Tree-ring analysis for the assessment of anthropogenic changes and trends

Investigation of Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)annual radial increment (width of annual tree rings) was carriedout in the surroundings of one of the largest pollution sources inLithuania – Jonava Nitrogen Fertilizers Plant. The main objectiveof investigation was to analyse different sides of anthropogenictransformations of tree-ring series in the polluted environment:changes in tree growth intensity; variance changes in tree-ringseries; changes in the relations with natural external factors.Three different periods of tree reaction to the environmentalpollution were singled out – fertilization period, depressionperiod and recovery period since annual emissions were essentiallyreduced. The variance of tree-ring series has increased severaltimes in the polluted environment. Reaction of trees to the impactof climatic factors (temperature, precipitation) has changedsignificantly in the polluted environment and their sensitivity hasalso increased.     

Why justice matters in compensation decision making

Using agency theory and the stakeholder fairness concept as the conceptual base, this study confirmed three agency theory hypotheses about differential relationships between four sets of pay procedures and evaluations of pay, supervision and the employing organization. Education and seniority related variables were also found to moderate the relationships between procedural justice perceptions and evaluations of supervision and the employing organization. The study used a stratified random sample of 612 occupationally heterogeneous employees of a large County government in South Eastern United States. Results suggest that agency theory provides a parsimonious explanation for why justice matters in compensation decision making.     

Chemometric characterization of soil and plant pollution: Part 1: Multivariate data analysis and geostatistical determination of relationship and spatial structure of inorganic contaminants in soil

Geostatistical and multivariate methods of data analysis are used to describe patterns of soil pollution with inorganic contaminants in Celje County, Slovenia. Groups of contaminants and polluted sites were identified using cluster analysis and confirmed with multidimensional variance and discriminant analysis. Factor analysis yields an identification of not directly observable relationships between the contaminants. The spatial structure and distribution of contaminants were assessed by applying semivariogram analysis and kriging interpolation method. Zinc, Cd and Cu were identified as a pollutant emitted from the zinc smelter, Pb also from other sources, and Cr and Ni mostly from geological parent material.     

A stochastic stormwater quality volume-sizing method with first flush emphasis

A Monte Carlo simulation technique was applied to assess the effect of stormwater quality volume captured by best management practices (BMPs) on the frequency of discharging concentrations of constituents above certain designated threshold limits. The method used an assumption of a power law relationship between the cumulative load and flow to incorporate the first flush effect. The exponent of this relationship was considered a random variable and its frequency distribution was obtained from 78 measured pollutographs from three urban highway sites in West Los Angeles, California. Although the effect of rain depth captured by BMPs is site-specific, the method offered here provides a systematic approach to evaluate the effect of selecting various regulatory guidelines for controlling urban stormwater pollution on the overall discharge of pollutants into waterways. This allows selecting the requirements for capturing runoff volume by BMPs based on the tradeoff between the probability of concentration criteria violation and economic factors.     

On-line detection of metal pollutant spikes in MSW incinerator flue gases prior to clean-up

SUWIC's unique mobile metals emissions monitoring laboratory has been used to measure metal pollutant spikes in the flue gas from a municipal solid waste incinerator, prior to gas clean-up. The laboratory has a heated sampling probe that extends into the plant, allowing the simultaneous on-line measurement of the concentrations of more than 30 metals by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). As little is known about temporal variation in metal concentrations, this capability is seen as a major advance. The graphs of continuous measurements show that the elemental loading is far from uniform, and that concentrations fluctuate far more than may have been conventionally expected. There are occasional significant spikes in the emission profiles for cadmium and mercury, which are believed to be due to specific items in the waste feed material. Continuous monitoring measurements are of significant value for those seeking to model metal behaviour in combustion and in pollution control devices.     

The literature landscape on peace–sustainability nexus: A scientometric analysis

Academics, policymakers, and practitioners have long considered peace and sustainability to be fundamentally linked. However, despite the increased attention paid toward the intersection of peace and sustainability, there is still limited knowledge on the nature of their linkages. To advance the current understanding on the peace–sustainability nexus and inform an integrated research agenda, this paper employs a scientometric analysis of literature to identify publication trends, thematic clusters, and knowledge gaps. Analyzing the publications according to the types of peace, the pillars of positive peace, the dimensions of sustainability, and the SDGs further reveals weak engagement among academic disciplines and across the SDGs. The results of this analysis emphasize the need for future research to focus on underexamined subjects, geographic regions, and sectors to bolster the linkages between peace and sustainability.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01388-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Generalizing the importance of occupational and career views to job satisfaction attitudes

There is a preponderance of theory postulating that the level of job satisfaction is a direct function of the perceived discrepancy between what the employee desires from a job and what the employee actually receives from it. To date, the only job satisfaction research program that has systematically examined the relationship between job satisfaction and the degree to which perceptions of job rewards match the expressed desires of the individual is that conducted by the Minnesota Work Adjustment Project (MWAP). Although the MWAP has had success in predicting job satisfaction some of the time, it also encounters many unpredictable cases. Based on research with industrial R&D personnel, Scarpello and Campbell (1983a) suggested that one reason for the unpredictable cases is that people's views of their occupations and careers help explain their reactions to current job situations. This paper discusses the limitations of the MWAP for job satisfaction research and reports the results of a study with 806 manufacturing plant employees, that assessed the external validity and thus, generalizability of Scarpello and Campbell's (1983a) findings. Results supported the external validity and generalizability of the previous findings. Implications for future job satisfaction research are discussed.     

Road traffic deaths in Brazil: rising trends in pedestrian and motorcycle occupant deaths

Objective: According to the World Health Organization, the global burden of road traffic mortality exceeds 1.27 million people annually; over 90 percent occur in low- and middle-income countries. Brazil's road traffic mortality rate of ～20 per 100,000 is significantly higher than nearby Chile or Argentina. To date, there has been very little information published on road traffic fatalities among vulnerable road users (VRUs) in Brazil. Methods: Road traffic fatality data from 2000 to 2008 were extracted from Brazil's Mortality Information System (SIM). Road traffic deaths were extracted using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) V-codes (V01-V89) and then subcategorized by VRU categories. Information was then disaggregated by gender, age, and region. Results: In 2008, 39,211 deaths due to road traffic injuries were recorded in Brazil, resulting in a crude mortality rate of 20.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. Pedestrian mortality averaged 5.46 deaths per 100,000 between 2000 and 2008. The mortality rate for elderly pedestrians (80+ years) is 20.1 per 100,000, over 10 times that of 0- to 9-year-olds. In the past decade, motorcycle occupant mortality has dramatically increased by over 300 percent from 1.5 per 100,000 in 2000 to 4.7 per 100,000 in 2008. The 20- to 29-year age group remains most affected by motorcycle deaths, with a peak fatality rate of 10.76 per 100,000 in 2008. The north and northeast regions, with the lower per capita gross domestic product (GDP), have higher proportions of VRU deaths compared with other regions. Conclusions: Vulnerable road users are contributing an increasing proportion of the road traffic fatalities in Brazil. Nationally, elderly pedestrians are at particularly high risk and motorcycle fatalities are increasing at a rapid rate. Less prosperous regions have higher proportions of VRU deaths. Understanding the epidemiology of road traffic mortality in vulnerable road user categories will better allow for targeted interventions to reduce these preventable deaths.     

Evaluating the relationship between the respiratory exposure to the benzene with the primary damages of deoxyribonucleic acid and total antioxidant capacity in one of the oil companies in Iran

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Benzene is a carcinogenic chemical substance which causes the injuries and damages through producing the free radicals in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)...