Additive sustainability footprint: Rationale and pilot evaluation of a tool for assessing the sustainable use of PVC additives

© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Vinyl and Additive Technology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Plastics Engineers. PVC compounds contain additives necessary for processing and stability, and to modify the plastic's properties. The Europe-wide VinylPlus® voluntary commitment includes a challenge to make progress toward sustainable use of additives. Additive Sustainability Footprint (ASF) was developed to assess sustainable use of additives across the whole societal life cycles of finished PVC articles, taking a risk-based approach rather than simplistic hazard assessment. ASF addresses impacts across six life cycle assessment (LCA) stages established by ISO Standard 14040, using the four System Conditions (sustainability principles) developed by The Natural Step (TNS) covering social as well as environmental factors. For each LCA stage/System Condition combination, seven generically similar questions cover negative impacts (many covered by existing tools and regulations) but also the additive's positive contributions to the sustainability of finished articles. Positive contributions include ethical sourcing, longevity of service life, low maintenance inputs, and recyclability. Answers to questions determine a score, which can be combined across the life cycle and with other additives. Testing on a generic EU PVC window profile supported ASF development and demonstrated applicability and potential benefits including use for sensitivity analysis of alternative additives from different geopolitical regions or from recycled as opposed to virgin sources. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2019. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Vinyl and Additive Technology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Plastics Engineers

Web-Based vs. Traditional Education: Does Distance Education at the Graduate Level Deserve a Failing Grade

Prior research addressing whether differences exist between traditional classroom education and web-based learning has provided inconclusive results (Li, 2002); this is especially true in graduate level classes. The proposed empirical research attempts to explore differences in outcomes from a graduate level MIS course which was taught in a traditional classroom setting as well as in a web-based learning environment. The purpose of the proposed study is to determine whether differences between the two approaches exist, and to identify whether student attributes (employment status and whether the student has children) or educational approach attributes (traditional classroom or web-based environment) affect a student’s learning outcomes. From a qualitative research perspective, the study also will address how satisfied students in the traditional classroom and the web-based environment are with the learning experience

Foundations of Information Systems Course Content: A Comparison of Assigned Value by Faculty, Recruiters, and Students

This research compares the value placed on the content of the foundations of information systems course by three stakeholders: faculty, recruiters, and students. Given the declining enrollments in IS that led ACM/AIS to redesign its curriculum in an attempt to help universities reverse this trend, we need to assess the value placed on this curriculum by stakeholders. Although all majors in a business school are typically required to take the foundations of IS course, its real or perceived value to businesses and future employers is unclear. A first step in evaluating the entire curriculum is to focus on the foundations of IS course. Results differ among the stakeholders, and discussions highlight the need to continually improve the curriculum to fit the needs and the assigned importance of the diverse stakeholders

Are IS Candidates Supplying the Teaching and Research Skills that Universities Need Most?

This longitudinal research study investigates the teaching and research expectations for potential IS professors. Most university departments advertise for specific job skills and qualifications when they attempt to recruit faculty members. This study examines over 400 IS placement advertisements for the academic recruiting years 2001-2002, 2002-2003 and 2003-2004. Top teaching and research areas that universities are interested in for their new hires are identified. The study then investigates whether the interests of candidates seeking appointments are similar. Over 400 IS candidate doctorates\u27 résumés are content analyzed and their teaching and research preferences are identified. By looking at the teaching and research needs of the universities and the preferences of IS candidates, it is then possible to identify if a gap exists between the two. Lists of (1) most required and (2) most desired IS teaching and research areas over the three year period are shown. The results report that in terms of teaching, what the universities are looking for is being well matched with what candidates are offering, except in the universities\u27 demand for telecommunications. With respect to research, while there is some match between demand and supply, there is a noticeable lack of demand by universities for e-Commerce, HCI and ERP

Distance Education At The Graduate Level: A Viable Alternative

This research extends a previous comparative study that looked at learning outcomes between traditional classroom and web-based education at the graduate level. That research (Jones and Everard, 2008) provided little evidence that there were significant differences between delivery methods. This research looks at employment status, household demographics, and family commitments and explores why these underlying factors do not affect outcomes between traditional classroom and web-based education at the graduate level. Results of this research provide evidence that for graduate level education, distance education is a practical and appropriate option

Functional Analysis of Subunit e of the F\u3csub\u3e1\u3c/sub\u3eF\u3csub\u3eo\u3c/sub\u3e-ATP Synthase of the Yeast \u3cem\u3eSaccharomyces cerevisiae\u3c/em\u3e: Importance of the N-Terminal Membrane Anchor Region

