Introduction to the special issue on Advances in Life-Cycle Approachesto Business and Resource Management in the Asia-Pacific Region

This special issue of the Journal of Cleaner Production was initiated as a result of the 5th and 6th meetings of the Asia Pacific Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production (APRSCP), which were held in Melbourne, Australia and Hanoi, Vietnam, respectively. A need identified at those meetings was to create another means of communicating the best ideas and papers being presented, to a wider audience. The Asia Pacific region has special development needs given its rapid emergence as a global production hub, but coupled to that are also the rapid social adjustments and shifts in patterns of consumption and production which aren't positive for the environment. This special issue contains eight papers covering the implementation of cleaner production and life cycle principles at the systems and regional planning level. These articles cover urban development, corporate CP programs, supply chain management, eco-industrial networks, and industrial parks, recycling, and understanding the role of human factors in bringing about environmental change.     

Single-cell sequencing and mini-sequencing for preimplantation genetic diagnosis

There is increasing interest in the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) as an alternative to routine prenatal diagnosis. However, the costs associated with development and testing of new PGD protocols have forced some PGD centres to limit the number of diseases for which PGD is offered. One of the main factors in the design of new protocols, which affects cost and accuracy, is the choice of the mutation-detection technique. We have assessed the reliability of DNA sequencing and mini-sequencing for clinical diagnosis at the single-cell level and have found them to be rapid and accurate. Extensive optimisation for individual mutations is not usually necessary when employing these versatile techniques and consequently a smaller investment of time and resources should be required during development of new protocols. Additionally, we report single-cell protocols for the diagnoses of cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anaemia and β-thalassaemia, which utilise mini-sequencing. Unlike most mutation-detection techniques, mini-sequencing permits analysis of very small DNA fragments. Small amplicons experience low allele dropout (ADO) rates, and consequently this approach could potentially improve the reliability of PGD. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

CLIMATE CHANGE: POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND INTERACTIONS IN WETLANDS OF THE UNTTED STATES1

ABSTRACT: Wetlands exist in a transition zone between aquatic and terrestrial environments which can be altered by subtle changes in hydrology. Twentieth century climate records show that the United States is generally experiencing a trend towards a wetter, warmer climate; some climate models suggest that this trend will continue and possibly intensify over the next 100 years. Wetlands that are most likely to be affected by these and other potential changes (e.g., sea‐level rise) associated with atmospheric carbon enrichment include permafrost wetlands, coastal and estuanne wetlands, peat lands, alpine wetlands, and prairie pothole wetlands. Potential impacts range from changes in community structure to changes in ecological function, and from extirpation to enhancement. Wetlands (particularly boreal peat‐lands) play an important role in the global carbon cycle, generally sequestering carbon in the form of biomass, methane, dissolved organic material and organic sediment. Wetlands that are drained or partially dried can become a net source of methane and carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, serving as a positive biotic feedback to global warming. Policy options for minimizing the adverse impacts of climate change on wetland ecosystems include the reduction of current anthropogenic stresses, allowing for inland migration of coastal wetlands as sea‐level rises, active management to preserve wetland hydrology, and a wide range of other management and restoration options.     

Why should I be generous when I have valued and accessible alternatives? Alternative exchange partners and OCB

An Erratum has been published for this article in Journal of Organizational Behavior 26(7) 2005, 873. Previous research on the relationship between alternative employment opportunities and cooperation has neglected the distinction between evaluations and restrictions. Thus, one cannot analyze the relationship between attractiveness of alternative employment opportunities and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) under different levels of perceived ease of finding alternative employment. In a pilot study with N = 149 German employees, we confirm the proposed distinction with confirmatory factor analyses. Based on power‐dependence theory and rational choice models, we predict that under high ease the relationship between attractiveness and OCB should be more strongly negative than under conditions of low ease. In addition, we hypothesize that the interaction between attractiveness and ease should be greater for OCB than for task performance because task performance is exchanged in a relationship with an enforceable, binding contract, while OCB is voluntarily. Results from moderated multiple regression analysis on N = 86 German professional–supervisor dyads support our prediction for a negative relationship between attractiveness and OCB under high ease. Under low ease, we find a positive relationship between attractiveness and OCB. Moreover, there was no relationship with the interaction and task performance. Implications of the findings both for extra‐role and job mobility theory formation and research are discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Predicting the sensitivity of fishes to dioxin-like compounds: possible role of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand binding domain

