Adapting to new realities: an analysis of institutional work in three cases of Dutch infrastructure planning

The social and institutional context of infrastructure planning has shifted tremendously over recent decades. From top–down implementation, infrastructure planners are now forced to incorporate the demands and wishes of citizens and other external stakeholders. This paper adopts the analytical perspective of institutional work to analyse how a number of Dutch infrastructure planning organisations try to remain in control over these changes in their institutional context. Building on social systems thinking, this paper distinguishes three environments in which this control can play out: the internal environment over which an organisation has complete control, an external environment over which an organisation has little control and a transactional environment where the organisation, through its interactions with other actors, can influence institutional development. The paper concludes that while most forms of institutional work applied by the infrastructure planning organisations under study aim to change the organisations’ interactions with stakeholders, the forms of institutional work are predominantly located within the internal environment of planning organisations.     

Decadal variability of floods in the northern foreland of the Tatra Mountains

Floods in the northern foreland of the Tatra Mountains considerably contribute to the total flood damage in Poland. Therefore, the question whether the magnitude and frequency of floods have changed in this region is of high interest. This study aims at investigating the inter-decadal variability of magnitude, frequency and seasonality of floods since the mid-twentieth century, to better understand regional changes. The analysis was accomplished in a multi-temporal approach whereby trends are fitted to every possible combination of start and end years in a record. Detected trends were explained by estimating correlations between the investigated flood parameters and different large-scale climate indices for the northern hemisphere, and by trends found in intense precipitation indices, number of days with snow cover, cyclonic circulation types, temperature and moisture conditions. Catchment and channel changes that occurred in the region over the past decades were also considered. Results show that rivers in the area exhibit considerable inter-decadal variability of flows. The magnitude and direction of short-term trends are heavily influenced by this inter-decadal variability; however, certain patterns are apparent. More extreme, although perhaps less frequent floods are now likely to occur, with a shift in the seasonality, decreasing flood magnitudes in winter and increasing during autumn and spring. The identification of the factors contributing to the occurrence of flood events and their potential changes is valuable to enhance the flood management in the region and to improve the resilience of the population in this mountainous area.     

Climate change adaptation,mitigation and livelihood benefits in coffee production: where are the synergies?

There are worldwide approximately 4.3 million coffee (Coffea arabica) producing smallholders generating a large share of tropical developing countries’ gross domestic product, notably in Central America. Their livelihoods and coffee production are facing major challenges due to projected climate change, requiring adaptation decisions that may range from changes in management practices to changes in crops or migration. Since management practices such as shade use and reforestation influence both climate vulnerability and carbon stocks in coffee, there may be synergies between climate change adaptation and mitigation that could make it advantageous to jointly pursue both objectives. In some cases, carbon accounting for mitigation actions might even be used to incentivize and subsidize adaptation actions. To assess potential synergies between climate change mitigation and adaptation in smallholder coffee production systems, we quantified (i) the potential of changes in coffee production and processing practices as well as other livelihood activities to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions, (ii) coffee farmers’ climate change vulnerability and need for adaptation, including the possibility of carbon markets subsidizing adaptation. We worked with smallholder organic coffee farmers in Northern Nicaragua, using workshops, interviews, farm visits and the Cool Farm Tool software to calculate greenhouse gas balances of coffee farms. From the 12 activities found to be relevant for adaptation, two showed strong and five showed modest synergies with mitigation. Afforestation of degraded areas with coffee agroforestry systems and boundary tree plantings resulted in the highest synergies between adaptation and mitigation. Financing possibilities for joint adaptation-mitigation activities could arise through carbon offsetting, carbon insetting, and carbon footprint reductions. Non-monetary benefits such as technical assistance and capacity building could be effective in promoting such synergies at low transaction costs.     

低浓度甲苯在固定床活性炭上的吸附及其数值模拟

对气体中低浓度甲苯在固定床活性炭上的吸附作了系统研究,测定了甲苯－空气活性炭系统的吸附等温线以Φ２６０×１４０ｍｍ活性炭固定床的穿透曲线,并在低浓度范围建立了固定床活性炭吸附甲苯数学模型。计算结果与实验结合吻合良好,所建模型可用于预测其它条件下的穿透曲线。     

Overview of state approaches to vapor intrusion: 2018

Regulatory requirements for the evaluation of vapor intrusion vary significantly among states. For site owners and responsible parties that have sites in different regulatory jurisdictions, one challenge is to know and understand how the requirements or expectations for vapor intrusion differ from one jurisdiction to the next. Differences in requirements can make it difficult to manage sites in a consistent manner across jurisdictions. Eklund, Folkes, et al. (2007, February, Environmental Manager, 10–14) published an overview of state guidance for vapor intrusion in 2007 that provided a detailed summary of pathway screening values and other key vapor intrusion policies. An update by Eklund, Beckley, et al. (2012, Remediation, 22, 7–20) was published in 2012, which expanded the evaluation to additional states. Since that time, numerous states have substantially revised their guidance and some states that did not have vapor intrusion‐specific guidance have issued new guidance. This article provides an update to the 2012 study. For each state, the review includes tabulations of the types of screening values included (e.g., groundwater, soil, soil gas, indoor air) and the screening values for selected chemicals that commonly drive vapor intrusion investigations (i.e., trichloroethylene [TCE], tetrachloroethylene, and benzene) along with other compounds of potential interest. In addition, for each state, the article summarizes a number of key policy decisions that are important for the investigation of vapor intrusion including: distance screening criteria, default subsurface to indoor air attenuation factors, mitigation criteria, and policies for evaluation of short‐term TCE exposure.     

