Assessing the Performance Level of a Water System

Water, Air, &; Soil Pollution: Focus - What should System Managers prefer? Systems that never fail or systems that remain safe during a failure? The present paper tries to give an answer to this...     

The Chemical Recycling of PET in the Framework of Sustainable Development

In this investigation, all the techniques used in the chemical recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are critically reviewed according to the overall benefits together with the environmental surcharge that they cause. Those, which are consistent with the principles of sustainable development, are indicated. Experimental data are presented for the acid hydrolysis of PET and compared with previous results on the alkaline hydrolysis of PET with, or without, the use of a phase transfer catalyst. Overall material balances are carried out for the hydrolysis of PET. Finally, it can be postulated that recycling according to the scheme: is the only one within the framework of sustainable development. Therefore, the recycling of PET does not only serve as a partial solution to the solid waste problem but also contributes to the conservation of raw petrochemical products and energy.     

Electroremediation: A study of the influence of buffering behavior in contaminated soils

This article presents the results of an experimental study conducted to evaluate the behavior of two types of andisol soils found in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. The soils were evaluated in relation to their buffering capacity when confronted with acid and alkaline fronts generated during electroremediation treatment. The study was conducted using a cell, which established a continuous flow of distilled water through electrode chambers to remove H⁺ and OH^? generated during electrolysis. The results indicate that the soils had sufficient buffer capacity to support variations in pH independent of the maintenance of flow of solution in the electrode chambers. Although the mechanism of migration was not affected, the flow of water favored the movement of ions by diffusion monitoring of the electrolytic current allowed for a real‐time parameter to act as an indicator of the quantity of ions available in regions near the electrodes. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Interpreting workplace identities: the role of office décor

Using qualitative methods, I examine how employees in corporate office environments interpreted a variety of relatively permanent office décor (e.g., furniture, photos, personal mementos) as indicators of their colleagues' workplace identities (i.e., central and enduring categorizations regarding employees' status and distinctiveness in the workplace). Similar to the encoding of behavioral cues of identity, findings suggest that interpretation of physical identity markers begins with either (1) a top‐down process of social categorization, in which specific rules are applied to encoding a few, focal, and visually salient pieces of office decor as evidence of management prototypes, or (2) a bottom‐up process of social categorization, in which a variety of physical artifacts are examined and compared to specific managerial exemplars to develop a complex representation of workplace identity. Findings also suggest that some of the unique attributes of physical identity markers (i.e., their potential to be viewed independently from their displayer, and their relative permanence) may be associated with the focus of each profiling process (i.e., on interpreting status vs. distinctiveness, and consistency vs. change). Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Workplace deviance,organizational citizenship behavior,and business unit performance: the bad apples do spoil the whole barrel

The influences of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and workplace deviant behavior (WDB) on business unit performance were investigated using data from branches of a fast food organization. Data included measures of WDB and OCB obtained from staff, ratings of performance provided by supervisors, and objective measures of performance. It was found that WDB was negatively and significantly associated with business unit performance measured both subjectively and objectively. OCB, however, failed to contribute to the prediction of business unit performance beyond the level that was achieved by WDB. It appeared, therefore, that the presence of deviant employees among business units impinges upon the performance of the business unit as a whole, whereas OCBs had comparatively little effect. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gender in the boss–subordinate relationship: a Nigerian study

The present study examines the interaction effect of gender of both subordinates and supervisors on subordinates' perception of differentiation of boss–subordinate relationship in an African setting. Data was collected from a total of 60 boss–subordinate dyads in four‐sex combinations obtained through a survey of a large five‐star hotel in Abuja, Nigeria. Results revealed that subordinates in opposite‐sex dyads perceived better quality of exchange than those in same‐sex dyads. The strongest quality of exchange was perceived in male boss–female subordinate dyad, while the weakest was perceived in female boss–female subordinate dyad. This emphasizes the importance of gender in the differentiation of boss–subordinate relationships in an African setting. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evidence of integration of air quality management in the decision-making processes and procedures of English local government

The air quality management (AQM) framework in the UK is a risk management approach using effects-based objectives for air pollutants to determine the need for action. The Environment Act 1995 required a National Air Quality Strategy to be published, setting out health-based standards and objectives for eight pollutants, of which seven are to managed at a local scale. Because of the variety of sources of air pollution, if the AQM process is to succeed in the long term, solutions to identified problems will be required from transport, land use and economic planning sectors of local government in liaison with various other agencies, regulators and outside bodies. As such the task is inherently multi-disciplinary and an integrated, collaborative approach will be necessary. Although this observation is now fairly well documented, there is still little guidance relating to how, in relation to air quality management, integration can actually be accomplished. This paper presents some observations from case studies undertaken as part of a longer-term research study and in particular focuses on the identified problems of involving non-air-quality professionals in a highly technical scientific process. Various approaches to the collaborative aspects of air quality management will be presented. These case studies represent local authorities of different sizes in different political and organisational situations facing a range of air quality challenges. The creation of project teams or task forces is judged particularly useful for local air quality management. Methods that could be applied more widely include appointing individuals as integrators, and rotation of key personnel.     

