Sustainable Development and Strategic Thinking

From an economic point of view, the industrial economy is efficient to overcome situations of a scarcity of goods. From a technological point of view, the resource efficiency of the manufacturing processes of the industrial economy has been permanently improved during the last 200 years. In addition, cleaner processes have been developed. However, from an ecologic point of view, an increasing world population with increasing consumption has produced a ＂global footprint＂ which approaches the carrying capacity of the planet. A circular economy and its high-value spin-offs-a lake economy and a performance or functional service economy-can fulfil customers＇ needs with considerably less resource consumption, less environmental impairment in production and considerably less end-of-life product waste, especially in situations of affluence, when a considerable stock of physical goods and infrastructures exists. Also, in situations of a scarcity of natural resources, both energy and materials, often characterised by rapidly rising resource prices, the economic actors of a circular economy have a high competitive advantage over the actors of the industrial economy, due to much lower procurement costs for materials and energy. From a social point of view, a circular economy increases the number of skilled jobs in regional enterprises. However, the shift from a linear manufacturing economy to a circular or service economy means a change in economic thinking from flow （throughput） management to stock （asset） management： in a manufacturing economy with largely unsaturated markets, total wealth increases through accumulation as resource throughput （flow） is transformed into a higher stock of goods of better quality （but in a manufacturing economy with largely saturated markets, wealth represented by the stock of goods will no longer increase）; in a circular or service economy, total wealth increases through a smart management of existing physical assets （stock） that are adapted to changes in both technology and customer demand. This second approach not only applies to physical capital but equally to social capital, such as health and education and green GDP. To measure the social wealth of a population, it is not the amount of money spent on schools and hospitals that matters, butif this expenditure has led to a better education of the students, and a better health of the people.     

Geochemical characteristics of surficial sediments in a tropical estuary, south-west India

Geochemical characteristics of surficial sediments in the Panangad region of Cochin estuary, the largest brackish-water humid ecosystem in the south-west coast of India, were analysed. Temporal variations in nutrient stoichiometry, seasonal characteristics of redox elements Fe and S, and the phosphorus geochemistry were employed for the purpose. The stoichiometric analysis pointed towards autochthonous origin of organic matter, possibility of nitrogen limitation, and allochthonous modification of redox conditions. Seasonal variations were not statistically significant for all the geochemical parameters, whereas significant spatial variations were observed with lower values at sandy stations, suggesting that the texture of the sediments is the main factor influencing the sediment geochemistry. Significant inter-relations between the geochemical parameters also suggest a common control mechanism. Based on these geochemical characteristics, the study region can be effectively categorized into two distinct zones, viz. (1) erosion and transportation and (2) deposition zones.     

SUSTAINABILITY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL: MANAGEMENT TOOLS AND MUNICIPAL TAX INCENTIVE MODEL

The implementation of sustainable development may seem a simple concept when written on paper. However to carry-out long term actions put forward by the Agenda 21 (AG21) at the local level represents one of the main challenges as municipal governments in general do not have the capacity to effectively implement the process. Regional environmental assessment (REA) has shown to be effective in supporting decision-making not only to correct environmental problems due to past unsustainable social-economic developments but also help local governments to implement sustainable actions. However this requires long-term investments of AG21 plans and projects. The allocation of regular and consistent financial resources is one of the main ingredients for the sustainable development process. But traditional plans and projects financed by national and/or international funds may not be sustainable in the long-term because they become dependent on external funding. Research demonstrate that innovative economic instruments such as ecotaxes represent a feasible alternative to sponsor local sustainability because taxes are collected permanently by the government and could be invested in continuous actions. Ecotaxes experiences have provided important reference to structure a municipal incentive model (MIM) to sponsor AG21’s environmental plans and projects on a long-term (permanent) basis. However sustainable development cannot be solely through economic investments. A comprehensive municipal environmental management scheme (MEMS) has been established to support the incentive model. The scheme seeks not only to improve local institutional framework but also incentive continuous participation of local stakeholders at all levels of society. Participatory events and the provision of incentives (educational and financial) are key to motivate society to protect the environment and support actively the sustainable development process as emphasised in the RIO-92 Conference.     

