End-of-Waste Criteria

The report includes a methodology for the development of end-of-waste criteria for specific types of waste according to Article 6 of the Waste Framework Directive as well as three pilot case studies (on compost, aggregates and metal scrap) in which the methodology was tested.JRC.J.6-Sustainable production and consumptio

The impact of the international rice genebank (IRG) on rice farming in Bangladesh

The International Rice Genebank (IRG) currently safeguards the largest and most diverse collection of rice genetic resources in the world. Over the past decades, genetic resources from the IRG have been used efectively to increase smallholder farmers’ rice productivity in developing economies. Bangladesh is one of the direct and indirect recipients of IRG germplasm for rice genetic improvement. This study aimed to map the impact pathways of IRG germplasm transfers to Bangladesh, evaluate the genetic contribution of IRG germplasms to rice productivity of farmers, and compute the equivalent economic beneft

Testing a pyroclimatic hypothesis on the Mexico-United States border

The “pyroclimatic hypothesis” proposed by F. Biondi and colleagues provides a basis for testable expectations about climatic and other controls of fire regimes. This hypothesis asserts an a priori relationship between the occurrence of widespread fire and values of a relevant climatic index. Such a hypothesis provides the basis for predicting spatial and temporal patterns of fire occurrence based on climatic control. Forests near the Mexico–United States border offer a place to test the relative influence of climatic and other controls in mountain ranges that are ecologically similar and subject to broadly similar top-down climatic influence, but with differing cultural influences. We tested the pyroclimatic hypothesis by comparing fire history information from the Mesa de las Guacamayas, a mountain range in northwestern Chihuahua, with previously published fire data from the Chiricahua Mountains, in southeastern Arizona, approximately 150 km away. We developed a priori hypothetical models of fire occurrence and compared their performance to empirical climate-based models. Fires were frequent at all Mesa de las Guacamayas study sites through the mid-20th century and continued uninterrupted to the present at one site, in contrast to nearly complete fire exclusion after 1892 at sites in the Chiricahua Mountains. The empirical regression models explained a higher proportion of the variability in fire regime associated with climate than did the a priori models. Actual climate–fire relationships diverged in each country after 1892. The a priori models predicted continuing fires at the same rate per century as prior to 1892; fires did in fact continue in Mexico, albeit with some alteration of fire regimes, but ceased in the United States, most likely due to changes in land use. The cross-border comparison confirms that a frequent-fire regime could cease without a climatic cause, supporting previous arguments that bottom-up factors such as livestock grazing can rapidly and drastically alter surface fire regimes. Understanding the historical patterns of climate controls on fire could inform the use of historical data as ecological reference conditions and for future sustainability

Pentadienyl Complexes of Alkali Metals: Structure and Bonding

A systematic density functional study of the structure and bonding in the alkali-metal pentadienyl complexes C5H7E (E = Li-Cs) and their analogues derived from the 2,4-dimethylpentadienyl ligand is performed. The bonding in these structures has been analyzed in some detail with reference to molecular orbital analysis, and energy partition analysis, obtained by density functional calculations. An energy decomposition analysis indicates that the electrostatic interaction is the main factor to be considered in the stabilization of the gas-phase complexes we have studied. The stability of the U-shaped minimum energy structure decreases (the potential energy surface becomes more shallow) as the metal atom gets larger. We trace this behavior to a weakening of the metal–ligand binding due to the increasing diffuseness of the metal p orbitals on going down group 1. A significant pyramidalization at the terminal carbons in the coordinate U-shaped structure correlates with the strength of the metal–ligand binding. Initial results for the structural preferences of the complexes in solution for the lithium pentadienyl complex are examined in view of contrary experimental data. There still remains plenty of work to be done in modeling metal complexes in solution, and we suggest a way forward

Human Health Risks from Low-Level Environmental Exposures: No Apparent Safety Thresholds

Wigle and Lanphear argue that for many toxins widely dispersed in the environment, even very low levels pose health risks

Arnis-based Exercise Program for Balance Control in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Study Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Aging causes impairment in balance and increases the prevalence of falls in older adults. Martial arts are now incorporated into exercise programs to improve balance. Arnis, a Filipino Martial Art, can improve the balance control of older adults. Objectives: This study primarily aims to determine the effects of an Arnis-based exercise program on balance control of healthy community-dwelling older adults. This study also aims to describe its effect on older adults’ concerns about falling and lower limb functional strength. Methods:This will be a single-blind, pilot randomized controlled trial. Participants will be randomly allocated to either the intervention or control group. The intervention group will perform an Arnis-based exercise program for 40-60 minutes per session thrice a week for 12 weeks. The control group will continue to do their usual activities for the duration of the study. Participants will be measured at baseline and 12 weeks after for balance, concern for falling, and lower limb strength using the Berg Balance Scale, Timed-Up and Go Test, Falls Efficacy Scale-International Filipino, and the 30-second Chair Sit-to-stand Test, respectively. Data will be analysed through independent and paired t-tests. A p-value Expected Results: Significant improvements in the balance scores in the intervention group are expected after 12 weeks of the Arnis-based exercise program, along with its effects on concerns for falling and lower extremity strength. The pilot study will provide data on the effectiveness of Arnis as a reference for future larger experimental studies

