C

2012-01-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with an industry work group, spearheaded a collaborative study designed to further enhance the AOAC use-dilution method (UDM). Based on feedback from laboratories that routinely conduct the UDM, improvements to the test culture preparation steps were prioritized. A set of modifications, largely based on culturing the test microbes on agar as specified in the AOAC hard surface carrier test method, were evaluated in a five-laboratory trial. The modifications targeted the preparation of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa test culture due to the difficulty in separating the pellicle from the broth in the current UDM. The proposed modifications (i.e., the modified UDM) were compared to the current UDM methodology for P. aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Salmonella choleraesuis was not included in the study. The goal was to determine if the modifications reduced method variability. Three efficacy response variables were statistically analyzed: the number of positive carriers, the log reduction, and the pass/fail outcome. The scope of the collaborative study was limited to testing one liquid disinfectant (an EPA-registered quaternary ammonium product) at two levels of presumed product efficacies, high and low. Test conditions included use of 400 ppm hard water as the product diluent and a 5% organic soil load (horse serum) added to the inoculum. Unfortunately, the study failed to support the adoption of the major modification (use of an agar-based approach to grow the test cultures) based on an analysis of method's variability. The repeatability and reproducibility standard deviations for the modified method were equal to or greater than those for the current method across the various test variables. However, the authors propose retaining the frozen stock preparation step of the modified method, and based on the statistical equivalency of the control log densities, support its adoption as a procedural change to the current UDM. The current UDM displayed acceptable responsiveness to changes in product efficacy; acceptable repeatability across multiple tests in each laboratory for the control counts and log reductions; and acceptable reproducibility across multiple laboratories for the control log density values and log reductions. Although the data do not support the adoption of all modifications, the UDM collaborative study data are valuable for assessing sources of method variability and a reassessment of the performance standard for the UDM.

Health Effects of Environmental Pollution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC.

This booklet notes that for a long time the American people were willing to pay any price for progress. Now may refuse to accept an environment that menaces their health and lowers their enjoyment of life. They are embracing a new environmental consciousness, a broader vision of reality, a more profound sense of their place in nature. Among the…

10 CFR 51.108 - Public hearings on Commission findings that inspections, tests, analyses, and acceptance criteria...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... CFR 52.103(b), the Commission will not admit any contentions on environmental issues, the adequacy of the environmental impact statement for the combined license issued under subpart C of part 52, or the... finding under 10 CFR 52.103(g). [72 FR 49517, Aug. 28, 2007] materials licenses ...

10 CFR 51.108 - Public hearings on Commission findings that inspections, tests, analyses, and acceptance criteria...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... CFR 52.103(b), the Commission will not admit any contentions on environmental issues, the adequacy of the environmental impact statement for the combined license issued under subpart C of part 52, or the... finding under 10 CFR 52.103(g). [72 FR 49517, Aug. 28, 2007] materials licenses ...

10 CFR 51.108 - Public hearings on Commission findings that inspections, tests, analyses, and acceptance criteria...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... CFR 52.103(b), the Commission will not admit any contentions on environmental issues, the adequacy of the environmental impact statement for the combined license issued under subpart C of part 52, or the... finding under 10 CFR 52.103(g). [72 FR 49517, Aug. 28, 2007] materials licenses ...

76 FR 64893 - Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Rosemont Copper Project on the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-19

... 90-day public comment period, which begins with the Environmental Protection Agency's publication of... contact information, will be accepted and considered; however, anonymous comments will not provide the... Elementary School, 23 Elgin Road, Elgin, AZ 85611 (tentative). 3. November 12, 2011, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Palo...

Production and cost of a live skyline cable yarder tested in Appalachia

Treesearch

Edward L. Fisher; Harry G. Gibson; Cleveland J. Biller

1980-01-01

Logging systems that are profitable and environmentally acceptable are needed in Appalachian hardwood forests. Small, mobile cable yarders show promise in meeting both economic and environmental objectives. One such yarder, the Ecologger, was tested on the Jefferson National Forest near Marion, Virginia. Production rates and costs are presented for the system along...

System-focused environmental flow regime prescription, monitoring and adaptive management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hetherington, David; Lexartza Artza, Irantzu

2016-04-01

The definition of appropriate environmental flow regimes through hydropower schemes and water storage reservoirs is key part of mitigation. Insufficient (magnitude and variability) environmental flows can result in much environmental harm with negative impacts being encountered by morphological, ecological and societal systems. Conventionally, environmental flow regimes have been determined by using generic protocols and guidance such as the Tennant method of environmental flow estimation. It is generally accepted that such approaches to minimum environmental flow definition, although being a useful starting point, are not universally applicable across catchment typologies and climatic regions. Such approaches will not always produce conditions that would be associated with 'Good Ecological Status' under the Water framework Directive (or equivalent). Other similar approaches to minimum environmental flow estimation are used that are specific to geographies, yet still the associated guidance rarely thoroughly covers appropriate definition for healthy holistic systems across the flow regime. This paper draws on experience of system-focused environmental flow regime determination in the UK and the Georgian Caucasus Mountains, which allowed for a critical analysis of more conventional methods to be undertaken. The paper describes a recommended approach for determining appropriate environmental flow regimes based on analysis of the impacted geomorphological, ecological and societal systems in a way which is sensitive to the local holistic environment and associated complexities and interactions. The paper suggests that a strong understanding of the local geomorphology in key in predicting how flows will manifest habitat differently across the flow regime, and be spatially dynamic. Additionally, an understanding of the geomorphological system allows the flow of course and fine sediment to be factored into the initial suggested environmental flow regime. It is suggested that more peripheral influencing factors should be given serious consideration when developing environmental flow regimes. These factors could include the development of ice, non-fluvial geomorphic processes such as landslides, connectivity with groundwater and provision for local cottage industries. Even with a thorough appreciation of the holistic system, the value of detailed environmental monitoring and adaptive management plans cannot be underestimated as a means of further managing risk and uncertainty in complex systems. It is suggested that by taking a more holistic and system-focused approach to environmental flow definition, that environmental flow regimes can be tailored to the specificity and complexity of any given location. By improving the way that environmental flow regimes and associated physical mitigation are prescribed, monitored and managed it should be possible to develop more sustainable forms of energy production whilst minimising environmental harm as far as possible.

Live What You Teach & Teach What You Live: Student Views on the Acceptability of Teachers' Value-Related Statements about Sustainability and Climate Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torkar, Gregor

2013-01-01

This paper presents the results of a survey among pre-service and in-service students of pre-school education and students of environmental sciences on the acceptability of value-laden statements made by their teachers on issues of sustainable development and climate change. Fifteen statements were provided, and students had to choose among the…

Industry-Cost-Curve Approach for Modeling the Environmental Impact of Introducing New Technologies in Life Cycle Assessment.

PubMed

Kätelhön, Arne; von der Assen, Niklas; Suh, Sangwon; Jung, Johannes; Bardow, André

2015-07-07

The environmental costs and benefits of introducing a new technology depend not only on the technology itself, but also on the responses of the market where substitution or displacement of competing technologies may occur. An internationally accepted method taking both technological and market-mediated effects into account, however, is still lacking in life cycle assessment (LCA). For the introduction of a new technology, we here present a new approach for modeling the environmental impacts within the framework of LCA. Our approach is motivated by consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) and aims to contribute to the discussion on how to operationalize consequential thinking in LCA practice. In our approach, we focus on new technologies producing homogeneous products such as chemicals or raw materials. We employ the industry cost-curve (ICC) for modeling market-mediated effects. Thereby, we can determine substitution effects at a level of granularity sufficient to distinguish between competing technologies. In our approach, a new technology alters the ICC potentially replacing the highest-cost producer(s). The technologies that remain competitive after the new technology's introduction determine the new environmental impact profile of the product. We apply our approach in a case study on a new technology for chlor-alkali electrolysis to be introduced in Germany.

Clearfell controversies and alternative timber harvest designs: how acceptability perceptions vary between Tasmania and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

PubMed

Ribe, Robert G; Ford, Rebecca M; Williams, Kathryn J H

2013-01-15

Perceptions of the acceptability of alternative "variable retention" timber harvests, that keep trees standing in harvested areas, were compared between regions beset by major forestry conflicts. Data from similar studies of similar harvest systems were compared between Oregon and Tasmania. These comparisons were related to attitudes and to differences in ecosystems, silvicultural prescriptions, forestry outcomes, aesthetics, and social-political context. Findings showed that perceptions measured in one region cannot be assumed valid in another. Substantial regional differences arose not from general sociological differences but from differences in local forestry outcomes. These largely arose from different regeneration requirements of commercial tree species and consequent differences in the design of otherwise analogous harvests. Comparisons of perceptions by people with similar attitudes yielded substantial regional differences. Those prioritizing ecological conservation were mainly influenced by habitat outcomes, and consequently preferred harvests with aggregated tree retention patterns in Tasmania but not in Oregon. People sympathetic to timber industry interests in both regions showed little association between forestry outcomes and acceptability and favoured more intensive harvests. Tasmanian harvest advocates perceived harvests that keep more standing trees as less acceptable than those in Oregon. This may be due to sampling differences or to greater risk perceptions towards new harvest designs in Tasmania. Tasmanians generally disliked clearfelling more than Oregonians, likely due to different political narratives framing these perceptions or to higher aesthetic impacts in Tasmania due to burning. Dispersed retention was perceived as more acceptable in Oregon than in Tasmania, likely because Oregon had much higher post-harvest tree densities. Regional differences in wildfire-risk and logger-safety were not strongly associated with different acceptability perceptions because these were confounded by other more influential concerns. More and better cross-regional studies of environmental perceptions are needed and would benefit from more standardized or coordinated methods. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Promotion Strategy of Green Construction Materials: A Path Analysis Approach.

PubMed

Huang, Chung-Fah; Chen, Jung-Lu

2015-10-14

As one of the major materials used in construction, cement can be very resource-consuming and polluting to produce and use. Compared with traditional cement processing methods, dry-mix mortar is more environmentally friendly by reducing waste production or carbon emissions. Despite the continuous development and promotion of green construction materials, only a few of them are accepted or widely used in the market. In addition, the majority of existing research on green construction materials focuses more on their physical or chemical characteristics than on their promotion. Without effective promotion, their benefits cannot be fully appreciated and realized. Therefore, this study is conducted to explore the promotion of dry-mix mortars, one of the green materials. This study uses both qualitative and quantitative methods. First, through a case study, the potential of reducing carbon emission is verified. Then a path analysis is conducted to verify the validity and predictability of the samples based on the technology acceptance model (TAM) in this study. According to the findings of this research, to ensure better promotion results and wider application of dry-mix mortar, it is suggested that more systematic efforts be invested in promoting the usefulness and benefits of dry-mix mortar. The model developed in this study can provide helpful references for future research and promotion of other green materials.

The Human Factors and Ergonomics of P300-Based Brain-Computer Interfaces

PubMed Central

Powers, J. Clark; Bieliaieva, Kateryna; Wu, Shuohao; Nam, Chang S.

2015-01-01

Individuals with severe neuromuscular impairments face many challenges in communication and manipulation of the environment. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) show promise in presenting real-world applications that can provide such individuals with the means to interact with the world using only brain waves. Although there has been a growing body of research in recent years, much relates only to technology, and not to technology in use—i.e., real-world assistive technology employed by users. This review examined the literature to highlight studies that implicate the human factors and ergonomics (HFE) of P300-based BCIs. We assessed 21 studies on three topics to speak directly to improving the HFE of these systems: (1) alternative signal evocation methods within the oddball paradigm; (2) environmental interventions to improve user performance and satisfaction within the constraints of current BCI systems; and (3) measures and methods of measuring user acceptance. We found that HFE is central to the performance of P300-based BCI systems, although researchers do not often make explicit this connection. Incorporation of measures of user acceptance and rigorous usability evaluations, increased engagement of disabled users as test participants, and greater realism in testing will help progress the advancement of P300-based BCI systems in assistive applications. PMID:26266424

An environmental, economic, and social assessment of improving cattle finishing weight or average daily gain within U.S. beef production.

PubMed

White, R R; Capper, J L

2013-12-01

The objective of this study was to assess environmental impact, economic viability, and social acceptability of 3 beef production systems with differing levels of efficiency. A deterministic model of U.S. beef production was used to predict the number of animals required to produce 1 × 10(9) kg HCW beef. Three production treatments were compared, 1 representing average U.S. production (control), 1 with a 15% increase in ADG, and 1 with a 15% increase in finishing weight (FW). For each treatment, various socioeconomic scenarios were compared to account for uncertainty in producer and consumer behavior. Environmental impact metrics included feed consumption, land use, water use, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe), and N and P excretion. Feed cost, animal purchase cost, animal sales revenue, and income over costs (IOVC) were used as metrics of economic viability. Willingness to pay (WTP) was used to identify improvements or reductions in social acceptability. When ADG improved, feedstuff consumption, land use, and water use decreased by 6.4%, 3.2%, and 12.3%, respectively, compared with the control. Carbon footprint decreased 11.7% and N and P excretion were reduced by 4% and 13.8%, respectively. When FW improved, decreases were seen in feedstuff consumption (12.1%), water use (9.2%). and land use (15.5%); total GHGe decreased 14.7%; and N and P excretion decreased by 10.1% and 17.2%, compared with the control. Changes in IOVC were dependent on socioeconomic scenario. When the ADG scenario was compared with the control, changes in sector profitability ranged from 51 to 117% (cow-calf), -38 to 157% (stocker), and 37 to 134% (feedlot). When improved FW was compared, changes in cow-calf profit ranged from 67% to 143%, stocker profit ranged from -41% to 155% and feedlot profit ranged from 37% to 136%. When WTP was based on marketing beef being more efficiently produced, WTP improved by 10%; thus, social acceptability increased. When marketing was based on production efficiency and consumer knowledge of growth-enhancing technology use, WTP decreased by 12%-leading to a decrease in social acceptability. Results demonstrated that improved efficiency also improved environmental impact, but impacts on economic viability and social acceptability are highly dependent on consumer and producer behavioral responses to efficiency improvements.

Environmental Management Welcomes a New Face and Reinforces Its Focus on Science-Based Stewardship

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

Dale, Virginia H

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT is pleased to announce that Rebecca Efroymson will join Virginia Dale as Co-Editors-in-Chief of the journal. Dr. Efroymson brings extensive expertise in risk assessment and environmental toxicology. Her work has focused on land management, natural resources, water quality, and rare species, with recent work on benefits and risks of energy alternatives. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT has been publishing research on the management and conservation of natural resources and habitats since 1976. Articles discuss implications for an international audience and examine a scientific or management hypothesis. As a premier scientific journal in applied and cross-cutting areas, articles come from a varietymore » of disciplines including biology, botany, climatology, earth sciences, ecology, ecological economics, environmental engineering, fisheries, forest sciences, geography, information science, law, management science, politics, public affairs, social sciences, and zoology, most often in combinations determined by the interdisciplinary topic of the study. The journal strives to improve cross-disciplinary communication by making ideas and results available to environmental practitioners from other backgrounds. The goal of ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT is to present a wide spectrum of viewpoints and approaches, and to this end the journal consists of four main sections. Forum contains addresses, editorials, comments, and opinions about environmental matters. Articles in the Profile section describe and evaluate particular case histories, events, policies, problems, or organizations and their work. Papers in the Research section present the methods and findings from empirical and model-based scientific studies. The section on Environmental Assessment is for articles that cover methods of appraisal, measurement, and comparison. Generally, the debates published in the journal's Forum help construct better environmental research or policies; Research and Assessment sections foster understanding of environmental problems and usually of their solutions; and Profile articles may contribute to either aim, or both. In the event that important differences of opinion cannot be resolved between authors and referees or readers, the Forum section may be used to present a Comment on an article that has recently been published in the journal, which may be followed by the author's Reply. The journal publishes innovative research that both identifies new problems and formulates novel solutions to well-known ones. Articles are accepted from all over the world, as the international dimension is considered especially important. Research reported in the journal ranges from environmental problems that are common to a wide variety of nations to issues that are either of global concern or not limited to national boundaries. The journal provides a way for scientists to share approaches, methods, and experiences among environmental practitioners in many countries, so that the problems and opportunities of our ever more-interdependent planet may be studied in a concerted manner.« less

Acceptability of Ecological Momentary Assessment among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, Dustin T.; Kapadia, Farzana; Kirchner, Thomas R.; Goedel, William C.; Brady, William J.; Halkitis, Perry N.

2017-01-01

The study evaluated the acceptability of text message- and voice-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods among a sample (N = 74) of young men who have sex with men (MSM). We assessed the acceptability of text message- and voice-based EMA methods. Almost all participants (96%) reported that they would be willing to accept texts on their…

77 FR 6790 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Portsmouth

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-09

.... Federal Coordinator's Comments. Liaisons' Comments. Presentations: [cir] The Ohio Valley Regional Development Center (OVRDC) Overview, John Hemmings, Executive Director of OVRDC. [cir] Waste Acceptance...

Summer Undergraduate Research Program: Environmental studies

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

McMillan, J.

1994-12-31

The purpose of the summer undergraduate internship program for research in environmental studies is to provide an opportunity for well-qualified students to undertake an original research project as an apprentice to an active research scientist in basic environmental research. The students are offered research topics at the Medical University in the scientific areas of pharmacology and toxicology, epidemiology and risk assessment, environmental microbiology, and marine sciences. Students are also afforded the opportunity to work with faculty at the University of Charleston, SC, on projects with an environmental theme. Ten well-qualified students from colleges and universities throughout the eastern United Statesmore » were accepted into the program.« less

Sustainability Characterization for Additive Manufacturing

PubMed Central

Mani, Mahesh; Lyons, Kevin W; Gupta, SK

2014-01-01

Additive manufacturing (AM) has the potential to create geometrically complex parts that require a high degree of customization, using less material and producing less waste. Recent studies have shown that AM can be an economically viable option for use by the industry, yet there are some inherent challenges associated with AM for wider acceptance. The lack of standards in AM impedes its use for parts production since industries primarily depend on established standards in processes and material selection to ensure the consistency and quality. Inability to compare AM performance against traditional manufacturing methods can be a barrier for implementing AM processes. AM process sustainability has become a driver due to growing environmental concerns for manufacturing. This has reinforced the importance to understand and characterize AM processes for sustainability. Process characterization for sustainability will help close the gaps for comparing AM performance to traditional manufacturing methods. Based on a literature review, this paper first examines the potential environmental impacts of AM. A methodology for sustainability characterization of AM is then proposed to serve as a resource for the community to benchmark AM processes for sustainability. Next, research perspectives are discussed along with relevant standardization efforts. PMID:26601038

A review of the technological solutions for the treatment of oily sludges from petroleum refineries.

PubMed

da Silva, Leonardo Jordão; Alves, Flávia Chaves; de França, Francisca Pessôa

2012-10-01

The activities of the oil industry have several impacts on the environment due to the large amounts of oily wastes that are generated. The oily sludges are a semi-solid material composed by a mixture of clay, silica and iron oxides contaminated with oil, produced water and the chemicals used in the production of oil. Nowadays both the treatment and management of these waste materials is essential to promote sustainable management of exploration and exploitation of natural resources. Biological, physical and chemical processes can be used to reduce environmental contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons to acceptable levels. The choice of treatment method depends on the physical and chemical properties of the waste as well as the availability of facilities to process these wastes. Literature provides some operations for treatment of oily sludges, such as landfilling, incineration, co-processing in clinkerization furnaces, microwave liquefaction, centrifugation, destructive distillation, thermal plasma, low-temperature conversion, incorporation in ceramic materials, development of impermeable materials, encapsulation and biodegradation in land farming, biopiles and bioreactors. The management of the technology to be applied for the treatment of oily wastes is essential to promote proper environmental management, and provide alternative methods to reduce, reuse and recycle the wastes.

Geographic variation in social acceptability of wildland fuels management in the western United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brunson, M.; Schindler, Bruce A.

2004-01-01

Contemporary natural resource management requires consideration of the social acceptability of management practices and conditions. Agencies wishing to measure, respond to, and influence social acceptability must understand the nuances of public perception regarding controversial issues. This study explores social acceptability judgments about one such issue: reduction of wildland fuel hazards on federal lands in the western United States. Citizens were surveyed in four locations where fire has been a significant ecological disturbance agent and public land agencies propose to reduce wildland fuel levels and wildfire hazards via prescribed burning, thinning, brush removal, and/or livestock grazing. Respondents in different locations differed in their knowledge about fire and fuel issues as well in their acceptability judgments. Differences are associated with location-specific social and environmental factors as well as individual beliefs. Results argue against using a??one-size-fits-alla?? policies or information strategies about fuels management.

Validation of science virtual test to assess 8th grade students' critical thinking on living things and environmental sustainability theme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusyati, Lilit; Firman, Harry

2017-05-01

This research was motivated by the importance of multiple-choice questions that indicate the elements and sub-elements of critical thinking and implementation of computer-based test. The method used in this research was descriptive research for profiling the validation of science virtual test to measure students' critical thinking in junior high school. The participant is junior high school students of 8th grade (14 years old) while science teacher and expert as the validators. The instrument that used as a tool to capture the necessary data are sheet of an expert judgment, sheet of legibility test, and science virtual test package in multiple choice form with four possible answers. There are four steps to validate science virtual test to measure students' critical thinking on the theme of "Living Things and Environmental Sustainability" in 7th grade Junior High School. These steps are analysis of core competence and basic competence based on curriculum 2013, expert judgment, legibility test and trial test (limited and large trial test). The test item criterion based on trial test are accepted, accepted but need revision, and rejected. The reliability of the test is α = 0.747 that categorized as `high'. It means the test instruments used is reliable and high consistency. The validity of Rxy = 0.63 means that the validity of the instrument was categorized as `high' according to interpretation value of Rxy (correlation).

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.

Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) (Orion) Occupant Protection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Currie-Gregg, Nancy J.; Gernhardt, Michael L.; Lawrence, Charles; Somers, Jeffrey T.

2016-01-01

Dr. Nancy J. Currie, of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), Chief Engineer at Johnson Space Center (JSC), requested an assessment of the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) occupant protection as a result of issues identified by the Constellation Program and Orion Project. The NESC, in collaboration with the Human Research Program (HRP), investigated new methods associated with occupant protection for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), known as Orion. The primary objective of this assessment was to investigate new methods associated with occupant protection for the CEV, known as Orion, that would ensure the design provided minimal risk to the crew during nominal and contingency landings in an acceptable set of environmental and spacecraft failure conditions. This documents contains the outcome of the NESC assessment. NASA/TM-2013-217380, "Application of the Brinkley Dynamic Response Criterion to Spacecraft Transient Dynamic Events." supercedes this document.

