Disaster risk, climate change and international development: scope for, and challenges to, integration

Reducing losses to weather-related disasters, meeting the Millennium Development Goals and wider human development objectives, and implementing a successful response to climate change are aims that can only be accomplished if they are undertaken in an integrated manner. Currently, policy responses to address each of these independently may be redundant or, at worst, conflicting. We believe that this conflict can be attributed primarily to a lack of interaction and institutional overlap among the three communities of practice. Differences in language, method and political relevance may also contribute to the intellectual divide. Thus, this paper seeks to review the theoretical and policy linkages among disaster risk reduction, climate change and development. It finds that not only does action within one realm affect capacity for action in the others, but also that there is much that can be learnt and shared between realms in order to ensure a move towards a path of integrated and more sustainable development.     

Development of a Grassland Integrity Index Based on Breeding Bird Assemblages

We utilized landscape and breeding bird assemblage data from three Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) routes sampled from 1965–1995 to develop and test a grassland integrity index (GII) in a mixed-grass prairie area of Oklahoma. The overall study region is extensively fragmented from long-term agricultural activity, and native habitat remnants have been degraded by recent encroachment of woody vegetation, namely eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana L.). The 50 individual bird survey points along the BBS routes, known as stops, were used as sample sites. Our process first focused on developing a grassland disturbance index (GDI) as a measure of cumulative landscape disturbances for these sites. The GDI was based on five key landscape variables identified in an earlier species-level study of long-term avian community dynamics: total tree, shrub, and herbaceous vegetation cover indices, overall mean landscape patch size, and grassland patch core size. The GII was then developed based on breeding bird assemblage data. Assemblages were based on commonly used response guilds reflective of five avian life history parameters: foraging mode/location, nesting location, habitat specificity, migratory pattern, and dietary guild. We tested the response of 78 candidate assemblage metrics to the GDI, and eliminated those with no or poor response or with high correlations (redundant), resulting in 13 metrics for use in the final index. Individual metric scores were scaled to fall between 0 and 10, and the cumulative index to range from 0 to 100. Although broader application and refinement are possible, the avian-based GII has an advantage over labor-intensive, habitat-based monitoring in that the GII is derived from readily available long-term BBS data. Therefore, the GII shows promise as an inexpensive tool that could easily be applied over other areas to monitor changes in regional grassland conditions.     

An FTIR investigation of isocyanate skin absorption using in vitro guinea pig skin

Isocyanates may cause contact dermatitis, sensitization and asthma. Dermal exposure to aliphatic and aromatic isocyanates can occur in various exposure settings. The fate of isocyanates on skin is an important unanswered question. Do they react and bind to the outer layer of skin or do they penetrate through the epidermis as unreacted compounds? Knowing the kinetics of these processes is important in developing dermal exposure sampling or decontamination strategies, as well as understanding potential health implications such exposure may have. In this paper the residence time of model isocyanates on hairless guinea pig skin was investigated in vitro using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectrometry. Model isocyanates tested were octyl isocyanate, polymeric hexamethylene diisocyanate isocyanurate (pHDI), polymeric isophorone diisocyanate isocyanurate (pIPDI) and methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). Isocyanates in ethyl acetate (30 microL) were spiked directly on the skin to give 0.2-1.8 micromol NCO cm(-2) (NCO = -N=C=O), and absorbance of the isocyanate group and other chemical groups of the molecule were monitored over time. The ATR-FTIR findings showed that polymeric isocyanates pHDI and pIPDI may remain on the skin as unreacted species for many hours, with only 15-20% of the total isocyanate group disappearing in one hour, while smaller compounds octyl isocyanate and MDI rapidly disappear from the skin surface (80+% in 30 min). Isocyanates most likely leave the skin surface by diffusion predominantly, with minimal reaction with surface proteins. The significance of these findings and their implications for dermal exposure sampling and isocyanate skin decontamination are discussed.     

Evaluation of short-term Ogawa passive, photolytic, and federal reference method sampling devices for nitrogen oxides in El Paso and Houston, Texas

Passive Sampling Devices (PSDs) have been successfully used by government and academic agencies to monitor common ambient air pollutants such as ozone and nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)). Most PSD studies have involved long-term (e.g. bi-weekly or monthly) sampling. But the Passive Ozone Network of Dallas (POND) studies of 1998 and 1999 showed that high quality 24-hour and 12-hour data using the Ogawa PSD could be collected for ambient ozone concentrations. This paper presents an evaluation of short-term passive sampling results for nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) in El Paso and Houston, Texas, using the Ogawa PSD. The Ogawa NO(x) PSDs were compared to both Federal Reference Method (FRM) monitors and a photolytic converter, with the photolytic converter designed to report closer concentrations to "true" NO(x) by more effectively limiting the interferences of other nitrogen species. Overall, good agreement was noted for all three monitor types in both cities, supporting the potential use of lower cost Ogawa PSDs for large multi-site episodic NO(x)/NO(2)/NO saturation screening studies. This evaluation was conducted during two separate six week periods of the cooler winter months so additional testing of the Ogawa PSDs during different seasons is recommended.     

