Toward an applied phenomenology: The case of abandoned pier use in Hoboken,New Jersey,USA

This research demonstrates the contribution of phenomenological inquiry within the realm of geographic and environmental planning. The contention is that a focus on the wide range of individual meanings and values ascribed to landscapes, a marginalized element in many planning assessments, can bring out data to more substantively inform decision making, A case study of user meanings imparted to residual waterfront land in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, suggests that such property provides an array of amenities to residents. Most importantly, it expands the range of recreational activities, creates visual relief from the monotonous urban milieu, and provides scenic vistas to promote an awareness of the quality of life still possible in cities. The study concludes that planners can use phenomenology to generate data for more judicious decision making.     

The psychological effects of false-positive results in prenatal screening for fetal abnormality: A prospective study

The purpose of the study was to describe the impact of false-positive results from initial maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MS-AFP) screening. The analyses compared two groups of women, those receiving a negative result (n = 346) and those receiving an initial positive result (n = 26), over four time points—prior to testing, immediately after testing, later in pregnancy, and in the post-partum period. Receiving an abnormal result was associated with high levels of anxiety which were reflected in increased worry about the baby's health and a more negative attitude towards the pregnancy and the baby. Women who had an initial abnormal result were offered a variety of further tests. Those women who went on to have amniocentesis were less worried about their baby's health in the third trimester and also less anxious post-partum than those who did not have amniocentesis. In view of the increasing number of screening tests available, it is necessary to establish whether and how these levels of distress can best be reduced.     

The management of household hazardous waste in the United Kingdom

Waste legislation in the United Kingdom (UK) implements European Union (EU) Directives and Regulations. However, the term used to refer to hazardous waste generated in household or municipal situations, household hazardous waste (HHW), does not occur in UK, or EU, legislation. The EU's Hazardous Waste Directive and European Waste Catalogue are the principal legislation influencing HHW, although the waste categories described are difficult to interpret. Other legislation also have impacts on HHW definition and disposal, some of which will alter current HHW disposal practices, leading to a variety of potential consequences. This paper discusses the issues affecting the management of HHW in the UK, including the apparent absence of a HHW-specific regulatory structure. Policy and regulatory measures that influence HHW management before disposal and after disposal are considered, with particular emphasis placed on disposal to landfill.     

BENTHIC INVERTEBRATES IN A NORTH-FLOWING STREAM AND A SOUTH-FLOWING STREAM,BROOKS RANGE,ALASKA1

ABSTRACT: Benthic invertebrate faunas were compared to two fifth-order streams, the Atigun River flowing northward and the Dietrich River flowing southward. Sixty-eight taxa were collected, forty-nine from each stream. Aquatic insects comprised 88% of the taxa and 97% of the individuals from the Dietrich River and 73% of the taxa and 97% of the individuals from the Atigun River. Diptera, especially Chironomidae, were most abundant. Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Oligochaeta, Acarina, and Collembola were significant. In both streams the headwaters were dominated by the subfamily Diamesinae which was replaced by Orthocladiinae downstream. Diversity seemed to increase with stream order. Cluster analysis showed a high degree of resemblance between the benthic faunas of the rivers. Faunal resemblance decreased with increasing distance between stations, both within and between the streams. Although some taxa may occur in only one stream, the evidence for faunal resemblance is stronger than for faunal differences. Other studies have shown that differences in total radiation associated with valley aspect affect local climate, hydrology, and distribution of terrestrial plants and animals. However, the benthic faunas of Atigun and Dietrich Rivers were remarkably similar. Factors which operate independently of aspect, possibly freezing solid in winter, may control the occurrence of species in these streams.     

COMPARISON OF FOUR ARTIFICIAL SUBSTRATES AND THE PONAR GRAB FOR BENTHIC INVERTEBRATE COLLECTION1

ABSTRACT: Four different bottom-placed artificial substrates were compared with the Ponar grab for collecting benthic invertebrates. Artificial substrate samples of organisms were larger and more diverse than those of the grab. Barbeque Basket samplers caught the most taxa and individuals and Beak Trays caught the least. Chironomids and crustaceans were dominant in artificial substrate samples. Exposure habitat (left or right bank) determined taxa availability, whereas sampler design determined suitability for colonization by the taxa. Diversity for Beak Tray samples was lower than that for other artificial substrates but higher than for Ponar samples. The Barbeque Basket, Bull Basket, and Multiple Plate samples were taxonomically similar. Ponar samples were different, and Beak Trays were of intermediate similarity. As qualitative samplers, Barbeque Baskets were 63 percent efficient, followed by Bull Baskets (55 percent), Multiple Plates (48 percent), Beak Trays (38 percent), and Ponar Grabs (6–10 percent). Bull Baskets required the least and Beak Trays the most replicates to be within a preselected percentage error of the mean at the 95 percent probability level for numbers of taxa and individuals, and for diversity. Under conditions of the study, Bull Baskets ranked highest, followed by Barbeque Baskets and Multiple Plates, in selected performance criteria. Differences between grab and artificial substrate samples are explainable in terms of major riverine habitats and characteristics of the collection methods.     

Targeting Ecosystem Features for Conservation: Standing Crops in the Florida Everglades

Abstract: The Everglades in southern Florida, U.S.A., is a major focus of conservation activities. The freshwater wetlands of the Everglades do not have high species richness, and no species of threatened aquatic animals or plants live there. We have, however, identified a distinctive ecological feature of the Everglades that is threatened by canal construction, draining, and nutrient enrichment from agricultural runoff. Compared to values reported from other freshwater systems, standing stocks of periphyton in relatively undisturbed areas of the Everglades were unusually high, and standing stocks of invertebrates and fish were unusually low. Averaging data gathered from nine sites and five sampling periods spanning 1 year, we found that periphyton standing crop was 88.2 g/m² (ash-free dry mass), invertebrate standing stock was 0.64 g/m² (dry mass), and fish standing stock was 1.2 g/m² (dry mass of large and small species combined). We found that fish standing stocks were much higher in phosphorus-enriched sites than in nearby reference sites but that invertebrate standing stocks were similar in enriched and reference sites. Our results support the notion that oligotrophy is at least partially responsible for the low standing stocks of fish, but they also suggest that species interactions and a paucity of deep-water refugia are important. Anthropogenic eutrophication in Everglades marshes will lead to the loss of distinctive ecosystem features. A focus on species richness and "hot spots" of threatened species provides no basis for conservation of ecosystems like the Everglades. If oligotrophic ecosystems often have low species richness, they will be underrepresented in preservation networks based on some common criteria for establishing conservation priorities.     

Mission impossible?: Adopting a CSR-based business model for extractive industries in developing countries

Corporations in the extractive industries often state their commitment to “corporate social responsibility” principles, but their actual implementation of these principles, particularly in developing countries, is questionable. This contradiction between rhetoric and reality is attributable to the fact that these companies have not fully integrated CSR into their business models. This can been seen in assessments of projects' costs and benefits, project and technology selection, respect for community consent, and performance incentive structures. The Marlin gold mine in Guatemala provides a concrete example of these sharp contradictions between stated CSR commitments and actual performance.