Finding Common Ground for Environmental Decisions: Public Health Principles as a Foundation for Better Choices

The history of environmental decision-making in the United States is primarily one of antagonism, conflict, and litigation. Four sectors of American society are typically at odds over why and how to solve environmental problems—government regulators, businesses proponents, environmental advocates, and members of affected communities. Dissimilar worldviews are at the heart of most environmental disputes, and people in the four sectors tend to have diverse perspectives and philosophies that affect how they interpret and respond to environmental issues. To promote integrated, cost-effective decisions, the public health paradigm (prevention first, intervention second, treatment third), as embodied in the Precautionary Principle and the concept of Sustainable Development, should be mutually adopted as a joint framework for prioritizing solutions to pressing environmental problems. The core public health principle of prevention first is a simple yet powerful tenet that can help foster better environmental choices that are more effective, efficient, and equitable.     

The Importance of Spatial Effects for Environmental Health Policy and Research

Issues of spatial scale and resolution are intrinsic to efforts aimed at protecting and improving environmental health. Deciding on an appropriate policy or selecting a suitable research design implies a decision, either implicit or explicit, about spatial scale and resolution. This article looks at issues in the context of environmental health, reviews crucial problems and questions, and examines examples of spatial effects on analytical results related to causal inference, disease clustering, and analysis and interpretation of census data. The discussion focuses on the need to consider spatial issues as a key component of informed, well- reasoned decisions about safeguarding environmental health.     

Farm characteristics and the vegetative diversity of grasslands in the North of England: a policy perspective

A survey of 36 fields across 11 farms in the North of England was conducted to record the plant species diversity of grassland communities under various base conditions. Data pertaining to topographical advantage, farm management strategy and soil type were also collected for each field site. The relationship between management inputs and base environmental conditions and the resultant diversity of flora were identified through ordination techniques. The results show a total of 111 species being observed across the sample and some expected relationship emerge, but they also suggest that complementary management techniques can have opposing or conflicting effects on species prevalence. The study argues that provision or use of such information should be paramount within environmental policy formulation where site-specific management plans are used to produce environmental goods.     

Perception of Environmental Threat in the Shadow of War: The Effect of Future Orientation

People may express high concern for global warming or environmental degradation, but when forced to evaluate the severity of environmental threats in relation to other threats, environmental threats are pushed to the bottom of the list. The present study was based on the premise that prioritizing threats involves, inter alia, hierarchizing the threats according to their perceived temporal proximity and since environmental threats are perceived, relative to other threats, as more temporally distant, they rank low. Future orientation (FO) is an individual-difference variable that describes the tendency to take into account temporally distant considerations. We predicted that environmental threats would be evaluated as more severe by individuals who were more future-oriented. The strongest effect of FO was found to be on concern about global warming and environmental degradation. This indicated that environmental threats were perceived as temporally farthest and, not surprisingly, received the lowest priority. External security threat was a top-priority; its severity evaluation was uncorrelated to FO, indicating that it was perceived as temporally closest. These evaluations significantly affected environmental attitudes and behavior. The implications on promoting environmental behavior in the presence of ever-existing shorter-term existential threats are discussed.     

Environmental scales on the reproduction of a gypsophyte: a hierarchical approach

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Environmental variability at several scales can determine plant reproductive success. The main goal of this work was to model the reproductive flexibility of a semi-arid specialist considering different scales of environmental variability. METHODS: A 2-year field study was performed on the determinants of the female reproductive success of Helianthemum squamatum, an Iberian gypsophyte, considering two scales of environmental variability: differences between two contrasting slope aspects; and, on individual scale, the neighbouring microenvironment. Generalized linear mixed models were used to evaluate simultaneously the potential effects of environmental variability at both scales, together with flowering phenology and plant size on the reproductive output of H. squamatum. The following reproductive response variables were considered: number of flowers, fruit-set, number of viable and aborted seeds per fruit, and number of seeds per plant. KEY RESULTS: Contrary to expectations, environmental variability exerted a weak or even absent effect on the reproductive variables considered, while flowering phenology and plant size, which did not vary between slopes, played a major role. Surprisingly, the absolute reproductive variables were even higher in the extremely dry year of 2003, although only on the south-facing slope. The relatively milder conditions of the north-facing slope did not involve any advantage to this species in terms of reproductive output. CONCLUSIONS: The species seemed to be considerably well adapted to the environmental unpredictability characteristic of Mediterranean systems, considering its ability to maintain reproduction across contrasting environments and contrasting climatic conditions. These findings make us face the question of what must be considered stressful conditions in the case of a stress-tolerant specialist.     

