Integrating affective values to sustainable behaviour focused on Kansei engineering

Due to the changes and complications of emerging society, designers are required not only to know about their design values, but also understand the link between their design and the impacts on the users. This paper aims to show a Kansei focused proposition for sustainable behaviour. By investigating the relationship between Subjective Preference (Like-Dislike) and product evaluation, it shows how affective values, which are used in Kansei engineering researches, influence user’s preferences. In this study, it was considering (1) various factors of product (e.g. the view variation and blackness of products), and (2) Reality Sets (Uninominal–Binominal). Car-front-face, car-side, car-multi-aspect (as Uninominal Reality Sets) and combinations of car front and side (as Binominal Reality Sets) were used as stimuli. The experiment consists of item screening and product evaluation. Subjects were participated in both. The aim of item screening was at selecting subjectively preferred/non-preferred images. Images, which were screened through item screening, were reconciliated per subject. The aim of product evaluation was at investigating if Subjective Preference has related to product evaluation. Semantic Differential method was used as product evaluation method. Evaluation values were preference, aesthetic and pleasure. The findings shows: (1) Subjective Preference is related to product evaluation independently in Uninominal Reality Sets, whereas Subjective Preference is related to product evaluation dependently in Binominal Reality Sets (2) partial preferred images influence product evaluation in Uninominal Reality Sets, whereas Binominal Reality Sets do not influence it.     

Questioning Community Based Coral Reef Management Systems: Case Study of Awig-Awig in Gili Indah, Indonesia

Issues and complexities arising when the fisheries and marine tourism sectors have stakes in an institution governing the coral reefs ecosystem called awig-awig are discussed, awig-awig is a colloquialism meaning ‘a local rule’. The community-based management system is commonly recognized as a better approach to governing resources, however, the success of awig-awig in the study area is questionable. Awig-awig fails to deal with the conflict of interest among stakeholders in coastal resource appropriation, despite the community being relatively culturally homogenous. The benefits of awig-awig are biased in favor of the tourism as opposed to fisheries, leading to the fishers’ resistance of awig-awig. There are critical factors to this weakness: a crisis of legitimacy within community, socio-economic inequality among actors involved in such system, high intervention from external agencies, and the institutional conflict over conservation policy. In addition, awig-awig reduces community spirit as it is perceived as not being attached to any customary law or traditional norms. Group cohesion is challenged and there is no common understanding of the problem or alternatives strategies.     

Dose response to cancerogenic and mutagenic treatments

Thirty-seven dose-response curves involving animal and plant material, subjected to treatment with cancerogenic chemicals and low-energy transfer ionizing radiation, have been gathered from the literature. In addition, one experiment in which a nutritional factor was used has been included in the results.Our calculations indicate that all the responses appear to fit the equation f = (Dⁿ)/(Kⁿ + Dⁿ) where f is the fraction of subjects affected, D is the dose applied, and K is a constant characteristic of the cancerogen or treatment. Both of these parameters are raised to the nth power and result in a family of curves. The values of n were found to range between 0.33 and 3.13 with a value close to 1.00 (linear at low doses) in only three cases. Data from these 38 reports are displayed in a logarithmic plot on a single graph. In addition to the values of n and K, as well as the dosages and responses needed to construct this graph, are presented in two tables.Our mathematical treatment of the published data shows an unexpected universality of biological behavior that may be helpful in the extrapolation of experimental data to humans.     

Effects of acute γ-irradiation on the aquatic microbial microcosm in comparison with chemicals

Effects of acute γ-irradiation were investigated in the aquatic microcosm consisting of green algae (Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp.) and a blue–green alga (Tolypothrix sp.) as producers; an oligochaete (Aeolosoma hemprichi), rotifers (Lecane sp. and Philodina sp.) and a ciliate protozoan (Cyclidium glaucoma) as consumers; and more than four species of bacteria as decomposers. At 100 Gy, populations were not affected in any taxa. At 500–5000 Gy, one or three taxa died out and populations of two or three taxa decreased over time, while that of Tolypothrix sp. increased. This Tolypothrix sp. increase was likely an indirect effect due to interspecies interactions. The principal response curve analysis revealed that the main trend of the effects was a dose-dependent population decrease. For a better understanding of radiation risks in aquatic microbial communities, effect doses of γ-rays compared with copper, herbicides and detergents were evaluated using the radiochemoecological conceptual model and the effect index for microcosm.     