Grower reported pesticide poisonings among Florida citrus fieldworkers

In a 1981 survey of 436 Florida citrus growers, 27 pesticide related poisoning incidents were reported that were to have taken place within one year of the interview date. From these reports it is possible to estimate that there are 376 citrus fieldworker related poisonings per year in Florida. This number of estimated poisonings may be developed into an incidence rate of 113 fieldworker poisonings per 10,000 fieldworkers.     

Effects of equipment loadings on geosynthetic-lined slope behaviour.

When combined in the lining and covering of waste-containment facilities, soil and geosynthetic components protect the environment by acting as a hydraulic barrier. Equipment loading may significantly increase the tensile stress induced in geosynthetic components, leading to a potential stability problem. Large equipment loadings may also result in a localized circular slip surface during construction operations. New analytical method based on discrete element modelling is proposed for estimating the distribution of tensile force developed in the individual geosynthetic components of the lining system and for evaluating the safety factor of slope failure due to equipment loading. The analytical results of an example are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the analytical method for the lining system of a waste landfill. The analyses of the example show that equipment loading provide a substantial increase in the tensile forces of the geosynthetic components of a lining system and that the possibility of shallow failure due to equipment loading increases as the slope becomes steeper. This method is a useful tool for analysing the lining system of waste landfills with complex lining components.     

Dandy – Walker syndrome and corpus callosum agenesis in 5p deletion

5p deletion syndrome commonly known as cri du chat is well described in affected neonates with catlike cry and hypotonia. Karyotyping will usually show a deletion of the short arm of one chromosome 5 with variable breakpoints. Only a few cases have been reported prenatally, and the fetal form of the syndrome has not been clearly individualised. We report a new case of 5p deletion syndrome diagnosed prenatally in association with Dandy–Walker syndrome and agenesis of the corpus callosum. Other brain anomalies have been reported previously, but this unusual association suggests the use of a specific probe in the investigation of these malformations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Utility of stormwater monitoring.

Stormwater runoff is now a major contributor to the pollution of coastal waters in the United States. Public agencies are responding by requiring stormwater monitoring to satisfy the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System stormwater permit. However, studies to understand the utility of the current programs or to improve their usefulness have not yet been performed. In this paper, we evaluate the land-use-based program, the industrial stormwater permit program, and beach water-quality monitoring in the County of Los Angeles, California, to determine if the results will be helpful to planners and regulators in abating stormwater pollution. The utility of the program has been assessed based on the programs' ability to accurately estimate the emissions for different classes of land use. The land-use program appears successful, while the industrial monitoring program does not. Beach water-quality monitoring suffers from a lack of real-time monitoring techniques. We also provide suggested improvements, such as sampling method and time, and parameter selection.     

Fetal phenotype of Prader–Willi syndrome due to maternal disomy for chromosome 15

Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) results from either paternal deletion of 15q11–q13, or maternal uniparental disomy (UPD) of chromosome 15 or imprinting center mutation. Prenatal diagnosis of PWS is currently indicated for chromosomal parental translocation involving chromosome 15 and for decreased fetal movements during the third trimester of gestation. Here we present the prenatal diagnosis of PWS during the first trimester of gestation and autopsy findings. Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) was performed for advanced maternal age at 13 weeks' gestation. CVS showed mosaicism including cells with a normal karyotype and cells with trisomy 15. Amniocentesis showed cells with a normal karyotype. Molecular analysis demonstrated that the fetus had a typical PWS abnormal methylation profile and maternal disomy for chromosome 15. Fetal ultrasound examination showed slightly enlarged lateral ventricles and hypoplasic male external genitalia without intra-uterine growth retardation. The autopsy showed a eutrophic male fetus with facial dysmorphy, hypoplasic genitalia, abnormal position of both feet and posterior hypoplasia of the corpus callosum. This report points out that in a karyotypically normal fetus with ambiguous male external genitalia and cerebral anomalies, extensive cytogenetic and molecular biology studies are strongly recommended because of risk of PWS. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.