A sensory evaluation of irradiated cookies made from flaxseed meal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, Flávio T.; Fanaro, Gustavo B.; Duarte, Renato C.; Koike, Amanda C.; Villavicencio, Anna Lucia C. H.

2012-08-01

The growing consumer demand for food with sensory quality and nutritional has called for research to develop new products with consumer acceptance as cookies made from flaxseed meal, that can be inserted in diet of celiacs. Celiac disease characterized by an inappropriate immune response to dietary proteins found in wheat, rye and barley (gluten and gliadin). It can affect anyone at any age and is more common in women. The celiac disease does not have cure and the only scientifically proven treatment is a gluten free diet. Irradiation as a decontamination method used for a many variety of foodstuffs, being very feasible, useful method to increase the shelf life, effective and environmental friendly without any sensory properties significant change. Sensory analyses were used to assess gluten-free bakery foods subjected to ionizing radiation sensory attributes.

Contribution of the Multi-attribute Value Theory to conflict resolution in groundwater management. Application to the Mancha Oriental system (Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apperl, B.; Pulido-Velazquez, M.; Andreu, J.; Llopis-Albert, C.

2012-04-01

The implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive, with consideration of environmental, economic and social objectives, claims for participatory water resource management methods. To deal with different conflicting objectives it is necessary to apply a method for clarifying stakeholders' positions (identifying values and opinions of stakeholders, and quantifying their valuations), improving transparency with respect to outcomes of alternatives, and moving the discussion from alternatives towards fundamental objectives (value-thinking approach) and valuing trade-offs, facilitating negotiation. The method allows the incorporation of stakeholders in the planning process, which should guarantee a higher acceptance of the policies to be implemented. This research has been conducted in the Mancha Oriental groundwater system Spain, subject to an intensive use of groundwater for irrigation. The main goals according to the WFD are: a good qualitative and quantitative status of the aquifer and a good quantitative and ecological status of related surface water resources (mainly the Jucar river and dependent ecosystems). The aim is to analyze the contribution of the MAVT for conflict resolution and a sustainable groundwater management, involving the stakeholders in the valuation process. A complex set of objectives and attributes has been defined. The alternatives have been evaluated according to the compliance of ecological, economic and social interests. Results show that the acceptation of alternatives depends strongly on the combination of measures and the implementation status. A high conflict potential is expected from alternatives consisting of one unique measure. Uncertainties of the results are notable, but do not influence heavily on the alternative ranking. Different future scenarios also influence on the preference of alternatives. For instance, an expected reduction of future groundwater resources by climate change increases the conflict potential, with two observed reactions: acceptance of more rigorous measures, on one hand, and a tendency to soft measures with the same cost, as a reaction to the decreased effectiveness of the alternatives. The implementation of the method to a very complex case study, with many conflicting objectives and alternatives and uncertain outcomes, including future scenarios (climate change) illustrate the potential of the method for supporting management decisions.

High-Redundancy Draft Sequencing of 15 Clinical and Environmental Burkholderia Strains

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

Environmental Burkholderia Strains 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f...Environmental Burkholderia Strains v Sanghamitra Mukhopadhyay, 1t Maureen K. Thomason, 1t Shannon Lentz, 1 Nichok Nolan, 1 Kristin Willner, 1§ Jay E. Gee...PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Ned/and~, WA 6009, Australia:< Received 20 Au~,rust 2010/Accepted 30 August 2010 The Gram-negative Burkholderia genus

Direct immersion single drop micro-extraction method for multi-class pesticides analysis in mango using GC-MS.

PubMed

Pano-Farias, Norma S; Ceballos-Magaña, Silvia G; Muñiz-Valencia, Roberto; Jurado, Jose M; Alcázar, Ángela; Aguayo-Villarreal, Ismael A

2017-12-15

Due the negative effects of pesticides on environment and human health, more efficient and environmentally friendly methods are needed. In this sense, a simple, fast, free from memory effects and economical direct-immersion single drop micro-extraction (SDME) method and GC-MS for multi-class pesticides determination in mango samples was developed. Sample pre-treatment using ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction and factors affecting the SDME procedure (extractant solvent, drop volume, stirring rate, ionic strength, time, pH and temperature) were optimized using factorial experimental design. This method presented high sensitive (LOD: 0.14-169.20μgkg -1 ), acceptable precision (RSD: 0.7-19.1%), satisfactory recovery (69-119%) and high enrichment factors (20-722). Several obtained LOQs are below the MRLs established by the European Commission; therefore, the method could be applied for pesticides determination in routing analysis and custom laboratories. Moreover, this method has shown to be suitable for determination of some of the studied pesticides in lime, melon, papaya, banana, tomato, and lettuce. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of fluorescence rejection methods of baseline correction and shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Zhijian; Zou, Wenlong; Wu, Jianhong

2017-10-01

Raman spectroscopy has been extensively used in biochemical tests, explosive detection, food additive and environmental pollutants. However, fluorescence disturbance brings a big trouble to the applications of portable Raman spectrometer. Currently, baseline correction and shifted-excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) methods are the most prevailing fluorescence suppressing methods. In this paper, we compared the performances of baseline correction and SERDS methods, experimentally and simulatively. Through the comparison, it demonstrates that the baseline correction can get acceptable fluorescence-removed Raman spectrum if the original Raman signal has good signal-to-noise ratio, but it cannot recover the small Raman signals out of large noise background. By using SERDS method, the Raman signals, even very weak compared to fluorescence intensity and noise level, can be clearly extracted, and the fluorescence background can be completely rejected. The Raman spectrum recovered by SERDS has good signal to noise ratio. It's proved that baseline correction is more suitable for large bench-top Raman system with better quality or signal-to-noise ratio, while the SERDS method is more suitable for noisy devices, especially the portable Raman spectrometers.

The language of nature matters: we need a more public ecology

Treesearch

Bruce R. Hull; David P. Robertson

2000-01-01

The language we use to describe nature matters. It is used by policy analysts to set goals for ecological restoration and management, by scientists to describe the nature that did, does, or could exist, and by all of us to imagine possible and acceptable conditions of environmental quality. Participants in environmental decision making demand a lot of the language and...

Environmental Assessment of Beale AFB Grazing Lease Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

Beale AFB will use livestock (cattle, sheep and goats ) on its properties throughout the year as needed for the control of noxious weeds, reduction...initiating a wildfire. California Farm Bureau Federation policy recognizes that grazing is the most practical and environmentally acceptable way to...Site Monitoring Well Installation and Annual Targeted Goat Grazing Project, Placer County, California. 21 September 2011.  

Experiences in Tick Control by Acaricide in the Traditional Cattle Sector in Zambia and Burkina Faso: Possible Environmental and Public Health Implications

PubMed Central

De Meneghi, Daniele; Stachurski, Frédéric; Adakal, Hassane

2016-01-01

Livestock, especially cattle, play a paramount role in agriculture production systems, particularly in poor countries throughout the world. Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) have an important impact on livestock and agriculture production in sub-Saharan Africa. The authors review the most common methods used for the control of ticks and TBDs. Special emphasis is given to the direct application of acaricides to the host animals. The possible environmental and public health adverse effects (i.e., risks for the workers, residues in the environment and in food products of animal origin) are mentioned. The authors present two case studies, describing different field experiences in controlling ticks in two African countries. In Zambia (Southern Africa), a strategic dipping regime was used to control Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks, vectors of theileriosis, a deadly disease affecting cattle in the traditional livestock sector in Southern Province. The dipping regime adopted allowed to reduce the tick challenge and cattle mortally rate and, at the same time, to employ less acaricide as compared to the intensive dipping used so far, without disrupting the building-up of enzootic stability. In Burkina Faso (West Africa), where dipping was never used for tick control, an acaricide footbath was employed as an alternative method to the traditional technique used locally (portable manual sprayers). This was developed from field observations on the invasion/attachment process of the Amblyomma variegatum ticks – vector of cowdriosis – on the animal hosts, leading to a control method aimed to kill ticks temporarily attached to the interdigital areas before their permanent attachment to the predilection sites. This innovative method has been overall accepted by the local farmers. It has the advantage of greatly reducing costs of treatments and has a minimal environmental impact, making footbath a sustainable and replicable method, adoptable also in other West African countries. Although the two methods described, developed in very different contexts, are not comparable – if public health and environmental implications are taken into account, if a balance among efficacy of the control method(s), cost-effectiveness and sustainability is reached – a way forward for the implementation of a One Health strategy can be set. PMID:27882313

Understanding and applying principles of social cognition and ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Environmental governance systems are under greater pressure to adapt and to cope with increased social and ecological uncertainty from stressors like climate change. We review principles of social cognition and decision making that shape and constrain how environmental governance systems adapt. We focus primarily on the interplay between key decision makers in society and legal systems. We argue that adaptive governance must overcome three cooperative dilemmas to facilitate adaptation: (1) encouraging collaborative problem solving, (2) garnering social acceptance and commitment, and (3) cultivating a culture of trust and tolerance for change and uncertainty. However, to do so governance systems must cope with biases in people’s decision making that cloud their judgment and create conflict. These systems must also satisfy people’s fundamental needs for self-determination, fairness, and security, ensuring that changes to environmental governance are perceived as legitimate, trustworthy, and acceptable. We discuss the implications of these principles for common governance solutions (e.g., public participation, enforcement) and conclude with methodological recommendations. We outline how scholars can investigate the social cognitive principles involved in cases of adaptive governance. Social-ecological stressors place significant pressure on major societal systems, triggering adaptive reforms in human governance and environmental law. Though potentially benefici

Measures and metrics of sustainable diets with a focus on milk, yogurt, and dairy products

PubMed Central

Drewnowski, Adam

2018-01-01

The 4 domains of sustainable diets are nutrition, economics, society, and the environment. To be sustainable, foods and food patterns need to be nutrient-rich, affordable, culturally acceptable, and sparing of natural resources and the environment. Each sustainability domain has its own measures and metrics. Nutrient density of foods has been assessed through nutrient profiling models, such as the Nutrient-Rich Foods family of scores. The Food Affordability Index, applied to different food groups, has measured both calories and nutrients per penny (kcal/$). Cultural acceptance measures have been based on relative food consumption frequencies across population groups. Environmental impact of individual foods and composite food patterns has been measured in terms of land, water, and energy use. Greenhouse gas emissions assess the carbon footprint of agricultural food production, processing, and retail. Based on multiple sustainability metrics, milk, yogurt, and other dairy products can be described as nutrient-rich, affordable, acceptable, and appealing. The environmental impact of dairy farming needs to be weighed against the high nutrient density of milk, yogurt, and cheese as compared with some plant-based alternatives. PMID:29206982

Awareness of environmental issues and the acceptance of CFC-free inhalers.

PubMed

Goh, S Y; Arulanandam, S; Ho, C L; Zhang, L; Goh, D Y; Chew, F T; Lee, B W

1998-09-01

With the recent availability of a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-free metered dose inhaler (MDI) (Airomir), a patient survey was carried out to evaluate awareness of the role of CFCs in our environment and acceptance of this new inhaler. A questionnaire survey was conducted on parents and guardians of 201 children. Depending on respondents' preference, the interview was conducted in English (71%), Chinese (23%), Malay (5%) or Tamil (1%). A 'taste' test was also conducted on 103 of these children. Only 13% (26/201) of parents/guardians were aware that MDIs contained CFCs. Although 70% of children were in favour of the new taste of the CFC-free inhaler, the cost of the new inhaler was an important consideration for parents and guardians in their decision to switch to the new inhaler. The majority (93%) were willing to switch if its cost were equivalent to their current inhaler. This study has provided pertinent information with regard to acceptance of CFC-free inhalers which should be considered when making the inevitable switch to environmentally friendly inhalers.

Evaluation of Nurses' Acceptance of Screen Display Methods with Temporarily Non-Display for Privacy Protection.

PubMed

Niimi, Yukari; Ota, Katsumasa; Ikegami, Chikako

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore nurses' acceptance of a screen display method that temporarily hides patient information for privacy protection. Using a questionnaire, we asked nurses to evaluate the display method from the viewpoints of safety and efficiency with respect to 22 personal information items. The nurses were favorably interested in introducing the display method into their hospital system; however, their acceptance varied.

Testing and validating environmental models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kirchner, J.W.; Hooper, R.P.; Kendall, C.; Neal, C.; Leavesley, G.

1996-01-01

Generally accepted standards for testing and validating ecosystem models would benefit both modellers and model users. Universally applicable test procedures are difficult to prescribe, given the diversity of modelling approaches and the many uses for models. However, the generally accepted scientific principles of documentation and disclosure provide a useful framework for devising general standards for model evaluation. Adequately documenting model tests requires explicit performance criteria, and explicit benchmarks against which model performance is compared. A model's validity, reliability, and accuracy can be most meaningfully judged by explicit comparison against the available alternatives. In contrast, current practice is often characterized by vague, subjective claims that model predictions show 'acceptable' agreement with data; such claims provide little basis for choosing among alternative models. Strict model tests (those that invalid models are unlikely to pass) are the only ones capable of convincing rational skeptics that a model is probably valid. However, 'false positive' rates as low as 10% can substantially erode the power of validation tests, making them insufficiently strict to convince rational skeptics. Validation tests are often undermined by excessive parameter calibration and overuse of ad hoc model features. Tests are often also divorced from the conditions under which a model will be used, particularly when it is designed to forecast beyond the range of historical experience. In such situations, data from laboratory and field manipulation experiments can provide particularly effective tests, because one can create experimental conditions quite different from historical data, and because experimental data can provide a more precisely defined 'target' for the model to hit. We present a simple demonstration showing that the two most common methods for comparing model predictions to environmental time series (plotting model time series against data time series, and plotting predicted versus observed values) have little diagnostic power. We propose that it may be more useful to statistically extract the relationships of primary interest from the time series, and test the model directly against them.

A proposed model of factors influencing hydrogen fuel cell vehicle acceptance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imanina, N. H. Noor; Kwe Lu, Tan; Fadhilah, A. R.

2016-03-01

Issues such as environmental problem and energy insecurity keep worsening as a result of energy use from household to huge industries including automotive industry. Recently, a new type of zero emission vehicle, hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (HFCV) has received attention. Although there are argues on the feasibility of hydrogen as the future fuel, there is another important issue, which is the acceptance of HFCV. The study of technology acceptance in the early stage is a vital key for a successful introduction and penetration of a technology. This paper proposes a model of factors influencing green vehicle acceptance, specifically HFCV. This model is built base on two technology acceptance theories and other empirical studies of vehicle acceptance. It aims to provide a base for finding the key factors influencing new sustainable energy fuelled vehicle, HFCV acceptance which is achieved by explaining intention to accept HFCV. Intention is influenced by attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control from Theory of Planned Behaviour and personal norm from Norm Activation Theory. In the framework, attitude is influenced by perceptions of benefits and risks, and social trust. Perceived behavioural control is influenced by government interventions. Personal norm is influenced by outcome efficacy and problem awareness.

A systematic review of patient acceptance of consumer health information technology.

PubMed

Or, Calvin K L; Karsh, Ben-Tzion

2009-01-01

A systematic literature review was performed to identify variables promoting consumer health information technology (CHIT) acceptance among patients. The electronic bibliographic databases Web of Science, Business Source Elite, CINAHL, Communication and Mass Media Complete, MEDLINE, PsycArticles, and PsycInfo were searched. A cited reference search of articles meeting the inclusion criteria was also conducted to reduce misses. Fifty-two articles met the selection criteria. Among them, 94 different variables were tested for associations with acceptance. Most of those tested (71%) were patient factors, including sociodemographic characteristics, health- and treatment-related variables, and prior experience or exposure to computer/health technology. Only ten variables were related to human-technology interaction; 16 were organizational factors; and one was related to the environment. In total, 62 (66%) were found to predict acceptance in at least one study. Existing literature focused largely on patient-related factors. No studies examined the impact of social and task factors on acceptance, and few tested the effects of organizational or environmental factors on acceptance. Future research guided by technology acceptance theories should fill those gaps to improve our understanding of patient CHIT acceptance, which in turn could lead to better CHIT design and implementation.

Thematic mapper flight model preshipment review data package. Volume 4: Appendix. Part B: Scan mirror assembly data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Data from the thematic mapper scan mirror assembly (SMA) acceptance test are presented. Documentation includes: (1) a list of the acceptance test discrepancies; (2) flight 1 SMA test data book; (3) flight 1 SMA environmental report; (4) the configuration verification index; (5) the flight 1 SMA test failure reports; (6) the flight 1 data tapes log; and (7) the requests for deviation/waivers.

Institutional environmental impact statement (space shuttle development and operations) amendment no. 1. [space shuttle operations at Kennedy Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

Data are presented to support the environmental impact statement on space shuttle actions at Kennedy Space Center. Studies indicate that land use to accommodate space shuttle operations may have the most significant impact. The impacts on air, water and noise quality are predicted to be less on the on-site environment. Considerations of operating modes indicate that long and short term land use will not affect wildlife productivity. The potential for adverse environmental impact is small and such impacts will be local, short in duration, controllable, and environmentally acceptable.

45 CFR 96.136 - Independent peer review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... technology, resources, and patient/client circumstances, will meet accepted standards and practices which... approach to addictions treatment, and must be sensitive to the cultural and environmental issues that may...

Peoria Disposal Co.`s PDC Laboratories: Analyzing and cleaning up -- Literally

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

McAdams, C.L.

1995-10-01

In the early 1980s, says Royal Coulter, president and CEO of Peoria Disposal Co. (PDC, Peoria, IL), many PDC customers were unfamiliar with the methods required for the proper characterization of then newly regulated hazardous wastes. So in early 1981, to expedite permitting and, ultimately, acceptance of waste by PDC, a lab was set up so the company could step in and provide the needed services. By focusing on the delivery of quality services in the analysis of groundwater, wastewater, and solid waste for PDC, Coulter says, the laboratory soon developed into a successful and independent commercial operation. In Julymore » of 1981, PDC Laboratories was incorporated as an independent environmental analytical laboratory. PDC Labs is a subsidiary of PDC Technical Services, Inc., which provides environmental consulting and site remediation services, and is itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coulter Companies, Inc. Peoria Disposal offers solid waste disposal, industrial waste water treatment, waste stabilization, transportation services, and brokerage services.« less

Evaluating environmental impact caused by industrial activities - Implementation of the WTP-WTA approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopsidas, Odysseas; Batzias, Fragiskos

2012-12-01

In this work, a methodological framework under the form of an algorithmic procedure, including 28 activity stages and 6 decision nodes, has been developed for evaluating environmental impact caused by industrial activities. The main part of this procedure is a modification of the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM), which is heavily relied on survey-based estimation of WTP-WTA (willingness to pay/accept, respectively). The survey may take place either under a strictly controlled environment or in situ and as-is ('laboratory conditions' or 'field conditions', respectively, in the terminology of experimental economics). Implementation of this methodology is presented, referring to three cases of industrial pollution (in three different sites) caused by (i) a cement producing units, (ii) an oil refinery complex, and (iii) an industrialized small city with an intensively polluted port, where several industrial units co-exist, all of them located in the vicinity of Athens, Greece. The results are interpreted/discussed and conclusions are drawn.

Influencing factors for household water quality improvement in reducing diarrhoea in resource-limited areas.

PubMed

Zin, Thant; Mudin, Kamarudin D; Myint, Than; Naing, Daw K S; Sein, Tracy; Shamsul, B S

2013-01-01

Water and sanitation are major public health issues exacerbated by rapid population growth, limited resources, disasters and environmental depletion. This study was undertaken to study the influencing factors for household water quality improvement for reducing diarrhoea in resource-limited areas. Data were collected from articles and reviews from relevant randomized controlled trials, new articles, systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and WELL Resource Centre For Water, Sanitation And Environmental Health. Water quality on diarrhoea prevention could be affected by contamination during storage, collection and even at point-of-use. Point-of-use water treatment (household-based) is the most cost-effective method for prevention of diarrhoea. Chemical disinfection, filtration, thermal disinfection, solar disinfection and flocculation and disinfection are five most promising household water treatment methodologies for resource-limited areas. Promoting household water treatment is most essential for preventing diarrhoeal disease. In addition, the water should be of acceptable taste, appropriate for emergency and non-emergency use.

The development of a model for predicting passenger acceptance of short-haul air transportation systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuhlthau, A. R.; Jacobson, I. D.

1977-01-01

Meaningful criteria and methodology for assessing, particularly in the area of ride quality, the potential acceptability to the traveling public of present and future transportation systems were investigated. Ride quality was found to be one of the important variables affecting the decision of users of air transportation, and to be influenced by several environmental factors, especially motion, noise, pressure, temperature, and seating. Models were developed to quantify the relationship of subjective comfort to all of these parameters and then were exercised for a variety of situations. Passenger satisfaction was found to be strongly related to ride quality and was so modeled. A computer program was developed to assess the comfort and satisfaction levels of passengers on aircraft subjected to arbitrary flight profiles over arbitrary terrain. A model was deduced of the manner in which passengers integrate isolated segments of a flight to obtain an overall trip comfort rating. A method was established for assessing the influence of other links (e.g., access, terminal conditions) in the overall passenger trip.

Public acceptance of management methods under different human-wildlife conflict scenarios.

PubMed

Liordos, Vasilios; Kontsiotis, Vasileios J; Georgari, Marina; Baltzi, Kerasia; Baltzi, Ioanna

2017-02-01

Wildlife management seeks to minimise public controversy for successful application of wildlife control methods. Human dimensions research in wildlife seeks a better understanding of public preferences for effective human-wildlife conflict resolution. In face to face interviews, 630 adults in Greece were asked to rate on a 5-point Likert-like scale their acceptance of 3 management methods, i.e., do nothing, non-lethal control, and lethal control, in the context of 5 human-wildlife conflict scenarios: 1) corvids damage crops; 2) starlings damage crops; 3) starlings foul urban structures; 4) coypus damage crops; and 5) coypus transfer disease. Univariate GLMs determined occupation, hunting membership and their interaction as the stronger predictors of public acceptance, generating 4 stakeholder groups: the general public, farmers, hunters, and farmers-hunters. Differences in acceptance and consensus among stakeholder groups were assessed using the Potential for Conflict Index 2 (PCI 2 ). All 4 stakeholder groups agreed that doing nothing was unacceptable and non-lethal control acceptable in all 5 scenarios, with generally high consensus within and between groups. The lethal control method was more controversial and became increasingly more acceptable as the severity of scenarios was increased and between non-native and native species. Lethal control was unacceptable for the general public in all scenarios. Farmers accepted lethal methods in the corvids and starlings scenarios, were neutral in the coypus damage crops scenario, whereas they accepted lethal control when coypus transfer disease. Hunters' opinion was neutral in the corvids, starlings and coypus damage crops and starlings foul urban structures scenarios, but they accepted lethal methods in the coypus transfer disease scenario. Farmers-hunters considered lethal control acceptable in all 5 scenarios. Implications from this study could be used for designing a socio-ecological approach which incorporates wildlife management with public interests. The studied species have a wide distribution, therefore present findings might also prove useful elsewhere. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An investigation into waste charges in Ireland, with emphasis on public acceptability.