Disentangling Challenges to Scaling Alternate Wetting and Drying Technology for Rice Cultivation: Distilling Lessons From 20 Years of Experience in the Philippines

Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is a low-cost innovation that enables farmers to adapt to increasingly water scarcity conditions (such as drought), increase overall farm production efficiency, and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is seen as a pathway for transforming agri-food systems into more resilient, productive, biologically diverse, and equitable forms, ensuring our commitments to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper uses scaling up and innovation uncertainty frameworks to review the success and challenges of AWD's 20-year scaling trajectory in the Philippines and explain the key factors that have influenced its outcomes. The framework adapted for this study is also used to examine the fitness between the scaling context and requirements, organizational mission, and corresponding capabilities. Findings show the innovation platform that vertically integrated key actors and locally adapted AWD has helped foster essential breakthroughs in creating an enabling environment that took AWD to national policy adoption in the Philippines. However, the dominant focus on technology transfer, product focus, and preference for controlled environments in the scaling practice has neglected many important contextual factors, allowing mismatches in enabling policy incentives, institutions, and scale to diminish the impacts of AWD in gravity-based systems. Our findings suggest that rethinking and re-envisioning the ways in which the impact can be scaled in irrigation rice systems using AWD is critical to sustaining food security and making the agriculture sector more resilient to climate change

Linking old-growth forest composition, structure, fire history, climate and land-use in the mountains of northern México

Old-growth forests are biologically and ecologically valuable systems that are disappearing worldwide at a rapid rate. México still holds large areas covered by temperate forests in the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental, but few of these retain old-growth characteristics. We studied four sites with remnant old-growth forests in Mesa de las Guacamayas, a site in the Sierra Madre Occidental in northwestern Chihuahua, to assess their composition, structure, and age characteristics. Overstory tree densities and basal areas at each site were based on measurements of all trees \u3e1.3 m tall. The overstory was dominated by large Pinus durangensis, P. strobiformis, and Pseudotsuga menziesii (270–335 trees ha−1, basal area 24–42 m2 ha−1), with a subcanopy formed mostly of oaks. This species composition, combined with the lack of vertical structural development, and thus of fuel ladders, suggests that these forests are relatively resistant to severe wildfire. We evaluated forest attributes in the context of local fire regimes and regional climatic patterns, and found that frequent disturbance by surface fires has been part of the study sites\u27 histories for at least 250 years. While climate was a driver of fire regimes historically in this mountain range, humans appear to have played a role in interruptions of the fire regime in the second half of the 20th century. Age distributions showed recruitment to the canopy over ∼250 years, while fires in the four sites recurred every 6–12 years. Temporary interruption of the fire regime in the mid-20th century at three sites was associated with increased tree establishment, especially by broadleaved species. One site had an uninterrupted fire regime and showed continuous tree establishment, consistent with the self-reinforcing role of frequent fire in regulating live and dead fuel loads. Remnant old-growth forests such as those we sampled are becoming increasingly rare in the Sierra Madre Occidental. The biodiversity and ecological processes that they support are highly threatened and their conservation must be made a priority in the U.S.-México borderlands

The 2003 Australian Breast Health Survey: survey design and preliminary results

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Breast Health Surveys, conducted by the National Breast Cancer Centre (NBCC) in 1996 and 2003, are designed to gain insight into the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of a nationally representative sample of Australian women on issues relevant to breast cancer. In this article, we focus on major aspects of the design and present results on respondents' knowledge about mammographic screening.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The 2003 BHS surveyed English-speaking Australian women aged 30–69 without a history of breast cancer using computer-assisted telephone interviewing. Questions covered the following themes: knowledge and perceptions about incidence, mortality and risk; knowledge and behaviour regarding early detection, symptoms and diagnosis; mammographic screening; treatment; and accessibility and availability of information and services. Respondents were selected using a complex sample design involving stratification. Sample weights against Australian population benchmarks were used in all statistical analyses. Means and proportions for the entire population and by age group and area of residence were calculated. Statistical tests were conducted using a level of significance of 0.01.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 3,144 respondents who consented to being interviewed, 138 (4.4%) had a previous diagnosis of breast cancer and were excluded leaving 3,006 completed interviews eligible for analysis. A majority of respondents (61.1%) reported ever having had a mammogram and 29.1% identified mammography as being the best way of finding breast cancer. A majority of women (85.9%) had heard of the BreastScreen Australia (BSA) program, the national mammographic screening program providing free biennial screening mammograms, with 94.5% believing that BSA attendance was available regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms. There have been substantial gains in women's knowledge about mammographic screening over the seven years between the two surveys.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The NBCC Breast Health Surveys provide a valuable picture of the knowledge of Australian women about a range of issues. The present analysis shows significant gains in knowledge and behaviours relating to mammographic screening, while identifying additional areas for targeted improvement, as in the need to better communicate with women about screening and diagnostic services. Further analysis of additional core topic areas (eg., incidence, mortality, risk and treatment) will provide equally noteworthy insight.</p