Dioxin-like compounds are chronically toxic to most vertebrates. However, dramatic differences in sensitivity to these chemicals exist both within and among vertebrate classes. A recent study found that in birds, critical amino acid residues in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand binding domain are predictive of sensitivity to dioxin-like compounds in a range of species. It is currently unclear whether similar predictive relationships exist for fishes, a group of animals at risk of exposure to dioxin-like compounds. Effects of dioxin-like compounds are mediated through the AhR in fishes and birds. However, AhR dynamics are more complex among fishes. Fishes possess AhRs that can be grouped within at least three distinct clades (AhR1, AhR2, AhR3) with each clade possibly containing multiple isoforms. AhR2 has been shown to be the active form in most teleosts, with AhR1 not binding dioxin-like compounds. The role of AhR3 in dioxin-like toxicity has not been established to date and this clade is only known to be expressed in some cartilaginous fishes. Furthermore, multiple mechanisms of sensitivity to dioxin-like compounds that are not relevant in birds could exist among fishes. Although, at this time, deficiencies exist for the development of such a predictive relationship for application to fishes, successfully establishing such relationships would offer a substantial improvement in assessment of risks of dioxin-like compounds for this class of vertebrates. Elucidation of such relationships would provide a mechanistic foundation for extrapolation among species to allow the identification of the most sensitive fishes, with the ultimate goal of the prediction of risk posed to endangered species that are not easily studied.     

Effectiveness of the strategies to combat land degradation and drought

This paper focuses on the determination of the most effective set of mitigation and adaptation strategies applied to combat land degradation and drought in a latitudinal gradient. This study was carried out in Chile, in a latitude gradient between 17° 30′S and 36° 33′S. The northern regions are mostly formed by desert and dry land, which can be considered as marginal areas for agriculture. On the other hand, the area formed by the southern regions has an industrialized agriculture where an increased use of technology takes place and where the climate and water availability are optimal for the development of agriculture. The period considered in this study was between 2000 and 2007. We calculated an Investment Effectiveness Index. Afterwards, and in order to assess the effectiveness of the financial support, we performed multiple regressions (P?≤?0.05), where the Index was considered as the independent variable, and the annual difference of the area affected by a high risk of desertification was considered as the dependent variable. Our findings suggest that the effectiveness of the different set of the strategies applied to fight against desertification and drought varies in a latitudinal gradient. Thus, in arid and hyper arid areas the promotion of modern irrigation systems seems to be effective in combating desertification, while in Mediterranean climates the reforestation strategies seem to play an important role. Our results suggest that in areas heavily degraded by overgrazing, the most effective strategies are those oriented to obtain a permanent vegetation cover on degraded soils.     

Valuing power plant flexibility with CCS: the case of post-combustion capture retrofits

An important development in recent years has been increased interest in retrofitting CO₂ capture at existing power plants. In parallel, it has also been suggested that flexible operation of power plants with CO₂ capture could be important in at least some jurisdictions. It is likely that retrofitted power plants could have significant ??built-in?? flexibility, but this potential is often not considered in studies of the economic performance of power plants with CO₂ capture. This paper makes a contribution to filling this gap by developing methods for first order screening analysis of flexible operation of power plants with CO₂ capture and applying them to the case study example of an appropriately integrated retrofit of post-combustion capture at a coal-fired power plant. The quantitative analysis suggests that rich solvent storage could be an attractive option on a short-run basis for some fuel, CO₂ and electricity price combinations. Results from first order analysis can then be used to determine which operating modes should (and shouldn??t) be included in further, more detailed design studies.     

Local extinction of a foundation species in a hypoxic estuary: integrating individuals to ecosystem

We integrated across individual, population, community, and ecosystem levels to understand the impact of environmental stress by tracking the foundation species Mytilus edulis in the hypoxic estuary Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA. Our initial surveys revealed that the mussels occurred in nine extensive (2-28 ha) dense (814-9943 individuals/m2) subtidal reefs that attracted a diverse suite of predators (sea stars, crabs, gastropods). Hypoxia occurred in the summer of 2001, and a mussel transplant experiment revealed overall reduced growth rates of individuals, and higher mortality rates among larger mussels. At the population level, large decreases in densities and cover of mussels were correlated with dissolved oxygen concentrations, leading to extinction at one site and reductions of over an order of magnitude at others. Within one year, seven of the eight remaining populations were edged to extinction, and the previously extinct population was recolonized. At the community level, a predator exclusion experiment indicated that predation was an unimportant source of mussel mortality during the hypoxic period, in part due to the emigration of sea stars, as predicted by the Consumer Stress Model. However, mussels were too intolerant to hypoxia to have a net benefit from the predation refuge. The seasonal (summer) occurrence of hypoxia allowed sea stars to return following a lag, as predicted by a stress return time model, and the resumption of predation contributed to the subsequent extinction of mussel populations. At the ecosystem level, the initial filtration rate of the mussel reefs was estimated at 134.6 x 10(6) m3/d, equivalent to filtering the volume of the bay 1.3 times during the 26-d average residence time. That function was reduced by >75% following hypoxia. The effect of hypoxia on each level of organization had consequences at others. For example, size-specific mortality and decreased growth of individuals, and reduced filtration capacity of reefs, indicated a loss of the ability of mussels to entrain planktonic productivity and potential to control future eutrophication and hypoxia. Our study quantified patterns of loss and identified pathways within an integrative framework of feedbacks, summarized in a conceptual model that is applicable to similar foundation species subjected to environmental stress.