New insight to tourism-environment nexus in Mediterranean countries: evidence from panel vector autoregression approach

Environment, Development and Sustainability - This paper analyzed the relationship between environmental performance and tourism sector development in Mediterranean countries for the period from...     

Feasibility of incorporating waste grass clippings (Lolium perenne L.) in particleboard composites

This study investigated some of the important physical (thickness swelling) and mechanical (modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity and internal bond) properties of single-layer particleboard panels made from eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn.), waste of grass clippings (Lolium perenne L.) and combinations of the two. The chemical properties (pH, holocelluse and alpha cellulose contents, and water, alcohol-benzene and 1% sodium hydroxide solubilities) of the raw materials were also determined. Panels with a 6:94 ratio of grass-to-eucalyptus particles had the required mechanical properties for interior fitments including furniture and general uses. Boards manufactured with 100% grass clippings exhibited the lowest quality. The overall panel properties improved with a lower percentage of grass clippings added. Based on initial results, it also appears that grass should compose no more than 13% to achieve acceptable panel properties for interior fitments and general uses.     

Simultaneous biological removal of endosulfan (alpha+beta) and nitrates from drinking waters using wheat straw as substrate

Nitrate and endosulfan (alpha+beta) removal was studied in an upflow biological denitrification reactor packed with wheat straw as carbon source and support particles for microorganisms. While almost complete nitrate elimination and between 65% and 70% endosulfan (alpha+beta) elimination occurred when the temperature was higher than 20 degrees C; below that value, nitrate removal efficiency decreased to about 10%. Nitrate, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and endosulfan (alpha+beta) removal efficiencies decreased considerably at 1500 microg/l endosulfan concentration in the batch experiments. Although a high removal efficiency was observed for endosulfan (alpha+beta) and nitrate in the biological denitrification continuous reactor, the effluent water could not be used for drinking purpose because of the unacceptable levels of endosulfan (alpha+beta), colour and dissolved organic content. During the continuous study, 23.4% of the initial weight of wheat straw was lost and 24 g was consumed per gram of nitrogen removed. The results of the continuous study showed that 21.3% of the endosulfan removal was achieved by adsorption onto the wheat straw and 68.2% of the endosulfan removal occurred by biological activity and the remaining portion was detected in the effluent water.     

The impact of natural resources and gross capital formation on economic growth in the context of globalization: evidence from developing countries on the continent of Europe,Asia, Africa,and America

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The aim of this paper is to investigate the nexus between natural resources, gross capital formation, globalization, and economic growth in the...     

Effects of environmental conditions on historical buildings: lichens and NOx gases

Environmental conditions affect human life in various ways. One of the domains of environmental conditions is buildings, and amongst them, a major and important group is the historical buildings. To keep this inheritance alive, one needs to determine the effects of environmental conditions. In this work, effects of lichens and NOx on 7 historical buildings in Erzurum were investigated. Historical buildings are readily available for lichen growth, which takes a long time, and this growth was investigated as a sample of environmental effect that occurs through long periods of time. NOx, main source of which is traffic in Erzurum, were considered as the environmental effect of daily life.     

Benefits to poorly studied taxa of conservation of bird and mammal diversity on islands

Protected area delineation and conservation action are urgently needed on marine islands, but the potential biodiversity benefits of these activities can be difficult to assess due to lack of species diversity information for lesser known taxa. We used linear mixed effects modeling and simple spatial analyses to investigate whether conservation activities based on the diversity of well‐known insular taxa (birds and mammals) are likely to also capture the diversity of lesser known taxa (reptiles, amphibians, vascular land plants, ants, land snails, butterflies, and tenebrionid beetles). We assembled total, threatened, and endemic diversity data for both well‐known and lesser known taxa and combined these with physical island biogeography characteristics for 1190 islands from 109 archipelagos. Among physical island biogeography factors, island area was the best indicator of diversity of both well‐known and little‐known taxa. Among taxonomic factors, total mammal species richness was the best indicator of total diversity of lesser known taxa, and the combination of threatened mammal and threatened bird diversity was the best indicator of lesser known endemic richness. The results of other intertaxon diversity comparisons were highly variable, however. Based on our results, we suggest that protecting islands above a certain minimum threshold area may be the most efficient use of conservation resources. For example, using our island database, if the threshold were set at 10 km² and the smallest 10% of islands greater than this threshold were protected, 119 islands would be protected. The islands would range in size from 10 to 29 km² and would include 268 lesser known species endemic to a single island, along with 11 bird and mammal species endemic to a single island. Our results suggest that for islands of equivalent size, prioritization based on total or threatened bird and mammal diversity may also capture opportunities to protect lesser known species endemic to islands. Beneficios de los Taxa Poco Estudiados para la Conservación de la Diversidad de Aves y Mamíferos en Islas     