PubMed

Dunne, Louise; Convery, Frank J; Gallagher, Louise

2008-12-01

There are 34 local authorities in Ireland with legal responsibility to deal with waste arising in their jurisdictions. In 2003 the National government introduced legislation that allows local authorities to recover the costs of waste collection and disposal, and to do so by 'executive function', i.e., not requiring support or agreement by the relevant local political representatives. The year 2005 was set as the date by which implementation of a pay by weight or volume was to be introduced. The local authorities were given autonomy as to how they addressed this challenge, so we have - in theory - 34 potentially different experiences from which to learn. This paper examines the pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) waste system in Ireland as it develops in line with EU and National demands, with a view to assessing economic and environmental efficiency. All local authorities were surveyed and thirteen responded. While this only represents about 38% of the total number, it includes jurisdictions that contribute in total more than 50% of waste arising. Key figures in the policy and business community were also interviewed in order to identify how the charging schemes were implemented, and to what effect. These insights and parallel investigations are used to review the potential for problems regarding public acceptability of environmental taxes and examine the evidence for economic and environmental efficiency, as well as problem areas, using data from each of the responding local authority jurisdictions. Concentrating on the incentives and drivers across households, municipalities and private waste contractors, the variations in charging system, annual charges and landfill charges are compared where information was available. The various jurisdictions are also examined in terms of relative successes and problems encountered in the transition from fixed charge or free waste collection to PAYT systems. The Irish situation is placed in the context of the international literature on PAYT, the growing waste crisis, environmental attitudes vs. behaviours, and the acceptability of environmental taxes generally.

Oil shale development and its environmental considerations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stone, R.T.; Johnson, H.; Decora, A.

1974-01-01

The petroleum shortage recently experienced by many nations throughout the world has created an intense interest in obtaining new and supplemental energy sources. In the United States, this interest has been centered on oil shale. Any major action by the federal government having significant environmental effects requires compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Since most oil shale is found on federal lands, and since its development involves significant environmental impacts, leasing oil shale lands to private interests must be in compliance with NEPA. For oil shale, program planning began at approximately the same time that NEPA was signed into law. By structuring the program to permit a resource and technological inventory by industry and the federal agencies, the Department of the Interior was able simultaneously to conduct the environmental assessments required by the act. This required: 1. Clearly defined program objections; 2. An organization which could integrate public policy with diverse scientific disciplines and environmental concerns; and 3. Flexible decisionmaking to adjust to policy changes as well as to evolving interpretations on EPA as clarified by court decisions. This paper outlines the program, the organization structure that was created for this specific task, and the environmental concerns which were investigated. The success of the program has been demonstrated by meeting the requirements of NEPA, without court challenge, and by industry's acceptance of a leasing program that included the most stringent environmental protection provisions ever required. The need for energy development has spurred the acceptance of the program. However, by its awareness and willingness to meet the environmental challenges of the future, industry has shown a reasonable understanding of its commitments. The pros and cons of development were publicly considered in hearings and analyzed in the final environmental statement. This action aided greatly in preventing legal challenges. The prototype oil shale program is now under way and this new energy source, developed with strict environmental safeguards, may soon be available to our nation.

78 FR 54868 - New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-06

... the Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) based on... year 2014. The Scientific and Statistical Committee will report on its acceptable biological catch (ABC...

Implant image quality in dental radiographs recorded using a customized imaging guide or a standard film holder.

PubMed

Schropp, Lars; Stavropoulos, Andreas; Spin-Neto, Rubens; Wenzel, Ann

2012-01-01

To compare a customized imaging guide and a standard film holder for obtaining optimally projected intraoral radiographs of dental implants. Intraoral radiographs of four screw-type implants with different inclination placed in an upper or lower dental phantom model were recorded by 32 groups of examiners after a short instruction in the use of the RB-RB/LB-LB mnemonic rule. Half of the examiners recorded the images using a standard film holder and the other half used a customized imaging guide. Each radiograph was assessed under blinded conditions with regard to rendering of the implant threads and was assigned to one of four quality categories: (1) perfect, (2) not perfect, but clinically acceptable, (3) not acceptable, and (4) hopeless. For the upper jaw, the same number of exposures per implant were made to achieve an acceptable image (P=0.86) by the standard film holder method (median=2) and the imaging guide method (median=2). For the lower jaw, medians for the imaging guide method and the film holder method were 1 and 2, respectively (P=0.004). For the imaging guide method, the first exposure was rated as perfect/acceptable in 62% of the cases and for the film holder method in 41% of the cases (P=0.013). After ≤ 2 exposures, 78% (imaging guide method) and 69% (film holder method) of the implant images were perfect/acceptable (P=0.23). The implant inclination did not have a major influence on the outcomes. Perfect or acceptable images were achieved after two exposures with the same frequency either using a customized imaging guide method or a standard film holder method. However, the use of a customized imaging guide method was overall significantly superior to a standard film holder method in terms of obtaining perfect or acceptable images with only one exposure. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

COMPARISON OF NONLINEAR DYNAMICS OPTIMIZATION METHODS FOR APS-U

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

Sun, Y.; Borland, Michael

Many different objectives and genetic algorithms have been proposed for storage ring nonlinear dynamics performance optimization. These optimization objectives include nonlinear chromaticities and driving/detuning terms, on-momentum and off-momentum dynamic acceptance, chromatic detuning, local momentum acceptance, variation of transverse invariant, Touschek lifetime, etc. In this paper, the effectiveness of several different optimization methods and objectives are compared for the nonlinear beam dynamics optimization of the Advanced Photon Source upgrade (APS-U) lattice. The optimized solutions from these different methods are preliminarily compared in terms of the dynamic acceptance, local momentum acceptance, chromatic detuning, and other performance measures.

Environmental Health Problems and Indicators in Tabriz, Iran

PubMed Central

Ghozikali, Mohammad Ghanbari; Mosaferi, Mohammad; Naddafi, Kazem

2013-01-01

Background: Environmental Health Indicators (EHIs) are the most important criteria for evaluation of efficiency and effectiveness of the activities of the health sector. The operations and situation of the health system can be analyzed through surveying the indicators and comparing them during different times. The present study aimed to study the EHIs of Tabriz, using the common environmental health processes and national EHIs of the Ministry of Health. Method: The required information for determination of EHIs was collected from different sources, including mainly the Environmental Health Department of the Health Center of East Azerbaijan Province, Iran and other organizations. Results: We found some important desirable and undesirable EHIs in Tabriz,including high percentage of households with access to safe and reliable drinking water, high safety in microbiological and chemical quality of drinking water, acceptable level of BOD5 and COD in the effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WTP), lack of complete municipal wastewater collection and treatment, relatively poor sanitation and health of food markets and public places, undesirable collection,transportation and disposal of municipal solid waste, low EHIs of some school classrooms, unacceptable disposal of medical waste in some hospitals, and finally high level of noise pollution in the city. Conclusion: Considering the poor condition of some EHIs of Tabriz, implementing proper actions for promotion of the indicators especially development of municipal wastewater collection, improvement of solid waste management,environmental health of some schools and mosques, and finally the noise pollution level of the city is recommended. PMID:24688959

Optimizing Environmental Flow Operation Rules based on Explicit IHA Constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dongnan, L.; Wan, W.; Zhao, J.

2017-12-01

Multi-objective operation of reservoirs are increasingly asked to consider the environmental flow to support ecosystem health. Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA) is widely used to describe environmental flow regimes, but few studies have explicitly formulated it into optimization models and thus is difficult to direct reservoir release. In an attempt to incorporate the benefit of environmental flow into economic achievement, a two-objective reservoir optimization model is developed and all 33 hydrologic parameters of IHA are explicitly formulated into constraints. The benefit of economic is defined by Hydropower Production (HP) while the benefit of environmental flow is transformed into Eco-Index (EI) that combined 5 of the 33 IHA parameters chosen by principal component analysis method. Five scenarios (A to E) with different constraints are tested and solved by nonlinear programming. The case study of Jing Hong reservoir, located in the upstream of Mekong basin, China, shows: 1. A Pareto frontier is formed by maximizing on only HP objective in scenario A and on only EI objective in scenario B. 2. Scenario D using IHA parameters as constraints obtains the optimal benefits of both economic and ecological. 3. A sensitive weight coefficient is found in scenario E, but the trade-offs between HP and EI objectives are not within the Pareto frontier. 4. When the fraction of reservoir utilizable capacity reaches 0.8, both HP and EI capture acceptable values. At last, to make this modelmore conveniently applied to everyday practice, a simplified operation rule curve is extracted.

76 FR 20071 - Environmental Impact Statement: Oakland and Genesee Counties, MI

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-11

... pavement rehabilitation projects, safety improvement projects, intersection operation projects, and... when the narrow boulevard was found to be equal from a traffic standpoint and acceptable from a design...

Valuing the effects of hydropower development on watershed ecosystem services: Case studies in the Jiulong River Watershed, Fujian Province, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Guihua; Fang, Qinhua; Zhang, Luoping; Chen, Weiqi; Chen, Zhenming; Hong, Huasheng

2010-02-01

Hydropower development brings many negative impacts on watershed ecosystems which are not fully integrated into current decision-making largely because in practice few accept the cost and benefit beyond market. In this paper, a framework was proposed to valuate the effects on watershed ecosystem services caused by hydropower development. Watershed ecosystem services were classified into four categories of provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services; then effects on watershed ecosystem services caused by hydropower development were identified to 21 indicators. Thereafter various evaluation techniques including the market value method, opportunity cost approach, project restoration method, travel cost method, and contingent valuation method were determined and the models were developed to valuate these indicators reflecting specific watershed ecosystem services. This approach was applied to three representative hydropower projects (Daguan, Xizaikou and Tiangong) of Jiulong River Watershed in southeast China. It was concluded that for hydropower development: (1) the value ratio of negative impacts to positive benefits ranges from 64.09% to 91.18%, indicating that the negative impacts of hydropower development should be critically studied during its environmental administration process; (2) the biodiversity loss and water quality degradation (together accounting for 80-94%) are the major negative impacts on watershed ecosystem services; (3) the average environmental cost per unit of electricity is up to 0.206 Yuan/kW h, which is about three quarters of its on-grid power tariff; and (4) the current water resource fee accounts for only about 4% of its negative impacts value, therefore a new compensatory method by paying for ecosystem services is necessary for sustainable hydropower development. These findings provide a clear picture of both positive and negative effects of hydropower development for decision-makers in the monetary term, and also provide a basis for further design of environmental instrument such as payment for watershed ecosystem services.

Modeling and Simulation in Healthcare Future Directions

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-13

Collaborate Evidence Based Medicine is . . . The Scientific Method as Applied to Medicine The Evidence IS the Science In order to accept evidence ... based medicine . . . we must accept the current method in Science The Scientific Method is Dead Scientific Method . . . . . . is DEAD? Not necessarily

Elemental analysis of occupational and environmental lung diseases by electron probe microanalyzer with wavelength dispersive spectrometer.

PubMed

Takada, Toshinori; Moriyama, Hiroshi; Suzuki, Eiichi

2014-01-01

Occupational and environmental lung diseases are a group of pulmonary disorders caused by inhalation of harmful particles, mists, vapors or gases. Mineralogical analysis is not generally required in the diagnosis of most cases of these diseases. Apart from minerals that are encountered rarely or only in specific occupations, small quantities of mineral dusts are present in the healthy lung. As such when mineralogical analysis is required, quantitative or semi-quantitative methods must be employed. An electron probe microanalyzer with wavelength dispersive spectrometer (EPMA-WDS) enables analysis of human lung tissue for deposits of elements by both qualitative and semi-quantitative methods. Since 1993, we have analyzed 162 cases of suspected occupational and environmental lung diseases using an EPMA-WDS. Our institute has been accepting online requests for elemental analysis of lung tissue samples by EPMA-WDS since January 2011. Hard metal lung disease is an occupational interstitial lung disease that primarily affects workers exposed to the dust of tungsten carbide. The characteristic pathological findings of the disease are giant cell interstitial pneumonia (GIP) with centrilobular fibrosis, surrounded by mild alveolitis with giant cells within the alveolar space. EPMA-WDS analysis of biopsied lung tissue from patients with GIP has demonstrated that tungsten and/or cobalt is distributed in the giant cells and centrilobular fibrosing lesion in GIP. Pneumoconiosis, caused by amorphous silica, and acute interstitial pneumonia, associated with the giant tsunami, were also elementally analyzed by EPMA-WDS. The results suggest that commonly found elements, such as silicon, aluminum, and iron, may cause occupational and environmental lung diseases. Copyright © 2013 The Japanese Respiratory Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Acceptability of HIV Prevention Information Delivered Through Established Geosocial Networking Mobile Applications to Men Who Have Sex With Men.

PubMed

Czarny, Heather N; Broaddus, Michelle R

2017-11-01

Geosocial networking (GSN) applications could disseminate HIV prevention information to thousands of men who have sex with men (MSM); however, acceptability of the type of information, methods, and frequency of information delivery are unknown. Acceptability of these constructs were assessed through a survey of 224 MSM at the Milwaukee Pridefest. All types of information were found acceptable. A sexual health section and self-seeking information were the most acceptable method and frequency of delivery. Demographics and differences in app usage did not correlate to acceptability. Continued research focusing on the feasibility of incorporating HIV prevention information into GSN applications is needed.

Management practices for end-of-life cathode ray tube glass: Review of advances in recycling and best available technologies.

PubMed

Iniaghe, Paschal O; Adie, Gilbert U

2015-11-01

Cathode ray tubes are image display units found in computer monitors and televisions. In recent years, cathode ray tubes have been generated as waste owing to the introduction of newer and advanced technologies in image displays, such as liquid crystal displays and high definition televisions, among others. Generation and subsequent disposal of end-of-life cathode ray tubes presents a challenge owing to increasing volumes and high lead content embedded in the funnel and neck sections of the glass. Disposal in landfills and open dumping are anti-environmental practices considering the large-scale contamination of environmental media by the potential of toxic metals leaching from glass. Mitigating such environmental contamination will require sound management strategies that are environmentally friendly and economically feasible. This review covers existing and emerging management practices for end-of-life cathode ray tubes. An in-depth analysis of available technologies (glass smelting, detoxification of cathode ray tube glass, lead extraction from cathode ray tube glass) revealed that most of the techniques are environmentally friendly, but are largely confined to either laboratory scale, or are often limited owing to high cost to mount, or generate secondary pollutants, while a closed-looped method is antiquated. However, recycling in cementitious systems (cement mortar and concrete) gives an added advantage in terms of quantity of recyclable cathode ray tube glass at a given time, with minimal environmental and economic implications. With significant quantity of waste cathode ray tube glass being generated globally, cementitious systems could be economically and environmentally acceptable as a sound management practice for cathode ray tube glass, where other technologies may not be applicable. © The Author(s) 2015.

Social Acceptability of Menstrual-Care Training Methods for Young Women with Developmental Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Epps, Susan; And Others

1990-01-01

The acceptability of two different training methods (simulation training using a doll and simulation training on self) for teaching menstrual hygiene skills to young women with developmental disabilities was evaluated in two experiments. Results suggested that opinions about treatment acceptability should be obtained from both professional and…

Environmental durability of graphite.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-01-01

The increasing acceptance and incorporation of fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites (PMCs) as engineering construction materials have led many to look to the infrastructure as an application for these versatile materials. One such system is pul...

40 CFR 68.56 - Maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CHEMICAL... testing procedures shall follow recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices. The...' recommendations, industry standards or codes, good engineering practices, and prior operating experience. ...

40 CFR 68.56 - Maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CHEMICAL... testing procedures shall follow recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices. The...' recommendations, industry standards or codes, good engineering practices, and prior operating experience. ...

40 CFR 68.56 - Maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CHEMICAL... testing procedures shall follow recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices. The...' recommendations, industry standards or codes, good engineering practices, and prior operating experience. ...

40 CFR 68.56 - Maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CHEMICAL... testing procedures shall follow recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices. The...' recommendations, industry standards or codes, good engineering practices, and prior operating experience. ...

40 CFR 68.56 - Maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CHEMICAL... testing procedures shall follow recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices. The...' recommendations, industry standards or codes, good engineering practices, and prior operating experience. ...

76 FR 27925 - Requirements for Maintenance of Inspections, Tests, Analyses, and Acceptance Criteria

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-13

... State Compatibility IX. Voluntary Consensus Standards X. Environmental Impact--Categorical Exclusion XI... endorsed guidance developed by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) in NEI 08-01, ``Industry Guideline for...

Drivers of an urban community's acceptance of a large desalination scheme for drinking water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, Fiona L.; Tapsuwan, Sorada; Walker, Iain; Randrema, Elodie

2015-09-01

Changing climates and growing populations have prompted policy makers to shift to more climate resilient, technology-driven water sources, such as seawater desalination. Desalination is a prominent water resource in the Middle East but countries in other parts of the world with similar scarcity issues and good access to sea water, such as Australia, have been comparatively slow to adopt it. This paper explores attitudes to desalination in Perth, Western Australia, and the factors that influence its acceptance. We compared individuals' acceptance of desalination over two time periods by using identical surveys administered in 2007 and 2012. We then examined the attitudinal factors - attitudes towards desalination and attitudes towards the environment - that influence acceptance. Acceptance of desalination was reasonably high and stable at both times (74% and 73% in 2007 and 2012 respectively). We found that respondents' attitudes to perceived outcomes and benefits, fairness, environmental obligation and risk were important predictors of their acceptance of desalination in both surveys. However the weight given to these aspects varied over time. The findings show that there is still mixed community sentiment towards desalination, which helps to explain why acceptance has not increased since desalination was introduced in 2006.

Culture and the environment in Ghana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dyasi, Hubert M.

1985-03-01

The traditional culture of Ghana stressed a strong relationship with the environment, and a culturally acceptable environmental management resulted from strictures and taboos related to the land. Following its independence in 1957, Ghana has enacted laws that reflect an enlightened environmental policy. These are especially important because of the difficulties Ghana has had in its economic development using Western technology that has damaged the fragile tropical ecosystem. A key aspect of Ghana's policy is the attempt to marry scientific knowledge and traditional beliefs for environmentally sound management of Ghana's resources.

Accuracy, resolution, and cost comparisons between small format and mapping cameras for environmental mapping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clegg, R. H.; Scherz, J. P.

1975-01-01

Successful aerial photography depends on aerial cameras providing acceptable photographs within cost restrictions of the job. For topographic mapping where ultimate accuracy is required only large format mapping cameras will suffice. For mapping environmental patterns of vegetation, soils, or water pollution, 9-inch cameras often exceed accuracy and cost requirements, and small formats may be better. In choosing the best camera for environmental mapping, relative capabilities and costs must be understood. This study compares resolution, photo interpretation potential, metric accuracy, and cost of 9-inch, 70mm, and 35mm cameras for obtaining simultaneous color and color infrared photography for environmental mapping purposes.

Current, future and potential use of mobile and wearable technologies and social media data in the ABCD study to increase understanding of contributors to child health.

PubMed

Bagot, K S; Matthews, S A; Mason, M; Squeglia, Lindsay M; Fowler, J; Gray, K; Herting, M; May, A; Colrain, I; Godino, J; Tapert, S; Brown, S; Patrick, K

2018-08-01

Mobile and wearable technologies and novel methods of data collection are innovating health-related research. These technologies and methods allow for multi-system level capture of data across environmental, physiological, behavioral, and psychological domains. In the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, there is great potential for harnessing the acceptability, accessibility, and functionality of mobile and social technologies for in-vivo data capture to precisely measure factors, and interactions between factors, that contribute to childhood and adolescent neurodevelopment and psychosocial and health outcomes. Here we discuss advances in mobile and wearable technologies and methods of analysis of geospatial, ecologic, social network and behavioral data. Incorporating these technologies into the ABCD study will allow for interdisciplinary research on the effects of place, social interactions, environment, and substance use on health and developmental outcomes in children and adolescents. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

VIDAS Listeria species Xpress (LSX).

PubMed

Johnson, Ronald; Mills, John

2013-01-01

The AOAC GovVal study compared the VIDAS Listeria species Xpress (LSX) to the Health Products and Food Branch MFHPB-30 reference method for detection of Listeria on stainless steel. The LSX method utilizes a novel and proprietary enrichment media, Listeria Xpress broth, enabling detection of Listeria species in environmental samples with the automated VIDAS in a minimum of 26 h. The LSX method also includes the use of the chromogenic media, chromID Ottaviani Agosti Agar (OAA) and chromID Lmono for confirmation of LSX presumptive results. In previous AOAC validation studies comparing VIDAS LSX to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual (FDA-BAM) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) reference methods, the LSX method was approved as AOAC Official Method 2010.02 for the detection of Listeria species in dairy products, vegetables, seafood, raw meats and poultry, and processed meats and poultry, and as AOAC Performance Tested Method 100501 in a variety of foods and on environmental surfaces. The GovVal comparative study included 20 replicate test portions each at two contamination levels for stainless steel where fractionally positive results (5-15 positive results/20 replicate portions tested) were obtained by at least one method at one level. Five uncontaminated controls were included. In the stainless steel artificially contaminated surface study, there were 25 confirmed positives by the VIDAS LSX assay and 22 confirmed positives by the standard culture methods. Chi-square analysis indicated no statistical differences between the VIDAS LSX method and the MFHPB-30 standard methods at the 5% level of significance. Confirmation of presumptive LSX results with the chromogenic OAA and Lmono media was shown to be equivalent to the appropriate reference method agars. The data in this study demonstrate that the VIDAS LSX method is an acceptable alternative method to the MFHPB-30 standard culture method for the detection of Listeria species on stainless steel.

From single-substance evaluation to ecological process concept: the dilemma of processing gold with cyanide.

PubMed

Korte, F; Coulston, F

1995-10-01

In the past decades, limit concentration values for environmentally dangerous synthetic and natural chemical substances have been established in industrialized countries. Depending on the range of application, state of aggregation, propagation velocity, specific action on living organisms, long- or short-time effect, etc., different terms are used to specify these limit concentrations (acceptable daily intakes, TLV, LD50, emission values, water quality standards, etc.). Several parameters (e.g., range of application, ethic and social valuation, environmental factors, scientific knowledge) have led to nationally and internationally varying values depending on the region and time. The accuracy of this system of evaluation cannot necessarily be improved by listing further analytical data, but rather by furnishing sufficiently secured scientific data for a serious discussion, with the public concepts influenced more and more by the mass media. The best-established scientific knowledge has been acquired by the chemical industry. National and international groups demand that ecological-chemical problems in other fields of industry be dealt with as well; this research should, without doubt, be intensified. The example of the mining industry, which must employ chemical methods to isolate small concentrations (ppm), demonstrates the environmental conflict caused by the increasing world population, requiring the adaptation of the process by industry to the modern environmental concept. This is illustrated by the evolution of the gold recovery process.

