Comparison of “CO2 efficiency” between company and industry

The concept of eco-efficiency, product or service value per environmental influence, was applied to define “total CO₂ efficiency”, “direct CO₂ efficiency” and “indirect CO₂ efficiency” using Input–Output (I–O) table analysis for the evaluation of companies and industries. The result shows that the analysis of the efficiency was useful to characterize industries according to CO₂ efficiency. The comparison of company-based CO₂ efficiency against I–O-based CO₂ efficiency was possible for beer companies and petroleum companies because they almost completely belong to a single type of industry sectors. However, generally such comparison was difficult for the companies that belong to many industry sectors. Therefore, we proposed the new method “integrated CO₂ efficiency index for company evaluation (ICEICE)” which makes it possible to compare the environmental performances of all the companies regardless of the number of industry sectors they belong to.     

Ecological modernisation: new perspectives

“Ecological modernisation” – understood as systematic eco-innovation and its diffusion – has by far the largest potential to achieve environmental improvements. In general, the market logic of modernisation and competition for innovation combined with the market potential of global environmental needs serve as important driving forces behind “ecological modernisation”. In recent times, however, additional factors like rising energy prices or fears from climate change have favoured the rise of this innovation-based approach to environmental policy. The article deals with two special driving forces: first, there is growing evidence for the importance of “smart” environmental regulation. Secondly, the increasingly complex actor constellation of global environmental governance leads to mounting business risks for polluters and thereby exerts pressure for eco-innovation.Despite these favourable framework conditions, the strategy of “ecological modernisation” nonetheless faces a number of inherent limitations. These include the unavailability of marketable technological solutions for relevant environmental problems like the loss of species, the rebound effect neutralising the incremental environmental improvements through economic growth (the dilemma of the “N-curve”) as well as resistance by “modernisation losers”. Against this background, structural solutions seem indispensable. Here, eco-innovations should be supported by transition management or ecological structural policy.     

An investigation of three-dimensional characteristics of flow regimes within the urban canyon

Canyon geometry is an important determinant characteristic airflow regimes observed within urban canyons. Three principal flow regimes are: “skimming” flow, “wake interference” flow and “isolated roughness” flow, following the nomenclature of Oke (1987, Boundary Layer Climates, 2nd edn, Methuen, London). The transition between flows is determined by canyon geometry and can be described in terms of threshold height/width (H/W) ratios for an arbitrary length/height (L/H) ratio.The determination of threshold H/W ratios has previously relied on repeated wind tunnel experiments or repeated runs of a numerical model, with canyon geometry altered until the observed flow regime changes. The present numerical investigation of typical three-dimensional flows within urban canyons identifies the key parameters which mark transition between flow regimes. On this basis it is possible to establish the geometric thresholds between regimes with analysis of a horizontal cross-section of a few simulated flows.     

Differentiation of countries’ future commitments in a post-2012 climate regime: An assessment of the “South–North Dialogue” Proposal

The “South–North Dialogue” Proposal, developed by researchers from developing and industrialised countries, outlined equitable approaches to mitigation. These approaches were based on the criteria of responsibility, capability and potential to mitigate, and include deep cuts in industrialised (Annex I) countries and differentiated mitigation commitments for developing countries. This paper quantitatively analyses the implications of the proposal for countries’ emissions and costs. The analysis focuses on a “political willingness” scenario and four stabilisation scenarios. The analysis shows that stringent stabilisation targets imply that many developing countries would have to take on quantitative mitigation obligations by 2030, even when the Annex I countries take on ambitious mitigation commitments far beyond the Kyoto obligations. The “political willingness scenario” will probably not suffice to limit a warming of the Earth's atmosphere to below 2 °C.     

Inequality,agro-pastoral exchanges,and soil fertility gradients in southern Mali

Nutrient balances aggregated at the continental, national, or regional levels for African farming systems are usually reported as strongly negative. At the landscape or farm scale, the most commonly reported variability is the gradient of decreasing soil fertility from intensively managed “home” fields to more extensively managed “bush” fields. Case study evidence from an agro-pastoral community of southern Mali’s cotton zone showed that “home” and “bush” fields differed significantly in nutrient balances and soil fertility status but that inter-household differences related to household practice and social factors were even more important.Plot and household-level soil nutrient balances were calculated in 1996–1997 from participatory exercises such as resource flow mapping, participant observation, and soil sampling. The overall community-level nutrient balances averaged −9.2 kg N ha⁻¹, +0.8 kg P ha⁻¹, and −3.4 kg K ha⁻¹, with significant inter-household variation. Soil analysis confirmed significant variation in soil nutrient status at both the landscape and plot levels. Comparing the scale and patterns of input use inequality using Gini coefficients showed the range of coefficients attributable to household behaviours matched or surpassed those attributable to distance factors alone. Input use intensity declined with increasing distance from nutrient sources but field level nutrient balances were better explained by household practice than by distance. Systemic differences in household asset ownership, use, and resource allocation behaviour suggested that much of the diversity seen in the nutrient balances and soil analyses was due to persistent inter-household inequality and the consequent exchanges of agro-pastoral resources. Inter-household negotiations for inputs (such as exchanges of manure and carts) and household-level decisions about input allocation created, exploited, and reinforced a mosaic of soil fertility “hotspots” surrounded by less fertile and less intensively managed patches.     

