University research for sustainable development: definition and characteristics explored

University research is pivotal for sustainable development, but to succeed, new ways of conducting research are needed. Only recently has the field of “sustainability and higher education” (SHE) started to deal with the issue. In this paper we define “university research for sustainable development” comprehensively as “all research conducted within the institutional context of a university that contributes to sustainable development”, and propose a set of twenty two preliminary characteristics of this concept. We provide foundational information in particular for various university stakeholders, and those of higher education in general, considering the (re)orientation of research towards sustainable development and offer a beginning of dialogue on the subject, within SHE.     

Concentration and movement of diazinon in air

Abstract

Airborne concentrations of diazinon were measured in rooms for 21 days after crack and crevice application. Residue levels were largest in treated rooms (38 μg/m³ ) after application, followed by adjacent (1 μg/m³ ) and upper and lower rooms (ca. 0.4 μg/m ). Low levels of diazinon were detected in all rooms 21 days after application. Small amounts of diazinon (corrected to an 8 min application period) were detected on respirator pads ( 2.6 μg) and waist pads (2.3 μg) worn by the applicator.     

Maturation differences between sub-stocks of haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus

Contemporary maturation schedules of North Sea haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus, differ between spawning centres east and west of the Greenwich meridian. In this study, young-of-the-year haddock from these two sub-stocks were raised under a common environment in order to test whether this sub-stock difference reflected temperature exposure during maturation or an intrinsic (presumed genetic) effect. Maturity–size relationships differed between sub-stocks for the same temperature, indicating an intrinsic component to the contemporary differences now found in the wild. Relative liver mass additionally explained some variation in the maturity–length relationships. Despite inhabiting a thermal regime more favourable for early maturation, west North Sea haddock had the lowest body size and liver mass at maturity for a given temperature. However, historic fishing effort was much higher in the west North Sea, suggesting that contemporary differences may reflect long-term differences in sub-stock mortality.     

An Experiment in Making Water Affordable: Philadelphia’s Tiered Assistance Program (TAP)

The ability to pay for water and wastewater services is a growing issue in the developed world. To this point in time, utilities have helped customers grappling with affordability issues using different types of customer assistance programs (CAPs). Income‐based billing approaches differ from CAPs in that bills are structured so as to be affordable for customers at the outset. Recently, the City of Philadelphia implemented an innovative program to work towards resolving the affordability problem in their city using income‐based billing. This tiered assistance program or TAP structures bills for water, wastewater, and stormwater services to program enrollees’ income. Given the innovative nature of the program, this paper describes the rollout of TAP and assesses the impact of the program on customers and utility revenues. The paper closes with a critical assessment of TAP and considerations for utilities evaluating the implementation of similar programs.     

Sample size requirements for multiple regression interval estimation

Sample size planning is one of the most important issues in the design of a study. Simple and accurate sample size formulas for a desired confidence interval width have been developed for many statistical procedures, but a simple and accurate sample size formula for the squared multiple correlation has been a notable exception. Several rule‐of‐thumb sample size recommendations for a multiple regression analysis have been proposed over the years but none are satisfactory. Other approaches have focused on the construction of elaborate tables of sample size requirements, but these tables are both unwieldy and inadequate. We present a simple, accurate, and general method of approximating the sample size requirement for obtaining a squared multiple correlation confidence interval with desired precision. We also present a simple method for approximating the sample size needed to estimate unstandardized regression coefficients with desired precision. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Concentration and movement of diazinon in air

Abstract

The vertical distribution of diazinon in air was measured for 35 days after a label‐prescribed crack and crevice application. Residue levels were higher at floor level than at chest and ceiling heights on day 0, but levels tended to equalize by 7 days. Concentrations were greater at chest and ceiling levels on days 14 and 21, but were equivalent on days 28 and 35. Residues in the adjacent, upper and lower rooms generally were equivalent at all sampling positions and maximum residues occurred in these rooms, and in three other rooms on the same floor level as the treated room, 3 days after application. Low but measurable residues were found in air samples 35 days after application, which indicates that low concentrations of relatively nonpersistent diazinon will remain within structures protected from direct sunlight and ventilation for several weeks.     

Visiting a Climate-Influenced National Park: The Stability of Climate Change Perceptions

Understanding perceptions of global environmental issues, such as climate change, can help inform resource management, policy development, and communication with constituents. Although a considerable amount of research documents citizens’ perceptions of climate change, few have investigated how interactions with climate-impacted parks and protected areas influence these perceptions, and consequently elements of environmental management. Using a mixed methods Instrument Development Approach, the researchers examined the stability of park visitors’ (N = 429) climate change perceptions during a daylong interaction with climate-sensitive and influenced resources at Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska. Results indicate that global-level beliefs about climate change remained relatively stable during a park experience, but perceptions about climate change at the park-level (e.g., impacts) appeared more malleable. Findings also revealed the type of park experience (terrestrial vs. marine) can influence the degree of change in visitors’ perceptions. Implications for communication, outreach, and park management are discussed.     

Fundamental trade-offs generating the worldwide leaf economics spectrum

Recent work has identified a worldwide "economic" spectrum of correlated leaf traits that affects global patterns of nutrient cycling and primary productivity and that is used to calibrate vegetation-climate models. The correlation patterns are displayed by species from the arctic to the tropics and are largely independent of growth form or phylogeny. This generality suggests that unidentified fundamental constraints control the return of photosynthates on investments of nutrients and dry mass in leaves. Using novel graph theoretic methods and structural equation modeling, we show that the relationships among these variables can best be explained by assuming (1) a necessary trade-off between allocation to structural tissues versus liquid phase processes and (2) an evolutionary tradeoff between leaf photosynthetic rates, construction costs, and leaf longevity.