Investigations of the environmental acceptability of fluorocarbon alternatives to chlorofluorocarbons.

PubMed Central

McFarland, M

1992-01-01

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are currently used in systems for preservation of perishable foods and medical supplies, increasing worker productivity and consumer comfort, conserving energy and increasing product reliability. As use of CFCs is phased out due to concerns of ozone depletion, a variety of new chemicals and technologies will be needed to serve these needs. In choosing alternatives, industry must balance concerns over safety and environmental acceptability and still meet the preformance characteristics of the current technology, the only viable alternatives meeting the safety, performance, and environmental requirements for the remaining 40% of demand are fluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFs), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). HCFCs and HFCs possess many of the desirable properties of the CFCs, but because of the, hydrogen, they results in shorter atmospheric lifetimes compared to CFCs and reduces their potential to contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion or global warming; HFCs do not contain chlorine and have no potential to destroy ozone. This paper provides an overview of challenges faced by industry, regulators, and society in general in continuing to meet societal needs and consumer demands while reducing risk to the enviroment without compromising consumer or worker safety. PMID:11607257

Liquid-liquid extraction assisted by a carbon nanoparticles interface. Electrophoretic determination of atrazine in environmental samples.

PubMed

Caballero-Díaz, Encarnación; Simonet, Bartolomé; Valcárcel, Miguel

2013-10-21

A novel method for the determination of atrazine, using liquid-liquid extraction assisted by a nanoparticles film formed in situ and composed of organic solvent stabilized-carbon nanoparticles, is described. The presence of nanoparticles located at the liquid-liquid interface reinforced the extraction of analyte from matrix prior to capillary electrophoresis (CE) analysis. Some influential experimental variables were optimized in order to enhance the extraction efficiency. The developed procedure confirmed that carbon nanoparticles, especially multi-walled carbon nanotubes, are suitable to be used in sample treatment processes introducing new mechanisms of interaction with the analyte. The application of the proposed preconcentration method followed by CE detection enabled the determination of atrazine in spiked river water providing acceptable RSD values (11.6%) and good recoveries (about 87.0-92.0%). Additionally, a similar extraction scheme was tested in soil matrices with a view to further applications in real soil samples.

Childhood lead poisoning investigations: evaluating a portable instrument for testing soil lead.

PubMed

Reames, Ginger; Lance, Larrie L

2002-04-01

The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch of the California Department of Health Services evaluated a portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument for use as a soil lead-testing tool during environmental investigations of lead-poisoned children's homes. A Niton XRF was used to test soil at 119 sampling locations in the yards of 11 San Francisco Bay Area houses. Niton XRF readings were highly correlated with laboratory results and met the study criteria for an acceptable screening method. The data suggest that the most health-protective and time-efficient approach to testing for soil lead above regulatory levels is to take either surface readings or readings of a test cup of soil prepared by grinding with a mortar and pestle. The advantage of the test cup method is that the test cup with soil may be submitted to a laboratory for confirmatory analysis.

Cultural influence on crowding norms in outdoor recreation: a comparative analysis of visitors to national parks in Turkey and the United States.

PubMed

Sayan, Selcuk; Krymkowski, Daniel H; Manning, Robert E; Valliere, William A; Rovelstad, Ellen L

2013-08-01

Formulation of standards of quality in parks and outdoor recreation can be guided by normative theory and related empirical methods. We apply this approach to measure the acceptability of a range of use levels in national parks in Turkey and the United States. Using statistical methods for comparing norm curves across contexts, we find significant differences among Americans, British, and Turkish respondents. In particular, American and British respondents were substantially less tolerant of seeing other visitors and demonstrated higher norm intensity than Turkish respondents. We discuss the role of culture in explaining these findings, paying particular attention to Turkey as a traditional "contact culture" and the conventional emphasis on solitude and escape in American environmental history and policy. We conclude with a number of recommendations to stimulate more research on the relationship between culture and outdoor recreation.

Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) (Orion) Occupant Protection. Part 1; Appendices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Currie-Gregg, Nancy J.; Gernhardt, Michael L.; Lawrence, Charles; Somers, Jeffrey T.

2016-01-01

Dr. Nancy J. Currie, of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), Chief Engineer at Johnson Space Center (JSC), requested an assessment of the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) occupant protection as a result of issues identified by the Constellation Program and Orion Project. The NESC, in collaboration with the Human Research Program (HRP), investigated new methods associated with occupant protection for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), known as Orion. The primary objective of this assessment was to investigate new methods associated with occupant protection for the CEV, known as Orion, that would ensure the design provided minimal risk to the crew during nominal and contingency landings in an acceptable set of environmental and spacecraft failure conditions. This documents contains the appendices to the NESC assessment report. NASA/TM-2013-217380, Application of the Brinkley Dynamic Response Criterion to Spacecraft Transient Dynamic Events supersedes this document.

e-Labs and Work Objects: Towards Digital Health Economies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ainsworth, John D.; Buchan, Iain E.

The optimal provision of healthcare and public health services requires the synthesis of evidence from multiple disciplines. It is necessary to understand the genetic, environmental, behavioural and social determinants of disease and health-related states; to balance the effectiveness of interventions with their costs; to ensure the maximum safety and acceptability of interventions; and to provide fair access to care services for given populations. Ever expanding databases of knowledge and local health information, and the ability to employ computationally expensive methods, promises much for decisions to be both supported by best evidence and locally relevant. This promise will, however, not be realised without providing health professionals with the tools to make sense of this information rich environment and to collaborate across disciplines. We propose, as a solution to this problem, the e-Lab and Work Objects model as a sense-making platform for digital health economies - bringing together data, methods and people for timely health intelligence.

Dynamic analysis of a photovoltaic power system with battery storage capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merrill, W. C.; Blaha, R. J.; Pickrell, R. L.

1979-01-01

A photovolataic power system with a battery storage capability is analyzed. A dual battery current control concept is proposed, which enables the battery to either supply or accept power depending upon system environment and load conditions. A simulation of the power system, including the battery current control, is developed and evaluated. The evaulation demonstrate the visbility of the battery control concept of switch the battery from a charge to discharge mode and back as required by load and environmental conditions. An acceptable system operation is demonstrated over the entire insolation range. Additionally, system sensitivity, bandwidth, and damping characteristics of the battery control are shown to be acceptable for a projected hardware implementation.

Transmittal of the Calculation Package that Supports the Analysis of Performance of the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility Oak Ridge, Tennessee (Based 5-Cell Design Issued 8/14/09)

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

Williams M.J.

2009-09-14

This document presents the results of an assessment of the performance of a build-out of the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility (EMWMF). The EMWMF configuration that was assessed includes the as-constructed Cells 1 through 4, with a groundwater underdrain that was installed beneath Cell 3 during the winter of 2003-2004, and Cell 5, whose proposed design is an Addendum to Remedial Design Report for the Disposal of Oak Ridge Reservation Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 Waste, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, DOE/OR/01-1873&D2/A5/R1. The total capacity of the EMWMF with 5 cells is about 1.7 million cubic yards. Thismore » assessment was conducted to determine the conditions under which the approved Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) for the EMWMF found in the Attainment Plan for Risk/Toxicity-Based Waste Acceptance Criteria at the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee [U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 2001a], as revised for constituents added up to October 2008, would remain protective of public health and safety for a five-cell disposal facility. For consistency, the methods of analyses and the exposure scenario used to predict the performance of a five-cell disposal facility were identical to those used in the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) and its addendum (DOE 1998a, DOE 1998b) to develop the approved WAC. To take advantage of new information and design changes departing from the conceptual design, the modeling domain and model calibration were upaded from those used in the RI/FS and its addendum. It should be noted that this analysis is not intended to justify or propose a change in the approved WAC.« less

Continuing challenges for computer-based neuropsychological tests.

PubMed

Letz, Richard

2003-08-01

A number of issues critical to the development of computer-based neuropsychological testing systems that remain continuing challenges to their widespread use in occupational and environmental health are reviewed. Several computer-based neuropsychological testing systems have been developed over the last 20 years, and they have contributed substantially to the study of neurologic effects of a number of environmental exposures. However, many are no longer supported and do not run on contemporary personal computer operating systems. Issues that are continuing challenges for development of computer-based neuropsychological tests in environmental and occupational health are discussed: (1) some current technological trends that generally make test development more difficult; (2) lack of availability of usable speech recognition of the type required for computer-based testing systems; (3) implementing computer-based procedures and tasks that are improvements over, not just adaptations of, their manually-administered predecessors; (4) implementing tests of a wider range of memory functions than the limited range now available; (5) paying more attention to motivational influences that affect the reliability and validity of computer-based measurements; and (6) increasing the usability of and audience for computer-based systems. Partial solutions to some of these challenges are offered. The challenges posed by current technological trends are substantial and generally beyond the control of testing system developers. Widespread acceptance of the "tablet PC" and implementation of accurate small vocabulary, discrete, speaker-independent speech recognition would enable revolutionary improvements to computer-based testing systems, particularly for testing memory functions not covered in existing systems. Dynamic, adaptive procedures, particularly ones based on item-response theory (IRT) and computerized-adaptive testing (CAT) methods, will be implemented in new tests that will be more efficient, reliable, and valid than existing test procedures. These additional developments, along with implementation of innovative reporting formats, are necessary for more widespread acceptance of the testing systems.

Safe drinking water and clean air: an experimental study evaluating the concept of combining household water treatment and indoor air improvement using the Water Disinfection Stove (WADIS).

PubMed

Christen, Andri; Navarro, Carlos Morante; Mäusezahl, Daniel

2009-09-01

Indoor air pollution and unsafe water remain two of the most important environmental risk factors for the global burden of infectious diseases. Improved stoves and household water treatment (HWT) methods represent two of the most effective interventions to fight respiratory and diarrhoeal illnesses at household level. Since new improved stoves are highly accepted and HWT methods have their drawbacks regarding sustained use, combining the two interventions in one technical solution could result in notable positive convenience and health benefits. A WAter DIsinfection Stove (WADIS) based on a Lorena-stove design with a simple flow-through boiling water-treatment system was developed and tested by a pilot experimental study in rural Bolivia. The results of a post-implementation evaluation of two WADIS and 27 Lorena-stoves indicate high social acceptance rather due to convenience gains of the stove than to perceived health improvements. The high efficacy of the WADIS-water treatment system, with a reduction of microbiological contamination load in the treated water from 87600 thermotolerant coliform colony forming units per 100mL (CFU/100mL) to zero is indicative. The WADIS concept unifies two interventions addressing two important global burdens of disease. WADIS' simple design, relying on locally available materials and low manufacturing costs (approx. 6 US) indicates potential for spontaneous diffusion and scaling up.

A Cascade Approach to Uncertainty Estimation for the Hydrological Simulation of Droughts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Katie; Tanguy, Maliko; Parry, Simon; Prudhomme, Christel

2016-04-01

Uncertainty poses a significant challenge in environmental research and the characterisation and quantification of uncertainty has become a research priority over the past decade. Studies of extreme events are particularly affected by issues of uncertainty. This study focusses on the sources of uncertainty in the modelling of streamflow droughts in the United Kingdom. Droughts are a poorly understood natural hazard with no universally accepted definition. Meteorological, hydrological and agricultural droughts have different meanings and vary both spatially and temporally, yet each is inextricably linked. The work presented here is part of two extensive interdisciplinary projects investigating drought reconstruction and drought forecasting capabilities in the UK. Lumped catchment models are applied to simulate streamflow drought, and uncertainties from 5 different sources are investigated: climate input data, potential evapotranspiration (PET) method, hydrological model, within model structure, and model parameterisation. Latin Hypercube sampling is applied to develop large parameter ensembles for each model structure which are run using parallel computing on a high performance computer cluster. Parameterisations are assessed using a multi-objective evaluation criteria which includes both general and drought performance metrics. The effect of different climate input data and PET methods on model output is then considered using the accepted model parameterisations. The uncertainty from each of the sources creates a cascade, and when presented as such the relative importance of each aspect of uncertainty can be determined.

The Promotion Strategy of Green Construction Materials: A Path Analysis Approach

PubMed Central

Huang, Chung-Fah; Chen, Jung-Lu

2015-01-01

As one of the major materials used in construction, cement can be very resource-consuming and polluting to produce and use. Compared with traditional cement processing methods, dry-mix mortar is more environmentally friendly by reducing waste production or carbon emissions. Despite the continuous development and promotion of green construction materials, only a few of them are accepted or widely used in the market. In addition, the majority of existing research on green construction materials focuses more on their physical or chemical characteristics than on their promotion. Without effective promotion, their benefits cannot be fully appreciated and realized. Therefore, this study is conducted to explore the promotion of dry-mix mortars, one of the green materials. This study uses both qualitative and quantitative methods. First, through a case study, the potential of reducing carbon emission is verified. Then a path analysis is conducted to verify the validity and predictability of the samples based on the technology acceptance model (TAM) in this study. According to the findings of this research, to ensure better promotion results and wider application of dry-mix mortar, it is suggested that more systematic efforts be invested in promoting the usefulness and benefits of dry-mix mortar. The model developed in this study can provide helpful references for future research and promotion of other green materials. PMID:28793613

DEPOT: A Database of Environmental Parameters, Organizations and Tools

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

CARSON,SUSAN D.; HUNTER,REGINA LEE; MALCZYNSKI,LEONARD A.

2000-12-19

The Database of Environmental Parameters, Organizations, and Tools (DEPOT) has been developed by the Department of Energy (DOE) as a central warehouse for access to data essential for environmental risk assessment analyses. Initial efforts have concentrated on groundwater and vadose zone transport data and bioaccumulation factors. DEPOT seeks to provide a source of referenced data that, wherever possible, includes the level of uncertainty associated with these parameters. Based on the amount of data available for a particular parameter, uncertainty is expressed as a standard deviation or a distribution function. DEPOT also provides DOE site-specific performance assessment data, pathway-specific transport data,more » and links to environmental regulations, disposal site waste acceptance criteria, other environmental parameter databases, and environmental risk assessment models.« less

Environmental Impact Analysis Process. Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Winnersville Weapons Range, Lanier and Lowndes Counties, Georgia

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-07-01

proposed range . 54 Table 4.4. HUD site acceptability standards ... ........... .. 55 Table 4.5. Predicted pollutant emissions for flight activties...Current flight operations from Moody contribute particulatmatter, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, and oxides of sulfur to the...regional pollution levels, but because of the amounts emitted and the altitudes at which they typically occur, these emissions have only minor impact on

Life Support Systems Microbial Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roman, Monserrate C.

2009-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the current microbial challenges of environmental control and life support systems. The contents include: 1) Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) What is it?; 2) A Look Inside the International Space Station (ISS); 3) The Complexity of a Water Recycling System; 4) ISS Microbiology Acceptability Limits; 5) Overview of Current Microbial Challenges; 6) In a Perfect World What we Would like to Have; and 7) The Future.

Final Environmental Assessment for the California Space Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-02

Operations and maintenance OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration P2 Pollution prevention Pb Lead PFC Perfluorocarbon PG& E Pacific... lounge , a warehouse, Chapter 2. Description of the Proposed Action and Alternatives Final Environmental Assessment - California Space Center...Pacific Gas & Electric (PG& E ) for the entire Center, once a planned line is completed by PG& E . Acceptance of this approach is dependent on

Defining indicators and standards for tourism impacts in protected areas: Cape Range National Park, Australia.

PubMed

Moore, Susan A; Polley, Amanda

2007-03-01

Visitors' perceptions of impacts and acceptable standards for environmental conditions can provide essential information for the sustainable management of tourist destinations, especially protected areas. To this end, visitor surveys were administered during the peak visitor season in Cape Range National Park, on the northwest coast of Western Australia and adjacent to the iconic Ningaloo Reef. The central focus was visitors' perceptions regarding environmental conditions and standards for potential indicators. Conditions considered of greatest importance in determining visitors' quality of experience included litter, inadequate disposal of human waste, presence of wildlife, levels of noise, and access to beach and ocean. Standards were determined, based on visitors' perceptions, for a range of site-specific and non-site-specific indicators, with standards for facilities (e.g., acceptable number of parking bays, signs) and for negative environmental impacts (e.g., levels of littering, erosion) sought. The proposed standards varied significantly between sites for the facilities indicators; however, there was no significant difference between sites for environmental impacts. For the facilities, the standards proposed by visitors were closely related to the existing situation, suggesting that they were satisfied with the status quo. These results are considered in the context of current research interest in the efficacy of visitor-derived standards as a basis for protected area management.

Nutrition and physical activity self-assessment for child care (NAP SACC): results from a pilot intervention.

PubMed

Benjamin, Sara E; Ammerman, Alice; Sommers, Janice; Dodds, Janice; Neelon, Brian; Ward, Dianne S

2007-01-01

To determine the feasibility, acceptability, and reported impact of a nutrition and physical activity environmental intervention in child care. Self-assessment instrument completed pre- and post-intervention by randomly assigned intervention and comparison child care centers. Child care centers in 8 counties across North Carolina. A convenience sample of 19 child care centers (15 intervention and 4 comparison). Intervention centers completed the self-assessment instrument at baseline and then selected 3 environmental improvements to make over the 6-month intervention period with assistance from a trained NAP SACC Consultant. Changes in pre- and post-intervention self-assesment of the nutrition and physical activity child care environment with additional process measures to evaluate project implementation, feasibility and acceptability. Comparison of pre- and post-test scores for the intervention group using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test and descriptions of environmental changes. Intervention centers rated themselves higher at follow-up than at baseline, and relative to comparison centers, reported a variety of environmental nutrition and physical activity improvements confirmed by research staff. The NAP SACC pilot intervention shows promise as an approach to promote healthy weight environments in preschool settings. Additional evaluation of the project is needed using a greater number of centers and a more objective outcome measure.

Prospective Environmental Risk Assessment for Sediment-Bound Organic Chemicals: A Proposal for Tiered Effect Assessment.

PubMed

Diepens, Noël J; Koelmans, Albert A; Baveco, Hans; van den Brink, Paul J; van den Heuvel-Greve, Martine J; Brock, Theo C M

A broadly accepted framework for prospective environmental risk assessment (ERA) of sediment-bound organic chemicals is currently lacking. Such a framework requires clear protection goals, evidence-based concepts that link exposure to effects and a transparent tiered-effect assessment. In this paper, we provide a tiered prospective sediment ERA procedure for organic chemicals in sediment, with a focus on the applicable European regulations and the underlying data requirements. Using the ecosystem services concept, we derived specific protection goals for ecosystem service providing units: microorganisms, benthic algae, sediment-rooted macrophytes, benthic invertebrates and benthic vertebrates. Triggers for sediment toxicity testing are discussed.We recommend a tiered approach (Tier 0 through Tier 3). Tier-0 is a cost-effective screening based on chronic water-exposure toxicity data for pelagic species and equilibrium partitioning. Tier-1 is based on spiked sediment laboratory toxicity tests with standard benthic test species and standardised test methods. If comparable chronic toxicity data for both standard and additional benthic test species are available, the Species Sensitivity Distribution (SSD) approach is a more viable Tier-2 option than the geometric mean approach. This paper includes criteria for accepting results of sediment-spiked single species toxicity tests in prospective ERA, and for the application of the SSD approach. We propose micro/mesocosm experiments with spiked sediment, to study colonisation success by benthic organisms, as a Tier-3 option. Ecological effect models can be used to supplement the experimental tiers. A strategy for unifying information from various tiers by experimental work and exposure-and effect modelling is provided.

10 CFR 26.91 - Acceptable devices for conducting initial and confirmatory tests for alcohol and methods of use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Acceptable devices for conducting initial and confirmatory tests for alcohol and methods of use. 26.91 Section 26.91 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FITNESS FOR DUTY PROGRAMS Collecting Specimens for Testing § 26.91 Acceptable devices for conducting initial...

10 CFR 26.91 - Acceptable devices for conducting initial and confirmatory tests for alcohol and methods of use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Acceptable devices for conducting initial and confirmatory tests for alcohol and methods of use. 26.91 Section 26.91 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FITNESS FOR DUTY PROGRAMS Collecting Specimens for Testing § 26.91 Acceptable devices for conducting initial...

10 CFR 26.91 - Acceptable devices for conducting initial and confirmatory tests for alcohol and methods of use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Acceptable devices for conducting initial and confirmatory tests for alcohol and methods of use. 26.91 Section 26.91 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FITNESS FOR DUTY PROGRAMS Collecting Specimens for Testing § 26.91 Acceptable devices for conducting initial...

10 CFR 26.91 - Acceptable devices for conducting initial and confirmatory tests for alcohol and methods of use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Acceptable devices for conducting initial and confirmatory tests for alcohol and methods of use. 26.91 Section 26.91 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FITNESS FOR DUTY PROGRAMS Collecting Specimens for Testing § 26.91 Acceptable devices for conducting initial...

10 CFR 26.91 - Acceptable devices for conducting initial and confirmatory tests for alcohol and methods of use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Acceptable devices for conducting initial and confirmatory tests for alcohol and methods of use. 26.91 Section 26.91 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FITNESS FOR DUTY PROGRAMS Collecting Specimens for Testing § 26.91 Acceptable devices for conducting initial...

Paired comparison estimates of willingness to accept versus contingent valuation estimates of willingness to pay

Treesearch

John B. Loomis; George Peterson; Patricia A. Champ; Thomas C. Brown; Beatrice Lucero

1998-01-01

Estimating empirical measures of an individual's willingness to accept that are consistent with conventional economic theory, has proven difficult. The method of paired comparison offers a promising approach to estimate willingness to accept. This method involves having individuals make binary choices between receiving a particular good or a sum of money....

Changes in the Factors Influencing Public Acceptance of Nuclear Power Generation in Japan Since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster.

PubMed

Tsujikawa, Norifumi; Tsuchida, Shoji; Shiotani, Takamasa

2016-01-01

Public support for nuclear power generation has decreased in Japan since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in March 2011. This study examines how the factors influencing public acceptance of nuclear power changed after this event. The influence factors examined are perceived benefit, perceived risk, trust in the managing bodies, and pro-environmental orientation (i.e., new ecological paradigm). This study is based on cross-sectional data collected from two online nationwide surveys: one conducted in November 2009, before the nuclear accident, and the other in October 2011, after the accident. This study's target respondents were residents of Aomori, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures in the Tohoku region of Japan, as these areas were the epicenters of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the locations of nuclear power stations. After the accident, trust in the managing bodies was found to have a stronger influence on perceived risk, and pro-environmental orientation was found to have a stronger influence on trust in the managing bodies; however, perceived benefit had a weaker positive influence on public acceptance. We also discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Cold Aero Performance of a Two-Dimensional Mixer Ejector Nozzle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balan, C.

