Building sustainable & resilient communities: a balancing of community capital

Working toward sustainable community is a complex task for communities especially given the ambiguous nature of implementing the concept of sustainable development. However, by working to understand the nature of community capital, administrators can begin to move beyond bottom line thinking toward a more comprehensive and collective view of community. This paper presents a theoretical framework that helps municipal decision makers begin collecting information they need to help them build sustainable and resilient communities.

Measuring the radium-226 activity using a multidetector γ-ray coincidence spectrometer

Bиccлoвaнияx вoэмocy;жнocтeф пpимeн eния мeтoдoв coвaдeниф дффeктив нoгo cхeтa иэиuхaтeлeф пoхитpoнoв в б oльщиx oбpaэцax, pнpимeня жидкocт ныф cцинтлляциoнныф cхeтхик 4π для вceгo, cocтoяшиф иэ 2-x дeтeктocy;pныx кaмep 2π. Пpeждe вceгo иэuхaлocв oбpaэoвaниe фoн a, кaк oтвeтнaя peaция в мeтoдe co coвпaдeниф. B peэuлвтaтe импuлвcoв coвпaдeни ф в oбoиx дeтeктopныx кaмepax нaблю энaхитeлвныф uхacтoк фoнa. Иэuхaлacvcy; пoдaвлeни я фoнa пuтa cхeтa пueтa cхeтa aнт иcoвпaдeнeниф, нo этoт мeтoд нe oкaэaлcя uля uлu oхыхныx гaммa-иэлucy;хaтaeлeф. oднaк o, в cлнaяx, кoгпa в oбpaэцax coдepж aлиcв тaкиe иэлuхaтeли пoэитpoнoв, кaк ²²Na и ⁵⁸ co, фoн мoжнo былo энaхитeлвнo пoд aвитв и cхeтнuю cтaтиcтикu нa нa мнoгo юл юхшитв пpимeняя пpимeняя cпoco бы ы coвпaдeниф. Этoт мeтoд нe тoдвкo uмeнвщaeт фoн, нo тaкиe мoнoгaмм-иэлuхaтeли, кaк ¹³⁷Cs ⁴⁰К. Taким oбким oбpaэoм, этoт мeт oд нaпpaшивaeтcя caм coбoф для иэ peния иэлuхaтeлeф пoэитpoнoв в хeлoвeкe, гдe ¹³⁷Cs ⁴⁰К п pиcuтcтвuют, кaк интepфиpuюшиф фoн:.

Zusammenfassung

Ein 4π-Flüssigkeits-“Ganzkörper”-Szintillationszähler, bestehend aus 2π-Detektrortanks wurde dazu verwendet, die mögliche Anwendung von Koinzidenzarbeitsweisen zur wirksamen Zählung von Positronenemittern in grossen Proben zu studieren. Zunächst wurde die Hintergrundemp-findlichkeit für die Koinzidenzform untersucht. Man beobachtete, dass ein ansehnlicher Teil des Hintergrundes von Impulsen in der Koinzidenz in beiden Detektortanks herrührte. Die Möglichkeit einer Unterdrückung des Hintergrundes durch Antikoinzidenzzählung wurde erforscht, aber dies stellte sich als unbrauchbar für eine Verbesserung der Zählstatistik zum Zählen gewöhnlicher Gammaemitter heraus. Wenn die Proben jedoch Positronenemitter wie ²²Na and ⁵⁸Co enthalten, so könnte der Hintergrund weitgehend unterdrückt und die Zählstatistik beträchtlich verbessert werden, wenn man Koinzidenzzählverfahren anwendet. Das Verfahren verminderte nicht nur den Hintergrund, sondern es diskriminierte auch gegenüber solchen Monogammaemittern wie ¹³⁷Cs und ⁴⁰K. Das Verfahren eignet sich somit zur Messung von Positronenemittern im Menschen, wo ¹³⁷Cs und ⁴⁰K als “Störhintergrund” zugegen sind.