A framework for multi-level stakeholder studies in response to global change

Global change, as a process of large-scale environmental effects, and globalisation, as a change in peoples' livelihoods and consumption patterns, will impact communities increasingly in the years to come. Given these pressures, stakeholder consultations and broader stakeholder-centred activities that look at how people are affected by and able to adapt to change become crucial. Stakeholder consultations have been advanced, for instance, in Integrated Assessment activities which include several disciplines and stakeholder participation. Yet, thus far, such consultations have typically taken the form of direct group discussions, in which the differences in the way scientists and other stakeholders communicate are often underestimated. This paper suggests that there is a need to go beyond stakeholder dialogue to focus on the complex institutional factors that shape stakeholders' understandings and actions on multiple levels. Stakeholder studies would thus include not only direct consultation but also a social analysis of the vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities of regional and local institutions and livelihoods.     

Effect of selected and non-selected urban waste compost on the initial growth of corn

Brazil produces approximately 242,000 t of waste per day, 76% of it being dumped outdoors and only 0.9% recycled, including composting, which is an alternative still little known in Brazil. In search of a better destination for residues produced by domestic activities, composting stands as a feasible alternative. Organic compost from waste may be used for various purposes, among which are soil recovery, commercial production, pastures, lawns and reforestry and agriculture. However, the quality of the compost determines the growth and the development of plants. The effect of compost made from urban waste on corn plant (Zea mays L.) growth was investigated. Two types of compost were used: the selected compost (SC), produced from organic waste selectively collected; and the non-selected compost (NSC), taken from a 15-year-old cell from the Canabrava land-fill, located in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil (altitude 51 m, 12°22′–13°08′S, 38°08′–38°47′W). Corn was seeded in polyethylene pots, with soil-compost mixing substrate in the proportion of 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 t ha⁻¹ equivalent doses. Chemical analyses of the compost and growth properties of the plant like chlorophyll content; height and stem diameter; aerial and radicular dry biomasses, were used to evaluate compost quality. Plants cultivated with SC presented a superior gain, being of 52.5% in stem diameter, 71.1 and 81.2% in root and stem biomasses, respectively. Chlorophyl content alterations were observed in plants from treatments using 30 t compost ha⁻¹ dose onwards. Conventional and multivariate statistical methods were used to evaluate these results. The beneficial action of organic compost in plant growth was confirmed with this research.     

NUTRIENT CONCENTRATION CRITERIA AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PATTERNS IN TROPHIC STATE FOR RIVERS IN HETEROGENEOUS LANDSCAPES1

ABSTRACT: A method is demonstrated for the development of nutrient concentration criteria and large scale assessment of trophic state in environmentally heterogeneous landscapes. The method uses the River Environment Classification (REC) as a spatial framework to partition rivers according to differences in processes that control the accrual and loss of algae biomass. The method is then applied to gravel bed rivers with natural flow regimes that drain hilly watersheds in New Zealand's South Island. An existing model is used to characterize trophic state (in terms of chlorophyll a as a measure of maximum biomass) using nutrient concentration, which controls the rate of biomass accrual, and flood frequency, which controls biomass loss. Variation in flood frequency was partitioned into three classes, and flow data measured at 68 sites was used to show that the classes differ with respect to flood frequency. Variation in nutrient concentration was partitioned at smaller spatial scales by subdivision of higher level classes into seven classes. The median of flood frequency in each of the three higher level classes was used as a control variable in the model to provide spatially explicit nutrient concentration criteria by setting maximum chlorophyll a to reflect a desired trophic state. The median of mean monthly soluble reactive phosphorus and soluble inorganic nitrogen measured at 68 water quality monitoring sites were then used to characterize the trophic state of each of the seven lower level classes. The method models biomass and therefore allows variation in this response variable to provide options for trophic state and the associated nutrient concentrations to achieve these. Thus it is less deterministic than using reference site water quality. The choice from among these options is a sociopolitical decision, which reflects the management objectives rather than purely technical considerations.