Landscapes and environments on the island of Ouessant,Brittany, France: From traditional maintenance to the management of abandoned areas

For about 50 years the desertion of areas by traditional activities has led to an important evolution of landscapes and environments on the island of Ouessant. The study of this evolution has been undertaken at different spatial and temporal scales. On one part of the island, a scientific investigation carried out at the scale of the parcel enabled the form of the landscape in 1850 to be compared with that of 1985. On the whole island, the evolution of spatial organization and land use was compared between 1950 and 1985. For each of three main ecological environments, vegetational successions after the decrease of agriculture have been studied along with their future potential changes. This work highlights some considerations about the present management of the environment in relation to the major objectives of island environmental policies.     

Energy analysis and the coupling of man and estuaries

New concepts and insights concerning human and natural systems in the coastal zone are emerging from recent energy analysis and synthesis studies. By using new concepts for measuring the quality of energy, one can express the work of ecosystems and human economies in equivalent terms. From energy models and new energy quality evaluations, one can learn what kinds of coastal systems maximize power, are competitive, economically vital, and likely to have a survival advantage.Energy analysis and synthesis is aided by energy circuit diagrams. Models of the coastal zone that emphasize the change in external driving functions related to world energy sources provide insights and some predictive abilities that are not found in economic studies, since money flows alone do not evaluate external driving energies.This paper suggests four procedures for coastal planning: 1) calculation of investment ratio in units of equal quality to determine which projects are economic in a broad sense, 2) development of energy signatures for coastal ecosystems, 3) determination of which interface ecosystems develop the best energy flows, and 4) development of regional models that include the main features of human and natural ecosystems.     

A Modeling System to Assess Land Cover Land Use Change Effects on SAV Habitat in the Mobile Bay Estuary

Estuarine ecosystems are largely influenced by watersheds directly connected to them. In the Mobile Bay, Alabama watersheds we examined the effect of land cover and land use (LCLU) changes on discharge rate, water properties, and submerged aquatic vegetation, including freshwater macrophytes and seagrasses, throughout the estuary. LCLU scenarios from 1948, 1992, 2001, and 2030 were used to influence watershed and hydrodynamic models and evaluate the impact of LCLU change on shallow aquatic ecosystems. Overall, our modeling results found that LCLU changes increased freshwater flows into Mobile Bay altering temperature, salinity, and total suspended sediments (TSS). Increased urban land uses coupled with decreased agricultural/pasture lands reduced TSS in the water column. However, increased urbanization or agricultural/pasture land coupled with decreased forest land resulted in higher TSS concentrations. Higher sediment loads were usually strongly correlated with higher TSS levels, except in areas where a large extent of wetlands retained sediment discharged during rainfall events. The modeling results indicated improved water clarity in the shallow aquatic regions of Mississippi Sound and degraded water clarity in the Wolf Bay estuary. This integrated modeling approach will provide new knowledge and tools for coastal resource managers to manage shallow aquatic habitats that provide critical ecosystem services.     

The growth of large diamond crystals

Large diamond crystals up to 6 mm in average diameter may be grown at high pressures (55–60 kbar) and temperatures (1400–1500 °C) by causing diamond to dissolve in a molten catalyst metal (Fe, Ni, Co, etc.) in a hot region and deposit upon a seed crystal in a slightly cooler region. Several days are required to produce a high quality single crystal. The process can be controlled to produce different kinds of diamonds whose properties have been studied.     

Understanding the paradox of rising consumption of alternative medicine in Kenya

Kenya has been expanding provision of healthcare services, taking health facilities closer to the people. While this would be expected to reduce dependence on complementary/alternative medicine, the consumption has continued to rise. This raises the question of whether alternative medicine is replacing conventional medicine or the two are jointly used to deal with diseases. Thus, this study sought to establish the relationship of the two remedies in household choice of healthcare and explored the determinants of such choices. The study used bivariate probit analysis on cross-sectional data. The study found that consumption of conventional medicine and alternative medicine was indeed interdependent. The two were, on average, substitutes although some groups still consumed them jointly. Gender, education and age of the household head, price of conventional medicine, distance to conventional medicine facilities and social networks were found to influence the decisions. Male household heads, price of conventional medicine and distance to conventional medical facilities had a positive relationship with the probability of using alternative remedies. Education and age of household head, and social capital were associated with lower likelihood of choosing alternative remedies. The results of this study have important ramifications for medical researchers, health policy makers and health insurance providers. For medical researchers, joint use of alternative and conventional medicines makes it important to understand the interactions between the two so as to avoid adverse reactions that may endanger the lives of patients. For the health policy makers, because patients have different preferences for healthcare services, it is useful to provide alternative medicine and conventional medicine in a joint and integrated health system for patients’ freedom of choice, and for safety and efficacy of treatment. Health insurance providers, on their part, need to explore the possibilities and modalities for bringing users of alternative medicine, and joint users of alternative and conventional medicines under their cover.     