Possible use of Lingula sp. (Phylum Brachiopoda) as a dissemination strategy to promote sustainable development in Fangchenggang mangrove,China

The economic marketability of a brachiopod, Lingula was studied at three coastal mangrove sites, specifically based on socioeconomic parameters from 10 villages that utilized Lingula along Pearl Bay, Beilun Estuary Marine Nature Reserve, China. The significantly highest density of Lingula was at Jiao Dong (48.2 ± 35.14 individual/m²) whereas the biomass of Lingula was highest (0.76 ± 0.22 g/individual) at Gui Lao Bu. The shell size of the largest specimen was still less than that in other references. The socioeconomic study of the population related to Lingula involved a small group, and no relationship could be determined among the parameters of age range, education level, occupation, and financial status. The total economic value (320,927.4 Yuan) was based on the value of consumption whereas the value from sales was very low as recorded from Shan Xin over a three-month season. Analysis of the results to determine strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats was undertaken to identify the potential of Lingula sp. to be promoted and supported in the market as a novel source of income for the local community who are associated with mangrove resources; and also to examine its potential as a new food source for the rapidly growing population of China.     

On the term <Emphasis Type="Italic">Station</Emphasis> used in Russian ecological and faunistic literature

The history of the term station (in Russian, statsiya) in the Russian ecological and faunistic literature, interpretation of its meaning by different authors, and relationships between the terms station, habitat, biotope, and ecological license are discussed. It is suggested that station should be interpreted as the entire set of all external conditions affecting a population, which is observable as a part of physical space possessing certain properties.     

Drying wastes from urban forestry as an option for their recovery and use in furniture and small wooden objects

The management of urban trees generates wood wastes that are commonly destined for use as firewood or compost. However, they can be used for more noble purposes such as making furniture or small wooden objects. This study aimed to investigate the drying and the shrinkage of the wood of seven typical urban afforestation species to determine the possibility of high-valued alternative use(s). Samples of these species (Cenostigma pluviosum (DC.) E. Gagnon & G.P. Lewis.; Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook.) Raf.; Ficus benjamina L.; Licania tomentosa (Benth.) Fritsch; Nectandra megapotamica (Spreng.) Mez; Terminalia catappa L.; and Tipuana tipu (Benth.) Kuntze) underwent a drastic drying test in a laboratory oven at 103?±?2 °C, followed by weighing on an analytical balance to monitor the weight over a 24-h period, separated into four intervals of 4 h and one of 8 h. The drying rate, shrinkage and anisotropy coefficient of the species were evaluated. Wood wastes of the species C. pluviosum and L. tomentosa showed greater shrinkage during drying, with the lowest drying rates being found among the other species. F. benjamina, D. regia, N. megapotamica, T. catappa and T. tipu showed lower values of shrinkage and regular anisotropy coefficients close to ideal for application to make small wooden objects according to the characteristics of the species already present in the industrial market. The seven species thus have potential for application in the production of small wooden objects and furniture. This use is a potential alternative for environmental and social betterment.

     

A Systems Based Framework to Examine The Multi-contextural Application of the Sustainability Concept

A conceptual framework is generated through systems principles to explain sustainability’s wide diversity of interpretation and contextual application. Sustainability is reduced to a literal interpretation as the ability to sustain, and then expressed in simple systems as the ability of one system to sustain another system over time. This reinforces the importance of time in the sustainability debate, and suggests the concept can be legitimately applied to timeframes that have absolute limits. The framework is expanded to complex systems as the changing ability of one or many systems to sustain the changing requirements of one or many systems, over time. This accommodates multiple relations and system dynamics, and hints at the extraordinary complexity encompassed by the sustainability concept. Practical implications relate to the evolving meaning of sustainability, the need for continual change to remain sustainable, and that the sustainability concept can be validly applied to virtually any context or situation that exhibits a dimension of continuity. Derived criteria useful for clarifying contextual applications of sustainability include stating the how, what, why, who and for how long of sustainability, along with indicating the most appropriate hierarchical tier at which the concept is being applied.     

