PERCEIVED QUALITY OF CARE: THE INFLUENCE OF THE WAITING ROOM ENVIRONMENT

The current study investigated the effect of the physical environment of the waiting room on perceptions of the quality of care of the physician. One hundred forty-seven college students and 58 senior citizens viewed 35 slides of physicians' waiting rooms. Using a visual analog scale, participants rated the perceived quality of care and the environment of each waiting room. The primary hypothesis was that perceived quality of care would be greater for waiting rooms that were nicely furnished, well-lighted, contained artwork, and were warm in appearance versus waiting rooms that had outdated furnishings, were dark, contained no artwork or poor quality reproductions, and were cold in appearance. Factor analyses of the care and environment ratings produced factors consistent with the hypothesis. Additionally, waiting rooms judged to be those of female physicians were rated higher on both perceived quality of care and comfort in the environment.     

Estimating the Effect of Protected Lands on the Development and Conservation of Their Surroundings

Abstract:  The fate of private lands is widely seen as key to the fate of biodiversity in much of the world. Organizations that work to protect biodiversity on private lands often hope that conservation actions on one piece of land will leverage the actions of surrounding landowners. Few researchers have, however, examined whether protected lands do in fact encourage land conservation nearby or how protected lands affect development in the surrounding landscape. Using spatiotemporal data sets on land cover and land protection for three sites (western North Carolina, central Massachusetts, and central Arizona), we examined whether the existence of a protected area correlates with an increased rate of nearby land conservation or a decreased rate of nearby land development. At all sites, newly protected conservation areas tended to cluster close to preexisting protected areas. This may imply that the geography of contemporary conservation actions is influenced by past decisions on land protection, often made for reasons far removed from concerns about biodiversity. On the other hand, we found no evidence that proximity to protected areas correlates with a reduced rate of nearby land development. Indeed, on two of our three sites the development rate was significantly greater in regions with more protected land. This suggests that each conservation action should be justified and valued largely for what is protected on the targeted land, without much hope of broader conservation leverage effects.     

Climate Change,Marine Environments,and the U.S. Endangered Species Act

Climate change is expected to be a top driver of global biodiversity loss in the 21st century. It poses new challenges to conserving and managing imperiled species, particularly in marine and estuarine ecosystems. The use of climate‐related science in statutorily driven species management, such as under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), is in its early stages. This article provides an overview of ESA processes, with emphasis on the mandate to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to manage listed marine, estuarine, and anadromous species. Although the ESA is specific to the United States, its requirements are broadly relevant to conservation planning. Under the ESA, species, subspecies, and “distinct population segments” may be listed as either endangered or threatened, and taking of most listed species (harassing, harming, pursuing, wounding, killing, or capturing) is prohibited unless specifically authorized via a case‐by‐case permit process. Government agencies, in addition to avoiding take, must ensure that actions they fund, authorize, or conduct are not likely to jeopardize a listed species’ continued existence or adversely affect designated critical habitat. Decisions for which climate change is likely to be a key factor include: determining whether a species should be listed under the ESA, designating critical habitat areas, developing species recovery plans, and predicting whether effects of proposed human activities will be compatible with ESA‐listed species’ survival and recovery. Scientific analyses that underlie these critical conservation decisions include risk assessment, long‐term recovery planning, defining environmental baselines, predicting distribution, and defining appropriate temporal and spatial scales. Although specific guidance is still evolving, it is clear that the unprecedented changes in global ecosystems brought about by climate change necessitate new information and approaches to conservation of imperiled species. El Cambio Climático, los Ecosistemas Marinos y el Acta Estadunidense de Especies en Peligro     

Economic and Environmental Analysis of Retrofitting a Large Office Building with Energy-Efficient Lighting Systems

An evaluation of the economic and environmental costs and benefits that would result if the Zorinsky Federal Building, located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, converted its current lighting system to a more energy-efficient system (i.e., joined the EPA's Green Lights Program) was conducted. Lighting accounts for 20–25 percent of all electricity sold in the United States. Costs considered in the study included the cost of retrofitting the building's existing lighting system and the cost of disposal of the current lamps and ballast fixtures. Benefits included a reduction of electric utility costs and a reduction of emissions of SO₂, NO _x , CO₂, and CO from electric utility power plants. Environmental and health issues for air pollutant emissions were also addressed. The results showed that significant reductions in utility bills as well as reductions in air emissions would result from a major building converting to a more energy efficient lighting system. The results showed that conversion of this large building would reduce SO₂ emissions by 14.6 tons/yr and NO _x emissions by 6.3 tons/yr. In addition, the conversion would reduce annual energy costs by approximately $114,000.     