2005-01-01

Since 1986, NASA and the U.S. aerospace industry have been assessing the economic viability and environmental acceptability of a second-generation supersonic civil transport, or High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT). Environmental acceptability in terms of airport community noise and economic viability are critical elements in this endeavor. Development of a propulsion system that satisfies strict airport noise regulations (FAR36 Stage III levels), at acceptable performance and weight, is critical to the success of any HSCT program. Two-dimensional mixer-ejector (2DME) exhaust systems are one approach in achieving this goal. In support of HSCT development, GEAE (GE Aircraft Engines), under contract to the NASA Glenn Research Center, conducted this test program at the NASA Langley 16 ft transonic wind tunnel to evaluate the cold aerodynamic performance aspects of the 2DME exhaust system concept. The effects of SAR (SAR, suppressor area ratio, = mixed-flow area/primary nozzle throat area), MAR (MAR = overall exhaust system exit/mixing-plane area), flap length, CER (suppressor chute expansion ratio), chute alignment, and free stream Mach number were investigated on a 1/11th cold aerodynamic scale model of a 2DME exhaust system.

A perspective on the potential development of environmentally acceptable light-duty diesel vehicles.

PubMed Central

Hammerle, R; Schuetzle, D; Adams, W

1994-01-01

Between 1979 and 1985, an international technical focus was placed upon potential human health effects associated with exposure to diesel emissions. A substantial data base was developed on the composition of diesel emissions; the fate of these emissions in the atmosphere; and the effects of whole particles and their chemical constituents on microorganisms, cells, and animals. Since that time, a number of significant developments have been made in diesel engine technology that require a new look at the future acceptability of introducing significant numbers of light-duty diesel automobiles into the European and American markets. Significant engineering improvements have been made in engine design, catalysts, and traps. As a result, particle emissions and particle associated organic emissions have been reduced by about 10 and 30 times, respectively, during the past 10 years. Research studies to help assess the environmental acceptability of these fuel-efficient engines include the development of an emissions data base for current and advanced diesel engines, the effect of diesel emissions on urban ozone formation and atmospheric particle concentrations, the effect of fuel composition, e.g., lower sulfur and additives on emissions, animal inhalation toxicology studies, and fundamental molecular biology studies. PMID:7529704

Water Softeners: How Much Sodium Do They Add?

MedlinePlus

... away the saltshaker and cutting back on processed foods. With Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D. Drinking water advisory: Consumer acceptability advice and health effects analysis on sodium. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. http://www. ...

Epistemic assessment of radon level of offices in Hong Kong

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, L. T.; Mui, K. W.; Law, K. Y.; Hui, P. S.

People spend most of their life working indoors. Human exposure to various air pollutants changed its importance in nature from outdoor to indoor. As some of the pollutant sources basically originate from the building envelope that could not be removed or is costly to mitigate, the remaining questions are: how the indoor air quality (IAQ) is monitored and how the information could be used for the environmental control system to achieve the best air quality delivery. Indoor radon level could be measured with a number of sampling approaches and used to determine the acceptance of an IAQ with respect to certain exposure limits. In determining the acceptable IAQ of a space, this study proposes that the measured indoor radon level must be accompanied with the confidence levels of the assessment. Radon levels in Hong Kong offices were studied by a cross-sectional measurement in 216 typical offices and a year-round longitudinal measurement in one office. The results showed that 96.5% (94.0-99.0% at 95% confidence interval) and 98.6% (97.0% to >99.9% at 95% confidence interval) of the sampled offices would satisfy action radon levels of 150 and 200 Bq m -3, respectively. The same results were then used to quantify the prior knowledge on radon level distributions of an office and the probable errors of the adopted sampling schemes. This study proposes an epistemic approach, with the prior knowledge and a sample test result, to assess the acceptance against an action radon level of an office in Hong Kong. With the certainty of the test results determined for judgmental purposes, it is possible to apply the method to an office for follow-up tests of acceptance.

Measuring public acceptance on renewable energy (RE) development in Malaysia using ordered probit model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zainudin, W. N. R. A.; Ishak, W. W. M.

2017-09-01

In 2009, government of Malaysia has announced a National Renewable Energy Policy and Action Plan as part of their commitment to accelerate the growth in renewable energies (RE). However, an adoption of RE as a main source of energy is still at an early stage due to lack of public awareness and acceptance on RE. Up to date, there are insufficient studies done on the reasons behind this lack of awareness and acceptance. Therefore, this paper is interested to investigate the public acceptance towards development of RE by measuring their willingness to pay slightly more for energy generated from RE sources, denote as willingness level and whether the importance for the electricity to be supplied at absolute lowest possible cost regardless of source and environmental impact, denote as importance level and other socio-economic factors could improve their willingness level. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used to achieve the research objectives. A total of 164 respondents from local universities in Malaysia participated in a survey to collect this relevant information. Using Ordered Probit model, the study shows that among the relevant socio-economic factors, age seems to be an important factor to influence the willingness level of the respondents. This paper concludes that younger generation are more willing to pay slightly more for energy generated from RE sources as compared to older generation. One of the possible reason may due to better information access by the younger generation on the RE issues and its positive implication to the world. Finding from this paper is useful to help policy maker in designing RE advocacy programs that would be able to secure public participation. These efforts are important to ensure future success of the RE policy.

Knowledge sharing to facilitate regulatory decision-making in regard to alternatives to animal testing: Report of an EPAA workshop.

PubMed

Ramirez, Tzutzuy; Beken, Sonja; Chlebus, Magda; Ellis, Graham; Griesinger, Claudius; De Jonghe, Sandra; Manou, Irene; Mehling, Annette; Reisinger, Kerstin; Rossi, Laura H; van Benthem, Jan; van der Laan, Jan Willem; Weissenhorn, Renate; Sauer, Ursula G

2015-10-01

The European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) convened a workshop Knowledge sharing to facilitate regulatory decision-making. Fifty invited participants from the European Commission, national and European agencies and bodies, different industry sectors (chemicals, cosmetics, fragrances, pharmaceuticals, vaccines), and animal protection organizations attended the workshop. Four case studies exemplarily revealed which procedures are in place to obtain regulatory acceptance of new test methods in different sectors. Breakout groups discussed the status quo identifying the following facilitators for regulatory acceptance of alternatives to animal testing: Networking and communication (including cross-sector collaboration, international cooperation and harmonization); involvement of regulatory agencies from the initial stages of test method development on; certainty on prerequisites for test method acceptance including the establishment of specific criteria for regulatory acceptance. Data sharing and intellectual property issues affect many aspects of test method development, validation and regulatory acceptance. In principle, all activities should address replacement, reduction and refinement methods (albeit animal testing is generally prohibited in the cosmetics sector). Provision of financial resources and education support all activities aiming at facilitating the acceptance and use of alternatives to animal testing. Overall, workshop participants recommended building confidence in new methodologies by applying and gaining experience with them. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Environmental monitoring handbook for coal conversion facilities

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

Salk, M.S.; DeCicco, S.G.

1978-05-01

The primary objectives of the Department of Energy's (DOE) coal conversion program are to demonstrate the environmental acceptability, technical feasibility, and economic viability of various technologies for gaseous, liquid, and solid fuels from coal. The Environmental Monitoring Handbook for Coal Conversion Facilities will help accomplish the objective of environmental acceptability by guiding the planning and execution of socioeconomic and environmental monitoring programs for demonstration facilities. These programs will provide information adequate to (1) predict, insofar as is possible, the potential impacts of construction and operation of a coal conversion plant, (2) verify the occurrence of these or any other impactsmore » during construction and operation, (3) determine the adequacy of mitigating measures to protect the environment, (4) develop effluent source terms for process discharges, and (5) determine the effectiveness of pollution control equipment. Although useful in a variety of areas, the handbook is intended primarily for contractors who, as industrial partners with DOE, are building coal conversion plants. For the contractor it is a practical guide on (1) the methodology for developing site- and process-specific environmental monitoring programs, (2) state-of-the-art sampling and analytical techniques, and (3) impact analyses.To correspond to the phases of project activity, the subject matter is divided into four stages of monitoring: (1) a reconnaissance or synoptic survey, (2) preconstruction or baseline, (3) construction, and (4) operation, including process monitoring (prepared by Radian Corp., McLean, Va.). For each stage of monitoring, guidelines are given on socioeconomics, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, air quality and meteorology, surface and groundwater quality, geohydrology and soil survey, and surface water hydrology.« less

The use and acceptance of Other Scientifically Relevant Information (OSRI) in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program.

PubMed

Bishop, Patricia L; Willett, Catherine E

2014-02-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) currently relies on an initial screening battery (Tier 1) consisting of five in vitro and six in vivo assays to evaluate a chemical's potential to interact with the endocrine system. Chemical companies may request test waivers based on Other Scientifically Relevant Information (OSRI) that is functionally equivalent to data gathered in the screening battery or that provides information on a potential endocrine effect. Respondents for 47 of the first 67 chemicals evaluated in the EDSP submitted OSRI in lieu of some or all Tier 1 tests, seeking 412 waivers, of which EPA granted only 93. For 20 of the 47 chemicals, EPA denied all OSRI and required the entire Tier 1 battery. Often, the OSRI accepted was either identical to data generated by the Tier 1 assay or indicated a positive result. Although identified as potential sources of OSRI in EPA guidance, Part 158 guideline studies for pesticide registration were seldom accepted by EPA. The 93 waivers reduced animal use by at least 3325 animals. We estimate 27,731 animals were used in the actual Tier 1 tests, with additional animals being used in preparation for testing. Even with EPA's shift toward applying 21st-century toxicology tools to screening of endocrine disruptors in the future, acceptance of OSRI will remain a primary means for avoiding duplicative testing and reducing use of animals in the EDSP. Therefore, it is essential that EPA develop a consistent and transparent basis for accepting OSRI. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Physical activity is associated with the physical, psychological, social and environmental quality of life in people with mental health problems in a low resource setting.

PubMed

Vancampfort, Davy; Van Damme, Tine; Probst, Michel; Firth, Joseph; Stubbs, Brendon; Basangwa, David; Mugisha, James

2017-12-01

There is a growing recognition of the importance of encouraging patients with mental health problems to become more active as an efficacious strategy to reduce the disability-associated burden. The aim of the current study was to investigate if there are differences in quality of life (QoL) outcomes between people with mental health problems that do and do not meet the recommendations of 150min per week of physical activity. 109 (36♀) Ugandan in- and outpatients (mean age = 34.2 ± 10.2 years) (depression = 7, bipolar disorder = 31, schizophrenia = 21, alcohol use disorder = 50) completed the Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) method and World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment brief version. Those who did not achieve the minimum physical activity recommendations as assessed by the PAVS (n = 63) had a lower physical, psychological, social and environmental QoL. The current data offer further evidence that the PAVS method might be an important risk identification tool in people with mental health problems. The feasibility and acceptability of the PAVS may help promote the importance of physical activity assessment and prescription as a core part of the treatment of mental health problems in LMICs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fabrication of a novel hydrophobic/ion-exchange mixed-mode adsorbent for the dispersive solid-phase extraction of chlorophenols from environmental water samples.

PubMed

Gao, Li; Wei, Yinmao

2016-08-01

A novel mixed-mode adsorbent was prepared by functionalizing silica with tris(2-aminoethyl)amine and 3-phenoxybenzaldehyde as the main mixed-mode scaffold due to the presence of the plentiful amino groups and benzene rings in their molecules. The adsorption mechanism was probed with acidic, natural and basic compounds, and the mixed hydrophobic and ion-exchange interactions were found to be responsible for the adsorption of analytes. The suitability of dispersive solid-phase extraction was demonstrated in the determination of chlorophenols in environmental water. Several parameters, including sample pH, desorption solvent, ionic strength, adsorbent dose, and extraction time were optimized. Under the optimal extraction conditions, the proposed dispersive solid-phase extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography showed good linearity range and acceptable limits of detection (0.22∽0.54 ng/mL) for five chlorophenols. Notably, the higher extraction recoveries (88.7∽109.7%) for five chlorophenols were obtained with smaller adsorbent dose (10 mg) and shorter extraction time (15 min) compared with the reported methods. The proposed method might be potentially applied in the determination of trace chlorophenols in real water samples. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Green Pharmaceutical Analysis of Drugs Coformulated with Highly Different Concentrations Using Spiking and Manipulation of Their Ratio Spectra.

PubMed

Ayoub, Bassam M

2017-07-01

Introducing green analysis to pharmaceutical products is considered a significant approach to preserving the environment. This method can be an environmentally friendly alternative to the existing methods, accompanied by a validated automated procedure for the analysis of a drug with the lowest possible number of samples. Different simple spectrophotometric methods were developed for the simultaneous determination of empagliflozin (EG) and metformin (MT) by manipulating their ratio spectra in their application on a recently approved pharmaceutical combination, Synjardy tablets. A spiking technique was used to increase the concentration of EG in samples prepared from the tablets to allow for the simultaneous determination of EG with MT without prior separation. Validation parameters according to International Conference on Harmonization guidelines were acceptable over a concentration range of 2-12 μg/mL for both drugs using derivative ratio and ratio subtraction coupled with extended ratio subtraction. The optimized methods were compared using one-way analysis of variance and proved to be suitable as ecofriendly approaches for industrial QC laboratories.

Acidified pressurized hot water for the continuous extraction of cadmium and lead from plant materials prior to ETAAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales-Muñoz, S.; Luque-García, J. L.; Luque de Castro, M. D.

2003-01-01

Acidified and pressurized hot water is proposed for the continuous leaching of Cd and Pb from plants prior to determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Beech leaves (a certified reference material—CRM 100—where the analytes were not certified) were used for optimizing the method by a multivariate approach. The samples (0.5 g) were subjected to dynamic extraction with water modified with 1% v/v HNO 3 at 250 °C as leachant. A kinetics study was performed in order to know the pattern of the extraction process. The method was validated with a CRM (olive leaves, 062 from the BCR) where the analytes had been certified. The agreement between the certified values and those found using the proposed method demonstrates its usefulness. The repeatability and within-laboratory reproducibility were 3.7 and 2.3% for Cd and 1.04% and 6.3% for Pb, respectively. The precision of the method, together with its efficiency, rapidity, and environmental acceptability, makes it a good alternative for the determination of trace metals in plant material.

Vortex-assisted surfactant-enhanced emulsification microextraction combined with LC-MS/MS for the determination of glucocorticoids in water with the aid of experimental design.

PubMed

Asati, Ankita; Satyanarayana, G N V; Patel, Devendra K

2017-04-01

An efficient and inexpensive method using vortex-assisted surfactant-enhanced emulsification microextraction (VASEME) based on solidification of floating organic droplet coupled with ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry is proposed for the analysis of glucocorticoids in water samples (river water and hospital wastewater). VASEME was optimized by the experimental validation of Plackett-Burman design and central composite design, which has been co-related to experimental design. Plackett-Burman design showed that factors such as vortex time, surfactant concentration, and pH significantly affect the extraction efficiency of the method. Method validation was characterized by an acceptable calibration range of 1-1000 ng L -1 , and the limit of detection was in the range from 2.20 to 8.12 ng L -1 for glucocorticoids. The proposed method was applied to determine glucocorticoids in river water and hospital wastewater in Lucknow, India. It is reliable and rapid and has potential application for analysis of glucocorticoids in environmental aqueous samples. Graphical Abstract Low density based extraction of gluococorticoids by using design of experiment.

Kiel sensors for the EPD instrument on-board Solar Orbiter - An overview of the qualification and acceptance test campaigns in phase D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravanbakhsh, A.; Kulkarni, S. R.; Panitzsch, L.; L Richards, M.; Munoz Hernandez, A.; Seimetz, L.; Elftmann, R.; Mahesh, Y.; Boden, S.; Boettcher, S. I.; Kulemzin, A.; Martin-Garcia, C.; Prieto, M.; Rodriguez-Pacheco, J.; Sanchez Prieto, S.; Schuster, B.; Steinhagen, J.; Tammen, J.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.

2016-12-01

Solar Orbiter is ESA's next solar and heliospheric mission which is planned to be launched in October 2018. The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) on board on Solar Orbiter will provide key measurements for the Solar Orbiter science objectives. The EPD suite consists of four sensors; STEP, SIS, EPT and HET. The University of Kiel in Germany is responsible for the design, development, and building of STEP, and the two identical units EPT-HET 1 and EPT-HET 2. ESA's Solar Orbiter will explore the heliosphere at heliocentric distances between 0.28AU and 0.9AU and with inclination up to 38deg with respect to the Sun's equator. The spacecraft uses a heat shield to protect the bus and externally mounted instruments from the solar flux at the close distances to the sun. All three EPD-Kiel units are mounted externally but in different positions on the spacecraft outer deck. Although being protected by the spacecraft heat shield from high solar flux, EPT-HET1 and EPT-HET-2 as well as STEP experience a harsh environmental condition during the course of the mission. In addition due to the highly demanding science requirements, the qualification and acceptance test requirements of these externally mounted units are quite challenging. In this paper we present the development status of the EPT-HET 1, EPT-HET 2 and STEP sensors focusing on the activities performed in phase D and the qualification and acceptance test campaigns. The main objective of these test campaigns is to ensure and demonstrate the compatibility between the scientific requirements and the harsh environment expected during the mission. This paper includes the results summary of the environmental tests on the EPT-HET and STEP Proto-Qualification Models (PQMs) as well as Proto-Flight Models (PFMs). Only an adequate selection of environmental qualification and acceptance campaigns will guarantee the success of the scientific space missions.

Toward the definition of specific protection goals for the environmental risk assessment of chemicals: A perspective on environmental regulation in Europe.

PubMed

Brown, A Ross; Whale, Graham; Jackson, Mathew; Marshall, Stuart; Hamer, Mick; Solga, Andreas; Kabouw, Patrick; Galay-Burgos, Malyka; Woods, Richard; Nadzialek, Stephanie; Maltby, Lorraine

2017-01-01

This critical review examines the definition and implementation of environmental protection goals for chemicals in current European Union (EU) legislation, guidelines, and international agreements to which EU countries are party. The European chemical industry is highly regulated, and prospective environmental risk assessments (ERAs) are tailored for different classes of chemical, according to their specific hazards, uses, and environmental exposure profiles. However, environmental protection goals are often highly generic, requiring the prevention of "unacceptable" or "adverse" impacts on "biodiversity" and "ecosystems" or the "environment as a whole." This review aims to highlight working examples, challenges, solutions, and best practices for defining specific protection goals (SPGs), which are seen to be essential for refining and improving ERA. Specific protection goals hinge on discerning acceptable versus unacceptable adverse effects on the key attributes of relevant, sensitive ecological entities (ranging from organisms to ecosystems). Some isolated examples of SPGs for terrestrial and aquatic biota can be found in prospective ERA guidance for plant protection products (PPPs). However, SPGs are generally limited to environmental or nature legislation that requires environmental monitoring and retrospective ERA. This limitation is due mainly to the availability of baselines, which define acceptable versus unacceptable environmental effects on the key attributes of sentinel species, populations and/or communities, such as reproductive status, abundance, or diversity. Nevertheless, very few regulatory case examples exist in which SPGs incorporate effect magnitude, spatial extent, and temporal duration. We conclude that more holistic approaches are needed for defining SPGs, particularly with respect to protecting population sustainability, ecosystem function, and integrity, which are implicit in generic protection goals and explicit in the International Programme for Chemical Safety (IPCS) definition of "adverse effect." A possible solution, which the chemical industry is currently assessing, is wider application of the ecosystem services approach proposed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for the risk assessment of PPPs. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:17-37. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

Expert opinions on the acceptance of alternative methods in food safety evaluations: Formulating recommendations to increase acceptance of non-animal methods for kinetics.

PubMed

Punt, Ans; Bouwmeester, Hans; Schiffelers, Marie-Jeanne W A; Peijnenburg, Ad A C M

2018-02-01

Inclusion of alternative methods that replace, reduce, or refine (3R) animal testing within regulatory safety evaluations of chemicals generally faces many hurdles. The goal of the current work is to i) collect responses from key stakeholders involved in food safety evaluations on what they consider the most relevant factors that influence the acceptance and use of 3R methods and to ii) use these responses to formulate activities needed to increase the acceptance and use of 3R methods, particularly for kinetics. The stakeholders were contacted by e-mail for their opinions, asking the respondents to write down three barriers and/or drivers and scoring these by distributing 5 points over the three factors. The main barriers that obtained the highest aggregated scores were i) uncertain predictability 3R methods/lack of validation, ii) insufficient guidance regulators/industry and iii) insufficient harmonization of legislation. The major driver identified was the possibility of 3R methods to provide more mechanistic information. Based on the results, recommendations are given to enhance the acceptance and application of 3R toxicokinetic methods in food safety evaluations. These include steering of regulatory data requirements as well as creating (funding) opportunities for development and validation of alternative methods for kinetics and development of guidances. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ambiguous taxa: Effects on the characterization and interpretation of invertebrate assemblages

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cuffney, T.F.; Bilger, Michael D.; Haigler, A.M.

2007-01-01

Damaged and immature specimens often result in macroinvertebrate data that contain ambiguous parent-child pairs (i.e., abundances associated with multiple related levels of the taxonomic hierarchy such as Baetis pluto and the associated ambiguous parent Baetis sp.). The choice of method used to resolve ambiguous parent-child pairs may have a very large effect on the characterization of invertebrate assemblages and the interpretation of responses to environmental change because very large proportions of taxa richness (73-78%) and abundance (79-91%) can be associated with ambiguous parents. To address this issue, we examined 16 variations of 4 basic methods for resolving ambiguous taxa: RPKC (remove parent, keep child), MCWP (merge child with parent), RPMC (remove parent or merge child with parent depending on their abundances), and DPAC (distribute parents among children). The choice of method strongly affected assemblage structure, assemblage characteristics (e.g., metrics), and the ability to detect responses along environmental (urbanization) gradients. All methods except MCWP produced acceptable results when used consistently within a study. However, the assemblage characteristics (e.g., values of assemblage metrics) differed widely depending on the method used, and data should not be combined unless the methods used to resolve ambiguous taxa are well documented and are known to be comparable. The suitability of the methods was evaluated and compared on the basis of 13 criteria that considered conservation of taxa richness and abundance, consistency among samples, methods, and studies, and effects on the interpretation of the data. Methods RPMC and DPAC had the highest suitability scores regardless of whether ambiguous taxa were resolved for each sample separately or for a group of samples. Method MCWP gave consistently poor results. Methods MCWP and DPAC approximate the use of family-level identifications and operational taxonomic units (OTU), respectively. Our results suggest that restricting identifications to the family level is not a good method of resolving ambiguous taxa, whereas generating OTUs works well provided that documentation issues are addressed. ?? 2007 by The North American Benthological Society.