Identifying Uncertainty in Environmental Risk Assessments: The Development of a Novel Typology and Its Implications for Risk Characterization

Environmental risk analysts need to draw from a clear typology of uncertainties when qualifying risk estimates and/or significance statements about risk. However, categorizations of uncertainty within existing typologies are largely overlapping, contradictory, and subjective, and many typologies are not designed with environmental risk assessments (ERAs) in mind. In an attempt to rectify these issues, this research provides a new categorization of uncertainties based, for the first time, on the appraisal of a large subset of ERAs, namely 171 peer-reviewed environmental weight-of-evidence assessments. Using this dataset, a defensible typology consisting of seven types of uncertainty (data, language, system, extrapolation, variability, model, and decision) and 20 related sub-types is developed. Relationships between uncertainties and the techniques used to manage them are also identified and statistically evaluated. A highly preferred uncertainty management option is to take no action when faced with uncertainty, although where techniques are applied they are commensurate with the uncertainty in question. Key observations are applied in the form of guidance for dealing with uncertainty, demonstrated through ERAs of genetically modified higher plants in the European Union. The presented typology and accompanying guidance will have positive implications for the identification, prioritization, and management of uncertainty during risk characterization.     

If You Knew What Was Good For You! The Value of Environmental Enrichments With Known Welfare Benefits Is Not Demonstrated by Sows Using Operant Techniques

This study assessed the motivation of gestating sows housed in standard, barren gestation stalls (used for breeding/implantation and/or gestation) for access to environmental enrichment. Enrichment consisted of a cotton rope or rubber mat in comparison to positive (additional food when fed at commercial levels) and negative (empty trough) controls. Although environmental enrichment may improve animal welfare, sows' valuation of enrichments is largely unknown. This study used an operant panel and obtained behavioral measures to quantify motivation. As indicated by a higher price paid and lower latencies to press the panel and enter the treatment stall (all comparisons, p < .05), sows demonstrated higher motivation for food compared with all treatments. Sows housed in gestation stalls did not demonstrate high motivation via operant responding for a cotton rope or a rubber mat; nor did they demonstrate any differences in behavioral measures (all comparisons, p > .10). Although sows' motivation for a mat did not differ from that for an empty trough, previous work has demonstrated the welfare benefits associated with comfort flooring.     

双向发酵——毒性中药炮制减毒的新途径

就现代双向发酵工艺替代传统杂菌发酵工艺,运用于毒性成分分别为生物碱、内酯物质、苷类化合物、毒蛋白、马兜铃酸、蒽醌、鞣质和重金属8类毒性中药炮制减毒的可行性、可靠性进行综合论述。     

The Use of Probabilistic Analysis to Improve Decision-Making in Environmental Regulation in a Developing Context: The Case of Arsenic Regulation in Chile

Using probabilistic analysis may be very useful for risk management in developing countries, where information, resources, and technical expertise are often scarce. Currently, most regulatory agencies recommend using deterministic approaches for the analysis of problems relating to decision-making. However, this approach does not incorporate uncertainty in the variables, nor the propagation of uncertainty through the different processes in which they are involved. The complexity of the problem is therefore arbitrarily reduced, and valuable information that could be useful for proposing realistic policies is not considered. This article compares the results of a deterministic analysis with those of a probabilistic one for regulating arsenic in Chile, and differences are established for public policy as a result of building uncertainty into the analysis. It is concluded that the use of a deterministic approach can lead to higher risks than necessary and that probabilistic results can help the regulator negotiate stricter standards. Alternatively, the regulator may end up imposing much higher costs to sources than originally expected as these will be forced to use expensive technology to comply consistently with a given standard.     

Ecological profile of a Sahelian wetland: Toward understanding the need for national wetland policies

The composition and complex interrelationships among the components of a Sahelian wetland community in Nigeria are described. The hydrology of the wetland is perceived to be the major determinant of the ecological integrity of the area. Ongoing ecological changes started by periodic meteorological droughts and sustained by the effects of large-scale hydro-agricultural projects are described along with their impacts on wildlife habitats and other valuable wetland resources. Establishing national wetland policies that recognize present and potential future values of various wetland types is recommended as an important step toward sustainable conservation of wetland resources in countries of the Sahel.     

The Influence of Selected Environmental Variables on Fish Assemblage Structure in a Range of Southeast African Estuaries

This study compared the ichthyofaunal assemblages in 10 Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, estuaries to identify whether there were any structural variations between the assemblages and to determine the environmental and physical factors linked to these variations. Species belonging to both the marine migrant and estuarine resident groups, by consistent representation within each estuary grouping, were responsible for the separation of fish assemblage structures between the different types of systems. The data further revealed that fish assemblages in the three main types of estuaries investigated were distinct, linked primarily to estuary mouth status and estuary size.     

Trust-building, Knowledge Generation and Organizational Innovations: The Role of a Bridging Organization for Adaptive Comanagement of a Wetland Landscape around Kristianstad, Sweden

The literature on ecosystem management and assessment is increasingly focusing on social capacity to enhance ecosystem resilience. Organizational flexibility, participatory approaches to learning, and knowledge generation for responding adequately to environmental change have been highlighted but not critically assessed. The small, flexible municipal organization, Ecomuseum Kristianstads Vattenrike (EKV) in southern Sweden, has identified win-win situations and gained broad support and legitimacy for ecosystem management among a diversity of actors in the region. Navigating the existing legal-political framework, EKV has built a loose social network of local stewards and key persons from organizations at municipal and higher societal levels. As a ‘bridging organization’, EKV has created arenas for trust-building, knowledge generation, collaborative learning, preference formation, and conflicts solving among actors in relation to specific environmental issues. Ad hoc projects are developed as issues arise by mobilizing individuals from the social network. Our results suggest that the EKV approach to adaptive comanagement has enhanced the social capacity to respond to unpredictable change and developed a trajectory towards resilience of a desirable social-ecological system.