The Literature Aftermath Of The Brundtland Report ‘Our Common Future’. A Scientometric Study Based On Citations In Science And Social Science Journals

Two major multidisciplinary bibliographic databases, the Science Citation Index and the Social Science Citation Index were searched to collect science and social science journal articles published in the 1987–2001 period with the report Our Common Future among their references. A statistical overview is given about the trends and patterns revealed by the bibliometric/scientometric analysis of the retrieved literature. National and regional distributions as well as publication channels and thematic features are considered. During the period under study, the word sustainability became the dominating term of the field, and operative questions like those of management, technology and urbanization came into the forefront of interest.Readers should send their comments on this paper to:BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

National implications of a 50% global reduction of greenhouse gases, and its feasibility in Japan

This paper considers three questions concerning a low-carbon society. The first is the implication of a 50% reduction in greenhouse gases (GHGs) by 2050. In the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report, released in 2007 (IPCC 2007b; http://www.gtp89.dial.pipex.com/chpt.htm), the suggested limit of increase in average worldwide temperatures is 2–3°C above the current level, but is this consistent with a 50% reduction by 2050? Second, when a 50% reduction in global emissions is envisioned, what is the level of reduction needed in Japan? Should the 50% reduction be uniform for advanced industrial countries and developing countries, or differentiated based on a country’s emissions? Third, how feasible are emission reduction targets in Japan? Even if the emission reduction target set for each country takes into account climate change impact and equity, whether the target is technically, or socially and economically, acceptable is another matter.     

Impact of Massanjore Dam on hydro-geomorphological modification of Mayurakshi River,Eastern India

Massanjore reservoir (area ~67 km²) located 84 km downstream from the most distant upstream source capacitates 620,000,000 m³ of water, and regulated flow characters are highly responsible for dam downstream alteration of hydrological, sedimentological and geomorphological characteristics of Mayurakshi River. In dam after condition, monsoon water level (mean water level during monsoon months) and pre-monsoon water level (mean water level during pre-monsoon months, i.e., March–May) have attenuated about 0.56 and 0.32 m, respectively. Maximum duration of high flow period during monsoon has reduced up to 16.5 %; coefficient of variation of diurnal fluctuation of water level during monsoon has increased from 31 to 47 %. Suspended sediment load in Mayurakshi River is reduced to 34 % in dam after period as recorded at Narayanpur gauge station. Average suspended sediment load has decreased even after Tilpara barrage construction from 4.960 to 4.350 mg/L. Average suspended sediment load is 7.875 mg/L in the sites of dam upstream course, and this average is only 4.46 mg/L in different sites of dam downstream course. Volume of discharge has decreased up to 11.3 % during monsoon time in dam after condition. Such reduction in discharge volume in turn has reduced about 24.6 % bed load-carrying capacity. As a result, huge deposition within channel invigorated channel bed aggradations (average 73.6 cm up to Saspara, site 14 at Fig. 1) in dam after condition. Narrowing of active channel, coarsening of channel bed materials, lowering of lateral stability, accelerating rise of braiding index, mixed response of the channel adjustment of the tributaries to local scale positive or negative base level change due to river bed aggradations and degradation, etc. signify the morphological alteration of dam downstream course.

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Fig. 1 Mayurakshi River basin indicating Massanjore Dam, Tilpara barrage and sample working sites

     

Wind farm and fauna interaction: detecting bird and bat wing beats through cyclic motion analysis

Recent Government announcements have implied that wind power will play a major part in providing energy for the UK (BBC 2007 BBC. 2007. Wind ‘could power all UK homes’ [online], British Broadcasting Corporation. Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7135930.stm [Accessed 20 January 2008] [Google Scholar]). However, there is much concern that wind farms can have a significant impact on flying fauna (bats and birds) using the area, particularly at night. As part of an Environmental Impact Assessment, thorough appropriate surveys are necessary for quantifying and minimising any risk wind farms may cause flying fauna. Manual surveys that are commonly used are not always cost‐effective, efficient or practical. Remote systems based on motion detection are increasingly being used to monitor wildlife.