40 CFR 63.90 - Program overview.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... “proven technology” (generally accepted by the scientific community as equivalent or better) that is... enforceable test method involving “proven technology” (generally accepted by the scientific community as... interest; and (3) “Combining” a federally required method with another proven method for application to...

40 CFR 63.90 - Program overview.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... “proven technology” (generally accepted by the scientific community as equivalent or better) that is... enforceable test method involving “proven technology” (generally accepted by the scientific community as... interest; and (3) “Combining” a federally required method with another proven method for application to...

Development of food acceptance patterns in the first years of life.

PubMed

Birch, L L

1998-11-01

As young omnivores, children make the transition from the exclusive milk diet of infancy to consuming a variety of foods. They must learn to accept a set of the foods available in their environmental niche, and they 'come equipped' with a set of predispositions that facilitate the development of food acceptance patterns, constrained by predisposition and limited by what is offered to them. While children are predisposed to like sweet or salty foods and to avoid sour or bitter foods, their preferences for the majority of foods are shaped by repeated experience. The predispositions that shape food acceptance patterns also include neophobia and the predisposition to learn to prefer and accept new foods when they are offered repeatedly. In addition, the predisposition for associative conditioning affects children's developing food acceptance patterns, resulting in preferences for foods offered in positive contexts, while foods presented in negative contexts will become more disliked via the learning of associations with the social and environmental contexts. Children also learn to prefer energy-dense foods when consumption of those foods is followed by positive post-ingestive consequences, such as those produced when high-energy-density foods are eaten when hungry. Although children are predisposed to be responsive to the energy content of foods in controlling their intake, they are also responsive to parents' control attempts. We have seen that these parental control attempts can refocus the child away from responsiveness to internal cues of hunger and satiety and towards external factors such as the presence of palatable foods. This analysis suggests that taking a closer look at what children are learning about food and eating may provide clues regarding the formation of children's food acceptance patterns, and that this approach also suggests potential causative factors implicated in the aetiology of obesity and the emergence of weight concerns. Current data, although limited, suggest that child-feeding practices play a causal role in the development of individual difference in the controls of food intake, and perhaps in the aetiology of problems of energy balance, especially childhood obesity. These relationships should be pursued in future research.

Insect contamination protection for laminar flow surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Croom, Cynthia C.; Holmes, Bruce J.

1986-01-01

The ability of modern aircraft surfaces to achieve laminar flow was well-accepted in recent years. Obtaining the maximum benefit of laminar flow for aircraft drag reduction requires maintaining minimum leading-edge contamination. Previously proposed insect contamination prevention methods have proved impractical due to cost, weight, or inconvenience. Past work has shown that insects will not adhere to water-wetted surfaces, but the large volumes of water required for protection rendered such a system impractical. The results of a flight experiment conducted by NASA to evaluate the performance of a porous leading-edge fluid discharge ice protection system operated as an insect contamination protections system are presented. In addition, these flights explored the environmental and atmospheric conditions most suitable for insect accumulation.

Validation of an advanced analytical procedure applied to the measurement of environmental radioactivity.

PubMed

Thanh, Tran Thien; Vuong, Le Quang; Ho, Phan Long; Chuong, Huynh Dinh; Nguyen, Vo Hoang; Tao, Chau Van

2018-04-01

In this work, an advanced analytical procedure was applied to calculate radioactivity in spiked water samples in a close geometry gamma spectroscopy. It included MCNP-CP code in order to calculate the coincidence summing correction factor (CSF). The CSF results were validated by a deterministic method using ETNA code for both p-type HPGe detectors. It showed that a good agreement for both codes. Finally, the validity of the developed procedure was confirmed by a proficiency test to calculate the activities of various radionuclides. The results of the radioactivity measurement with both detectors using the advanced analytical procedure were received the ''Accepted'' statuses following the proficiency test. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 39385 - Payment Policy Change for Access to NOAA Environmental Data, Information, and Related Products...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-06

... accepted forms of payment are Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, wire transfers and Automated.... currency, by VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. Cardholder's name, charge card number...

PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINATION OF SEDIMENT PARTICLE SIZE (GRAIN SIZE)

EPA Science Inventory

Sediment quality and sediment remediation projects have become a high priority for USEPA. Sediment particle size determinations are used in environmental assessments for habitat characterization, chemical normalization, and partitioning potential of chemicals. The accepted met...

Toward a standard lexicon for ecosystem services

EPA Science Inventory

The complex, widely dispersed, and cumulative environmental challenges currently facing society require holistic, transdisciplinary approaches to resolve. The concept of ecosystem services (ES) has become more widely accepted both as a framework that cuts across the dimensions of...

TRU waste absorbent addition project at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory.

PubMed

Colson, R Griff; Auman, Laurence E

2003-08-01

ABSTRACT In order to meet a commitment to ship 3,100 m3 of transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) developed a process to add absorbent to TRU waste drums that did not meet WIPP waste acceptance criteria. The development, implementation, and safe completion of this project contributed to the INEEL's success in meeting the commitment three months early.

Environmental Impact Analysis Process. Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Winnersville Weapons Range, Lanier and Lowndes Counties, Georgia

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-07-01

pollutant emissions for flight activities over the proposed range (grams of pollutant per sortie)a Carbon Unburned Oxides of Particulates Oxides Aircraft...Table 4.4. HUD site acceptability standards ... ........... .. 55 Table 4.5. Predicted pollutant emissions for flight activties over the proposed range...matter, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, and oxides of sulfur to the regional pollution levels, but because of the amounts emitted and

Potential of hydrogen fuel for future air transportation systems.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Small, W. J.; Fetterman, D. E.; Bonner, T. F., Jr.

1973-01-01

Recent studies have shown that hydrogen fuel can yield spectacular improvements in aircraft performance in addition to its more widely discussed environmental advantages. The characteristics of subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic transport aircraft using hydrogen fuel are discussed, and their performance and environmental impact are compared to that of similar aircraft using conventional fuel. The possibilities of developing hydrogen-fueled supersonic and hypersonic vehicles with sonic boom levels acceptable for overland flight are also explored.

Older Adults' Acceptance of Activity Trackers

PubMed Central

Preusse, Kimberly C.; Mitzner, Tracy L.; Fausset, Cara Bailey; Rogers, Wendy A.

2016-01-01

Objective To assess the usability and acceptance of activity tracking technologies by older adults. Method First in our multi-method approach, we conducted heuristic evaluations of two activity trackers that revealed potential usability barriers to acceptance. Next, questionnaires and interviews were administered to 16 older adults (Mage=70, SDage=3.09, rangeage= 65-75) before and after a 28-day field study to understand facilitators and additional barriers to acceptance. These measurements were supplemented with diary and usage data and assessed if and why users overcame usability issues. Results The heuristic evaluation revealed usability barriers in System Status Visibility; Error Prevention; and Consistency and Standards. The field study revealed additional barriers (e.g., accuracy, format), and acceptance-facilitators (e.g., goal-tracking, usefulness, encouragement). Discussion The acceptance of wellness management technologies, such as activity trackers, may be increased by addressing acceptance-barriers during deployment (e.g., providing tutorials on features that were challenging, communicating usefulness). PMID:26753803

Environmentally safe fluids for hydraulics used in civil engineering

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

Wirzberger, E.; Rexroth, M.

1995-12-31

The majority of hydraulic units used in civil engineering are operated with pressure fluids based on mineral oil. Most civil engineering projects are installed near or immediately next to bodies of water, therefore, any leakage signifies danger for the environment. We try to avert this danger with increasingly safe hydraulic drives. However, growing environmental awareness and stricter laws are demanding more and more environmentally safe hydraulic fluids. Today, the manufacturers of fluids and hydraulic drives have to accept this challenge. What exactly is an environmentally safe hydraulic fluid? The major objectives are: (1) they have to be biodegradable, (2) nomore » fish toxicity, (3) no water pollution, and (4) food compatibility.« less

Probabilistic Requirements (Partial) Verification Methods Best Practices Improvement. Variables Acceptance Sampling Calculators: Empirical Testing. Volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Kenneth L.; White, K. Preston, Jr.

2012-01-01

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center was requested to improve on the Best Practices document produced for the NESC assessment, Verification of Probabilistic Requirements for the Constellation Program, by giving a recommended procedure for using acceptance sampling by variables techniques as an alternative to the potentially resource-intensive acceptance sampling by attributes method given in the document. In this paper, the results of empirical tests intended to assess the accuracy of acceptance sampling plan calculators implemented for six variable distributions are presented.

Environmental Impact Analysis Process. Final Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Air Force Reserve Mission Change (C-130 to C-5A Aircraft) and Westover Metropolitan Development Corporation (Expansion of Civil Aviation Operations through 1995) at Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts. Volume 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-04-01

many of which would not be acceptable under current environmental regula- tions but which were in compliance with the standards in effect at tK2 ...waste management regulations and issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) citing specific deficiencies in hazardous waste management procedures. The focus of...materials are handled and disposed of in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations. Specific deficiencies cited in the NOV included

How can nanobiotechnology oversight advance science and industry: examples from environmental, health, and safety studies of nanoparticles (nano-EHS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jing; Asbach, Christof; Fissan, Heinz; Hülser, Tim; Kuhlbusch, Thomas A. J.; Thompson, Drew; Pui, David Y. H.

2011-04-01

Nanotechnology has great potential to transform science and industry in the fields of energy, material, environment, and medicine. At the same time, more concerns are being raised about the occupational health and safety of nanomaterials in the workplace and the implications of nanotechnology on the environment and living systems. Studies on environmental, health, and safety (EHS) issues of nanomaterials have a strong influence on public acceptance of nanotechnology and, eventually, affect its sustainability. Oversight and regulation by government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play significant roles in ensuring responsible and environmentally friendly development of nanotechnology. The EHS studies of nanomaterials can provide data and information to help the development of regulations and guidelines. We present research results on three aspects of EHS studies: physico-chemical characterization and measurement of nanomaterials; emission, exposure, and toxicity of nanomaterials; and control and abatement of nanomaterial releases using filtration technology. Measurement of nanoparticle agglomerates using a newly developed instrument, the Universal NanoParticle Analyzer (UNPA), is discussed. Exposure measurement results for silicon nanoparticles in a pilot scale production plant are presented, as well as exposure measurement and toxicity study of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Filtration studies of nanoparticle agglomerates are also presented as an example of emission control methods.

A Comparative Analysis of Life-Cycle Assessment Tools for ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

We identified and evaluated five life-cycle assessment tools that community decision makers can use to assess the environmental and economic impacts of end-of-life (EOL) materials management options. The tools evaluated in this report are waste reduction mode (WARM), municipal solid waste-decision support tool (MSW-DST), solid waste optimization life-cycle framework (SWOLF), environmental assessment system for environmental technologies (EASETECH), and waste and resources assessment for the environment (WRATE). WARM, MSW-DST, and SWOLF were developed for US-specific materials management strategies, while WRATE and EASETECH were developed for European-specific conditions. All of the tools (with the exception of WARM) allow specification of a wide variety of parameters (e.g., materials composition and energy mix) to a varying degree, thus allowing users to model specific EOL materials management methods even outside the geographical domain they are originally intended for. The flexibility to accept user-specified input for a large number of parameters increases the level of complexity and the skill set needed for using these tools. The tools were evaluated and compared based on a series of criteria, including general tool features, the scope of the analysis (e.g., materials and processes included), and the impact categories analyzed (e.g., climate change, acidification). A series of scenarios representing materials management problems currently relevant to c

The impact of incinerators on human health and environment.

PubMed

Sharma, Raman; Sharma, Meenakshi; Sharma, Ratika; Sharma, Vivek

2013-01-01

Of the total wastes generated by health-care organizations, 10%-25% are biomedical wastes, which are hazardous to humans and the environment and requires specific treatment and management. For decades, incineration was the method of choice for the treatment of such infectious wastes. Incinerator releases a wide variety of pollutants depending on the composition of the waste, which leads to health deterioration and environmental degradation. The significant pollutants emitted are particulate matter, metals, acid gases, oxides of nitrogen, and sulfur, aside from the release of innumerable substances of unknown toxicity. This process of waste incineration poses a significant threat to public health and the environment. The major impact on health is the higher incidence of cancer and respiratory symptoms; other potential effects are congenital abnormalities, hormonal defects, and increase in sex ratio. The effect on the environmental is in the form of global warming, acidification, photochemical ozone or smog formation, eutrophication, and human and animal toxicity. Thus, there is a need to skip to newer, widely accepted, economical, and environment-friendly technologies. The use of hydroclaves and plasma pyrolysis for the incineration of biomedical wastes leads to lesser environmental degradation, negligible health impacts, safe handling of treated wastes, lesser running and maintenance costs, more effective reduction of microorganisms, and safer disposal.

Where do uncertainties reside within environmental risk assessments? Testing UnISERA, a guide for uncertainty assessment.

PubMed

Skinner, Daniel J C; Rocks, Sophie A; Pollard, Simon J T

2017-06-01

A means for identifying and prioritising the treatment of uncertainty (UnISERA) in environmental risk assessments (ERAs) is tested, using three risk domains where ERA is an established requirement and one in which ERA practice is emerging. UnISERA's development draws on 19 expert elicitations across genetically modified higher plants, particulate matter, and agricultural pesticide release and is stress tested here for engineered nanomaterials (ENM). We are concerned with the severity of uncertainty; its nature; and its location across four accepted stages of ERAs. Using an established uncertainty scale, the risk characterisation stage of ERA harbours the highest severity level of uncertainty, associated with estimating, aggregating and evaluating expressions of risk. Combined epistemic and aleatory uncertainty is the dominant nature of uncertainty. The dominant location of uncertainty is associated with data in problem formulation, exposure assessment and effects assessment. Testing UnISERA produced agreements of 55%, 90%, and 80% for the severity level, nature and location dimensions of uncertainty between the combined case studies and the ENM stress test. UnISERA enables environmental risk analysts to prioritise risk assessment phases, groups of tasks, or individual ERA tasks and it can direct them towards established methods for uncertainty treatment. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Individual and Environmental Factors Influencing Adolescents’ Dietary Behavior in Low- and Middle-Income Settings

PubMed Central

Verstraeten, Roosmarijn; Leroy, Jef L.; Pieniak, Zuzanna; Ochoa-Avilès, Angélica; Holdsworth, Michelle; Verbeke, Wim; Maes, Lea; Kolsteren, Patrick

2016-01-01

Objective Given the public health importance of improving dietary behavior in chronic disease prevention in low- and middle-income countries it is crucial to understand the factors influencing dietary behavior in these settings. This study tested the validity of a conceptual framework linking individual and environmental factors to dietary behavior among Ecuadorian adolescents aged 10–16 years. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 784 school-going Ecuadorian adolescents in urban and rural Southern Ecuador. Participants provided data on socio-economic status, anthropometry, dietary behavior and its determining factors. The relationships between individual (perceived benefits and barriers, self-efficacy, habit strength, and a better understanding of healthy food) and environmental factors (physical environment: accessibility to healthy food; social environment: parental permissiveness and school support), and their association with key components of dietary behavior (fruit and vegetables, sugary drinks, breakfast, and unhealthy snack intake) were assessed using structural equation modeling. Results The conceptual model performed well for each component of eating behavior, indicating acceptable goodness-of-fit for both the measurement and structural models. Models for vegetable intake and unhealthy snacking showed significant and direct effects of individual factors (perceived benefits). For breakfast and sugary drink consumption, there was a direct and positive association with socio-environmental factors (school support and parental permissiveness). Access to healthy food was associated indirectly with all eating behaviors (except for sugary drink intake) and this effect operated through socio-environmental (parental permissiveness and school support) and individual factors (perceived benefits). Conclusion Our study demonstrated that key components of adolescents’ dietary behaviors are influenced by a complex interplay of individual and environmental factors. The findings indicate that the influence of these factors varied by type of dietary behavior. PMID:27447169

Sensory synergy as environmental input integration

PubMed Central

Alnajjar, Fady; Itkonen, Matti; Berenz, Vincent; Tournier, Maxime; Nagai, Chikara; Shimoda, Shingo

2015-01-01

The development of a method to feed proper environmental inputs back to the central nervous system (CNS) remains one of the challenges in achieving natural movement when part of the body is replaced with an artificial device. Muscle synergies are widely accepted as a biologically plausible interpretation of the neural dynamics between the CNS and the muscular system. Yet the sensorineural dynamics of environmental feedback to the CNS has not been investigated in detail. In this study, we address this issue by exploring the concept of sensory synergy. In contrast to muscle synergy, we hypothesize that sensory synergy plays an essential role in integrating the overall environmental inputs to provide low-dimensional information to the CNS. We assume that sensor synergy and muscle synergy communicate using these low-dimensional signals. To examine our hypothesis, we conducted posture control experiments involving lateral disturbance with nine healthy participants. Proprioceptive information represented by the changes on muscle lengths were estimated by using the musculoskeletal model analysis software SIMM. Changes on muscles lengths were then used to compute sensory synergies. The experimental results indicate that the environmental inputs were translated into the two dimensional signals and used to move the upper limb to the desired position immediately after the lateral disturbance. Participants who showed high skill in posture control were found to be likely to have a strong correlation between sensory and muscle signaling as well as high coordination between the utilized sensory synergies. These results suggest the importance of integrating environmental inputs into suitable low-dimensional signals before providing them to the CNS. This mechanism should be essential when designing the prosthesis' sensory system to make the controller simpler. PMID:25628523

A Generalized Pivotal Quantity Approach to Analytical Method Validation Based on Total Error.

PubMed

Yang, Harry; Zhang, Jianchun

2015-01-01

The primary purpose of method validation is to demonstrate that the method is fit for its intended use. Traditionally, an analytical method is deemed valid if its performance characteristics such as accuracy and precision are shown to meet prespecified acceptance criteria. However, these acceptance criteria are not directly related to the method's intended purpose, which is usually a gurantee that a high percentage of the test results of future samples will be close to their true values. Alternate "fit for purpose" acceptance criteria based on the concept of total error have been increasingly used. Such criteria allow for assessing method validity, taking into account the relationship between accuracy and precision. Although several statistical test methods have been proposed in literature to test the "fit for purpose" hypothesis, the majority of the methods are not designed to protect the risk of accepting unsuitable methods, thus having the potential to cause uncontrolled consumer's risk. In this paper, we propose a test method based on generalized pivotal quantity inference. Through simulation studies, the performance of the method is compared to five existing approaches. The results show that both the new method and the method based on β-content tolerance interval with a confidence level of 90%, hereafter referred to as the β-content (0.9) method, control Type I error and thus consumer's risk, while the other existing methods do not. It is further demonstrated that the generalized pivotal quantity method is less conservative than the β-content (0.9) method when the analytical methods are biased, whereas it is more conservative when the analytical methods are unbiased. Therefore, selection of either the generalized pivotal quantity or β-content (0.9) method for an analytical method validation depends on the accuracy of the analytical method. It is also shown that the generalized pivotal quantity method has better asymptotic properties than all of the current methods. Analytical methods are often used to ensure safety, efficacy, and quality of medicinal products. According to government regulations and regulatory guidelines, these methods need to be validated through well-designed studies to minimize the risk of accepting unsuitable methods. This article describes a novel statistical test for analytical method validation, which provides better protection for the risk of accepting unsuitable analytical methods. © PDA, Inc. 2015.

Defining criteria for good environmental journalism and testing their applicability: An environmental news review as a first step to more evidence based environmental science reporting.

PubMed

Rögener, Wiebke; Wormer, Holger

2017-05-01

While the quality of environmental science journalism has been the subject of much debate, a widely accepted benchmark to assess the quality of coverage of environmental topics is missing so far. Therefore, we have developed a set of defined criteria of environmental reporting. This instrument and its applicability are tested in a newly established monitoring project for the assessment of pieces on environmental issues, which refer to scientific sources and therefore can be regarded as a special field of science journalism. The quality is assessed in a kind of journalistic peer review. We describe the systematic development of criteria, which might also be a model procedure for other fields of science reporting. Furthermore, we present results from the monitoring of 50 environmental reports in German media. According to these preliminary data, the lack of context and the deficient elucidation of the evidence pose major problems in environmental reporting.

Efficient 2-Nitrophenol Chemical Sensor Development Based on Ce2O3 Nanoparticles Decorated CNT Nanocomposites for Environmental Safety

PubMed Central

Hussain, Mohammad M.; Rahman, Mohammed M.; Asiri, Abdullah M.

2016-01-01

Ce2O3 nanoparticle decorated CNT nanocomposites (Ce2O3.CNT NCs) were prepared by a wet-chemical method in basic medium. The Ce2O3.CNT NCs were examined using FTIR, UV/Vis, Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray electron dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). A selective 2-nitrophenol (2-NP) sensor was developed by fabricating a thin-layer of NCs onto a flat glassy carbon electrode (GCE, surface area = 0.0316 cm2). Higher sensitivity including linear dynamic range (LDR), long-term stability, and enhanced electrochemical performances towards 2-NP were achieved by a reliable current-voltage (I-V) method. The calibration curve was found linear (R2 = 0.9030) over a wide range of 2-NP concentration (100 pM ~ 100.0 mM). Limit of detection (LOD) and sensor sensitivity were calculated based on noise to signal ratio (~3N/S) as 60 ± 0.02 pM and 1.6×10−3 μAμM-1cm-2 respectively. The Ce2O3.CNT NCs synthesized by a wet-chemical process is an excellent way of establishing nanomaterial decorated carbon materials for chemical sensor development in favor of detecting hazardous compounds in health-care and environmental fields at broad-scales. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed chemical sensors can be applied and utilized in effectively for the selective detection of toxic 2-NP component in environmental real samples with acceptable and reasonable results. PMID:27973600

Efficient 2-Nitrophenol Chemical Sensor Development Based on Ce2O3 Nanoparticles Decorated CNT Nanocomposites for Environmental Safety.

