“Würde der kreatur” and the common morality

If respect for the dignity of non-human creatures is to be an element of public policy it needs, as a first step, to be assimilated into the common morality. It is suggested that such respect may be based on several philosophical premises. Limiting the discussion to sentient animals, the paper reviews three of these: the concept of animal telos; the application of Rawlsian contractarianism to the case of non-human animals as moral patients; and human attitudes to animals in the light of virtue theory. Consideration is then given to the extent to which, by accommodating respect for the dignity of animals within the common morality, these principles might find more substantive expression in public policy.     

Seasonal dynamic and in situ division rates of the dominant Dinophysis species in Punic harbors of Carthage (Gulf of Tunis, South Mediterranean)

This study investigates spatio-temporal variations of in situ division rate (μ) of two species of the genus Dinophysis. Based on a postmitotic index approach, estimates of μ from net-haul samples were compared during five daily cell cycles studies in three stations of the Punic harbors of Carthage (Gulf of Tunis). To study the annual cycle of Dinophysis spp., weekly sampling were carried out from March 2008 to June 2010. In addition, sampling over 24 h was conducted on three-cycle studies in late spring and two-cycle studies in autumn, seasons characterized by Dinophysis proliferations. We recorded important abundances of Dinophysis sacculus stein (2.25?×?10⁴ cells/l, June 2008) and Dinophysis cf. acuminata (3?×?10⁴ cells/l, June 2009). Cellular division was phased in D. sacculus stein and D. cf. acuminata, but the division time, required for the population cohorts to pass from one phase to another, and values of estimated division rates varied between seasons and stations for the same species. D. cf. acuminata exhibit moderate (0.22 day^?1) to high (0.68 day^?1) value of μ. In contrast, D. sacculus shows very low μ values (0.02–0.17 day^?1) in autumn season to moderate values (0.21–0.35 day^?1) in late spring. The results presented here confirm that the postmitotic index approach allowed estimated of μ at low field depths and concentrations (10²–10³ cells/l).     

Climate change risks in Sahelian Africa

Analyses of Sahel regional and country-specific rainfall and temperature time series derived from a fixed subset of stations show the well-documented large-scale decreasing trend in rainfall that occurred between 1970 and 2000 and also, an increasing trend in summertime maximum and wintertime minimum temperatures. The evolution of summertime mean maximum temperature is almost opposite to that of rainfall, and a significant correlation is observed between the evolution of this quantity and millet yields, in comparison with correlation with summertime rainfall. It appears that quantifying future vulnerability of the Sahel zone to climate change is rather difficult because climate models have not in general shown yet a satisfactory reproduction of the observed climate variability of this area.     

Water quality assessment and meta model development in Melen watershed – Turkey

Istanbul, being one of the highly populated metropolitan areas of the world, has been facing water scarcity since the past decade. Water transfer from Melen Watershed was considered as the most feasible option to supply water to Istanbul due to its high water potential and relatively less degraded water quality. This study consists of two parts. In the first part, water quality data covering 26 parameters from 5 monitoring stations were analyzed and assessed due to the requirements of the “Quality Required of Surface Water Intended for the Abstraction of Drinking Water” regulation. In the second part, a one-dimensional stream water quality model with simple water quality kinetics was developed. It formed a basic design for more advanced water quality models for the watershed. The reason for assessing the water quality data and developing a model was to provide information for decision making on preliminary actions to prevent any further deterioration of existing water quality. According to the water quality assessment at the water abstraction point, Melen River has relatively poor water quality with regard to NH₄⁺, BOD₅, faecal streptococcus, manganese and phenol parameters, and is unsuitable for drinking water abstraction in terms of COD, PO₄^3?, total coliform, total suspended solids, mercury and total chromium parameters. The results derived from the model were found to be consistent with the water quality assessment. It also showed that relatively high inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations along the streams are related to diffuse nutrient loads that should be managed together with municipal and industrial wastewaters.     

Risk assessment of heavy metal toxicity of soil irrigated with treated wastewater using heat shock proteins stress responses: case of El Hajeb,Sfax, Tunisia

