The personal,social and environmental sustainability of Jainism in light of Maharishi Vedic Science

The Jain tradition of ecological awareness and sustainability has been well documented over the last 25 years, although its roots lie deep in Indian history, specifically in texts such as the Tattvārtha Sūtra and ācārā?ga Sūtra. This traditional body of knowledge includes a long-standing theory and practice of personal, social and environmental sustainability, addressing such views as the interconnectedness of humans and the laws of nature, the interdependence of everything in the universe, the responsibility of humans to conserve and preserve natural resources, the avoidance of wanton and unnecessary waste generation, and a general aversion to mistreating or abusing the environment. These views encapsulate the lifestyles of some ten million people, including both mendicants and laity. Similarly, Maharishi Vedic Science, the systematic exploration and practical application of the Veda and Vedic Literature as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, makes a compelling case for establishing the unity of human life with nature and for promoting actions which guarantee both the protection of nature and protection by it. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the principles of sustainability in Jainism and the corresponding viewpoint of Maharishi Vedic Science, including supporting scientific evidence of its application, and to posit their contribution to a sustainable world future.     

Introduced and cryptogenic species in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia

Port Phillip Bay (PPB) is a large (1,930 km²), temperate embayment in southern Victoria, Australia. Extensive bay-wide surveys of PPB have occurred since 1840. In 1995/1996 the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Centre for Research on Introduced Marine Pests (CRIMP) undertook an intensive evaluation of the region with the aims of developing a comprehensive species list of native and introduced biota and contrasting previous bay-wide assessments with a current field survey in order to detect new incursions and discern alterations to native communities. Two methods were used to meet these aims: a re-evaluation of regional museum collections and published research in PPB to identify and determine the timing of introductions; and field surveys for benthic (infauna, epifauna and encrusting) organisms between September 1995 to March 1996. One hundred and sixty introduced (99) and cryptogenic (61) species were identified representing over 13% of the recorded species of PPB. As expected, the majority of these are concentrated around the shipping ports of Geelong and Melbourne. Invasions within PPB appear to be increasing, possibly due to an increase in modern shipping traffic and an increase in aquaculture (historically associated with incidental introductions); however the records of extensive biological surveys suggest that this may, in part, be an artefact of sampling effort. In contrast to Northern Hemisphere studies, PPB (and Southern Hemisphere introductions in general) have significantly different suites of successfully invading taxa. PPB is presented as one of the most invaded marine ecosystems in the Southern Hemisphere.Communicated by M.S. Johnson, Crawley     

Attitudes towards sex selection for non-medical reasons: a review

Early non-invasive fetal sexing is widely available over the Internet, leading to concerns about its possible use for sex selection. The aim of this review is to summarise the results of surveys describing lay attitudes towards sex selection for non-medical reasons to help address or inform such concerns. A search of electronic databases and key journals was supplemented by an Internet search and citation-tracking. Twenty-one quantitative studies were identified. Most were conducted in the US, with five recent studies in the UK and Germany. Most studies found that, overall, people were not in favour of sex selection. However, this varied from 94 to 18%. People may hold more negative attitudes when the method of sex selection is specified, particularly if this involves termination of pregnancy (TOP). Attitudes towards the general availability of sex selection are less negative than those towards personal use. Attitudes were consistently negative in German surveys. Little is known of such attitudes outside the US, the UK and Germany, and how such attitudes may change as new sex selection technologies become available. Studies of use of early non-invasive fetal sexing for sex selection for non-medical reasons are needed to assess the extent to which concerns about usage are justified and to assist in debates on how these might be most appropriately addressed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Macroinvertebrate Regionalisation for use in the Management of Aquatic Ecosystems in Victoria, Australia

The development of a broader, more holistic approach to aquaticecosystem management has been called for in recent years. Physical and chemical objectives alone are no longer consideredsufficient for the protection of aquatic ecosystems and shouldbe supplemented with biological objectives. The ubiquitousand sedentary nature of macroinvertebrates, combined with theirmeasurable response to environmental conditions, favour their use as important indicators in environmental policies. To establish biological objectives, there is a need for a regionalframework to limit the variability between ecosystems. Past studies have demonstrated that an a posteriori regionalisationapproach may be more useful than an a priori approach in explaining single component (e.g. macroinvertebrates) patternsacross ecosystems. This is particularly important as aquaticresource management agencies often focus on one or twocomponents of the ecosystem to assess environmental health. This study uses an a posteriori method to delineate and describebiological regions based on edge and riffle macroinvertebrate data. The regionalisation will provide a framework for settingbiological objectives, based on the range of reference conditionsmeasured within each separate region. The objectives will includeregional checklists for taxa and biotic indices. Predictive modelling in the style of RIVPACS or AUSRIVAS will also be usedwithin each region to develop objectives, incorporating local, regional and systematic features as predictor variables.     