PubMed

Hussain, Mohammad M; Rahman, Mohammed M; Asiri, Abdullah M

2016-01-01

Ce2O3 nanoparticle decorated CNT nanocomposites (Ce2O3.CNT NCs) were prepared by a wet-chemical method in basic medium. The Ce2O3.CNT NCs were examined using FTIR, UV/Vis, Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray electron dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). A selective 2-nitrophenol (2-NP) sensor was developed by fabricating a thin-layer of NCs onto a flat glassy carbon electrode (GCE, surface area = 0.0316 cm2). Higher sensitivity including linear dynamic range (LDR), long-term stability, and enhanced electrochemical performances towards 2-NP were achieved by a reliable current-voltage (I-V) method. The calibration curve was found linear (R2 = 0.9030) over a wide range of 2-NP concentration (100 pM ~ 100.0 mM). Limit of detection (LOD) and sensor sensitivity were calculated based on noise to signal ratio (~3N/S) as 60 ± 0.02 pM and 1.6×10-3 μAμM-1cm-2 respectively. The Ce2O3.CNT NCs synthesized by a wet-chemical process is an excellent way of establishing nanomaterial decorated carbon materials for chemical sensor development in favor of detecting hazardous compounds in health-care and environmental fields at broad-scales. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed chemical sensors can be applied and utilized in effectively for the selective detection of toxic 2-NP component in environmental real samples with acceptable and reasonable results.

Progress and Challenges in Coupled Hydrodynamic-Ecological Estuarine Modeling

EPA Science Inventory

Numerical modeling has emerged over the last several decades as a widely accepted tool for investigations in environmental sciences. In estuarine research, hydrodynamic and ecological models have moved along parallel tracks with regard to complexity, refinement, computational po...

A Policy of Options

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fri, Robert W.

1975-01-01

The Energy Research and Development Administration's program to deal with the relationship of energy and the environment is examined. Alternatives include the development of new energy sources that offer a viable choice for the future for economically feasible and environmentally acceptable technologies. (BT)

NASA/Marshall's lithium battery applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paschal, L. E.

1980-01-01

A general lithium battery is described and a summary of lithium battery applications is presented. Four aspects of a particular lithium battery, the inducement environmental contamination monitoring battery, are discussed-design and construction details, thermal vacuum tests, projection tests, and acceptance tests.

PROTOCOL FOR VERIFICATION OF URBAN RUNOFF MODELS

EPA Science Inventory

The ETV program was created by the USEPA to accelerate the marketplace acceptance of commercial-ready environmental technologies. This objective will be achieved by conducting credible third-party performance assessments and reporting the results. Access to this data allows users...

PARTS WASHING ALTERNATIVES STUDY - UNITED STATES COAST GUARD

EPA Science Inventory

This report has been written to assist the United States Coast Guard (USCG) industrial managers in determining the most cost effective and environmentally acceptable parts washing alternatives for their specific applications. An; evaluation was conducted on four different cleane...

CONSTRUCTING A GENERAL SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS THEORY

EPA Science Inventory

Sustainability atracts enormous interest in the minds of the public and the scientific and engineering community because it holds the promise of a long-term solution to environmental problems. Sustainability, however, is mathematically loosely defined. There is no widely accepted...

CONSTRUCTING A GENERAL SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS THEORY

EPA Science Inventory

Sustainability attracts enormous interest in the minds of the public and the scientific and engineering community because it holds the promise of a long-tem solution to environmental problems. Sustainability, however, is mathematically loosely defined. There is no widely accepted...

An Exploration of Smoking Behavior of African Male Immigrants Living in Glasgow

PubMed Central

Ezika, Ejiofor Augustine

2014-01-01

INTRODUCTION The aim of this research study was to explore the smoking behavior of adult African male immigrant smokers living in Glasgow to inform and contribute to primary health promotion frameworks. METHODS 25 adult African male immigrant smokers living in Glasgow were recruited via consecutive sampling by soliciting for participation through the use of flyers, posters and word of mouth. Data collection occurred via semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The interviews were audio taped, after which verbatim transcription was carried out and the data analyzed thematically. RESULTS The participants’ smoking habits were influenced by cold weather environment as well as societal norms that appear to make the smoking habit more acceptable in Glasgow than Africa. It appears the more educated the participants were, the fewer cigarettes they smoked. However, there was only a slight difference in the number of cigarettes smoked between participants with a degree and those with a postgraduate degree. CONCLUSION The participants’ smoking habits in Glasgow appear to have increased because of environmental variables associated with living in Glasgow, specifically the cold weather environment and high acceptability of smoking habits in Glasgow. PMID:25741179

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Environmental Impacts on Spiking Properties in Hodgkin-Huxley Neuron with Direct Current Stimulus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Chang-Qing; Zhao, Tong-Jun; Zhan, Yong; Zhang, Su-Hua; Liu, Hui; Zhang, Yu-Hong

2009-11-01

Based on the well accepted Hodgkin-Huxley neuron model, the neuronal intrinsic excitability is studied when the neuron is subject to varying environmental temperatures, the typical impact for its regulating ways. With computer simulation, it is found that altering environmental temperature can improve or inhibit the neuronal intrinsic excitability so as to influence the neuronal spiking properties. The impacts from environmental factors can be understood that the neuronal spiking threshold is essentially influenced by the fluctuations in the environment. With the environmental temperature varying, burst spiking is realized for the neuronal membrane voltage because of the environment-dependent spiking threshold. This burst induced by changes in spiking threshold is different from that excited by input currents or other stimulus.

17 CFR 162.8 - Acceptable delivery methods of opt-out notices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... COMMISSION PROTECTION OF CONSUMER INFORMATION UNDER THE FAIR CREDIT REPORTING ACT Business Affiliate Marketing Rules § 162.8 Acceptable delivery methods of opt-out notices. (a) In general. The opt-out notice...

17 CFR 162.8 - Acceptable delivery methods of opt-out notices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... COMMISSION PROTECTION OF CONSUMER INFORMATION UNDER THE FAIR CREDIT REPORTING ACT Business Affiliate Marketing Rules § 162.8 Acceptable delivery methods of opt-out notices. (a) In general. The opt-out notice...

Consumer acceptance of irradiated food: theory and reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruhn, Christine M.

1998-06-01

For years most consumers have expressed less concern about food irradiation than other food processing technologies. Attitude studies have demonstrated that when given science-based information, from 60% to 90% of consumers prefer the advantages irradiation processing provides. When information is accompanied by samples, acceptance may increase to 99%. Information on irradiation should include product benefits, safety and wholesomeness, address environmental safety issues, and include endorsements by recognized health authorities. Educational and marketing programs should now be directed toward retailers and processors. Given the opportunity, consumers will buy high quality, safety-enhanced irradiated food.

The environmental risk as a culture in the Sinos Valley, Brazil.

PubMed

Pedde, Valdir; Figueiredo, João A; Tundisi, José G; Lenz, Cátia A

2014-12-01

The proposal of analysis of the social-environmental perception will be developed from the discourse as a constitutive element of reality. The discourse practices and their concretion will be the source of meaning and social-cultural value. Thus, the chosen research method was the qualitative and quantitative case study. In the first part of the text we will recapture a theoretical input by Mary Douglas on risk and culture, as well as on the acceptance of the risks in society. In the second part, we cover a few data of the case of the risks resulting from the tanning industry and on how the society of the "Vale do Rio dos Sinos" relates to these risks. In this article we conclude that risk perception of the population is directly related with past experiences, thus, assigning a meaning to all new events. This meaning is the result of a sociocultural construction. It is worth noting that behind this history, there are basic issues related to population survival, i.e., both the industrialists and workers establish partnerships when the society creates a movement against the leather industry.

The environmental risk as a culture in the Sinos Valley, Brazil.

PubMed

Pedde, Valdir; Figueiredo, João A; Tundisi, José G; Lenz, Cátia A

2014-12-09

The proposal of analysis of the social-environmental perception will be developed from the discourse as a constitutive element of reality. The discourse practices and their concretion will be the source of meaning and social-cultural value. Thus, the chosen research method was the qualitative and quantitative case study. In the first part of the text we will recapture a theoretical input by Mary Douglas on risk and culture, as well as on the acceptance of the risks in society. In the second part, we cover a few data of the case of the risks resulting from the tanning industry and on how the society of the "Vale do Rio dos Sinos" relates to these risks. In this article we conclude that risk perception of the population is directly related with past experiences, thus, assigning a meaning to all new events. This meaning is the result of a sociocultural construction. It is worth noting that behind this history, there are basic issues related to population survival, i.e., both the industrialists and workers establish partnerships when the society creates a movement against the leather industry.

Learning to Question: The Roles of Multiple Hypotheses, Successive Approximations, Balloons and Toilet Paper in University Science Programs of Southwestern Amazonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, I. Foster

2008-06-01

Learning to question is essential for determining pathways of conservation and development in southwestern Amazonia during a time of rapid global environmental change. Teaching such an approach in graduate science programs in regional universities can be done using play-acting and simulation exercises. Multiple working hypotheses help students learn to question their own research results and expert witnesses. The method of successive approximations enables students to question the results of complex calculations, such as estimates of forest biomass. Balloons and rolls of toilet paper provide means of questioning two-dimensional representations of a three-dimensional Earth and the value of pi. Generation of systematic errors can illustrate the pitfalls of blind acceptance of data. While learning to question is essential, it is insufficient by itself; students must also learn how to be solutionologists in order to satisfy societal demands for solutions to environmental problems. A little irreverence can be an excellent didactic tool for helping students develop the skills necessary to lead conservation and development efforts in the region.

Environmental reporting and accounting in Australia: progress, prospects and research priorities.

PubMed

van Dijk, Albert; Mount, Richard; Gibbons, Philip; Vardon, Michael; Canadell, Pep

2014-03-01

Despite strong demand for information to support the sustainable use of Australia's natural resources and conserve environmental values and despite considerable effort and investment, nation-wide environmental data collection and analysis remains a substantially unmet challenge. We review progress in producing national environmental reports and accounts, identify challenges and opportunities, and analyse the potential role of research in addressing these. Australia's low and concentrated population density and the short history since European settlement contribute to the lack of environmental data. There are additional factors: highly diverse data requirements and standards, disagreement on information priorities, poorly measurable management objectives, lack of coordination, over-reliance on researchers and businesses for data collection, lack of business engagement, and short-term, project-based activities. New opportunities have arisen to overcome some of these challenges: enhanced monitoring networks, standardisation, data management and modelling, greater commitment to share and integrate data, community monitoring, increasing acceptance of environmental and sustainability indicators, and progress in environmental accounting practices. Successes in generating climate, water and greenhouse gas information appear to be attributable to an unambiguous data requirement, considerable investment, and legislative instruments that enhance data sharing and create a clearly defined role for operational agencies. Based on the analysis presented, we suggest six priorities for research: (1) common definitions and standards for information that address management objectives, (2) ecological measures that are scalable from local to national level, (3) promotion of long-term data collection and reporting by researchers, (4) efficient satellite and sensor network technologies and data analysis methods, (5) environmental modelling approaches that can reconcile multiple data sources, and (6) experimental accounting to pursue consistent, credible and relevant information structures and to identify new data requirements. Opportunities exist to make progress in each of these areas and help secure a more sustainable future. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The promises and limitations of female-initiated methods of HIV/STI protection.

PubMed

Mantell, Joanne E; Dworkin, Shari L; Exner, Theresa M; Hoffman, Susie; Smit, Jenni A; Susser, Ida

2006-10-01

New methods are now available, and others are being developed, that could enable women to take the initiative in preventing sexually transmitted infections. However, attempts to capitalize on "female-controlled" preventive methods thus far have met with limited success. Female-initiated methods were introduced to intervene in the state of gender relations and assist women who are disempowered vis-à-vis their male partners. Paradoxically, however, we underscore that it is the very structure of regional and local gender relations that shapes the acceptability (or lack of acceptability) of these methods. This paper specifically addresses how the structure of gender relations-for better and for worse-shapes the promises and limitations of widespread use and acceptance of female-initiated methods. We draw on examples from around the world to underscore how the regional specificities of gender (in)equality shape the acceptance, negotiation, and use of these methods. Simultaneously, we demonstrate how the introduction and sustained use of methods are shaped by gender relations and offer possibilities for reinforcing or challenging their current state. Based on our analyses, we offer key policy and programmatic recommendations to increase promotion and effective use of women-initiated HIV/STI protection methods for both women and men.

What's in a name? Perceptions of stray and feral cat welfare and control in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

PubMed

Farnworth, Mark J; Campbell, Joanna; Adams, Nigel J

2011-01-01

New Zealanders (n = 354) rated the acceptability of lethal and nonlethal cat control methods and the importance of conservation and welfare. Lethal control was more acceptable for feral cats than strays; for nonlethal control, the inverse was true. More than concern for the welfare of cats subjected to control, perceived conservation benefits, risk of disease transfer, and companion cat welfare dictated the acceptability of control measures. Similarly, the welfare consideration for groups of cats differed, transitioning from companion (highest) to feral (lowest). Differences in attitudes toward acceptability of control methods were evident. In particular, nonhuman animal professionals ranked lethal control as more acceptable than did nonanimal professionals. Cat caregivers (owners) considered both conservation and welfare issues of greater importance than did nonowners. Owners ranked the acceptability of nonlethal control methods higher for stray cats, but not feral, than did nonowners. This research indicates that the use of the terms stray and feral may have significant impact on cats in New Zealand. There is also a greater consideration of conservation values than of welfare in stray and feral cat control.

Using Financial Information in Continuing Education. Accepted Methods and New Approaches.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matkin, Gary W.

This book, which is intended as a resource/reference guide for experienced financial managers and course planners, examines accepted methods and new approaches for using financial information in continuing education. The introduction reviews theory and practice, traditional and new methods, planning and organizational management, and technology.…

Federal environmental standards of potential importance to operations and activities at US Department of Energy sites. Draft

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

Fowler, K.M.; Bilyard, G.R.; Davidson, S.A.

1993-06-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is now engaged in a program of environmental restoration nationwide across its 45 sites. It is also bringing its facilities into compliance with environmental regulations, decontaminating and decommissioning unwanted facilities, and constructing new waste management facilities. One of the most difficult questions that DOE must face in successfully remediating its inactive waste sites, decontaminating and decommissioning its inactive facilities, and operating its waste management facilities is: ``What criteria and standards should be met?`` Acceptable standards or procedures for determining standards will assist DOE in its conduct of ongoing waste management and pending cleanup activitiesmore » by helping to ensure that those activities are conducted in compliance with applicable laws and regulations and are accepted by the regulatory community and the public. This document reports on the second of three baseline activities that are being conducted as prerequisites to either the development of quantitative standards that could be used by DOE, or consistent procedures for developing such standards. The first and third baseline activities are also briefly discussed in conjunction with the second of the three activities.« less

Environmental projects. Volume 14: Removal of contaminated soil and debris

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kushner, Len

1992-01-01

Numerous diverse activities at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC) are carried out in support of six parabolic dish antennas. Some of these activities can result in possible spills or leakages of hazardous materials and wastes stored both above ground in steel drums and below ground in underground storage tanks (UST's). These possible leaks or spills, along with the past practice of burial of solid debris and waste in trenches and pits, could cause local subsurface contamination of the soil. In 1987, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), retained Engineering-Science, Inc. (E-S), Pasadena, California, to identify the specific local areas within the GDSCC with subsurface soil contamination. The E-S study determined that some of the soils at the Apollo Site and the Mars Site were contaminated with hydrocarbons, while soil at a nonhazardous waste dumpsite at the Mojave Base site was contaminated with copper. This volume is a JPL-expanded version of the PE209 E-S report, and it also reports that all subsurface contaminated soils at the GDSCC were excavated, removed, and disposed of in an environmentally acceptable way, and the excavations were backfilled and covered in accordance with accepted Federal, State, and local environmental rules and regulations.

North Seeking Gyrocompass.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-01

ENVIRONMENTAL TEST SPECIFICATION FOR GIMBAL MOUNT 67 2 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Title Page 1 NFM Mounted on NSG Gimbals 6 2 NSG Family Tree 9 3 NFM...has a rating of .45 ampere-hours and can provide up to 30 northings on one charge. The NSG is designed to operate either on the vehicle batery or the BB...is included in Appendix B. The acceptance test requirements for the NFM are presented in Appendix C. The environmental test specification for the NSG

Environmental Assessment of Proposed Mixed-Use Business Park on an Enchanced Use Lease at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

remediate past environmental contamination on Air Force installations. Past procedures for managing and disposing wastes, although accepted at the...time, resulted in contamination of the environment. The ERP has established a process to evaluate past disposal sites, control the migration of... contaminants , identify potential hazards to human health and the environment, and remediate the sites. 3.5.2 Existing Conditions GFAFB is a

Environmental Considerations for a Geothermal Development in the Jemez Mountains of Central New Mexico

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

Sabo, David G.

The demonstration nature of the Baca Geothermal Project and the contractual arrangements between Public Service Company of New Me (PNM) and Union Geothermal Company of New Mexico (Union) with the Department of Energy mandate on environmental monitoring effort previously not seen for an energy development of this size. One of the most often stated goals of the Baca Project is to demonstrate the acceptability and viability of geothermal energy in an environmentally responsible manner. If this statement is to be followed, then a program would have to be developed which would (1) identify all the environmental baseline parameters, (2) monitormore » them during construction and operation, and (3) alleviate any possible negative impacts. The situation of the Baca project in the Jemez Mountains of north-central New Mexico offers a challenging vehicle with which to demonstrate the acceptability of geothermal energy. A few of the reasons for this are: these mountains are one of the most heavily used recreational resource areas in the state, numerous prehistoric people utilized the canyons and have left considerable archeological resources, the mountains are home for a number of individuals who prefer their serenity to the hustle and bustle of urban dwelling, and finally, the mountains are considered sacred by a number of local Indian tribes, a few of which use the mountaintop as religious sites.« less

Hunters' acceptability of the surveillance system and alternative surveillance strategies for classical swine fever in wild boar - a participatory approach.

PubMed

Schulz, Katja; Calba, Clémentine; Peyre, Marisa; Staubach, Christoph; Conraths, Franz J

2016-09-06

Surveillance measures can only be effective if key players in the system accept them. Acceptability, which describes the willingness of persons to contribute, is often analyzed using participatory methods. Participatory epidemiology enables the active involvement of key players in the assessment of epidemiological issues. In the present study, we used a participatory method recently developed by CIRAD (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement) to evaluate the functionality and acceptability of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) surveillance in wild boar in Germany, which is highly dependent on the participation of hunters. The acceptability of alternative surveillance strategies was also analyzed. By conducting focus group discussions, potential vulnerabilities in the system were detected and feasible alternative surveillance strategies identified. Trust in the current surveillance system is high, whereas the acceptability of the operation of the system is medium. Analysis of the acceptability of alternative surveillance strategies showed how risk-based surveillance approaches can be combined to develop strategies that have sufficient support and functionality. Furthermore, some surveillance strategies were clearly rejected by the hunters. Thus, the implementation of such strategies may be difficult. Participatory methods can be used to evaluate the functionality and acceptability of existing surveillance plans for CSF among hunters and to optimize plans regarding their chances of successful implementation.

Smart Money

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ullman, Ellen

2009-01-01

From using virtualization technology to accepting lunch payments online, school districts are seeking money-saving methods. In this article, the author discusses some methods used by school districts that allow them to save money from using virtualization technology to accepting lunch payments online.

[Emergency contraception in Brazil: facilitators and barriers].

PubMed

Hardy, E; Duarte, G A; Osis, M J; Arce, X E; Possan, M

2001-01-01

A multi-centered qualitative study was conducted in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico to assess the acceptability of emergency contraception both among potential users and possible providers, authorities, and opinion-makers, and to identify (according to participants' perceptions) factors facilitating or hindering the method's use and the most appropriate strategies to disseminate information and provide the method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, group interviews, and discussion groups, which were tape-recorded and transcribed. A thematic analysis of this material was conducted. Acceptability of emergency contraception was high among participants, who also felt that there were no barriers towards its acceptance by the population. Participants felt that the method's acceptability would be greater if it were included in reproductive health programs, emphasizing its prescription for emergency situations. Participants highlighted that strategic components in Brazil would be training of providers and inclusion of the method in family planning services.

Guidance for Determining the Acceptability of Environmental Fate Studies Conducted with Foreign Soils

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

International and U.S. soil taxonomical classification systems, distribution of soil orders in the United States, specific criteria to help scientists determine when foreign soils are representative of U.S. soils at intended pesticide use sites.

40 CFR 265.1 - Purpose, scope, and applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

....1 Section 265.1 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) INTERIM STATUS STANDARDS FOR OWNERS AND OPERATORS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE TREATMENT, STORAGE, AND... establish minimum national standards that define the acceptable management of hazardous waste during the...

42 CFR 137.285 - Are Self-Governance Tribes required to accept Federal environmental responsibilities to enter...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

....285 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNANCE Construction Nepa Process § 137.285 Are Self...

24 CFR 290.15 - Disposition plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... DEVELOPMENT HUD-OWNED PROPERTIES DISPOSITION OF MULTIFAMILY PROJECTS AND SALE OF HUD-HELD MULTIFAMILY..., the sales price that is acceptable to HUD, and the assistance that HUD plans to make available to a... plan, the environmental reviews required by 24 CFR part 50. ...

Examining maternal age, breastfeeding self-efficacy and health locus of control in psychological wellbeing of mothers.

PubMed

Lawal, Abiodun Musbau; Idemudia, Erhabor Sunday

2017-12-01

We investigated the direct and interaction influence of maternal age, breastfeeding self-efficacy (BSE), health locus of control (HLOC) on six dimensions of psychological wellbeing of breastfeeding mothers in Lagos, Nigeria. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 291 mothers attending health facilities in two suburb local government areas. The survey included socio-demographics (maternal age, marital status, ethnicity, education level and position of the baby currently breastfeeding), breastfeeding self-efficacy, health locus of control and psychological wellbeing scales. Independent variables were tested against sense of autonomy, positive relations with others, purpose in life, self-acceptance, environmental mastery and personal growth using factorial Multivariate Analysis of Variance. Results showed direct influence of BSE, HLOC and maternal age on various dimensions of psychological wellbeing. Interaction influences indicate BSE and HLOC on environmental mastery; BSE and maternal age on self-acceptance and HLOC and maternal age on sense of autonomy, positive relationship with others and self-acceptance respectively. In conclusion, maternal age, breastfeeding self-efficacy and health locus of control are vital for mothers to enjoy plenty dimensions of psychological wellbeing. Breastfeeding mothers need to be confident in their abilities to breastfeed and have control over their health-related behaviour in order to enjoy sufficient dimensions of psychological wellbeing.

