ON THE MEASUREMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF PUBLIC PROJECTS FROM A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE1

ABSTRACT: The major objectives are (1) to identify the problems involved in measuring the environmental impacts of public projects from selected perspectives, and (2) to elaborate a sociological approach used in an empirical investigation in that respect. The construct of environmental impact of a planned action is generally operationalized from different perspectives and with different methodological emphases in the various disciplines. Even the term environment does not elicit agreement among users as to its exact meaning. Although there has been a steady increase in the number of studies from a sociological perspective concerning environmental problems, there is lack of sociological counsel in writing environmental impact statements. Overall, we lack sociological methodology and operational procedures for that purpose. In an attempt to bring some empirical focus to this field, attitudinal measures employed to discover how residents of a river basin perceived negative and positive environmental impacts of a proposed watershed development project are reviewed. These come from a study of creation of the Cooper Reservoir and Dam in Texas. Data on 343 heads of households m the selected areas were collected through structured questionnaires with items on personal information, a vested interest scale, a knowledge of the project scale, and an environmental impact scale. Data show that perception of impacts by residents is influenced significantly by degree of their vested interests involved. Variables for inclusion in a sociological model of environmental impact are suggested.     

Product: Guide/1981

Abstract

The impact of weather on air pollution was examined and evaluated for the city of Athens, Greece. We used an objectively defined synoptic classification scheme consisting of six summer and eight winter circulation types. This scheme was established using a combination of both factor and cluster analysis during 1954–1999. Surface and isobaric levels of 850 hPa data were used. Factor analysis combined with cluster analysis was used to derive circulation types based on surface meteorological data for the period 1954–1999 in Athens and on surface pressure grid data. The city was divided into three sectors according to the financial and social activities of the residents. To examine the spatial characteristics of pollutant concentrations over Athens for each synoptic type, the synoptic circulation types were then correlated with both gaseous and particulate pollutant concentrations measured in each sector between 1983 and 1999. Finally, extreme and severe episodic events were studied in terms of their meteorological and synoptic characteristics.     

Interspecific differences in fouling of two congeneric ascidians (Eudistoma olivaceum and E. capsulatum): is surface acidity an effective defense?

Ascidian specimens were collected from the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA, in November 1987. Eudistoma olivaceum (Van Name) was fouled by only two species of epifaunal invertebrates and the percent cover of epibionts was negligible. Colonies of E. capsulatum (Van Name) were fouled by up to 17 species of epifaunal invertebrates, epibionts covered an average of 12.5% of the surface area of these colonies. Extracts of E. olivaceum exhibited potent cytotoxic, antimicrobial and antiviral activity in laboratory bioassays, while the activity of extracts of E. capsulatum was insignificant. The toxicity of extracts of each ascidian was negatively related to the percent cover of fouling organisms. Surface acidity of each ascidian was positively related to the percent cover of epibionts: E. olivaceum was nearly neutral (pH=6), while E. capsulatum was highly acidic (pH=1 to 2). Larval settlement and growth of ancestrulae of the cheilostome bryozoan Bugula neritina (Linnaeus) were inhibited at very low concentrations of crude extract of E. olivaceum. Crude extracts of E. capsulatum inhibited settlement and growth of B. neritina only at concentrations of approximately an order of magnitude greater than those of E. olivaceum. Differences in the degree to which these congeneric ascidians are fouled is related to differences in the chemical defenses they possess. Acidity is not an effective inhibitor of settlement by epifaunal invertebrates.     

Conflict of interest related to clinical practice is underreported: The case of noninvasive prenatal testing

Authors of policy statements from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine do not acknowledge the potential for their clinical income to influence their opinions, or the positions of the societies they represent. These policy statements were published in Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, again, without acknowledgment of the potential for conflict of interest. The case of noninvasive prenatal testing, which has threatened the role of maternal-fetal medicine in the practice of prenatal screening and diagnosis, and has significantly reduced the demand for invasive prenatal diagnosis, illustrates the importance of identifying this potential conflict.     

Southwestern corn borer damage to maize: Influence of plant age at time of larval infestation

A maize (Zea mays L.) hybrid was infested with 30 southwestern corn borer [Diatraea grandiosella (Dyar)] larvae per plant at 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 weeks after planting in a three-year study conducted at Mississippi State, Mississippi. Visual ratings of leaf feeding damage were highest when plants were infested 5 weeks after planting. Plant height increased linearly with the age of plants at infestation. Height of infested plants was significantly less than uninfested plants only when infestations were made 4 weeks after planting. The relationship between age of plants at infestation and yield was curvilinear. Yields were significantly reduced at all infestation times; however, the least yield reduction occurred when plants were infested 6 weeks after planting. To evaluate resistance to southwestern corn borer damage, infestation at 4 or 5 weeks after planting appeared to be most satisfactory. Yield reductions following infestation at 7 and 8 weeks after planting indicated that, when infestations are late, leaf feeding damage ratings alone may not be satisfactory indicators of plant damage.     

一种改进的多学习教与学优化算法

针对传统教与学算法在解决复杂多峰函数优化问题时,具有局部最优且搜索开发能力较差的缺点,提出了一种改进的多学习教与学优化算法,新算法为学员的每一维加入不同的教学因子,设计了基于学员均值比较的教师选择策略和向教师及学员学习的多学习策略。基于多个单峰和多峰函数的仿真结果表明,新算法跟传统的、改进的教与学算法相比,在稳定性、寻优精度和收敛速度方面更具优势。     

Engaging the community at the Tampakan Copper Project: a community case study in resource development with indigenous people

There is little doubt that one of the most significant challenges facing the mining industry today is how to deal with sociocultural issues, particularly those concerning indigenous groups who are potentially affected by mineral developments. No longer is a project's success dependent on technical and economic considerations alone. Community issues are now an integral component of overall project risk. For the mining industry, therefore, the establishment of positive, strong and transparent relationships with local communities is more than just a moral imperative; it makes good business sense. A case study of WMC's Tampakan Copper Project in the Philippines provides an illustration of how mining companies are developing their capacity to deal with sociocultural concerns.     

A life history continuum in the males of a Neotropical ant assemblage: refuting the sperm vessel hypothesis

Animal lifespans range from a few days to many decades, and this life history diversity is especially pronounced in ants. Queens can live for decades. Males, in contrast, are often assumed to act as ephemeral sperm delivery vessels that die after a brief mating flight—a view developed from studies of lekking species in temperate habitats. In a tropical ant assemblage, we found that males can live days to months outside the nest, a trait hypothesized to be associated with female calling, another common mating system. We combined feeding experiments with respirometry to show that lifespan can be enhanced over 3 months by feeding outside the nest. In one focal female calling species, Ectatomma ruidum, feeding enhanced male lifespan, but not sperm content. Extended lifespans outside the nest suggest stronger than expected selection on premating traits of male ants, although the ways these traits shape male mating success remain poorly understood.