Mitochondrial F1Fo-ATP synthase complexes do not exist as physically independent entities but rather form dimeric and possibly oligomeric complexes in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Stable dimerization of two F1Fo-monomeric complexes involves the physical association of two membrane-embedded Fo-sectors. Previously, formation of the ATP synthase dimeric-oligomeric network was demonstrated to play a critical role in modulating the morphology of the mitochondrial inner membrane. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, subunit e (Su e) of the Fo-sector plays a central role in supporting ATP synthase dimerization. The Su e protein is anchored to the inner membrane via a hydrophobic region located at its N-terminal end. The hydrophilic C-terminal region of Su e resides in the intermembrane space and contains a conserved coiled-coil motif. In the present study, we focused on characterizing the importance of these regions for the function of Su e. We created a number of C-terminal-truncated derivatives of the Su e protein and expressed them in the Su e null yeast mutant. Mitochondria were isolated from the resulting transformant strains, and a number of functions of Su e were analyzed. Our results indicate that the N-terminal hydrophobic region plays important roles in the Su e-dependent processes of mitochondrial DNA maintenance, modulation of mitochondrial morphology, and stabilization of the dimer-specific Fo subunits, subunits g and k. Furthermore, we show that the C-terminal coiled-coil region of Su e functions to stabilize the dimeric form of detergent-solubilized ATP synthase complexes. Finally, we propose a model to explain how Su e supports the assembly of the ATP synthase dimers-oligomers in the mitochondrial membrane

Plenty More Fish in the Sea? A working paper on the legal issues related to fishing beyond maximum sustainable yield: A UK case study

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) is about to become a centre stage issue. The EU now has a commitment that fishing will progressively be managed at levels that correspond to MSY, and setting of quotas will respect scientific advice. Where possible, this is to be attained by 2015, and all fish stocks will be managed at MSY by 2020 at the latest. What the term ‘maximum sustainable yield’ means will dominate the next seven years of fisheries discussions. MSY has two different interpretations. Scientists use the term to mean the ability of a fish stock to support a sustainable fishing industry. Lawyers use it when assessing the obligations of a country in respect of its sovereign fishing rights. This report focuses on the legal interpretation of MSY. The report’s findings are particularly important as the EU has consistently over-allocated quota and ignored scientific advice, with the result that 75% of EU fish stocks are overfished. The starting point of a thorough investigation of MSY is the nature of fishing rights themselves. Fisheries were traditionally open access and seen as being inexhaustible. The origins of this approach date at least as far back as the era of the Roman Empire, but even then interpretation by the Roman courts created some perverse outcomes. The principle of open access became established for the English fishery in the 12th century. Before then, it is likely that all viable tidal fisheries were granted by the Crown into private hands following the Norman conquest. Indeed, some of these private tidal fisheries still persist today. In the seventeenth century, the mare liberum (freedom of the seas) debate confirmed open access on the high seas, but the position for territorial waters (within the 3 mile limit) was more complex. Under the common law, fishers operated under the public right to fish which permitted open access and has come to be interpreted as being based on the principle of inexhaustibility of the stock. Where this myth of inexhaustibility has come from is difficult to tell. It is often attributed to the Victorian scientist Thomas Huxley because of his pronouncement on the fecundity of some fish species, but Huxley himself highlights fisheries which were vulnerable to over-fishing and recognises that, on the high seas, no regulatory mechanisms were available, so this aspect of his findings was theoretical. Moreover, the negative impacts of some fisheries were known to the legislators at least since the Middle Ages and it is tempting to posit that public authorities, in whatever form they manifested themselves, have always been aware that some fishing methods can cause significant harm. As it stands, the basic principle the courts still adhere to is that the right to fish is untrammelled, but whether this principle would withstand direct judicial scrutiny is questionable. The United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) changed everything. Coastal states now enjoy sovereign rights over a far larger area of sea than they did previously. UK territorial waters now extend to 12 nautical miles and its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extends up to 200 nautical miles. UNCLOS recognises sovereign rights for fisheries but also imposes duties on coastal states to restore stocks to levels which can produce MSY within their EEZs. Sovereign fishing rights are not untrammelled; they are qualified by a duty to restore stocks and to preserve the marine environment. Similar obligations are contained in the Convention on Biodiversity (with a target for 2020) and by virtue of the World Summit for Sustainable Development (with a target of 2015 for depleted stocks). Increasingly, international obligations of this nature are being enforced through the domestic courts. Many countries (including the UK itself for its Crown Dependencies and overseas territories) vest their fishing rights in an identifiable legal entity which then not just regulates the fishery, but also acts as an owner in the way it disposes of the fishery to commercial operators. Unfortunately, for the waters immediately adjacent to the UK, it is not clear in what Crown entity the UK’s fishing rights actually vest. The UK fishery is clearly some form of public asset and it is likely that there is a Crown trust in existence. The terms of this trust would place similar duties to maintain and restore fish stocks as those contained within UNCLOS. Despite a first instance decision to the contrary, it is possible that the terms of that trust are enforceable by third parties. There is a well-established principle in English law of nemo dat quod non habet (you cannot dispose of something you don’t own). The fact that the UK’s sovereign rights are qualified to MSY mean that the UK cannot grant to its fishers (or fishers of other Member States operating in UK waters) untrammelled rights which it does not possess itself. The same principle applies to the EU Common Fisheries Policy; the UK cannot confer on the EU greater fishing rights than those acknowledged by UNCLOS. The scientific origins of the term MSY were in the work of Beverton and Holt and related to a theoretical maximum, where a capture fishery will sustain itself. The legal meaning of the term gives discretion to fisheries managers to establish a management system which uses the best available science to determine what actions needs to be taken. The legal interpretation of MSY is therefore much broader than the scientific one and has the following features: • it is constantly evolving relating to the best available science of the time; • it defines the limits of a coastal state’s sovereign rights; • it may relate to the setting of fishing quota (where calculations of scientific MSY are particularly predominant), but many obligations for the attainment of MSY may also be satisfied by the imposition of technical or area-based management techniques such as marine protected areas; • it provides the framework in which fisheries should be managed; and • it can be used to show where stocks or areas of sea are not being properly managed, and thus direct where management resources should be targeted. The introduction of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management means that legal MSY can now take into consideration a much wider range of services provided by the fishery in the calculation and management of that fishery. UNCLOS itself permits taking into consideration relevant environmental and economic factors, including the economic needs of coastal fishing communities, but the ecosystem approach takes that a stage further by assessing all the services provided by the fishery. This shifts the focus away from simply treating the fishery as a commercial resource, to ensure that management benefits a much broader constituency. In 2008, the environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO), WWF tried to take the European Commission to the European Court of Justice for failing to allocate cod quota according to scientific advice. However, WWF was unable to access the European court system because the ECJ refused access to NGOs; ECJ rules at the time did not grant an NGO the right to be heard in court. Those rules are under scrutiny once again because they seem incompatible with the Aarhus Convention, so this position may change shortly. There are also other legal forums for testing the point. The UK courts do not have the same access restrictions as the ECJ, so a case launched in the UK courts concerning UK fishing rights or the voting patterns of the UK Minister in the EU could come to trial. The former President of the International Tribunal for the Laws of the Sea (ITLOS), Rüdiger Wolfrum, recommended ITLOS as having suitable jurisdiction to ensure compliance with MSY requirements The legal regime has dramatically moved away from the impossibility of mare liberum and open access fisheries to the possibility of effective regulation. Clearer sovereignty over the sea and better technology informing enforceable law means the legal context of fisheries have changed fundamentally for the better. There is an understanding that fisheries are held on trust for future generations. Fishing to MSY and trusteeship amount to the same thing; the legal interpretation of coastal states’ rights and responsibilities under MSY and the obligations of a Crown trust are the same. The ecosystem approach provides the matrix to understand who the beneficiaries of that trust are and where management effort needs to be directed. All these pieces are now in place and the hard law is there at the edges to ensure that reform remains on track. In short there are two key points to be drawn from this report: • It is illegal for coastal states to permit fishing beyond MSY; and • It is highly likely that this law is enforceable through the court system.Waterloo Foundatio