Environmental assessment: Richton Dome Site, Mississippi

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

none,

1986-05-01

In February 1983, the US Department of Energy (DOE) identified the Richton Dome site in Mississippi as one of the nine potentially acceptable sites for a mined geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. To determine their suitability, the Richton Dome site and the eight other potentially acceptable sites have been evaluated in accordance with the DOE's General Guidelines for the Recommendation of Sites for the Nuclear Waste Repositories. These evaluations were reported in draft environmental assessments (EAs), which were issued for public review and comment. After considering the comments received on the draft EAs, the DOEmore » prepared the final EAs. The site is in the Gulf interior region, which is one of five distinct geohydrologic settings considered for the first repository. This setting contains two other potentially acceptable sites--the Cypress Creek Dome site in Mississippi and the Vacherie Dome site in Louisiana. Although the Cypress Creek Dome and the Vacherie Dome sites are suitable for site characterization, the DOE has concluded that the Richton Dome site is the preferred site in the Gulf interior region. On the basis of the evaluations reported in this EA, the DOE has found that the Richton Dome site is not disqualified under the guidelines.« less

Examining Trends in Adolescent Environmental Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors Across Three Decades

PubMed Central

Wray-Lake, Laura; Flanagan, Constance A.; Osgood, D. Wayne

2009-01-01

Since the Environmental Movement began, adolescents’ views have been largely ignored in studies of public opinion. The article presents a descriptive analysis of trends in the environmental attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of high school seniors from 1976 to 2005 using data from the Monitoring the Future study. Across a range of indicators, environmental concerns of adolescents show increases during the early 1990s and declines across the remainder of the three decades. Declining trends in reports of personal responsibility for the environment, conservation behaviors, and the belief that resources are scarce are particularly noteworthy. Across all years, findings reveal that youth tended to assign responsibility for the environment to the government and consumers rather than accepting personal responsibility. Recent declines in environmental concerns for this nationally representative sample of youth signal the need for a renewed focus on young people’s views and call for better environmental education and governmental leadership. PMID:20046859

Implementation of environmentally compliant cleaning and insulation bonding for MNASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hutchens, Dale E.; Keen, Jill M.; Smith, Gary M.; Dillard, Terry W.; Deweese, C. Darrell; Lawson, Seth W.

1995-01-01

Historically, many subscale and full-scale rocket motors have employed environmentally and physiologically harmful chemicals during the manufacturing process. This program examines the synergy and interdependency between environmentally acceptable materials for solid rocket motor insulation applications, bonding, corrosion inhibiting, painting, priming, and cleaning, and then implements new materials and processes in subscale motors. Tests have been conducted to eliminate or minimize hazardous chemicals used in the manufacture of modified-NASA materials test motor (MNASA) components and identify alternate materials and/or processes following NASA Operational Environmental Team (NOET) priorities. This presentation describes implementation of high pressure water refurbishment cleaning, aqueous precision cleaning using both Brulin 815 GD and Jettacin, and insulation case bonding using ozone depleting chemical (ODC) compliant primers and adhesives.

The economic value of transportation energy contingency planning: An objective model for analyzing the economics of domestic renewable energy for supply augmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaten, Richard Jay

1998-12-01

Petroleum provides 90% of transportation energy needs. Domestic production is decreasing and global demand is increasing. Risk of escalating prices and supply interruptions are compounded by environmental and military externalities and lost opportunities from the failure to develop alternative domestic resources. Within the context of "energy contingency planning" municipalities should evaluate crisis mitigation strategies. Supply augmentation using domestic renewable fuels is proposed to avert future financial liabilities. A method for calculating the economic value of this strategy is demonstrated. An objective function and associated constraints represent the cost of preparing for each of three possible scenarios: status quo, inflationary and crisis. Constraints ensure that municipal fuel needs are met. Environmental costs may be included. Optimal solutions determine the fuel supply mix for each scenario. A 3 x 3 matrix presents the range of actual costs resulting from preparing for each scenario and subsequent three possible outcomes. The distribution of probabilities of the outcomes is applied to the cost matrix and an "expected value" of preparing for each scenario is calculated. An unanticipated crisis outcome results in. The expected value of the cost of preparing for a crisis is cast as an insurance premium against potential economic liability. Policy makers accept the crisis preparation fuel mix if: (a) they agree with the calculated penalty cost, or (b) they accept the burden of the insurance premium. Green Bay Wisconsin was chosen as a sample municipality. Results show that a perceived 10% chance of crisis requires an annual tax of 4.00 per household to avert economic impacts of 50 million. At a perceived 50% chance of crisis preparing for the crisis would begin to save the municipality money.

Validation of a Chinese version of the stress overload scale-short and its use as a screening tool for mental health status.

PubMed

Duan, Wenjie; Mu, Wenlong

2018-02-01

Although stress emerges when environmental demands exceed personal resources, existing measurement methods for stress focus only on one aspect. The newly-developed Short Stress Overload Scale (SOS-S) assesses the extent of stress by assessing both event load (i.e., environmental demands) and personal vulnerability (i.e., personal resources). The present study was designed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of Stress Overload Scale-Short (SOS-SC), and further examine its roles in screening mental health status. A total of 1364 participants were recruited from communities and colleges for scale validation. Reliabilities were good throughout the subsamples (ω > 0.80). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated the acceptable goodness-of-fit for the two-factor correlated model (Sample 1: 560 community residents). Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis confirmed measurement invariance across community residents (Sample 1) and college students (Sample 2 and Sample 3). Criterion validity and convergent validity were established (Sample 2: 554 college students). Latent moderated structural equations demonstrated that the relationship between SOS-SC and depression is moderated by social support (Sample 2), further validating the SOS-SC. In addition, the SOS-SC effectively screened individuals in a population at different levels of mental health status (i.e., "at risk" vs. "at low risk" for depression symptoms and/or wellbeing). The SOS-SC exhibits acceptable psychometric properties in the Chinese context. That said, the two aspects of stress can be differentiated by the Chinese context, therefore, the SOS-SC can be used to measure stress and screen mental health status among the Chinese population, and monitor and evaluate health-promoting interventions.

Attenuating initial beliefs: increasing the acceptance of anthropogenic climate change information by reflecting on values.

PubMed

van Prooijen, Anne-Marie; Sparks, Paul

2014-05-01

Anthropogenic climate change information tends to be interpreted against the backdrop of initial environmental beliefs, which can lead to some people being resistant toward the information. In this article (N = 88), we examined whether self-affirmation via reflection on personally important values could attenuate the impact of initial beliefs on the acceptance of anthropogenic climate change evidence. Our findings showed that initial beliefs about the human impact on ecological stability influenced the acceptance of information only among nonaffirmed participants. Self-affirmed participants who were initially resistant toward the information showed stronger beliefs in the existence of climate change risks and greater acknowledgment that individual efficacy has a role to play in reducing climate change risks than did their nonaffirmed counterparts. © 2013 Society for Risk Analysis.

Acceptance of dying: a discourse analysis of palliative care literature.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Camilla

2012-07-01

The subject of death denial in the West has been examined extensively in the sociological literature. However, there has not been a similar examination of its "opposite", the acceptance of death. In this study, I use the qualitative method of discourse analysis to examine the use of the term "acceptance" of dying in the palliative care literature from 1970 to 2001. A Medline search was performed by combining the text words "accept or acceptance" with the subject headings "terminal care or palliative care or hospice care", and restricting the search to English language articles in clinical journals discussing acceptance of death in adults. The 40 articles were coded and analysed using a critical discourse analysis method. This paper focuses on the theme of acceptance as integral to palliative care, which had subthemes of acceptance as a goal of care, personal acceptance of healthcare workers, and acceptance as a facilitator of care. For patients and families, death acceptance is a goal that they can be helped to attain; for palliative care staff, acceptance of dying is a personal quality that is a precondition for effective practice. Acceptance not only facilitates the dying process for the patient and family, but also renders care easier. The analysis investigates the intertextuality of these themes with each other and with previous texts. From a Foucauldian perspective, I suggest that the discourse on acceptance of dying represents a productive power, which disciplines patients through apparent psychological and spiritual gratification, and encourages participation in a certain way to die. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Connecting Knowledge, Belief, Values and Action: Informing Climate Literacy by Using Autobiographies to Articulate Environmental Worldviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owens, M. A.

2011-12-01

Climate literacy is evolving as a specific subset of science and environmental literacy. Through a longitudinal analysis of environmental autobiographies of an internationally and religiously diverse group of environmental sciences majors at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the southern U.S., this presentation will explore: 1) sources and impact of religious beliefs on students' environmental worldview; 2) conflicts between religious, community and scientific values; and 3) navigating the tensions between trust in a religious deity as well as scientific methods and processes. Lester Milbrath states that "beliefs empower and deceive us." The media, as well as significant people and institutions, including religious institutions, socialize us and contribute to individual and societal worldviews. "We so thoroughly accept our culture's beliefs about how the world works that we hardly ever think about them even though they underlie everything we think and do." Beliefs, attitudes, and values comprise an important component of environmental literacy, a praxis-oriented concept from the field of environmental education, which is defined as: [T]he capacity to perceive and interpret the relative health of environmental systems and take appropriate action to maintain, restore, or improve the health of those systems . . . Environmental literacy should be defined in terms of observable behaviors. (Disinger and Roth 1992, 2). Environmental literacy draws upon six areas: environmental sensitivity; knowledge; skills; beliefs, attitudes and values; personal investment and responsibility; and active involvement. It involves particular ways of thinking, acting, and valuing (Roth 1992). Religious beliefs, or lack thereof, shape worldviews, thereby influencing individual and societal environmental and more specifically, climate literacy. For example, Western Christianity espouses a hierarchical anthropocentric worldview, putting God infinitely above human beings, and human beings above nature. The creation stories of Genesis have been used both implicitly and explicitly to justify domination and exploitation of the earth and its resources. Autobiographies may be used as a reflective pedagogical tool to help students to identify various components of their respective environmental worldviews that may influence their overall environmental and climate literacy. Narrative responses to guiding questions prompt students to reflect on beliefs, trust, and values. This research will inform the development of culturally relevant and scientifically sound approaches to climate change education.

An Analytic Network Process approach for the environmental aspect selection problem — A case study for a hand blender

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

Bereketli Zafeirakopoulos, Ilke, E-mail: ibereketli@gsu.edu.tr; Erol Genevois, Mujde, E-mail: merol@gsu.edu.tr

Life Cycle Assessment is a tool to assess, in a systematic way, the environmental aspects and its potential environmental impacts and resources used throughout a product's life cycle. It is widely accepted and considered as one of the most powerful tools to support decision-making processes used in ecodesign and sustainable production in order to learn about the most problematic parts and life cycle phases of a product and to have a projection for future improvements. However, since Life Cycle Assessment is a cost and time intensive method, companies do not intend to carry out a full version of it, exceptmore » for large corporate ones. Especially for small and medium sized enterprises, which do not have enough budget for and knowledge on sustainable production and ecodesign approaches, focusing only on the most important possible environmental aspect is unavoidable. In this direction, finding the right environmental aspect to work on is crucial for the companies. In this study, a multi-criteria decision-making methodology, Analytic Network Process is proposed to select the most relevant environmental aspect. The proposed methodology aims at providing a simplified environmental assessment to producers. It is applied for a hand blender, which is a member of the Electrical and Electronic Equipment family. The decision criteria for the environmental aspects and relations of dependence are defined. The evaluation is made by the Analytic Network Process in order to create a realistic approach to inter-dependencies among the criteria. The results are computed via the Super Decisions software. Finally, it is observed that the procedure is completed in less time, with less data, with less cost and in a less subjective way than conventional approaches. - Highlights: • We present a simplified environmental assessment methodology to support LCA. • ANP is proposed to select the most relevant environmental aspect. • ANP deals well with the interdependencies between aspects and impacts. • The methodology is less subjective, less complicated, and less time–money consuming. • The proposed methodology is suitable for use by SMEs.« less

Environmental auditing in hospitals: approach and implementation in an university hospital.

PubMed

Dettenkofer, M; Kümmerer, K; Schuster, A; Mühlich, M; Scherrer, M; Daschner, F D

1997-05-01

Medical audit in infection control today is accepted as an important element in the quality assurance of health care. In contrast, environmental auditing, which was approved in 1993 by the Council of the European Communities for industry ("Eco-Management and Audit Scheme-EMAS), has not so far been used as a tool to control and reduce environmental pollution caused by medical care in hospitals. The aim of this study was to investigate, whether environmental auditing in hospitals is useful. This process should also be cost effective. In this paper, methodological and organizational issues are described. Initially an environmental review of activities at the University Hospital, Freiburg and an eco-analysis of the input and output were performed. The first results of the study and a critical discussion will be presented in another paper.

40 CFR 262.57 - Recordkeeping.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO GENERATORS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE Exports of Hazardous Waste § 262.57 Recordkeeping. (a) For all... at least three years from the date the hazardous waste was accepted by the initial transporter; (2...

Improving continuous monitoring OF VOC’s emissions from alternative fertilizers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Application of alternative fertilizers, such as biosolids, to agricultural fields is an environmentally-beneficial practice. Concerns regarding nuisance odors caused by specific volatile organic compounds (VOC) have lead to public opposition and may ultimately lead to lack of acceptance of biosolids...

MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE COMBUSTOR ASH DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM - "THE BOATHOUSE"

EPA Science Inventory

The report presents the results of a research program designed to examine the engineering and environmental acceptability of using municipal solid waste (MSW) combustor ash as an aggregate substitute in the manufacture of construction quality cement blocks. 50 tons of MSW combust...

40 CFR 141.24 - Organic chemicals, sampling and analytical requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... available from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL)-Cincinnati... for which the laboratory desires certification. (B) Achieve the quantitative acceptance limits under... contaminants included in the PE sample. (C) Achieve quantitative results on the analyses performed under...

40 CFR 141.24 - Organic chemicals, sampling and analytical requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... available from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL)-Cincinnati... for which the laboratory desires certification. (B) Achieve the quantitative acceptance limits under... contaminants included in the PE sample. (C) Achieve quantitative results on the analyses performed under...

40 CFR 141.24 - Organic chemicals, sampling and analytical requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... available from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL)-Cincinnati... for which the laboratory desires certification. (B) Achieve the quantitative acceptance limits under... contaminants included in the PE sample. (C) Achieve quantitative results on the analyses performed under...

40 CFR 141.24 - Organic chemicals, sampling and analytical requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... available from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL)-Cincinnati... for which the laboratory desires certification. (B) Achieve the quantitative acceptance limits under... contaminants included in the PE sample. (C) Achieve quantitative results on the analyses performed under...

40 CFR 141.24 - Organic chemicals, sampling and analytical requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... available from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL)-Cincinnati... for which the laboratory desires certification. (B) Achieve the quantitative acceptance limits under... contaminants included in the PE sample. (C) Achieve quantitative results on the analyses performed under...

30 CFR 250.1910 - What safety and environmental information is required?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... information including, as appropriate, a simplified process flow diagram and acceptable upper and lower limits, where applicable, for items such as temperature, pressure, flow and composition; and (3) mechanical design information including, as appropriate, piping and instrument diagrams; electrical area...

30 CFR 250.1910 - What safety and environmental information is required?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... appropriate, a simplified process flow diagram and acceptable upper and lower limits, where applicable, for items such as temperature, pressure, flow and composition; and (3) mechanical design information including, as appropriate, piping and instrument diagrams; electrical area classifications; equipment...

30 CFR 250.1910 - What safety and environmental information is required?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... appropriate, a simplified process flow diagram and acceptable upper and lower limits, where applicable, for items such as temperature, pressure, flow and composition; and (3) mechanical design information including, as appropriate, piping and instrument diagrams; electrical area classifications; equipment...

30 CFR 250.1910 - What safety and environmental information is required?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... appropriate, a simplified process flow diagram and acceptable upper and lower limits, where applicable, for items such as temperature, pressure, flow and composition; and (3) mechanical design information including, as appropriate, piping and instrument diagrams; electrical area classifications; equipment...

48 CFR 1552.215-71 - Evaluation factors for award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... for technical acceptability evaluation: (c) Factors for past performance evaluation (optional): (End... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Evaluation factors for award. 1552.215-71 Section 1552.215-71 Federal Acquisition Regulations System ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION...

Alternative methods for the control of postharvest citrus diseases.

PubMed

Talibi, I; Boubaker, H; Boudyach, E H; Ait Ben Aoumar, A

2014-07-01

The postharvest diseases of citrus fruit cause considerable losses during storage and transportation. These diseases are managed principally by the application of synthetic fungicides. However, the increasing concern for health hazards and environmental pollution due to chemical use has required the development of alternative strategies for the control of postharvest citrus diseases. Management of postharvest diseases using microbial antagonists, natural plant-derived products and Generally Recognized As Safe compounds has been demonstrated to be most suitable to replace the synthetic fungicides, which are either being banned or recommended for limited use. However, application of these alternatives by themselves may not always provide a commercially acceptable level of control of postharvest citrus diseases comparable to that obtained with synthetic fungicides. To provide more effective disease control, a multifaceted approach based on the combination of different postharvest treatments has been adopted. Actually, despite the distinctive features of these alternative methods, several reasons hinder the commercial use of such treatments. Consequently, research should emphasize the development of appropriate tools to effectively implement these alternative methods to commercial citrus production. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

A comparative study between different alternatives to prepare gaseous standards for calibrating UV-Ion Mobility Spectrometers.

PubMed

Criado-García, Laura; Garrido-Delgado, Rocío; Arce, Lourdes; Valcárcel, Miguel

2013-07-15

An UV-Ion Mobility Spectrometer is a simple, rapid, inexpensive instrument widely used in environmental analysis among other fields. The advantageous features of its underlying technology can be of great help towards developing reliable, economical methods for determining gaseous compounds from gaseous, liquid and solid samples. Developing an effective method using UV-Ion Mobility Spectrometry (UV-IMS) to determine volatile analytes entails using appropriate gaseous standards for calibrating the spectrometer. In this work, two home-made sample introduction systems (SISs) and a commercial gas generator were used to obtain such gaseous standards. The first home-made SIS used was a static head-space to measure compounds present in liquid samples and the other home-made system was an exponential dilution set-up to measure compounds present in gaseous samples. Gaseous compounds generated by each method were determined on-line by UV-IMS. Target analytes chosen for this comparative study were ethanol, acetone, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene isomers. The different alternatives were acceptable in terms of sensitivity, precision and selectivity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Carbon dioxide emissions, output, and energy consumption categories in Algeria.

PubMed

Amri, Fethi

2017-06-01

This study examines the relation between CO 2 emissions, income, non-renewable, and renewable energy consumption in Algeria during the period extending from 1980 to 2011. Our work gives particular attention to the validity of environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) with break point method outcome demonstrates the positive effect of non-renewable type of energy on CO 2 emissions consumption. On the contrary, the results reveal an insignificant effect of renewable energy on environment improvement. Moreover, the results accept the existence of EKC hypothesis but the highest gross domestic product value in logarithm scale of our data is inferior to the estimated turning point. Consequently, policy-makers in Algeria should expand the ratio of renewable energy and should decrease the quota of non-renewable energy consumption.

Photovoltaic system criteria documents. Volume 6: Criteria for auditing photovoltaic system applications and experiments. Revision A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koenig, John C.; Billitti, Joseph W.; Tallon, John M.

1980-01-01

The criteria is defined for auditing photovoltaic system applications and experiments. The purpose of the audit is twofold: to see if the application is meeting its stated objectives and to measure the application's progress in terms of the National Photovoltaic Program's goals of performance, cost, reliability, safety, and socio-environmental acceptance. The information obtained from an audit will be used to assess the status of an application and to provide the Department of Energy with recommendations on the future conduct of the application. Those aspects are covered of a site audit necessary to produce a systematic method for the gathering of qualitative and quantitative data to measure the success of an application. A sequence of audit events and guidelines for obtaining the required information is presented.

Integrated farming: why organic farmers should use transgenic crops.

PubMed

Ammann, Klaus

2008-01-01

The concept of organic farming is summarised and compared as an example to farming with biotechnology-derived crops. If done within an ecological concept, both methods can be seen as environmentally acceptable. Organic farming does not offer consistent arguments for the rejection of transgenic crops. Some arguments (from genomics to biodiversity) are discussed in order to demonstrate that the contrast between both farming systems is rated too high and that it is possible to overcome the divide. In this way the ground is prepared for a proposal on how to merge those otherwise incompatible agricultural management systems, a proposal that also will have to build on a new concept of sustainability. It will be dealt with in the second part of the article in the next issue of New Biotechnology.

Method for converting uranium oxides to uranium metal

DOEpatents

Duerksen, Walter K.

1988-01-01

A process is described for converting scrap and waste uranium oxide to uranium metal. The uranium oxide is sequentially reduced with a suitable reducing agent to a mixture of uranium metal and oxide products. The uranium metal is then converted to uranium hydride and the uranium hydride-containing mixture is then cooled to a temperature less than -100.degree. C. in an inert liquid which renders the uranium hydride ferromagnetic. The uranium hydride is then magnetically separated from the cooled mixture. The separated uranium hydride is readily converted to uranium metal by heating in an inert atmosphere. This process is environmentally acceptable and eliminates the use of hydrogen fluoride as well as the explosive conditions encountered in the previously employed bomb-reduction processes utilized for converting uranium oxides to uranium metal.

A modular approach for automated sample preparation and chemical analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, Michael L.; Turner, Terry D.; Klingler, Kerry M.; Pacetti, Randolph

1994-01-01

Changes in international relations, especially within the past several years, have dramatically affected the programmatic thrusts of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE now is addressing the environmental cleanup required as a result of 50 years of nuclear arms research and production. One major obstacle in the remediation of these areas is the chemical determination of potentially contaminated material using currently acceptable practices. Process bottlenecks and exposure to hazardous conditions pose problems for the DOE. One proposed solution is the application of modular automated chemistry using Standard Laboratory Modules (SLM) to perform Standard Analysis Methods (SAM). The Contaminant Analysis Automation (CAA) Program has developed standards and prototype equipment that will accelerate the development of modular chemistry technology and is transferring this technology to private industry.

M-X Environmental Technical Report. Environmental Characteristics of Alternative Designated Deployment Areas, Power and Energy.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-12-22

Vertical Axis Turbine (3.4.2) A vertical axis ( Darrieus ) turbine has the following advantages over a horizontal turbine : I. Accepts wind from all...would be too large, while wind and solar could only achieve capacity factors of 40 to 50 percent. Alcohol fue’s in gas turbines would be too expensive...or biomass base load system. Wind would not be a good choice to supply such a small toad cencer, especially in Nevada/Utah, since the turbine would

Research Priorities in Environmental Risk Assessment. Workshop on Research Needs in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Held in Breckenridge, Colorado on August 16-21, 1987

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-30

accordance with SETAC’s goal of providing a forum for communication among professionals involved with the use, protection, and management of the...templated action. Risk assessment provides technical input to risk management , the process of making decisions about the acceptability of risks and the need... management and computerized information-processing capabilities needed for risk assessment is also essential. Aquatic Toxicology In order to quantify and