Environmental concern, attitude toward frugality, and ease of behavior as determinants of pro-environmental behavior intentions

This study investigates relations between environmental concern, attitude toward frugality, perceived ease of behavior, and stated intentions to engage in four different types of pro-environmental behavior, i.e., reductions in electricity and gas use, garbage, and automobile use, using data from 341 Japanese respondents. Environmental concern, attitude toward frugality and perceived ease of implementation were considered possible determinants. A structural equation analysis indicated that perceived ease of implementation had effects for all of the pro-environmental behaviors. It also indicated that environmental concern had a positive effect solely for garbage reduction, while attitude toward frugality had positive effects for gas and electricity reduction. For automobile use reduction, neither environmental concern nor attitude toward frugality had significant effects. The relationship between attitude toward frugality and mottainai, that is a Japanese concept indicating respect for resources, is then discussed, and it is suggested that educating people to have not only a high level of environmental concern but also a positive attitude toward frugality would be an effective means of promoting pro-environmental behavior.     

Increased fetal nuchal translucency at 11–14 weeks

Nuchal translucency (NT) is the sonographic appearance of a subcutaneous collection of fluid behind the fetal neck. The measurement of fetal NT thickness at the 11–14-week scan has been combined with maternal age to provide an effective method of screening for trisomy 21; for an invasive testing rate of 5%, about 75% of trisomic pregnancies can be identified. When maternal serum free-β human chorionic gonadotrophin (β-hCG) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) at 11–14 weeks are also taken into account, the detection rate of chromosomal defects is about 90%. Increased NT can also identify a high proportion of other chromosomal abnormalities and is associated with major defects of the heart and great arteries, and a wide range of skeletal dysplasias and genetic syndromes. In monochorionic twins, discordancy for increased NT is an early marker of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). As with the introduction of any new technology into routine clinical practice, it is essential that those undertaking the 11–14-week scan are adequately trained and their results are subjected to rigorous audit. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

First-trimester maternal serum human thyroid-stimulating hormone in chromosomally normal and Down syndrome pregnancies

Maternal serum human thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were investigated in chromosomally normal and Down syndrome pregnancies to determine whether TSH can be used as a marker for Down syndrome in the first trimester. Measurements were conducted on stored serum samples collected from 23 Down syndrome pregnancies and 115 unaffected pregnancies before chorionic villus sampling (CVS), between 9 and 11 completed weeks of pregnancy. The samples were matched for gestational age, maternal age, maternal weight and duration of storage of the serum sample. Maternal TSH concentration was slightly decreased in Down syndrome pregnancies, with a median of 0.84 multiples of the median (MoM). Maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) concentration was slightly elevated in Down syndrome pregnancies, with a median of 1.03 MoM. Both differences were not significant applying matched rank analysis (p=0.50 for TSH and p=0.43 for hCG). The association between TSH and hCG in unaffected pregnancies was also measured. The Spearman correlation coefficient between TSH and hCG was −0.21 which was statistically significant (p=0.02, 95% confidence interval −0.38 to −0.03). However, it was concluded that TSH is not a useful marker for distinguishing Down syndrome-affected pregnancies from normal pregnancies in the first trimester. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Can social psychological models be used to promote bicycle helmet use among teenagers? A comparison of the Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behavior and the Locus of Control

PROBLEM: The bicycle helmet use rate is still low among teenagers despite the cumulating evidence that bicycle helmets can prevent cyclists from serious injuries and death. The objective of this study was to investigate the usefulness of the Health Belief Model (HBM; Health Education Monographs, 2 (1974) (1), Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; Ajzen, I. (1988). Attitudes, personality and behavior. Open University Press, Milton Keynes) and Locus of Control model (LC; Psychological Monographs, (1966) (80) in understanding the intention to use bicycle helmet use among bicycle helmet owners. METHOD: Data were collected at two schools in Helsinki, Finland. Students (N=965) completed a questionnaire including three social psychological models applied to helmet use. Models were compared by structural equation modeling techniques. SUMMARY: Results showed that the TPB and LC model fitted the data well, whereas fit of the HBM model was lower than the fit of TPB and LC models. All components of TPB and external LC orientation were significantly related to the intention to use a helmet. TPB together with LC model provide a promising theoretical framework for helmet use promotion campaigns. Practical suggestions for future bicycle helmet campaigns were provided.     

The relationship between perceived risk of being ticketed and self-reported seat belt use

PROBLEM: Twenty-nine percent of Americans failed to use their seat belts in 2000. Efforts to improve safety belt usage can be enhanced by identifying specific factors that motivate belt use. METHOD: Motorist survey data were used to examine the effect of Perceived Risk of being Ticketed (PRT) for a seat belt infraction on self-reported seat belt use. RESULTS: Analyses indicated that individuals and groups of individuals who have higher PRT typically report higher belt usage. Factorial analyses indicated that this perceived risk to belt use relationship holds both within groups with generally high (e.g., upper income) and generally low (e.g. young men) overall self-reported belt use. DISCUSSION: Applications of PRT to improve seat belt use are discussed. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Enforcement of existing laws, perhaps through selective traffic enforcement programs, and strengthening laws to create a higher perception of being ticketed by motorists should increase safety belt use thereby saving lives and reducing cost for individuals, government, and industry.     