Ecology, management and monitoring of grey dunes in Flanders

Grey dunes are a priority habitat type of the European Union Habitats Directive and demand special attention for conservation and management. Knowledge of the ecology of coastal grey dunes can contribute to this policy. Dune grassland succession is initiated by fixation and driven by the complex of soil formation (humus accumulation) and vegetation development. Leaching and mobilization of CaCO₃. which are important in nutrient dynamics, complicate the picture. At present, grass- and scrub encroachment greatly overrules these fine scaled soil processes and causes substantial loss of regional biodiversity. Belgium has an international responsibility in grey dune conservation because of the limited range of its characteristic vegetation, flora and fauna. As biomass removal seems essential in grassland preservation, grazing is an important management tool. Evaluation of management measures focuses on biodiversity measurements on the levels of landscape, community and species.     

Spillover effects of yield-to-pedestrian channelizing devices

A great number of pedestrians are killed or injured in traffic crashes every year in the US. Vehicle crashes involving pedestrians are often more severe than other crashes because pedestrians are unprotected and are hence more likely to suffer injuries or death if struck by a motor vehicle. To improve pedestrian safety, a variety of treatments such as overhead flashing beacons, in-street crossing signs, in-roadway warning lights, and traffic calming measures have been used. One treatment, in-street yield-to-pedestrian channelizing devices (YTPCD), has been used in many states, including Pennsylvania, where approximately 10% of traffic crash fatalities are pedestrians each year.In an effort to improve pedestrian safety, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has widely deployed YTPCD. This study examines the spillover (indirect) effects of such devices on motorist and pedestrian behavior. With data collected from eight sites that did not have but were in the vicinity of YTPCD implementations, analysis results show that such devices have significantly positive spillover effects on pedestrian safety at intersections, but they tend to have negative spillover effects at mid-block locations. Overall, the YTPCD appear to have a positive impact on changing motorist and pedestrian behavior, and merit consideration for future usage of this type of device.     

Efficient preparation of greener N-doped carbon nanotube composites for water treatment by the microwave polyol method

N-doped carbon nanotubes have unique structures and strong interactions with metal nanoparticles due to the presence of nitrogen. There is actually a need for nanoparticles to treat water, without leaching of toxic metals. Here, we synthesized nanocomposites by deposition of Ag and Fe nanoparticles on N-doped carbon nanotubes with a surface area of 52 m²/g and 2 % N content to form nanocomposites. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the nanocomposites revealed that the best dispersion of the deposited nanoparticles was achieved by the microwave-assisted polyol method. The Ag and Fe nanoparticles were indeed monodispersed and uniformly distributed on the surface of the N-doped carbon nanotubes. Deposition could be achieved in 5 min. The wet impregnation and deposition–precipitation methods gave composites with agglomerated nanoparticles. We observed that leaching of Fe and Ag into water was also influenced by the preparation method. No leaching of nanoparticles was observed when the composites were prepared by the microwave polyol method. This synthesis is therefore efficient with less energy and time. The strong metal/N-doped carbon nanotube interactions render these composites suitable for use in water purification.     

Evaluating the sustainability potential of a white goods refurbishment program

A sustainable national policy on waste electronic and electrical equipment reuse has to ensure an integrated environmental economic and social approach. In this paper, a quantitative model is developed that permits a comparative analysis of re-use and non-re-use scenarios from an environmental and economic perspective. The model demonstrates the importance of considering user consumption profiles and the changing national electricity generation portfolio in determining the best end-of-life strategy, whether it should be reuse or recycling. A case study of Ireland is used to demonstrate the model. From a social perspective, qualitative aspects of reuse, such as the job creation potential and the impact on prosperity for low income families, are also considered. Reuse of white goods, if conducted through social enterprises, will create more employment than an equivalent amount of recycling for those most vulnerable to unemployment. Any environmental and social dividends from re-use can be realized only in the context of an economically sustainable system. This would include such factors as a secure supply of suitable equipment, a competitive cost base and sufficient revenues from sales and other sources in order for the business to survive. In an attempt to examine whether a white goods re-use program could possibly operate in a competitive manner with new appliances, this study has examined examples of comparable businesses operating in the EU as well as interpreting data on consumer demand.