Prenatal sonographic features of esophageal and ileal duplications at 18 weeks of gestation

We present a case of esophageal and ileal duplications at 18 weeks of gestation. Transabdominal ultrasonography of the fetus showed multiple cystic masses of 12 to 17 mm in diameter and continuity with each other in the abdomen and a unilocular cystic mass of 15 mm in diameter in the posterior mediastinum. The cystic mass filled the abdominal cavity with signs of intestinal obstruction. The thoracic cystic mass was tubular, sausage-shaped and behind the heart, which was displaced to the antero-lateral wall of the chest. Amniocentesis revealed a normal fetal karyotype 46,XY. Peristaltic movements in the abdominal cystic structure at 30 weeks of gestation suggested dilated intestinal loops. Follow-up ultrasound examinations showed polyhydramnios with amniotic fluid index of 30 cm and gradual enlargement of the cystic structures to 50 mm in the abdomen and 30 mm in the posterior mediastinum at 38 weeks of gestation. A male infant weighing 3900 g was delivered. Postnatal ultrasonographic examination and the findings of magnetic resonance imaging also suggested enteric duplication cysts. Prenatal diagnosis allowed prompt neonatal evaluation and surgical treatment of the esophageal and the ileal duplications, which was confirmed by pathological examination. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of PCDD/F pollution in surface sediments of Izmit Bay

This study evaluates PCDD/F pollution in the surface sediments of Izmit Bay (Turkey) and assesses the possible sources of PCDD/F inputs to the bay. The results showed that concentrations of toxic PCDD/F congeners in the sediments varied between 0.45 and 255 ng WHO₂₀₀₅-TEQ/kg dry weight. Pollution mapping shows that PCDD/F levels in the central section of Izmit Bay are much higher than those in the eastern and the western sections. Sediments collected from the northern part of the central section showed very high PCDD/F concentrations. The samples reveal three different congener profiles dominated by OCDF, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF, and OCDD respectively. The dominance of OCDF in the sediment samples taken from the central section was attributed to the former production of vinyl chloride monomer in the area, while that of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF was attributed to the (previously unknown) use of a chlorophenol-based fungicide in the region. The OCDD dominated group was explained by the use of pentachlorophenol. The results indicate that historic industrial discharges are the main contributor to the PCDD/F pollution in the sediments.     

Computer-assisted navigation and the acquisition of route and survey knowledge

The incidental acquisition of spatial orientation knowledge when using a pedestrian navigation assistance system for wayfinding was compared to incidental learning during map-based wayfinding. First-time visitors to a real environment (a zoo) took a guided tour. In the navigation assistance conditions, users were provided with direction information and view-based pictures of the current intersection at each decision point, presented on a hand-held computer. In the map-based condition, participants derived route segments from a map (each segment comprising three or four intersections), and then walked the partial routes from memory. After walking, unexpected tests on route memory and survey knowledge were administered. Navigation assistance users showed good route knowledge and poor survey knowledge. In contrast, map users showed better survey knowledge and nearly perfect route knowledge. Variations of information presentation within navigation assistance conditions (auditory vs. visual direction command, additional presentation of allocentric spatial information) was not effective. Results are explained with an active encoding principle. Only information that is actually encoded, transformed, and/or memorized during the primary wayfinding activity, is incidentally learned. Since navigation assistance systems do not require users to encode, transform, and memorize spatial information, the spatial orientation knowledge of navigation assistance users is poor.