Comparison of recycling outcomes in three types of recycling collection units

Commercial institutions have many factors to consider when implementing an effective recycling program. This study examined the effectiveness of three different types of recycling bins on recycling accuracy by determining the percent weight of recyclable material placed in the recycling bins, comparing the percent weight of recyclable material by type of container used, and examining whether a change in signage increased recycling accuracy. Data were collected over 6 weeks totaling 30 days from 3 different recycling bin types at a Midwest University medical center. Five bin locations for each bin type were used. Bags from these bins were collected, sorted into recyclable and non-recyclable material, and weighed. The percent recyclable material was calculated using these weights. Common contaminates found in the bins were napkins and paper towels, plastic food wrapping, plastic bags, and coffee cups. The results showed a significant difference in percent recyclable material between bin types and bin locations. Bin type 2 was found to have one bin location to be statistically different (p = 0.048), which may have been due to lack of a trash bin next to the recycling bin in that location. Bin type 3 had significantly lower percent recyclable material (p < 0.001), which may have been due to lack of a trash bin next to the recycling bin and increased contamination due to the combination of commingled and paper into one bag. There was no significant change in percent recyclable material in recycling bins post signage change. These results suggest a signage change may not be an effective way, when used alone, to increase recycling compliance and accuracy. This study showed two or three-compartment bins located next to a trash bin may be the best bin type for recycling accuracy.     

An investigation of lifting operations on UK construction sites

Lifting operations and associated equipment have become commonplace within the UK construction industry. However, recent high profile accidents involving lifting equipment have shown that the result of its misuse can have serious cost and health implications.The main aim of the research was to investigate lifting operations on construction sites exploring different options, their effectiveness, and their effect on safety. This research looked into the processes in place; the factors that have to be taken into consideration when placing and using lifting equipment; and the competent persons required when operating equipment. With these aims, literature review was conducted. This was followed by investigation on three construction sites. These case studies were enhanced through interviews with general site staff, managerial staff, and appointed persons.The findings revealed six main points to improve safety in lifting operations. These are: through planning; training; equipment selection, use and inspection; feedback/communication; appointed person’s role; and database. Thorough planning of lifting operations has positive effects on safety. There is need for tighter accreditation of all qualifications in the lifting operations field. The charter of major lifting equipment from specialist contractors should be considered as industry best practise. Companies should avoid authoritarian working culture to facilitate efficient feedback to improve safety. The appointed person should have site based role. Site inspections and maintenance should be monitored on a national database form.Practitioners can benefit from this paper as it provides information on experiences from three construction sites. Furthermore, researchers can use the findings for their future studies.     

Shoaling fish can size-assort by chemical cues alone

Animals that form groups are typically assorted by phenotype. For example, fish shoals are notably composed of closely size-matched individuals, yet the sensory mechanisms that promote this behaviour have not been fully determined. Here, we show that two freshwater shoaling fish species, three-spined stickleback and banded killifish, have a greater preference for the chemical cues of conspecifics that are the same size as themselves than for those of larger or smaller conspecifics. We suggest that this ability to determine their own size relative to conspecifics may be based on chemical self-referencing. This provides a novel insight to the mechanisms underlying a widespread phenomenon in social behaviour, and provides further evidence of the crucial role played by chemical cues in structuring the interactions of fishes.     

Local Government and the WSSD

Abstract

For over a century the development industry has been less than mindful of the laws of nature and ecology. Among the negative side effects of this development track is the accumulation of nutrients in our soils and water, and greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. There is already evidence that this increased concentration is going to fundamentally change our Earth's climate and natural environment beyond recognition and predictability. The two superstorms that struck the southern United States in 2005 are an indication of the strength and frequency with which similar disasters might afflict other communities in the future. The time for celebrating the small fixes and innovations of a few industry leaders is over. Global collaboration and collective will are needed now if we are to reshape the future of our planet. New tools, economic constructs and political awareness provide the impetus and wherewithal to take on this challenge.     

Development of an Ecologic Marine Classification in the New Zealand Region

We describe here the development of an ecosystem classification designed to underpin the conservation management of marine environments in the New Zealand region. The classification was defined using multivariate classification using explicit environmental layers chosen for their role in driving spatial variation in biologic patterns: depth, mean annual solar radiation, winter sea surface temperature, annual amplitude of sea surface temperature, spatial gradient of sea surface temperature, summer sea surface temperature anomaly, mean wave-induced orbital velocity at the seabed, tidal current velocity, and seabed slope. All variables were derived as gridded data layers at a resolution of 1 km. Variables were selected by assessing their degree of correlation with biologic distributions using separate data sets for demersal fish, benthic invertebrates, and chlorophyll-a. We developed a tuning procedure based on the Mantel test to refine the classification's discrimination of variation in biologic character. This was achieved by increasing the weighting of variables that play a dominant role and/or by transforming variables where this increased their correlation with biologic differences. We assessed the classification's ability to discriminate biologic variation using analysis of similarity. This indicated that the discrimination of biologic differences generally increased with increasing classification detail and varied for different taxonomic groups. Advantages of using a numeric approach compared with geographic-based (regionalisation) approaches include better representation of spatial patterns of variation and the ability to apply the classification at widely varying levels of detail. We expect this classification to provide a useful framework for a range of management applications, including providing frameworks for environmental monitoring and reporting and identifying representative areas for conservation.     