Size structure of urban agglomerations in China: rationality evaluation,patterns, and implications

ABSTRACT

This paper establishes a diagnostic model for assessing the rationality of size structure of urban agglomerations (UAs) in China. The model is designed to determine from a three-dimensional index including size distribution index (SDI), size compactness index (SCI), and size efficiency index (SEI). The spatio-temporal pattern of size structure involving the studied 19 UAs and its implications are explored. The results indicate that size structure of China’s UAs advanced from a low rationality development stage to a moderate rationality development stage in 1995–2015. Among them, the SDI and SEI were reasonably high, and the SCI was relatively low. Spatially, the high rationality UAs were distributed across eastern China, while the low rationality UAs were located in western China. UAs with positive size structure possessed typically a dual- or multicenter urban structure, while UAs with negative size structure usually presented as a single-center structure. The evolutionary trajectories of rationality of size structure of UAs can be summarized as four different stages. Our findings suggest that, in addition to consolidating the status of national-level UAs, the development of regional-level UAs should be promoted. Also, the fostering focus and direction should be oriented toward an UA with dual- or multicenter spatial structure.     

Some physical and chemical features of the variability of kd distribution coefficients for radionuclides

k_d distribution coefficients are widely used as a first approach to the understanding and determination of the eventual fate of metals and radionuclides released into the aquatic environment. For some radionuclides, k_d varies within a range of more than two orders of magnitude. Based on some physical and chemical aspects of the interactions between the dissolved and the particulate phases, some mathematical equations have been developed to explain some features of the observed k_d variability quantitatively. Thus, we have studied the decrease in particle size of k_d in the case of man-made radionuclides interacting with natural particles, and its increase in the case of naturally occurring radionuclides. For the latter, the dependence of k_d on the instantaneous water state has also been investigated. The study also shows the competition effects, particularly the dependence of k_d on pH and salinity. Finally, the effects produced by the size distribution of a given population of particles or the mixture of different populations, are also included. The present work provides for each situation, experimental support from literature data and/or modelling exercises.     

The effect of the initial concentration of glycerol on the hydrogen produced by strains of the genus Clostridium spp.

Hydrogen produced by microorganisms is a topic of growing interest because of its potential for derivation from several agro-industrial by-products. In this study, we evaluated the hydrogen production of strains of genus Clostridium (Clostridium acetobutylicum and Clostridium butyricum) using glycerol as a carbon source. Fermentation studies were conducted using three initial concentrations of glycerol: 10, 30 and 50 g/L. The micro-organism growth kinetics and the amounts of solvents and gases were recorded over 48 h. The strain C. acetobutylicum exhibited the best results in terms of hydrogen production, the highest production yield (Y _p/s) of 0.37 mol H₂/mol glycerol and the highest level of productivity (0.75 mg H₂/(L·h)). Based on these results, it is reasonable to conclude that glycerol could be effectively exploited as a carbon source for hydrogen production, which adds value to this primary by-product of standard biodiesel processes.     

David Buckland,Founder, Cape Farewell,with Renée Lertzman

Cape Farewell is the brainchild of London-based artist David Buckland. The project is centered round a series of sailing voyages into the Arctic, through routes that were previously icebound but are now passable. The expeditions take teams of world-renowned artists, educators, writers, musicians and thinkers into the Arctic, onboard a hundred-year old schooner, with the invitation to engage with scientists (from the National Oceanography Centre, as well as Southampton), to make art, and to draw people's attention to the effects of ocean currents on us and our climate. Since its first expedition in 2003, the project has grown to include educational programs, an award-winning website, a BBC documentary, and an exhibit, “The Ship, The Art of Climate Change,” developed with the Natural History Museum and which has embarked on a worldwide tour. In August 2007, Cape Farewell began a three-year residency at Southbank Centre, operating as a cultural eco-hub for the Centre's creative climate change initiatives, and has started a collaboration with the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK.