The Hirudo medicinalis species complex

Recently, Hildebrandt and Lemke (Naturwissenschaften 98:995–1008, 2011) argued that the taxonomic status of the three European medicinal leeches, Hirudo medicinalis Linnaeus 1758, Hirudo verbana Carena 1820, and Hirudo orientalis Utevsky and Trontelj (Parasitol Res 98:61?66, 2005) is “questionable” since “all three species interbreed in the laboratory”. This statement is in conflict with data published by Elliott and Kutschera (Freshwater Reviews 4:21?41, 2011), indicating that these leeches, which are reciprocally copulating hermaphrodites, represent reproductively isolated biospecies. Here, I summarize evidence indicating that these three European taxa, plus the North African “dragon leech” (Hirudo troctina Johnson 1816), must be interpreted as a complex of closely related species, and that the economically most important taxon H. verbana is polymorphic.     

University research for sustainable development: definition and characteristics explored

University research is pivotal for sustainable development, but to succeed, new ways of conducting research are needed. Only recently has the field of “sustainability and higher education” (SHE) started to deal with the issue. In this paper we define “university research for sustainable development” comprehensively as “all research conducted within the institutional context of a university that contributes to sustainable development”, and propose a set of twenty two preliminary characteristics of this concept. We provide foundational information in particular for various university stakeholders, and those of higher education in general, considering the (re)orientation of research towards sustainable development and offer a beginning of dialogue on the subject, within SHE.     

Amphimixis and the individual in evolving populations: does Weismann’s Doctrine apply to all,most or a few organisms?

The German biologist August Weismann (1834–1914) proposed that amphimixis (sexual reproduction) creates variability for natural selection to act upon, and hence he became one of the founders of the Neo-Darwinian theory of biological evolution. He is perhaps best known for what is called “Weismann’s Doctrine” or “Weismann’s Barrier” (i.e. the irreversible separation of somatic and germ cell functionalities early during ontogeny in multicellular organisms). This concept provided an unassailable argument against “soft inheritance” sensu Lamarck and informed subsequent theorists that the only “individual” in the context of evolution is the mature, reproductive organism. Herein, we review representative model organisms whose embryology conforms to Weismann’s Doctrine (e.g. flies and mammals) and those that do not (e.g. freshwater hydroids and plants) based on this survey and the Five Kingdoms of Life scheme; we point out that most species (notably bacteria, fungi, protists and plants) are “non-Weismannian” in ways that make a canonical definition of the “individual” problematic if not impossible. We also review critical life history functional traits that allow us to create a matrix of all theoretically conceivable life cycles (for eukaryotic algae, embryophytes, fungi and animals), which permits us to establish where this scheme Weismann’s Doctrine holds true and where it does not. In addition, we argue that bacteria, the dominant organisms of the biosphere, exist in super-cellular biofilms but rarely as single (planktonic) microbes. Our analysis attempts to show that competition among genomic variants in cell lineages played a critical part in the evolution of multicellularity and life cycle diversity. This feature was largely ignored during the formulation of the synthetic theory of biological evolution and its subsequent elaborations.     

More news about quarks

The “constituents” quarks and leptons of matter (with rest-mass) are compared with the historical development of “elements” in chemistry. If unsaturated quarks induce high (and at the moment unpredictable) rest-masses above l0GeV, we have a new view of nuclei comprising (2Z + N) u-quarks and (Z +2N) d-quarks in their low-energy states, without any reference to protons and neutrons as permanent building-blocks. Recent studies of quarks and possible rishons (sub-quarks) and technicolour hadrons are reviewed, and the rôle of identity and cardinality in quantum mechanics analyzed.     

流域水质目标管理的AIZ量化分配技术

“分配影响区”（AIZ）概念是对传统混合区概念及其应用的一次重要补充和修正.它以保持水生态完整性为目的,将分配的概念引入对混合区的管理.AIZ过程涉及的“相对环境价值”、“保护水平”和“毒性质量”等重要概念需要多学科共同研究确定,也是分配过程的关键.在详细介绍了AIZ制定过程的基础上,以大宁河为例说明分配计算过程.采用基于毒性质量的分配方法,结合相关文献资料确定水体用途区和有关参数,计算出各用途区内AIZ的允许面积,该面积即为水体中各排放允许的影响区域.最后给出计算结果说明和管理应用,认为该分配结果要严于一般的“混合区”规定.同时认为该方法是对水体进行综合、量化管理的一个有效手段.      