Social recognition in sticklebacks: the role of direct experience and habitat cues

The social organisation of animals relies on recognition. However, there are many means by which animals may recognise one another and a variety of cues are available to any individual at any one time. We tested the effects of cues based on direct experience and of cues based on habitat and diet on association decisions in the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Our results show that sticklebacks rapidly acquire association preferences for novel con- and heterospecifics (nine-spined sticklebacks, Pungitius pungitius) which had experienced the same habitat and diet conditioning as themselves over novel con- and heterospecifics which had experienced a different habitat and diet conditioning, a preference which may be based on self-referent matching. Association preferences were observed after only 24 h and were independent of the number of tank mates (treatments with 20 and 100 fish). Evidence for the influence of direct social experience on association preferences was weak and may be confounded by other factors.Communicated by K. Lindström     

“Is this really a police station?”: Police department exteriors and judgments of authority, professionalism, and approachability

This study examined the relationship between exteriors of police department facilities and participants’ ratings of the buildings’ authority, professionalism, and approachability. After a pilot study, research was conducted with 122 participants who were undergraduate students from a small, liberal arts college in the Northeast. On each of three characteristics (authority, professionalism, and approachability), participants rated 16 color images of police departments located in the United States. The façade ratings for each characteristic were then categorized into factors through factor analyses. There were three factors for authority (Ineffectual, Strong, and Outdated); three for professionalism (Unskilled, Non-traditional, and Governmental); and four for approachability (Uninviting, Accessible, Public, and Impenetrable). The results were compared to participants’ scores on the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (Altemeyer, 1981) and the Social Dominance Orientation scale (Sidanius & Pratto, 1999). Although the primary goal for the study was to determine whether there are consistent responses to police department exteriors, it was hypothesized that the façade ratings would relate to the authoritarianism ratings, with more authoritarian people expected to rate the façades higher in authority. Although this hypothesis was not supported, significant findings were related to gender. Applications to architectural design are discussed.     

Syndromic congenital diaphragmatic hernia: Current incidence and outcome. Analysis from the congenital diaphragmatic hernia study group registry

Background

The aim of this study was to describe the incidence of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, CDH, associated with known or clinically suspected syndromes, and the postnatal outcomes from a large database for CDH.

Methods

Data from the multicenter, multinational database on infants with CDH (Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Study Group Registry) born from 1996 to 2020 were analyzed. Patients with known or suspected syndromes were grouped and outcome data were analyzed and compared to those without syndromic features.

Results

A total of 12,553 patients were entered in the registry during the study period, and 421 had reported known syndromes, representing 3.4% of all CDH cases in the registry. A total of 50 different associated syndromes were reported. In addition to those with clinically suspected genetic conditions, a total rate of genetic syndromes with CDH was 8.2%. The overall survival to discharge for syndromic CDH was 34% and for non-syndromic CDH was 76.7%. The most common were syndromes Fryns syndrome (19.7% of all syndromes, 17% survival), trisomy 18 or Edward syndrome (17.5%, 9% survival), trisomy 21 or Down syndrome (9%, 47% survival), trisomy 13 or Patau syndrome (6.7%, 14% survival), Cornelia de Lange syndrome (6.4% of all syndromes, 22% survival) and Pallister-Killian syndrome (5.5% of all syndromes, 39.1% survival). In addition, 379 cases had reported chromosomal anomalies and 233 cases had clinically suspected syndromes, based on two more dysmorphic features or malformations in addition to CDH, but without molecular diagnosis. The syndromic CDH group had lower birth weight and gestational age at birth and increased incidence of bilateral CDH (2.9%) and rates of non-repair (53%). The length of hospital stay was longer, and larger number of patients needed O₂ at 30 days. Extracorporeal life support was used only in 15% of the cases. Those who underwent surgical repair had survival to discharge rates of 73%.

Conclusion

Syndromic CDH is rare and only 3.4% of the reported cases of CDH have a known syndrome or association, but, if including patients with two dysmorphic features malformations, in addition to CDH, altogether as many as 8.2% have a diagnosed or suspected genetic condition. These children have with lower survival rates. Given higher rates of non-repair and decreased extracorporeal life support use, along with a high early mortality, decision-making regarding goals of care clearly influences outcomes. Survival varies depending on the genetic cause. Early genetic diagnosis is important and may influence the decision-making.     

The Effects of Changing Land Cover on Streamflow Simulation in Puerto Rico

This study quantitatively explores whether land cover changes have a substantive impact on simulated streamflow within the tropical island setting of Puerto Rico. The Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) was used to compare streamflow simulations based on five static parameterizations of land cover with those based on dynamically varying parameters derived from four land cover scenes for the period 1953‐2012. The PRMS simulations based on static land cover illustrated consistent differences in simulated streamflow across the island. It was determined that the scale of the analysis makes a difference: large regions with localized areas that have undergone dramatic land cover change may show negligible difference in total streamflow, but streamflow simulations using dynamic land cover parameters for a highly altered subwatershed clearly demonstrate the effects of changing land cover on simulated streamflow. Incorporating dynamic parameterization in these highly altered watersheds can reduce the predictive uncertainty in simulations of streamflow using PRMS. Hydrologic models that do not consider the projected changes in land cover may be inadequate for water resource management planning for future conditions.