This interview was conducted in the Cape Farewell offices, which are in David Buckland's studio atop his family home in Camden, London. Currently, Renée Lertzman is conducting a PhD in critical psychology studies at Cardiff University in Wales, UK. Her interviews and writings relating to environmental communication have appeared in The Sun Magazine, Orion, Land and People (Trust for Public Land), Speak Magazine, Terra Nova, and Organization & Environment. Lertzman can be contacted at http://www.reneelertzman.org. For more information about Cape Farewell, visit http://capefarewell.com.     

Charismatic life: spectacular biodiversity and biophilic life writing

ABSTRACT

The essay uses the term “charismatic life” to describe representations of nature that emphasize vitality and vibrancy. Beginning with how life is reified when nature becomes spectacle, the essay discusses how a fetishism of life was part of the early structuring logic of biodiversity science in a way that undermined crafting other ethical and political responses to loss. When biodiversity emerged as a popular science concept in the 1980s, it was described as a scientific replacement for the sentimental attachment to charismatic megafauna that previously structured conservation priorities. But this essay argues, in a historicized reading of conservation biologist E.O. Wilson’s popular science memoir Biophilia [Wilson, E. O. (1984). Biophilia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press] alongside the seminal edited collection Biodiversity [Wilson, E. O. (Ed.). (1988). Biodiversity. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences], that Wilson’s sentimental biopolitics renders the world as if a collection of living souvenirs – tokens by which to remember forms of life that will have been lost.     

Expansion of Evergreen Conifers to the Larch-Dominated Zone and Climatic Trends

The expansion of so-called evergreen conifers (EGCs), including Siberian stone pine, spruce, and fir, along the transect oriented from the boundary of the larch-dominated zone (LDZ; mixed forests of the Yenisei Ridge) to its center has been studied. The normalized dispersal coefficient calculated as K _i = (n _i – N _i )/(n _i + N _i ), where n _i and N _i are the relative numbers of the ith species in the undergrowth and the upper layer, respectively, serves as an indicator of the expansion. It has been found that the K _i values for EGCs (and birch) are higher than the K _i of larch even in the zone absolutely dominated by larch, where the relative numbers of EGCs in the upper layer is less than 1%. The EGC undergrowth has mainly been formed during the past 20–30 years, which is correlated with the trend of summer temperatures The spread of EGCs in the LDZ depends on the frequency of forest fires. The decrease in the time intervals between fires in the 20th century to 65 years (versus 100 years in the 19th century) may have prevented the expansion of competing species in the LDZ. The results obtained indicate that EGCs and birch penetrate into the zone traditionally dominated by larch, which is related to climatic changes during the past three decades. At the same time, tree stand density is increasing in the forest-tundra ecotone, and larch is spreading further into the tundra zone.__________Translated from Ekologiya, No. 3, 2005, pp. 186–193.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kharuk, Dvinskaya, Ranson, Im.     

The Effect of Ambient Temperature on Intraspecific Interactions Controlling Heat Tolerance in the Oligochaetes Enchytraeus albidus and Tubifex tubifex

A signal (nonlethal) increase in ambient temperature (to 26 and 31°C for the oligochaetes Enchytraeus albidus and Tubifex tubifex, respectively) induces intraspecific interactions mediated by the release of pheromones into the medium. The pheromones cause physiological changes that persist after the cessation of either these interactions or pheromone action and are expressed as a considerable increase in the heat tolerance of individual E. albidus and T. tubifex.     

