An investigation of driver attitudes and behaviour in rural and urban areas in Norway

This study aimed to investigate differences in self-reported driver attitudes and behaviour in rural, peri-urban and urban areas in Norway. Age, gender and education were controlled for. An additional aim was to investigate the relations between demographics, personality variables, driver attitudes and behaviour in the complete sample and across the different geographical areas. To obtain these aims, a questionnaire was distributed by mail to a randomly selected sample from the Norwegian population registry (N = 6203). Of the distributed questionnaires the response rate was 30%. Differences in attitudes and self-reported behaviour were significant due to type of geographical area. However, the results showed that gender, age and education caused stronger differences than type of geographical area in attitudes to driving and driver behaviour. SEM-analysis failed to reject the notion that the strength of the structural relations was similar in the geographical areas. This could imply that demographic characteristics, and their compositions in rural, peri-urban and urban areas, are more important for differences in driver behaviour and attitudes than characteristics of the traffic environment.     

Critical Loads of Acidity for Surface Waters in South-Central Ontario, Canada: Regional Application of the First-Order Acidity Balance (FAB) Model

Major sulphur emission control programs have been implemented in North America, resulting in current emissions being ～30% less than those in 1980. However, the level of acidic deposition remaining is still unlikely to promote widespread recovery of aquatic ecosystems. The First-order Acidity Balance (FAB) model has been applied to south-central Ontario (285 lakes in the Muskoka River Catchment) to evaluate the need for further reductions in emissions. As a result of the past decline in deposition, the proportion of lakes with critical loads exceedance has dropped substantially; however, further reductions in sulphur and nitrogen emissions are required to eliminate critical loads exceedance. Based on bulk deposition of sulphate and nitrogen (41.1 mmol_c m^-2 yr^-1 and 62.5 mmol_c m^-2 yr^-1, respectively) for the period 1995–1999, 166 lakes (58.3%) exceedcritical loads. Even with full implementation of SO₂ abatementprograms in Canada (achieved in 1994) and the United States (legislated for 2010), critical loads will be exceeded in a large proportion (46.6%) of the study lakes.     

Effects of Regional Reductions in Sulphur Deposition on the Chemical and Biological Recovery of Lakes within Killarney Park, Ontario, Canada

The lakes in KillarneyProvincial Park, located 40–60 km southwest ofSudbury, Ontario, were some of the first lakesin North America to be acidified by atmosphericpollutants. Acidification affected thousandsof fish and invertebrate populations in dozensof lakes. Since the 1970's, water quality hasimproved in response to atmospheric pollutionreductions and some lakes have alreadyrecovered to approximately their pre-industrialpH levels, as inferred from diatom microfossilsin lake sediments. Since the 1970's, fishspecies richness has not changed substantially,but zooplankton species richness has increasedin acidified lakes. The critical sulphur load,the amount of SO₂-derived acid depositionthat can occur while still maintaining suitable water quality, was estimated to beexceeded in 38% of the park area in 1997. Depending on which of four possible NorthAmerican emission control scenarios (CLR =currently legislated reduction; CLR + 25%; CLR+ 50%; CLR + 75%) is achieved by 2010, theprojected critical loads will be exceeded inabout 0-30% of the park area in the future. There are many factors that can affectbiological recovery rates of damaged lakes, butit is expected that biological recovery willlag considerably behind observed chemicalrecovery rates.     

Socioeconomic Factors Affecting Farmers’ Perceptions of Land Degradation and Stonewall Terraces in Central Palestine