Fast‐moving airborne targets such as aeroplanes can falsely trigger motion‐detection based remote systems. As birds and bats repetitively flap their wings, this oscillating motion can be used to distinguish them from other airborne targets. Time periods between wing oscillations are not always constant, and hence the motion is not periodic. A method to detect cyclic motion based on similarity matrices is proposed, and synthetic and real data are used.     

Local vulnerability as an advantage: mangrove forest management in Pará state,north Brazil,under conditions of illegality

When ecosystems are threatened or scientific knowledge of the effects of human action is uncertain, legislative prohibition is often adopted. This paper examines how the criminalization of mangrove tree use affects ecosystem management outcomes. We explore the biological, economic and social sustainability effects of the legal ban on mangrove use on the coast of Bragança, Pará, north Brazil. There are two main categories of mangrove users in this area: firstly, local subsistence users who also derive some financial incomes from mangrove sale. Their mangrove use is intertwined with household livelihood strategies and they display self-initiated planning and action towards sustainable management; secondly, more mobile, purely commercial users who are responsible for most commercial mangrove exploitation and who employ regionally sequential, predatory resource exploitation strategies. These users are typically based at some distance from the exploited areas and share neither local livelihood strategies nor sustainability agendas. The current outright ban on any utilization of mangrove flora seems to undermine biological sustainability, is economically inefficient and generates normative insecurity, conflict and social polarization. The ineffectiveness of the outright legal prohibition of mangrove tree use in terms of sustainable coastal management leads us to investigate alternative management options. We suggest that the legalization of local mangrove utilization and the strengthening of local users rights and responsibilities to control outsiders in a co-management framework, as proposed in the Brazilian extractive reserves (RESEX) approach, is most likely to advance ecologically, economically and socially sustainable mangrove management. It is demonstrated that a legal recognition of local entitlements to mangrove trees would reduce social vulnerability and therefore move forest management outcomes into more desirable directions.

Behavior and analysis of Cesium adsorption on montmorillonite mineral

The adsorption of Cs by montmorillonite and the effects of experimental conditions on adsorption were investigated by using ¹³⁴Cs as a radioactive tracer. Additionally, the Cs-adsorbed and the modified montmorillonite were analyzed by X-ray Diffractometer System (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the adsorption of Cs by montmorillonite was efficient in the initial concentration (C₀) of 30 μg/L Cs nitrate solution with 20 g/L montmorillonite at room temperature. In this condition, more than 98% Cs⁺ ions could be adsorbed at pH 8. The adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 5 min and the relationship between the concentration of Cs⁺ in aqueous solutions and adsorption capacities of Cs⁺ can be described by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The adsorption rate would decrease when temperature increase from 0 °C to 50 °C or in presence of coexistent K⁺, Na⁺ and Ca²⁺, while modification by (NH₄)₂SO₄, [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺, [Cu(NH₃)₄]²⁺ or 450 °C could improve the adsorption abilities of montmorillonite for Cs⁺. However, more than 89% of adsorbed Cs⁺ on montmorillonite could be desorbed by 2 mol/L HNO₃ solutions. The XRD and SEM analysis further showed that the structure of the Cs-adsorbed or modified montmorillonite were different from that of the original one.     

Policy sciences contributions to analysis to promote sustainability

The policy sciences, in offering the most comprehensive approach to policy analysis and the sociopolitical processes that shape policy outcomes, is particularly appropriate for guiding the analysis required to promote sustainability. This article presents the main components of the policy sciences framework and demonstrates its potency in the crucial task of deepening the problem definitions required to select and enact policies to promote sustainability. As such, it provides background for the policy sciences articles of this special feature.

Sustainable engineering education in the United States

Sustainable engineering is a conceptual and practical challenge to all engineering disciplines. Although the profession has experience with environmental dimensions of engineering activities that in some cases are quite deep, extending the existing body of practice to sustainable engineering by including social and cultural domains is a significant and non-trivial challenge. Nonetheless, progress is being made, as a recent study undertaken by the Center for Sustainable Engineering in the United States demonstrates.