Relationships between Human Disturbance and Wildlife Land Use in Urban Habitat Fragments

Abstract: Habitat remnants in urbanized areas typically conserve biodiversity and serve the recreation and urban open‐space needs of human populations. Nevertheless, these goals can be in conflict if human activity negatively affects wildlife. Hence, when considering habitat remnants as conservation refuges it is crucial to understand how human activities and land uses affect wildlife use of those and adjacent areas. We used tracking data (animal tracks and den or bed sites) on 10 animal species and information on human activity and environmental factors associated with anthropogenic disturbance in 12 habitat fragments across San Diego County, California, to examine the relationships among habitat fragment characteristics, human activity, and wildlife presence. There were no significant correlations of species presence and abundance with percent plant cover for all species or with different land‐use intensities for all species, except the opossum (Didelphis virginiana), which preferred areas with intensive development. Woodrats (Neotoma spp.) and cougars (Puma concolor) were associated significantly and positively and significantly and negatively, respectively, with the presence and prominence of utilities. Woodrats were also negatively associated with the presence of horses. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) and coyotes (Canis latrans) were associated significantly and negatively and significantly and positively, respectively, with plant bulk and permanence. Cougars and gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) were negatively associated with the presence of roads. Roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus) were positively associated with litter. The only species that had no significant correlations with any of the environmental variables were black‐tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Bobcat tracks were observed more often than gray foxes in the study area and bobcats correlated significantly only with water availability, contrasting with results from other studies. Our results appear to indicate that maintenance of habitat fragments in urban areas is of conservation benefit to some animal species, despite human activity and disturbance, as long as the fragments are large.     

Reduced Adsorption of Ametryn in Clay,Humic Acid,and Soil by Interaction with Ferric Ion Under Fenton Treatment Conditions

Previous work in our laboratory indicated a weak interaction between ferric ion and several triazine/triazinone herbicides during a Fenton treatment process, and the intensity of the interaction was calculated. To further support the existence of this weak interaction, the adsorption of ametryn, a triazine herbicide, was investigated in kaolinite clay, humic acid, and soil under pseudo-Fenton conditions. At a low addition rate of ferric ion, the adsorption of ametryn in clay, humic acid, and soil was enhanced due to the decreased pH resulting from the hydrolysis of ferric ion. But the pH effect was totally neutralized and the adsorption of ametryn was significantly reduced by further addition of ferric ion, demonstrating the existence of the weak interaction between ametryn and ferric acid. Further study showed that the adsorption-reduction effect of ferric ion existed not only with ametryn but also with several other triazine/triazinone herbicides. This weak interaction may accelerate the desorption process during the remediation of triazine/triazinone herbicide-contaminated soil using a Fenton/Fenton-like treatment, but it may also impede the degradation of these herbicides.     

Factors Associated with Alien Plants Transitioning from Casual, to Naturalized, to Invasive

Abstract:  To explain current plant invasions, or predict future ones, more knowledge on which factors increase the probability of alien species becoming naturalized and subsequently invasive is needed. We created a database of the alien plants in seminatural habitats in Ireland that included data on taxonomy, invasive status, invasion history, distribution, and biological and ecological plant characteristics. We used information from this database to determine the importance of these factors in increasing the ability of species to become naturalized and invasive. More specifically, we used two multiple logistic regressions to identify factors that distinguish naturalized from casual alien plant species and invasive from noninvasive, naturalized alien species. Clonal growth, moisture-indicator value, nitrogen-indicator value, native range, and date of first record affected (in order of decreasing importance) the probability of naturalization. Factors that distinguished invasive from noninvasive species were ornamental introduction, hermaphrodite flowers, pollination mode, being invasive elsewhere, onset of flowering season, moisture-indicator value, native range, and date of first record. Incorporation of phylogenetic information had little influence on the results, suggesting that the capacity of alien species to naturalize and become invasive evolved largely independently in several phylogenetic lineages. Whereas some of the variables were important for both transitions, others were only important for naturalization or for invasion. This emphasizes the importance of studying different stages of the invasion process when looking for mechanisms of becoming a successful invasive plant, instead of simply comparing invasive with noninvasive alien species. Our results also suggest that a combination of species traits and other variables is likely to produce the most accurate prediction of invasions.