Signs that encourage internalized recycling: Clinical validation, weak messages and “creative elaboration”

Two experiments examined clinical validation's ability to increase examination of a persuasive message and increase long-term recycling. In Experiment 1, validating (acknowledging) recycling's inconvenience decreased criticism of the persuasive message, supporting validation's ability to reduce reactance and open the reader to new ideas. Validation did not improve attitudes towards the sign's author, removing liking for the communicator as an alternate explanation for attitude change. In Experiment 2, different recycling signs were created from a 2(no validation/validation) by 2(weak/strong arguments) factorial design, and placed in university buildings. The validation weak sign increased recycling more than the validation strong sign, especially after the signs were removed. We suggest that validation induced people to scrutinize the weak message and use their existing pro-recycling attitudes to “creatively elaborate” it. Discussion emphasizes clinical validation and the Elaboration Likelihood Model as theoretical tools, as well as the potential for thought provoking signs to have long-term effects.     

Flooding and the Role of Planning in England and Wales: A Critical Review

In this paper the authors raise some important questions about the extent to which planning is fostering an environment susceptible to flooding. They argue that severe UK flooding incidents in recent years should result in the government re-examining the planning system to ensure relevancy and effectiveness in dealing with such problems in the future. They identify where the current policy and practice weaknesses lie in planning to limit both flood source and flood impact areas and suggest ways in which the government and the profession could take remedial steps to increase local and regional sustainability.     

Aerosol composition as a function of haze and humidity levels in the Southwestern U.S.

The observed composition of visibility-reducing aerosols in the Grand Canyon region is summarized in climatological terms. Observations are from SCENES, a measurement program extending from 1984 to 1989. Results are presented as average mass balances stratified by various factors.Aerosols were found to exhibit substantial seasonal variation, but little systematic diurnal variation. Crustal material was a dynamic component, and peaked during springtime. Aerosol composition, but not total concentration, depended strongly on ambient relative humidity, with crustal material augmented at low humidities and sulfates augmented at high humidities. Total fine-particle concentrations correlated strongly with light scattering, as expected; however, little association between chemical composition and light scattering was observed.     

Evidence for microfloral succession on allochthonous plant litter in Apalachicola Bay,Florida, USA

Changes in hydrolytic, respiratory,catabolic and lipid biosynthetic activities depend at least in part on successional changes in the microfloral populations of allochthonous plant litter incubated in a semi-tropical estuary. Initial colonization is by populations which have a high content of muramic acid relative to the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and which are progressively displaced by a microflora with a lower ratio of muramic acid to ATP. Scanning electron micrography of the plant-litter microflora shows a succession of forms, with an initial bacterial colonization and its progressive displacement by more complex forms. Estimates of the microbial mass and the rates of phospholipid synthesis suggest that the detrital microflora has a relatively slow growth rate compared to its growth potential.     

Melamine-based organoclay to sequester atrazine

Sequestration of aqueous atrazine by organoclays prepared from the surfactant 6-piperazin-1-yl-N,N'-bis-(1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-butyl)-(1,3,5)triazine-2,4-diamine and Gonzales bentonite was assessed using 14C-labeled atrazine. Organoclays with varying ratios of surfactant to clay were evaluated with respect to their ability to sequester atrazine from an aqueous solution. Organoclays containing 100-200 g kg-1 surfactant on a total weight basis provided the most efficient adsorption of atrazine, with apparent KOC values exceeding 5000 l kg-1 at these loading fractions. Less than 12% of sequestered atrazine was released during four sequential day long washings, supporting our expectation that the majority of the reaction of atrazine with the surfactant lead to irreversible chemical bond formation through nucleophilic aromatic substitution.     

Shifting elasmobranch community assemblage at Cocos Island—an isolated marine protected area

Fishing pressure has increased the extinction risk of many elasmobranch (shark and ray) species. Although many countries have established no‐take marine reserves, a paucity of monitoring data means it is still unclear if reserves are effectively protecting these species. We examined data collected by a small group of divers over the past 21 years at one of the world's oldest marine protected areas (MPAs), Cocos Island National Park, Costa Rica. We used mixed effects models to determine trends in relative abundance, or probability of occurrence, of 12 monitored elasmobranch species while accounting for variation among observers and from abiotic factors. Eight of 12 species declined significantly over the past 2 decades. We documented decreases in relative abundance for 6 species, including the iconic scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) (?45%), whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) (?77%), mobula ray (Mobula spp.) (?78%), and manta ray (Manta birostris) (?89%), and decreases in the probability of occurrence for 2 other species. Several of these species have small home ranges and should be better protected by an MPA, which underscores the notion that declines of marine megafauna will continue unabated in MPAs unless there is adequate enforcement effort to control fishing. In addition, probability of occurrence at Cocos Island of tiger (Galeocerdo cuvier), Galapagos (Carcharhinus galapagensis), blacktip (Carcharhinus limbatus), and whale (Rhincodon typus) sharks increased significantly. The effectiveness of MPAs cannot be evaluated by examining single species because population responses can vary depending on life history traits and vulnerability to fishing pressure.