Heavy metal contamination of soil resulting from treated wastewater irrigation can cause serious concerns resulting from consuming contaminated crops. Therefore, it is crucial to assess hazard related to wastewater reuse. In the present investigation, we suggest the use of biomarker approach as a new tool for risk assessment of wastewater reuse in irrigation as an improvement to the conventional detection of physicochemical accumulation in irrigated sites. A field study was conducted at two major sites irrigated with treated wastewater and comparisons were made with a control site. Different soil depths were considered to investigate the extent of heavy metal leaching, the estrogenic activity, and the biomarker response. Results have shown that a longer irrigation period (20 years) caused a slight decrease in soil metal levels when compared to the soil irrigated for 12 years. The highest levels of Cr, Co, Ni, Pb, and Zn were detected at 20 and 40 cm horizons in plots irrigated with wastewater for 12 years. The latter finding could be attributed to chemical leaching to deeper plots for longer irrigation period. Furthermore, the treated wastewater sample showed a high estrogenic activity while none of the soil samples could induce any estrogenic activity. Regarding the stress response, it was observed that the highest stress shown by the HSP47 promoter transfected cells was induced by a longer irrigation period. Finally, the treated wastewater and the irrigated soils exhibited an overexpression of HSP60 in comparison with reference soil following 1 h exposure. In conclusion, in vitro techniques can be efficiently used to assess potential hazard related to wastewater reuse.     

Tradeable development rights to protect peri-urban areas: lessons from the United States and observations on Australian practice

As population growth continues there is greater pressure to manage cities and regions sustainably. These pressures are particularly acute in Australia's fastest growing peri-urban regions. Despite efforts to contain and consolidate urban growth, pressure on the peri-urban interface remains a key challenge. The reliance on traditional regulatory approaches to manage land use change in high growth peri-urban areas is proving to be ineffective. The use of market-based instruments (MBIs) are among the many options available to planners and policy makers to manage growth and development. Tradeable development rights (TDRs) are one type of MBI that have been used widely throughout the US to preserve open space and agricultural lands; however, their application in Australia has been limited. This paper uses a simple case study approach to review two Australian peri-urban TDR cases based on the findings of a large-scale US TDR study. The findings suggest that any attempt to implement TDR programmes in Australia should have regard for the key factors found in successful US TDR programmes. Planners also need to develop an intricate understanding of the internal and external factors that influence peri-urban areas.     

Boater Perceptions of Environmental Issues Affecting Lakes in Northern Wisconsin

Understanding public perceptions of the importance of environmental issues is crucial for gauging support for management activities. I present a novel methodological approach to assess the importance boaters placed on 16 water issues in a lake‐rich region of northern Wisconsin. A latent class maximum difference conjoint model was used to examine the relationships between environmental concern and engagement with lake resources. Boaters were grouped to maximize observed heterogeneity in prioritizing issues of concern. Socio‐demographic characteristics, recreation specialization, place attachment, and attitudes concerning aquatic stewardship and invasive species management were then used to predict class membership. This modeling approach identified five groups whose perceptions of issues pertaining to lakes are influenced by their interactions with the lake environment. While anglers were most concerned about fishing quality, sightseers identified lakeshore development and loss of natural habitat. Groups also differed in their socio‐demographic and attitudinal characteristics. The priorities of each group were substantially different from those of the overall sample. Accounting for differences in stakeholders' environmental concerns may improve public involvement in water management initiatives by allowing managers to identify common concerns and prioritize important issues among multiple groups.     

Using self‐determination theory to understand the relationship between calling enactment and daily well‐being

This paper contributes to the calling literature by using self‐determination theory—a theory that makes distinctions between different types of motivation—in order to gain a better understanding of how enacting a calling may relate both positively and negatively to well‐being. We use a daily diary method novel to the calling field and a sample with a distinctive calling, Church of England clergy. We expect daily calling enactment to relate positively to daily well‐being via more autonomous forms of motivation (intrinsic and identified motivation) and negatively via less autonomous forms (introjected motivation). Furthermore, we consider how the relationship between calling enactment and motivation may be moderated by perceived competence. The hypotheses were tested using multi‐level structural equation modeling. There was strong support for calling enactment relating positively to well‐being, and this relationship was fully mediated by intrinsic and identified motivation; the hypothesized negative pathway, from calling enactment, to introjected motivation, to well‐being, was not supported. However, perceived competence was found to moderate some of the relationships between calling and the motivation types, where calling enactment is linked to lower introjected motivation at high levels of competence. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Susceptibility of the freshwater pulmonate snail Lymnea luteola L. to copper oxide nanoparticle

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONP) are among the most widely used engineered nanoparticles and thus likely to permate the environment predominantly in sediments. The present study was designed to examine the adverse effects of CuONP in freshwater snail Lymnea luteola L. (L. luteola) exposed for 5 days. Induction of oxidative stress in digestive gland was evidenced by a decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, and activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) whereas lipid peroxidation levels were increased at CuONP 7 or 21 µg/L. Superoxide dismutase activity was numerically higher at lower concentration of CuONP at 1 day but significantly decreased at 5 days. Catalase activity was reduced at 2 days but elevated at lower concentration of CuONP at 5 days. DNA impairment was noted in L. luteola based upon comet assay findings and expressed in terms of % tail DNA and olive tail moment. Results indicate that interaction of CuONP with snail produces toxicity, which is mediated by oxidative stress.