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) microsensor array for measuring VOCs in drinking water

Exposure to volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in drinking water has been linked to a number of adverse health effects including cancer, liver, and kidney damage. However, the large number of potential contaminants and the cost and complexity of existing analytical methods limits the extent to which water quality is routinely characterized. This project focused on the laboratory development and evaluation of an instrument for field analysis of VOCs in drinking water. The instrument is based on an array of six polymer-coated surface-acoustic-wave microsensors. A test-set consisting of dichloromethane, chloroform, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, perchloroethylene, and m-xylene was used in a series of experiments designed to optimize the purge-trap preconcentration system, calibrate the instrument over the concentration range of 0.2-2 times the USEPA maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), and compare results to those of a reference laboratory. The primary goal was to develop a cost-effective alternative for on-site evaluation of VOCs in water. Calibration and evaluation test results for spiked water samples demonstrate adequate sensitivity for 19 of the 21 regulated VOCs considered using a ten minute sampling and analysis cycle. Monte Carlo simulations characterized the performance of trained artificial neural networks (ANNs) which had correct classification rates of 99%, 90%, and 80% for the five individual test-set vapors and their binary and ternary mixtures, respectively. These results demonstrate the excellent potential of this technology for addressing the need for improved VOC field-screening methods for water supplies.     

Contaminant Exposure of Barn Swallows Nesting on Bayou D'Inde, Calcasieu Estuary, Louisiana, USA

Current and historical point source discharges, storm water runoff, and accidental spills have contaminated the water, sediment, and biota within the Calcasieu Estuary in southwestern Louisiana. In 2003, barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) eggs and nestlings were collected beneath two bridges that cross Bayou d′Inde, the most contaminated waterway within the Calcasieu Estuary. Samples were also collected from a bridge over Bayou Teche, a reference site in south central Louisiana. Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in barn swallow eggs and nestlings were significantly higher at the downstream site on Bayou d′Inde (2.8 μ g/g PCBs in eggs and 1.5 μ g/g PCBs in nestlings) than at the other two sites (< 0.2 μ g/g PCBs in eggs and nestlings at both sites). Ethoxyresorufin-O-dealkylase activity in nestling livers was significantly higher at the downstream site on Bayou d′Inde (50 pmol/min/mg) compared to the other two locations (24 pmol/min/mg, each), probably because of exposure to PCBs. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran concentrations in eggs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in nestlings were at background concentrations at all sites. Trace element concentrations in barn swallow eggs and nestling livers were at background levels and did not differ among the three sites. A biomarker of DNA damage did not differ among sites.     

Love and work: career–family attitudes of new entrants into the labor force

This paper reports the development of the Career–Family Attitudes Measure (CFAM), a new 56-item instrument for measuring individuals' attitudes towards managing the career and family interface. The measure was administered to a large sample of high school students and factor analyzed to reveal six dimensions of career and family attitudes, which were then scaled. Females in the sample had significantly more positive attitudes towards Balance and Independence than did males, while males had significantly more positive attitudes towards Dominance and Spousal Support than did females. Antecedents such as parental employment history and educational aspirations were significantly related to several of the scales. Results indicated that career–family attitudes involve preferences for the integration of career and family rather than for trade-offs between them. Research to establish the validity and explore the many applications of the CFAM is needed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Finding Common Ground: How Advocacy Coalitions Succeed in Protecting Environmental Flows1

Abstract: This paper reviews several recent case studies in which states or countries have strengthened their protection of environmental flows to explore the key policy, stakeholder, and scientific elements that contributed to these advances in water management. A conceptual framework is developed to describe the actions of interest groups and individuals, how environmental flow issues get onto the formal agenda of decision makers, the events and conditions which precipitate this attention, the role of science and scientific uncertainty, and how interactions and dialog among individuals and groups with different interests lead to changes in state and national statutes. In general, the review found that changing policies is a result of actions of informed groups of interested parties using science and information to inform both the public and decision makers about the need for action and about the specific action needed. In almost all cases, environmental flow issues make it onto the formal agenda of institutions through one or more precipitating events, often legal challenges that call into question the existing legal framework for water management. Significantly, in almost all cases the engagement between advocacy coalitions with different and often opposing views results in reframing the issues to provide a common approach or solution upon which the competing coalitions can agree.     

Anticipating public attitudes toward underground CO2 storage

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) may play a central role in managing carbon emissions from the power sector and industry, but public support for the technology is unclear. To address this knowledge gap, and to test the use of discrete choice analysis for determining public attitudes, two focus groups and a national survey were conducted in Canada to investigate the public's perceptions of the benefits and risks of CCS, the likely determinants of public opinion, and overall support for the use of CCS.The results showed slight support for CCS development in Canada, and a belief that CCS is less risky than normal oil and gas industry operations, nuclear power, or coal-burning power plants. A majority of respondents indicate that they would support the use of CCS as part of a greenhouse gas reduction strategy, although it would likely have to be used in combination with energy efficiency and alternative energy technologies in order to retain public support.     

An empirical examination of the role of attributions in psychological entitlement and its outcomes

Psychological entitlement refers to the phenomenon in which individuals consistently believe that they deserve preferential rewards and treatment, often with little consideration of actual qualities or performance levels. This study examines the influence of psychological entitlement on workplace outcomes, using attribution theory to explain its effects. Results suggested that entitlement perceptions are positively associated with self‐serving attribution styles and that diminished need for cognition mediates this relationship. Self‐serving attribution styles, in turn, were associated with reduced job satisfaction and increased levels of conflict with supervisors. A direct positive relationship between psychological entitlement and turnover intent was also observed. Overall, results suggest that an attributional perspective is useful in explaining and understanding the influence of entitlement perceptions on workplace outcomes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.