Co-control of carbon dioxide and air pollutant emissions in China from a cost-effective perspective

With increases in the economy and standards of living, energy consumption has grown significantly in China, which has resulted in serious local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Because both carbon dioxide (CO₂) and air pollutant emissions mainly stem from fossil energy use, a co-control strategy is simulated and compared with single control in China, using an integrated assessment model (Global Change Assessment Model-Tsinghua University (GCAM-TU)) in this paper. We find that end-of-pipe (EOP) control measures play an important role in reducing air pollution in the near future, but in the long run, optimizing the energy system is an effective way to control both emissions. Reducing air pollutant might take a “free-ride” of decarbonizing the energy system. Compared with a single control of air pollutants, a co-control strategy is likely to reduce the requirement of EOP control measures. The result guides the Chinese government to consider a systemic and scientific plan for decarbonizing the energy system and co-controlling CO₂ and air pollutant, in order to avoid duplicate investments in infrastructure and lockup effect. The solution could be extended to many other developing countries, such as India and Africa, which is helpful to realize the goals of United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Agenda.

     

Typologies of crop-drought vulnerability: an empirical analysis of the socio-economic factors that influence the sensitivity and resilience to drought of three major food crops in China (1961–2001)

Why is it that sometimes small droughts trigger serious crop losses while in other cases even large droughts do not have such a major effect? In this paper, we identify socio-economic indicators associated with sensitivity and resilience to drought for each of China's main grain crops (rice, wheat and corn). Provincial harvest and rainfall data (1961–2001) are used to calculate an annual “crop-drought vulnerability index”. We separate “sensitive cases” (where significant harvest losses occurred in years with only minor droughts) and “resilient cases” (where harvest losses were minimal despite there being a major drought) and explore the socio-economic characteristics of these different situations. Results show that sensitive cases were particularly common in economically poor landlocked provinces and in wealthy coastal areas that have a limited land base. In such “sensitive cases”, the size of the rural population and the quantity of agricultural inputs were negatively correlated with drought vulnerability, while for resilient cases, vulnerability was negatively correlated with the abundance of land. This leads us to propose a series of drought-vulnerability typologies based on the extent to which land, labour, capital, agricultural technology, and infrastructure buffer or exacerbate the effect of a drought event.     

Prioritization of climate change adaptation approaches in the Gambia

Adaptation to climate change has been recognized as very important in developing countries that face the greatest threats from global warming. In proposing various adaptation approaches, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change required nations to prepare adaptation plans of action. However, the areas of priority in climate change adaptation have not been considered. This study has developed a new prioritization methodology for climate change adaptation in developing countries. Five categories and 25 approaches in climate change adaptation were adopted through a thorough and detailed analysis of pertinent literature related to the National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) in the Gambia. A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process-based questionnaire survey was designed and presented to 12 experts chosen from the committee members of the Gambia’s NAPA. The survey was made to determine the relative importance of the strategies for climate change adaptation. The results indicate that the five most important adaptation categories are health (0.223), forestry (0.213), water (0.210), food (0.181), and energy (0.174), with health as the number one priority in climate change adaptation. Further findings show that the prioritization order of the adaptation approaches to climate change in the Gambia is as follows: “Health education,” “public sensitization,” “water supply infrastructure development,” “microfinance,” and “infrastructure and technology enhancement.”     

Artificial intelligence in obstetric ultrasound: A scoping review

The objective is to summarize the current use of artificial intelligence (AI) in obstetric ultrasound. PubMed, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched using the following keywords “neural networks”, OR “artificial intelligence”, OR “machine learning”, OR “deep learning”, AND “obstetrics”, OR “obstetrical”, OR “fetus”, OR “foetus”, OR “fetal”, OR “foetal”, OR “pregnancy”, or “pregnant”, AND “ultrasound” from inception through May 2022. The search was limited to the English language. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they described the use of AI in obstetric ultrasound. Obstetric ultrasound was defined as the process of obtaining ultrasound images of a fetus, amniotic fluid, or placenta. AI was defined as the use of neural networks, machine learning, or deep learning methods. The authors’ search identified a total of 127 papers that fulfilled our inclusion criteria. The current uses of AI in obstetric ultrasound include first trimester pregnancy ultrasound, assessment of placenta, fetal biometry, fetal echocardiography, fetal neurosonography, assessment of fetal anatomy, and other uses including assessment of fetal lung maturity and screening for risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. AI holds the potential to improve the ultrasound efficiency, pregnancy outcomes in low resource settings, detection of congenital malformations and prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes.     