Are well‐intended Buddhist practices an under‐appreciated threat to global aquatic biodiversity?

Abstract 1. The inherently pro‐conservation and humane Buddhist practice of ‘live release’, entailing the release into the wild of creatures destined for slaughter, poses potentially significant conservation consequences if inappropriate, invasive species are procured for release. 2. This article collates evidence, citing one legal case and other examples, about the risks of the live release of potentially invasive aquatic species that may result in serious, possibly irreversible, conservation threats to aquatic biodiversity and natural ecosystems, with ensuing adverse ecological and human consequences. 3. It is essential that practitioners are aware of these risks if their actions are not to work diametrically against the pro‐conservation and humane intents of the practice. 4. Ensuring that live release occurs safely necessitates raising awareness, with guidance informed by science, to ensure that good intentions do not result in perverse, environmentally destructive outcomes. 5. We propose four simple principles to achieve this, for dissemination to the global adherents of these otherwise entirely laudable practices

USE OF RAPDs FOR ESTIMATION OF GENETIC DISTANCES BETWEEN POPULATIONS OF THE COCONUT PALM

Accurate estimation ofgenetic distances between and within species is vital inthe conservation of' heterogeneous tree populations, such as coconuts. Coconutgermplasm is being conserved at present by the selection and preservation ofecotypes and in biased collections that are based on economic traits; suchselections are likely to misrepresent the natural variability ofthe palm. To helpin improving conservation methods, a DNA fingerprinting system, RAPDs(Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs) is proposed.R4PDs were investigated in 19 coconut types planted at the Coconut ResearchInstitute, Sri Lanka, by using random primers of 10-12 nucleotides. Extracts of'DNA front the leaves (if jour individual trees were pooled to represent eachheterozygotic coconut type. Thirty-eight primers were tested in the RAPD-PC'R*and polymorphic bands and scoredfor presence or absence in each type. Pairwisegenetic distances were calculated according to Nei and Li's coe.fJicient, andcluster analysis was performed on the basis of the resultant distance matrix.Eighteen primers detected a total 91 polymorphic hands across the coconuttypes screened. All these RAPDs were clear and reproducible over repeatedruns. (Trouping of 19 coconut types based on these RAPDs matched thecurrently accepted taxonomic grouping almost perfectly. This good matchindicates that the RAPDs method is applicable as a sound genetic marker fl.lr thecharacterization of' coconut genetic resources. The technique is simple andrapid. It can be developed without previous information about the DNA of thetarget plant. The cost is affordable [or developing countries. The technique isnow widely applied in the breeding and conservation of' heterozygous perennialcrops andforest trees