Injuries associated with the use of riding mowers in the United States, 2002-2007

Context: To examine injuries among patients treated in an emergency department (ED) related to the use of a riding lawn mower.Design and Setting: Data were obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System for the years 2002-2007. National estimates of ED visits for injuries associated with the use of a riding lawn mower were analyzed. Narrative text entries were categorized to provide a detailed record of the circumstances precipitating the injury. Average annual rates were calculated and logistic regression analyses were employed to determine risk estimates for patient disposition and demographic characteristics related to ED visits for injuries associated with riding mowers.Results: From 2002 through 2007, there were an estimated 66,341 ED visits for injuries related to the use of riding lawnmowers in the U.S., with an average annual rate of 6.0 ED visits per 100,000 males, and 1.6 ED visits per 100,000 females. Older adults had higher rates of ED visits for injuries (7.2/100,000) than younger age groups. The most common injuries involved contusions (24%); sprains/strains (22%) and fractures (17%). The majority of patients (90%) were treated and released the same day. Results of logistic regression analyses revealed that older adults were more likely to be hospitalized when compared to younger age groups; and incidents involving rollovers [OR = 5.45 (95% CI = 3.22-9.23)] and being run over [6.01 (95% CI 3.23-11.17)] were more likely to result in hospitalization when compared to all other circumstances of injury.Conclusions: Riding mowers present injury patterns and circumstances that are different than those reported for push mowers. Circumstances related to injuries and age groups affected were varied, making prevention of riding mower injuries challenging. Application/Impact: Findings support the need to increase awareness and/or change the design of riding mowers with respect to risk of rollover injuries.     

Extra-pair paternity and the reproductive role of male floaters in the tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

In many avian species, a part of the population is present at the breeding grounds but does not breed. Current theories generally assume that floaters are younger or lower-quality individuals, and empirical data confirm this. However, floating could also arise as an alternative strategy to breeding, if floaters are able to reproduce via extra-pair copulations. Until the present study, there has been no evidence that floaters father offspring. We studied a population of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), a species with one of the highest levels of extra-pair paternity known in birds. Using microsatellite markers, we determined the biological fathers of 65% of the extra-pair young. Of a total of 53 extra-pair young (52% of all offspring), 47% were fathered by local residents, 6% by residents breeding elsewhere (up to 2 km from the focal grid), and 13% by floaters. Residents seemed to be more successful and they were also more likely to return as territory holders in the next breeding season compared to floaters. Extra-pair males were on average in better condition than the within-pair males they cuckolded. Interestingly, resident males that disappeared (possibly to float) during the fertile period were heavier than males that stayed, and floaters were heavier than residents, but not different in any other characteristic. Although alternative interpretations of the data are possible, we propose that floating might be a conditional strategy in tree swallows whereby males in good condition gain more paternity via extra-pair copulations, whereas males in worse condition are more successful by providing parental care.     

Effect of submergence-emergence sequence and organic matter or aluminosilicate amendment on metal uptake by woody wetland plant species from contaminated sediments

Site-specific hydrological conditions affect the availability of trace metals for vegetation. In a greenhouse experiment, the effect of submersion on the metal uptake by the wetland plant species Salix cinerea and Populus nigra grown on a contaminated dredged sediment-derived soil and on an uncontaminated soil was evaluated. An upland hydrological regime for the polluted sediment caused elevated Cd concentrations in leaves and cuttings for both species. Emergence and soil oxidation after initial submersion of a polluted sediment resulted in comparable foliar Cd and Zn concentrations for S. cinerea as for the constant upland treatment. The foliar Cd and Zn concentrations were clearly higher than for submerged soils after initial upland conditions. These results point at the importance of submergence-emergence sequence for plant metal availability. The addition of foliar-based organic matter or aluminosilicates to the polluted sediment-derived soil in upland conditions did not decrease Cd and Zn uptake by S. cinerea.     

Concentration of tetrachloroethylene in indoor air at a former dry cleaner facility as a function of subsurface contamination: a case study

A field study was performed to evaluate indoor air concentrations and vapor intrusion (VI) of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and other chlorinated solvents at a commercial retail site in Dallas, TX. The building is approximately 40 yr old and once housed a dry cleaning operation. Results from an initial site characterization were used to select sampling locations for the VI study. The general approach for evaluating VI was to collect time-integrated canister samples for off-site U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Method TO-15 analyses. PCE and other chlorinated solvents were measured in shallow soil gas, subslab soil-gas, indoor air, and ambient air. The subslab soil gas exhibited relatively high values: PCE < or =2,600,000 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) and trichloroethylene < or =170 ppbv. The attenuation factor, the ratio of indoor air and subslab soil-gas concentrations, was unusually low: approximately 5 x 10(-6) based on the maximum subslab soil-gas concentration of PCE and 1.4 x 10(-5) based on average values.