陆海统筹视角下茂名市海岸带生态安全格局规划研究

作为国土空间规划的三大战略格局之一,生态安全格局是海岸带地区生态安全的重要保障。本研究遵循“陆海统筹、生态优先”的理念,基于“本底分析−要素识别−格局构建”的总体思路,采用陆海生态敏感性评价、最小累积阻力模型、“源地−廊道−节点”模型等分析方法,规划构建了茂名市海岸带的生态安全格局。结果表明：（1）研究区的海岸侵蚀和特...     

Sex-specific effects of parasites on telomere dynamics in a short-lived passerine—the blue tit

The pollination syndrome concept implies that flowers evolved with particular sets of characteristics, such as colors, shapes, orientations, and rewards, as a means of attracting pollinators. However, these traits may have also evolved to deter unwanted visitors. The North American genus Penstemon exhibits a great floral diversity that is mainly associated with bumblebee and hummingbird pollination. Evolutionary shifts from insect pollination to hummingbird pollination have occurred in Penstemon repeatedly, but some species maintain mixed-pollination systems and intermediate floral traits between bee- and hummingbird-pollination modes. The apparently intermediate floral traits of species with mixed-pollination systems might be potentially acting to deter bumblebee foragers. Then, bird-flower traits might be selected with increased hummingbird visitation over evolutionary time might, resulting in specialization to and the evolution of floral traits present in hummingbird-pollinated species. Here, we modified bee-pollination floral traits in Penstemon gentianoides with a mixed pollination system, to resemble hummingbird-pollination traits, and measured the effects of trait modification on bumblebee foraging behavior and plant female reproductive fitness. Our results showed that reduction in the width of the corolla tube and the absence of the corolla lip negatively affects bumblebee visitation and their efficiency as pollinators, and that the synergistic interaction of both traits enhanced the “anti-bee” effect. We conclude that acquisition of floral traits that resemble those of hummingbird-pollination enables Penstemon plant species to deter bumblebee visits.

     

Advancing Extended Producer Responsibility in Canada

Rising waste levels in Canada necessitate renewed waste reduction efforts, with a focus on prevention. Extended Producer Responsibility is an important policy tool, which has the potential to impact materials management systems and drive pollution prevention efforts. This article contrasts the European approach to producer responsibility with “product stewardship” initiatives in Canada, highlighting British Columbia's experience with “full product stewardship”. Lessons from European and Canadian stewardship programs highlight the importance of designing EPR programs with clear legislation that encourages sustainable product design by delivering a full range of signals to producers. Recommendations are developed for advancing EPR in Canada.     

Environmental management accounting as a reflexive modernization strategy in cleaner production

Understanding the material purchase value of wastes and emissions and related processing costs is the essential contribution of an Environmental Management Accounting methodology proposed by a United Nations expert working group organised through the Division for Sustainable Development (UNDSD). Tracing costs and benefits according to this UNDSD methodology, considered as a “reflexive” modernization strategy in this article, sheds new light on cleaner production initiatives for corporate sustainability. Information on the first category of costs, waste and emission treatment, is generally the most accurate. Information on the second category, prevention and environmental management costs, is more difficult to determine because this category overlaps with, or is confused with, the first category of costs. Data for the two novel and innovative cost categories of the material purchase value of waste and emissions and related processing costs are even harder to obtain. Frequently, the costs are either hidden in overhead accounts or are not recorded because they are not required in conventional accounting systems. The outcome is that companies, even though they may profess otherwise, have very little knowledge about their full environmental costs, cost saving opportunities, or how best to achieve cleaner production initiatives to promote corporate sustainability. A more systematic application of the UNDSD EMA methodology would provide a better record of costs and act as a catalyst in promoting cleaner production processes. This application inevitably requires “reflexive institutions” including “reflexive corporations”, that is, corporations with the capacity to examine the side effects of their operations as modernization rebounds upon them.     

Sustainable tourism destinations: the importance of cleaner production

“Sustainable tourism destination” is an emerging term used in recognition schemes to promote sustainable development at destinations. This concept, which is still being developed, has the potential to stimulate the implementation of sustainable development through an interdisciplinary, holistic and integrative approach which combines different aspects of existing tools. This article will discuss the following:

• •conceptual definitions for sustainable tourism destinations
• •the need to integrate different approaches and tools for developing sustainable tourism destinations
• •the role which Cleaner Production plays in terms of developing sustainable tourism destinations

Cleaner production has an important role, to ensure that “prevention” is built into the concept of sustainable tourism destinations. It contributes by providing both a general strategy and specific experiences which may enhance other existing tools, concepts and policies. These can be integrated in a synergistic manner to achieve sustainable tourism destinations.