Psychrophilic and Psychrotolerant Heterotrophic Microorganisms of Middle Siberian Karst Cavities

The natural microflora of Middle Siberian karst cavities, which comprises psychrotolerant bacteria and fungi capable of growing at 3–15 and 3...+28°C, respectively, has been studied. Bacteria are ubiquitous in caves, their count varying from 10³ to 10⁷ cells/g ground. The bacteria have been identified as Pseudomonas, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, and coryneform bacteria. Fungi have been found in places exposed to increased anthropogenic impact, their count being as large as 10⁶ to 10⁷ cells/g ground. Mucor, Penicillium, and Chrysosporium were dominant fungal genera.     

The Flood Myth in the Age of Global Climate Change

When released, The Day After Tomorrow was widely described by critics and the movie's creators as a pro-environmentalist film. This essay argues that The Day After Tomorrow articulates a variation of apocalyptic discourse identified as a flood myth. The authors conclude that this version of the flood myth largely undermines contemporary environmental discourse that attempts to generate public activism in addressing ecological problems, by replacing an emphasis on human efficacy with symbolic vindication and exchanging collective effort for individual survivalism. The film thus serves as a cautionary tale about the potential consequences of contemporary mythic discourse presented as supporting environmental activism.     

Metaphors for the War (or Race) against Climate Change

Despite overwhelming scientific consensus, millions of Americans fail to view climate change as a pressing threat. How can we address this disconnect between science and public opinion? In the present study, we investigated the role of metaphorical framing in shaping attitudes toward climate change. Participants read a brief article that metaphorically described US efforts to reduce carbon emissions as a war or race against climate change, or non-metaphorically described it as the issue of climate change. We further manipulated whether these emission-reduction goals emphasized the relatively near or distant future. We found that, compared to the race frame, the war metaphor made people perceive more urgency and risk surrounding climate change and express a greater willingness to increase conservation behavior, irrespective of the time horizon. Those who read the non-metaphorical report tended to respond in between these two extremes. We discuss the implications of these findings for climate communications.     

Collection characteristics of a double stage scrubber to eliminate the paint mist from a spray booth

A 4.5 m³/min laboratory paint spray booth was built adopting a double-stage scrubber with heavy oil as the scrubbing liquid. The relationship between the collection efficiency E and the pressure drop ΔP was studied using a cylindrical paper tilter and a Digital Dust Counter. Experimental results indicated that the collection efficiency in this system is in accordance with the collection efficiency equation based on the theory of inertial impaction. With water used as the scrubbing liquid, the factor K is about 0.5 for single-stage scrubbing, while it is 0.6 for double-stage scrubbing. At a pressure drop of 60 mm of H₂O, heavy oil used as the scrubbing liquid gained about 2.0% more in collection efficiency than water. The zigzag baffler equipped for removing heavy oil mist was also effective for the paint mist collector, and 99.1% of E was gained at a pressure drop of 135 mm H₂O.     

Popular Use, Chemical Composition and Trade of Cerrado's Medicinal Plants (Goiás, Brazil)

This survey was done to register information of cerrado's medicinal plants sellers, who trade in downtown Anápolis (Brazil). The information obtained was pertaining to medicinal purposes, the most used portion of the plants, ecological lore and the best selling plants. A cluster analysis was performed to group the plants by medicinal use and by their chemical composition, obtained in the current literature. To verify if differences in chemical compounds correspond to differences in medicinal use, a Mantel test was applied to assess the correlation in those grouping. The results showed a low but significant correlation between medicinal use and chemical composition of the plants, nevertheless, there is still little published information on the pharmacological potential of cerrado's plant. Trade of cerrado's medicinal plants has local economic importance for a low income and illiterate population and the urbanization of the activity caused the loss of some traditional knowledge, like ecological information about the plants. A traveling salesman of medicinal plants (raizeiro) seems to have the most traditional lore, but he was not found to the interview. The excessive use of roots for medicinal purposes can be a threat to cerrado biome coupled with other human pressures in this ecosystem. Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants is endangered as much as the ecosystem that originated it.