Constructing a Wild Mushroom Panopticon: The Extension of Nation-State Control over the Forest Understory in Oregon,USA

Constructing a Wild Mushroom Panopticon: The Extension of Nation-State Control over the Forest Understory in Oregon, USA. For most of the 20^th century, wild mushrooms on national forests in the United States fell under a de facto open-access management regime. As consumer demand for wild mushrooms increased, a nation-state wild mushroom management regime based on the use of disciplinary power emerged on many national forests in the Pacific Northwest region. Data from an ethnographic study conducted during the late 1990s illustrate how the simultaneous application of three core surveillance technologies—categorization, monitoring, and tracking, and the creation of a panopticon surveillance system—enabled the Forest Service to enforce nation-state claims to wild mushrooms. The data indicate that many pickers are unsupportive of the new regulatory system because it has transformed what was once their living space into a working place. Pickers also point out that the system does little to protect or enhance the growth of wild mushrooms. The study supports conclusions from previous studies that disciplinary power techniques play a critical role in the capacity of modern states to extend their control over mobile populations and natural resources.     

The History and Advances of Reversible Terminators Used in New Generations of Sequencing Technology

DNA sequencing using reversible terminators, as one sequencing by synthesis strategy, has garnered a great deal of interest due to its popular application in the second-generation high-throughput DNA sequencing technology. In this review, we provided its history of development, classification, and working mechanism of this technology. We also outlined the screening strategies for DNA polymerases to accommodate the reversible terminators as substrates during polymerization; particularly, we introduced the "REAP" method developed by us. At the end of this review, we discussed current limitations of this approach and provided potential solutions to extend its application.     

Light/Dark Modulation: Regulation of Chloroplast Metabolism in a New Light

Light-dark modulation of chloroplast enzymes is achieved by covalent redox-modification of protein thiols/disulfides mediated by ferredoxin/thioredoxin reductase and thioredoxins. Light-dependent electron flow leads to reduction of particular chloroplast proteins, while photosynthetically evolved oxygen effects their continuous reoxidation. The oxidized and the reduced forms, respectively, differ greatly in their catalytic properties. The rate of reduction of each target enzyme is specifically fine-controlled by metabolites. By this combined mode of producing a defined ratio of active to inactive enzyme during steady-state each of the enzymes is adjusted to the immediate requirements of the chloroplast. Upon changes of the metabolic situation the system can respond in a flexible manner as is known from comparable regulatory mechanisms such as protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation in animals and bacteria. From sequence comparisons between various light-dark modulated chloroplast enzymes and their non-regulated counterparts from other organelles or non-photosynthetic organisms, the presence of extra-peptides in the otherwise highly homologous sequences has been estabüshed for the chloroplast enzymes. However, no general pattern in the primary structure of those extra-sequences can be recognized. By the acquisition of “regulatory peptides” during evolution a new type of metabolic control was created in a compartment uniquely occurring in organisms performing oxygenic photosynthesis.     

Afterword to "Anthropology and Human Rights in a New Key": The Social Life of Human Rights

In this article, I argue for an ethnographic approach to human rights that recognizes the plural and fragmentary nature of the international rights regime and the ideological promiscuity of rights talk. Instead of determining in advance the social or political character of rights, anthropologists could profitably draw from the insights of early-20th-century "legal realists" and look closely at the underlying assumptions and hidden practices of political and legal processes. Studying the "social life of human rights" would involve focusing on, inter alia, the performative dimensions of human rights, the dynamics of social mobilization, and the attitudinal changes of elite and nonelite social actors towards formulations of "rights" and "justice," both inside and outside the legal process. I conclude with a review of recent anthropological research on human rights epistemology and evaluate its implications for human rights policy.     

Success and Its Price: The Institutionalization and Political Relevance of Industrial Ecology

As industrial ecology (IE) solidifies conceptually and methodologically, and as it gains visibility and legitimacy in academia, industry, and government, it is important that the IE community periodically evaluate the status of its emerging institutional arrangements. At the same time, industrial ecologists should assess the political relations developing between the field and the larger world. We analyze four institutional criteria: professional legitimacy, viable clientele, entrepreneurial acumen, and occupational opportunities, as well as a more controversial fifth measure-political relevance. Drawing a comparison with the field of ecology, we argue that efforts to foster IE institutionally can, ironically, conflict with the objective of seeing IE become "the science and engineering of sustainability". The article concludes by reflecting on the importance of this kind of critical appraisal and on why many observers of the field remain hopeful.