Restoration of foothills rough fescue grassland following pipeline disturbance in southwestern Alberta

The effects of pipeline construction and reclamation techniques on the restoration of rough fescue plant communities following pipeline construction in southwestern Alberta, Canada were evaluated after 7–40 years. The pipeline construction right-of-way (ROW) sites varied from no recovery of rough fescue grassland to moderate recovery. The ROW sites had a higher proportion of introduced grasses and forbs, less topsoil, and poorer rangeland health than the adjacent undisturbed grassland. Within the ROW sites, less topsoil was present on those with larger diameter pipe and which had topsoil fully stripped from the ROW during construction. Introduced grasses, Festuca ovina (sheep fescue) and Poa compressa (Canada bluegrass), succeeded in establishment following seeding and persisted for at least 40 years. Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass) dominated many of the ROW sites. Contributing factors to moderate recovery of rough fescue grassland were related to post-growing season pipeline construction, ideally, between August and March, summer or fall seeding, and minimum disturbance trench-only stripping. Reclamation practices appeared more important than time since restoration in the restoration of rough fescue grassland.     

A comparison of the driving behavior between remunerated and volunteer drivers

IntroductionPast research suggests that some groups of work-related drivers practice more safe driving behavior than others. However, no research to date has compared the driving behavior of those remunerated for their services and volunteer work-related drivers. As such, based on a theoretical discussion of the organizational and social contexts in which work-related driving occurs, this study hypothesized that volunteers would report safer driving behavior compared with remunerated drivers.MethodsOne-hundred and ninety remunerated drivers and 59 volunteers completed a self-reported driving behavior questionnaire.ResultsSome support was found for the hypotheses, as volunteers reported more safe driving behavior than remunerated drivers. Specifically, volunteers reported less inattention and tiredness while driving compared to remunerated drivers.ConclusionsThe results suggested that organizations need to formalize the roles and responsibilities of the work-related driver, and better integrate driving within the wider occupational health and safety system.     

Evaluations of a sacred place: Role and religious belief at the Magh Mela

People perceive places differently because of the different material, social, and symbolic aspects of the locations and because individuals have different backgrounds and different reasons for being at the locations. Two studies examined how role and religious beliefs affect perceptions of the environment at the Magh Mela, an annual religious festival at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers in north India. In the first study (n=375), we interviewed individuals who were at the Mela for one of six reasons (religious pilgrims, sweepers, boatmen, police, businessmen, or student volunteers) about their religious beliefs and their perceptions of the Mela. Results indicated that the evaluations of pilgrims, who were at the Mela for religious reasons, were associated with evaluations of physical amenities and religious social support, whereas the other five groups, who were at the Mela primarily for nonreligious purposes, evaluated the Mela on the basis of material characteristics only. In the second study (n=311), we found that religious leaders’ evaluations of the Mela were affected by material characteristics, religious social support, and intrinsic religious belief.     

Comparing safety climate factors as predictors of work-related driving behavior

INTRODUCTION: Research suggests safety climate (SC) is a strong predictor of safety-related outcomes in organizations. This study explores the relationship between six SC dimensions and four aspects of work-related driving. METHOD: The SC factors measured were "communication and procedures," "work pressures," "relationships," "safety rules," "driver training," and "management commitment." The aspects of self-reported occupational driving measured were traffic violations, driver error, driving while distracted, and pre-trip vehicle maintenance. RESULTS: Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the SC factors accounted for significant amounts of variance in all four aspects of work-related driving, over and above the control factors of age, sex, and work-related driving exposure. However, further investigation indicated certain SC factors (particularly safety rules, communication, and management commitment) were more strongly related to specific aspects of work-related driving behavior than others. Together, the SC factors were better able to predict self-reported distraction from the road than the other aspects of driving behavior measured. Implications for occupational safety, particularly for the management of work-related drivers are discussed.     

Report: Combustion Byproducts and Their Health Effects: Summary of the 10th International Congress

The 10th International Congress on Combustion Byproducts and their Health Effects was held in Ischia, Italy, from June 17-20, 2007. It is sponsored by the US NIEHS, NSF, Coalition for Responsible Waste Incineration (CRWI), and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The congress focused on: the origin, characterization, and health impacts of combustion-generated fine and ultrafine particles; emissions of mercury and dioxins, and the development/application of novel analytical/diagnostic tools. The consensus of the discussion was that particle-associated organics, metals, and persistent free radicals (PFRs) produced by combustion sources are the likely source of the observed health impacts of airborne PM rather than simple physical irritation of the particles. Ultrafine particle-induced oxidative stress is a likely progenitor of the observed health impacts, but important biological and chemical details and possible catalytic cycles remain unresolved. Other key conclusions were: (1) In urban settings, 70% of airborne fine particles are a result of combustion emissions and 50% are due to primary emissions from combustion sources, (2) In addition to soot, combustion produces one, possibly two, classes of nanoparticles with mean diameters of?~10?nm and?~1?nm. (3) The most common metrics used to describe particle toxicity, viz. surface area, sulfate concentration, total carbon, and organic carbon, cannot fully explain observed health impacts, (4) Metals contained in combustion-generated ultrafine and fine particles mediate formation of toxic air pollutants such as PCDD/F and PFRs. (5) The combination of metal-containing nanoparticles, organic carbon compounds, and PFRs can lead to a cycle generating oxidative stress in exposed organisms.