Chlorobiphenyl contaminants at Pladda and Garroch Head in the Firth of Clyde in relation to sewage sludge input

Sewage sludge dumped at Garroch Head in the Firth of Clyde contains significant quantities of chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (CBs). These compounds are lipophilic and resistant to degradation. They accumulate in the biota either from the water column or through the food chain, particularly in tissue with a high lipid content. Bottom dwelling fish, such as plaice, in the vicinity of the dump site will accumulate CBs from their environment. Eighteen of the 209 CBs were measured in plaice livers from the Garroch Head dump site and from Pladda, a site reasonably remote from the dump site but also in the Clyde, over a 7 year period prior to the cessation of dumping in December 1998. Concentrations of the congeners in the liver of fish caught at the dump site were, in general, higher than those in the liver of fish caught at Pladda. Concentrations in the plaice livers for the sum of 18 CBs ranged from 1611 to 8471 micrograms kg-1 lipid for Garroch Head samples and from 336.9 to 2635 micrograms kg-1 lipid for samples from Pladda. The data were evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA). Pattern analysis was undertaken by normalising to the recalcitrant CB 153. Livers from the dump site were found to have a higher proportion of the lower chlorinated CBs. CB patterns were similar at the Garroch Head dump site from year to year, but multivariate techniques showed that there were differences in pattern when normalised to CB 153.     

The application of HPLC-F and GC-MS to the analysis of selected hydroxy polycyclic hydrocarbons in two certified fish bile reference materials

Four selected hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs), 2-hydroxy-naphthalene (2-OH-NPH), 1-hydroxy-phenanthrene (1-OH-PHE), 1-hydroxy-pyrene (1-OH-PYR) and 3-hydroxy-benzo[a]pyrene (3-OH-BaP) have been analysed in two certified fish bile reference materials (CRMs) for exposure monitoring of PAHs in the aquatic environment. The two materials, BCR 720 and BCR 721, consist of bile from fish exposed to contaminated sediment and dispersed crude oil, respectively. Both bile samples have been analysed by two different analytical techniques, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (HPLC-F), and the separation performance, detection limits, recoveries and reproducibility for the four target compounds were evaluated. HPLC-F requires a simple sample preparation and the separation capacity is adequate for quantification of 1-OH-PYR and 3-OH-BaP. Detection limits are excellent for 1-OH-PYR (6 pg injected) and 3-OH-BaP (3 pg injected) and generally improved with increasing molecular size. Recoveries ranged from 48 to 99% for the four selected compounds, depending on compound and concentration. Sample preparation prior to GC-MS analysis was more demanding, as reflected by the obtained recoveries for 2-OH-NPH, 1-OH-PHE and 1-OH-PYR (35 to 61%). The sensitivity improved with decreasing molecular size, 2-OH-NPH (1.2 pg injected), 1-OH-PHE (2.4 pg injected) and 1-OH-PYR (6 pg injected). Because of the superior separation power of GC and the extra selectivity of MS detection, GC-MS was the method of choice for the determination of 2-OH-NPH and 1-OH-PHE in both CRMs. In fish bile samples these two compounds are more likely to suffer from chromatographic overlap, and HPLC-F was not sufficiently selective. Determination of 1-OH-PYR was performed with success by both methods, but HPLC-F would be preferred because of the simpler and less time-consuming sample preparation. Detectable concentrations of 3-OH-BaP were present in BCR 720 and could only be determined by HPLC-F. The present work aims to present HPLC-F and GC-MS as complementary methods for the quantitative analysis of OH-PAHs in fish bile.     

A Simulation of Temporal and Spatial Variations in Carbon at Landscape Level: A Case Study for Lake Abitibi Model Forest in Ontario,Canada

Using a case study of the Lake Abitibi Model Forest (LAMF), this study aims to assess the temporal and spatial variability in carbon storage during 1990–2000, and to present a comprehensive estimation of the carbon budget for LAMF's ecosystems. As well, it provided the information needed by local forest managers to develop ecological and carbon-based indicators and monitor the sustainability of forest ecosystems. Temporal and spatial carbon dynamics were simulated at the landscape level using ecosystem model TRIPLEX1.0 and Geographical Information System (GIS). The simulated net primary productivity (NPP) and carbon storage in forest biomass and soil were compared with field data and results from other studies for Canada's boreal forests. The results show that simulated NPP ranged from 3.26 to 3.34 tC ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in the 1990s and was consistent with the range measured during the Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Studies (BOREAS) in central Canada. Modeled NPP was also compared with the estimation from remote sensing data. The density of total above-and belowground biomass was 125.3, 111.8, and 106.5 tC ha⁻¹ for black spruce, trembling aspen, and jack pine in the LAMF ecosystem, respectively. The total carbon density of forested land was estimated at 154.4 tC ha⁻¹ with the proportion of 4:6 for total biomass and soil. The analysis of net carbon balance of ecosystem suggested that the LAMF forest ecosystem was acting as a carbon sink with an allowable harvest in the 1990s.     

Determination of in situ metal partitioning between particulate matter and ground water

This research was supported by a grant from the National Council for Research and Development, Israel, and the KFK, Karlsruhe, Germany.     

Improving the Urban Stream Restoration Effort: Identifying Critical Form and Processes Relationships

Stream restoration projects are often based on morphological form or stream type and, as a result, there needs to be a clear tie established between form and function of the stream. An examination of the literature identifies numerous relationships in naturally forming streams that link morphologic form and stream processes. Urban stream restoration designs often work around infrastructure and incorporate bank stabilization and grade control structures. Because of these imposed constraints and highly altered hydrologic and sediment discharge regimens, the design of urban channel projects is rather unclear. In this paper, we examine the state of the art in relationships between form and processes, the strengths and weaknesses of these existing relationships, and the current lack of understanding in applying these relationships in the urban environment. In particular, we identify relationships that are critical to urban stream restoration projects and provide recommendations for future research into how this information can be used to improve urban stream restoration design. It is also suggested that improving the success of urban restoration projects requires further investigation into incorporating process-based methodologies, which can potentially reduce ambiguity in the design and the necessity of using an abundant amount of in-stream structures.