Maize: The Native North American’s Legacy of Cultural Diversity and Biodiversity

Recent research has focused on establishing the values of preserving biodiversity both in agriculture and in less managed ecosystems, and in showing the importance of the role of cultural diversity in preserving biodiversity in food production systems. A study of the philosophy embedded in cultural systems can reveal the importance of the technological information for preserving genetic biodiversity contained in such systems and can be used to support arguments for the protection/preservation of cultural diversity. For example, corn or maize can serve as a paradigm of Native American thinking and can provide one of the few areas from which common philosophical conceptions can emerge. An examination of the cultivation of corn or maize as an agricultural activity and as a cultural activity in Native American literature reveals a philosophy that recognizes the importance of biodiversity and provides techniques for its preservation. Corn, and the food and the materials derived from it, is something thought out, not by specialists, but by the entire tribe and its ancestors, even if this thinking is done within what we might consider a framework of highly mythical notions. Importantly, this framework yields an understanding of both the genetics and nutrition of corn. A survey of these mythical notions (myths and stories) and agricultural practices makes this thought explicit and exemplifies the value of cultural diversity and biodiversity.     

Simple models for phosphorus loss from manure during rainfall

Mechanistic, predictive equations for phosphorus (P) transport in runoff from manure-applied fields constitute a critical knowledge gap for developing nonpoint-source pollution models. We derived two simple equations to describe the P release from animal manure during a rainfall event-one based on first-order P desorption kinetics and one based on second-order kinetics. The manure characteristics needed in the two kinetic equations are the maximum amount of water-extractable phosphorus (WEP) and a characteristic desorption time. Water-extractable P can be measured directly but currently the characteristic time can only be obtained by fitting experimental data. In addition, we evaluated two models usually used to estimate P loss from soil, the Elovitch equation and power function, both of which relate P loss to time. The models were tested against previously published data of P release from different manures under laboratory conditions. All equations fit the data well. Of the two kinetic equations, the second-order model showed better agreement with the data than the first-order model; for example, maximum relative differences between the model results and measured data were 2.6 and 4.7%, respectively. The characteristic times varied between 20 min for dairy manure and almost 100 min for poultry manure. The characteristic time did not appear to change with flow rate but decreased with smaller manure aggregates. The parameters for power-function relationships could not be related to measured manure characteristics. These results provide the first step to process-based approximations for predicting P release from manure with time during rainfall shortly after land application, when P losses are the greatest.     

Potentially toxic elements in bottom ash from hazardous waste incinerators: an integrated approach to assess the potential release in relation to solid-phase characteristics

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Understanding the chemical and mineralogical characteristics of bottom ash (BA) containing Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs, e.g., As, Cd, Co, Cu,...     

Food justice youth development: using Photovoice to study urban school food systems*

How do youth learn through participation in efforts to study and change the school food system? Through our participatory youth action research (YPAR) project, we move beyond the “youth as consumer” frame to a food justice youth development (FJYD) approach. We track how a group of youth learned about food and the public policy process through their efforts to transform their own school food systems by conducting a participatory evaluation of farm-to-school efforts in collaboration with university and community partners. We used the Photovoice research method, placing cameras in the hands of young people so that they themselves could document and discuss their concerns and perspectives. The research was designed to gain insight about youths’ knowledge of food, health, and community food systems. Drawing upon the youth group’s insights, we build a framework for building critical consciousness through FJYD.     

Impact of regulation on English and Welsh water-only companies: an input-distance function approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The assessment of productivity change over time and its drivers is of great significance for water companies and regulators when setting urban water...     

Report on the fifth meeting of INRA’s national network of ecotoxicologists,ECOTOX

The fifth meeting of INRA’s national network of ecotoxicologists took place on 25 to 27 November 2014 in Biarritz, France. The main aim of the meeting was to bring together ecotoxicologists from INRA and associated partners, providing them ample opportunity to share and discuss their latest scientific results as well as the national policy of research in ecotoxicology and to precise perspectives for the network.     

Demand of the tourists visiting protected areas in small oceanic islands: the Azores case-study (Portugal)

In general, tourism plays a significant role in the economy of archipelagos and islands. The Autonomous Region of the Azores has a great potential for tourism, offering multiple attractions, both natural and cultural, creating a big challenge for a sustainable tourism policy since little attention has been paid to the archipelagos and their special needs. This work aims to understand the profile and type of ecotourist that visits the Azores. This knowledge is of great importance for a better management and development of nature-based tourism, and products tailored to the needs and expectations of visitors. The data were collected by means of exit surveys conducted at the Airport of São Miguel Island, the larger and most populated island of the archipelago, during the high tourist season—July–September 2009. The analysis of the visitor’s profile and preferences is crucial to draw adequate strategies of management for tourism, while it helps to adequate the offer to the demand. Results showed that 41.1 % of the tourists claimed to be attracted to the islands due to their “natural values” (e.g., landscape, biodiversity, and geodiversity). The most practiced activities were whale-watching (32.4 %) and mountaineering/hiking (31.6 %), followed by diving (7 %) and other sports (5.1 %). The tourists’ profile points to a mainstream, soft, and incidental type of ecotourist. This information helps to develop and support a strategic planning and management, both at local and regional levels, for sustainable tourism policies.