Safety beliefs and safe behavior among midwestern college students

PROBLEM: This study investigated the impact of safety beliefs on safe behavior and the effect of age, gender, class standing, and geographic region on these beliefs and behaviors. It also compares the level of safety beliefs and safe behavior of Midwestern college students in 1993 to those in 2002. METHOD: A total of 1,059 undergraduate students at four Midwestern universities completed the 33-item questionnaire developed by Crowe (J. Saf. Res. 26 (1995) 187) during the spring semester of 2002. RESULTS: Significant main effects for gender and age on safety beliefs and safe behavior were found as well as a significant interaction between gender and age for both outcome variables. The regression model with the independent variables of personal responsibility and gender yielded a multiple R of.58, which explained 34% of the variance of the self-reported safe behavior. Midwestern college students in 2002 were found less safety-conscious in terms of self-reported safety beliefs and safe behavior than those in 1993. DISCUSSION: The findings indicate that safety education of adolescents and young adults in the United States has not been effective, at least for the last decade, or today's social and school environment is less conducive to the students' safe behavior and beliefs than a decade ago. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Proactive multidisciplinary approaches to enhance safe behavior and beliefs of young adults should be made based on critical evaluation of current approaches.     

湘南红壤丘陵区农户经济行为对土地退化的影响分析——以祁东县紫云村为例

通过在湖南省祁东县紫云材进行的土地利用及农户经济行为调查,从土地状况、从业选择、农具、农田设施、耕作方式和效益等方面,分析了湘南红壤丘陵区农户社会经济行为对土地质量的影响。结果表明：紫云村农户重“品种”轻“土壤”,水田土壤有机质含量减少,理化性状变差,土壤自然肥力降低,旱地、林地粗放经营,质量退化。改变农户只重“品种”而忽视“土壤”的观念、提高耕地复种指数、建立合理的轮作体系和水土保持型高效集约持续的耕作制度、加强林业管理和经营、加大农业投入、搞好农田水利建设是防止本区土地退化和保证本区农业可持续发展的对策。     

试论长江文化生态的主要特征

大自然孕育了万物,人类又在自然的基础上创造了文化。久远深厚、异彩纷呈的长江文化,正是得益于广阔的发展舞台、优越的生态环境条件。因此探讨长江文化系统与生态环境系统的耦合关系－文化生态,就具有十分重要的意义。着重论述了长江文化生态的主要特征：（1）整体性－－长江文化生态系统的各组成部分是彼此联系、相互作用的统一,它能反映整体的特征和活动方式,它孕育了长江多元文化。（2）开放性－－长江流域是一个庞大的、开放的外流水网系统,该系统不从外部输入物质、能量和信息,吸收并累积负熵流,维持其有序性。长江文化具有悠久的开放传统和宽广的心态。（3）动态性－长江文化生态系统的动态特征,既有周期性变化也有非周期性变化。（4）人地相关性－长江文化生态民是人地关系相互作用的统一体,回顾长江文化的发展史,人与自然关系经历了“强烈依赖－－被动顺序－－主动征服－－相互和谐”几个阶段。     

Seeds and rights: new approaches to post-war agricultural rehabilitation in Sierra Leone

Based on preliminary findings of ongoing 'action research' in the war zone in central Sierra Leone, this paper shows how more equitable seed distribution could contribute to fostering a culture of human rights as well as to agricultural rehabilitation. Assessment of seeds-and-toosl programmes in 19 villages found that aid agency targeting and distribution modalities channelled inputs through village committees which denied assistance to intended beneficiary groups. Such distribution inequalities constitute violations of fundamental human rights, exacerbate grievance and division and maintain the threat of social disorder. The benefits and disadvantages of an alternative, more inclusive, rights-based approach to seed distribution are discussed, and preliminary results from the pilot phase of CARE's Rights-based Approach to Food Security Project are presented. Under this project, village-level peace and rights days are held to allow villagers to debate the vulnerabilities that facilitated the war and to elaborate on local notions of human rights. In symbolising new beginnings, seed can be seen as a useful medium through which to debate a more inclusive--and ultimately less vulnerable--society.     

Partial compensation of the sublethal effect of deltamethrin on the sex pheromonal communication of Trichogramma brassicae

Pyrethroid insecticides are widely used and lead to a sizable environmental pollution that could interfere with the population biology of insects. Trichogramma is a beneficial insect used in biological control and which natural populations contribute to the control of Lepidopterus pests. In this work, we determined the effect of a sublethal dose of deltamethrin on the sex pheromonal communication of Trichogramma. The dose used (LD 0.1) induces no detectable mortality (the theoretical mortality is only one insect over 1000) and can be a good representation of contamination by this insecticide from environmental pollution. The insecticide was shown to have opposite effects on the sex pheromonal communication of Trichogramma, depending on which sex was exposed (Delpuech, J.M., Legallet, B., Terrier, O., Fouillet, P., 1999. Chemosphere 38, 729–739). We show that, when both sexes are simultaneously exposed to the insecticide, this effect is only partially neutralized. The mean response of treated males responding to the sex pheromone from treated females is not significantly different from that of controls, but the kinetics of their response is not the same. When both sexes are treated, the response of males to the sex pheromone is lower at the beginning but their response does not decrease during time contrary to controls and becomes finally higher than that of controls. Therefore, the sublethal effect of deltamethrin in the field can be either advantageous or disadvantageous depending on the difficulty in finding females and their scarcity.