Land degradation by soil erosion is a socioeconomic and environmental problem facing many developing countries. Application of stonewall terraces for soil moisture conservation is vital to reducing the environmental impacts of this phenomenon. To this end, a field plot experiment was conducted in the study area along with the use of a closed-ended questionnaire. The object of the experiment was to study the socioeconomic impacts of soil erosion on local farmers and their adoption of the stonewall terrace technique. The study showed a higher net profit in areas that had implemented terrace conservation practices than in areas that had not (i.e., 3.5 to 6 times higher net profit). Correlation analysis indicated that the farmers’ perceptions, land ownership, and geomorphology were significantly related to the farmers’ incentives and willingness to adopt terraces as soil conservation measures (P < 0.05), although the correlations were negative. Smallholder farmers (52% of the interviewed farmers) were involved in the sale of the agricultural land for urban uses, largely because of the high price and immediate returns offered. However, the associated land use changes warrant greater involvement of both the private and public sectors. This cooperation may be accomplished through the introduction of a long-term agricultural loan system and the development of proper legislation accompanied by a comprehensive and durable infrastructure and service system with the goal of reducing the negative impact of land use changes and encouraging sustainable use of resources.     

Photodegradation of the synthetic fragrance OTNE and the bactericide triclosan adsorbed on dried loamy sand--results from models and experiments

Fragrances such as OTNE (marketed as Iso-E-Super®) and bactericides such as triclosan (marketed as Igrasan) are present in waste water and thus finally sorbed to sewage sludge. With that sludge they can reach agricultural fields where they potentially can undergo photodegradation processes. In this study the photodegradation of OTNE and triclosan on dried loamy sand was measured under artificial sunlight conditions in laboratory experiments. These compounds were artificially added with concentrations of 1 μg g⁻¹ on pre-rinsed dried loamy sand. The decrease in concentration with light irradiation was measured for 32 d in comparison to soil samples without light irradiation. The estimated light source intensity was 27 W m⁻². Within the experiment, the apparent half-life was 7 and 17 d for OTNE and triclosan respectively. The decrease did not simply follow first-order kinetics. The apparent rate constant decreased in the latter stage of reaction, suggesting that part of the chemicals were inaccessible for degradation. Two models, i.e., a diffusion-limited model, and a light penetration-limited model, were used in comparison to the measured data to explain the observed degradation limitations in the latter stages of the experiments. Comparing the hereby obtained model parameters with estimated physico-chemical parameters for the soil and the two chemical compounds, the light penetration-limited model, in which the degradation in the soil surface layer is assumed to be limited due to the shading effect of light in the upper thin soil layer, showed to be the most realistic in describing the photodegradation.     

Rates of nitrification,distribution of nitrifying bacteria,and nitrate fluxes in different types of sediment from Danish waters

Nitrification rates, measured in different sediment types from Danish waters, are in the range of 0.3 to 1.4 mmol NO ₃ ^- m^-2 d^-1. There is no signification between sandy and muddy sediments, nor between shallow and deeper stations. The extent of nitrification is probably limited to the zone of oxygen penetration, 1.5 to 5.5 mm. There are, however, nitrifying bacteria located in the anoxic sediment layers. There relative numbers were found by measuring the nitrification potential of the sediment. These potential rates (22°C) can also be used to calculate actual rates of nitrification, by adjusting to in situ temperature and oxygen penetration. These calculated rates agree with the actual measured rates of nitrification for a wide range of sediment types and may be used for the estimation of actual nitrification rates. Nitrate flux out from the sediment/water interface is in the range of 0 to 0.7 mmol NO ₃ ^- m^-2 d^-1. There is no correlation between concentration gradients of nitrate across the sediment/water interface and the measured flux of nitrate. Approximately 50% of nitrate production is released to the water column. The remainder (0 to 0.35 mmol N m^-2 d^-1) may have been denitrified.     

Do microsporidian parasites affect courtship in two-spotted gobies?

Courtship and body condition of male two-spotted gobies (Gobiusculus flavescens) harbouring naturally acquired microsporidian infections were compared with those of microsporidian-free males under standardized conditions in the lab. Although parasite infection had no apparent effect on individual condition, it significantly affected male courtship intensity. This effect, however, was affected by the intensity of the female courtship. Our study is one of the first to demonstrate a sub-lethal behavioural effect of a microsporidian parasite that could negatively affect the reproductive success of infected individuals. Our results also suggest that secondary sexual traits like courtship may be more sensitive to moderately detrimental effects of parasite infection than classical condition indices.