Water security for northern peoples: review of threats to Arctic freshwater systems in Nunavut,Canada

Regional Environmental Change - Water is a fundamental component of the ecological integrity, economic development, and sustainability of northern regions, as well as the health and well-being of...     

Female response to song reflects male developmental history in swamp sparrows

One explanation for why female songbirds attend to male song is that the quality of a male's song is associated with the quality of his developmental history. We tested this hypothesis by playing back to female swamp sparrows (Melospiza georgiana) songs recorded from males of either inferior or superior developmental histories, as assessed by their rates of mass gain during the first 18 days post-hatching. Females showed significantly higher levels of courtship display in response to songs of males with superior growth than to songs of males with inferior growth. Out of nine song traits measured, only song duration correlated with variation in female response; duration was also the only trait that differed significantly in univariate comparisons between the superior growth songs and the inferior growth songs. In a multivariate analysis, however, inferior growth songs were best discriminated from superior growth songs by combining three song traits: trill rate, stereotypy, and the number of notes per syllable. We suggest that early developmental stress degrades song in many small ways, and that it is the cumulative effect of the resulting deficits that explains lower female response.     

Report: waste refinery in the municipality of Bor?s.

This paper briefly describes waste treatment trends in Sweden and describes an example of state-of-the-art treatment in a local integrated waste treatment system (Bor?s). The focus is on treatment of household waste, to illustrate what can be done to establish a sustainable waste treatment system with high recovery of materials and energy. The various processes have resulted in a low amount of landfilled household waste, and high proportions of recovered energy and materials. Heat, electricity, vehicle fuel and fertilizers, metals and construction materials are recovered from the local waste in Bor?s, with less than 4% of domestic waste being sent to landfill.     

An Experimental Study of Hopper Evacuation Effects on Multitube Cyclone Performance

An experimental multitube cyclone facility was constructed and experiments conducted to investigate the influence of hopper evacuation on multitube cyclone performance. The effects of the amount of hopper evacuation and the location of hopper evacuation on individual cyclone tube velocities and particle collection efficiency were determined. Cyclone tube velocities increased with increasing hopper evacuation although hopper evacuation location had little effect on the velocities. Particle collection efficiencies were increased from 89.5 percent to approximately 95 percent with 14 percent hopper evacuation from a location near the center of the hopper. Other hopper evacuation locations were not as effective in increasing collection efficiency. These results suggest that, while the increased velocity in the cyclone tubes is an important effect in the improvement of multitube cyclone performance with hopper evacuation, other factors such as redistribution of gas flow within the hopper are also important.     

Over-reaction and under-reaction in climate policy: an institutional analysis

In what circumstances do organizations react to changes in their operating environment by adopting proportionate policy responses? And drawing on institutional theory, what expectations can we formulate in relation to the proportionality of policy responses to climate change? These two research questions frame this article, which seeks to make new connections between the emerging perspective of proportionality in policy-making and existing institutional theories. We find that institutional theories are well suited to formulating expectations concerning the (dis)proportionality of policy responses, but their explanatory power can be further improved by taking the characteristics of specific climate policy problems into account. While there are many different problems nested in the ‘meta’ problem of climate change, we find that most of them have characteristics which suggest that policy under-reactions are more, not less likely. Amongst institutional theories, rational choice institutionalism provides the clearest expectation that proportionate policy responses are unlikely. Policy entrepreneurship is identified as one obvious way in which to stimulate proportionate policy responses, through fostering new ways of thinking within organizations.