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PubMed1998

Industry Response to the Challenge of Sustainability: The Case of the Canadian Nonferrous Mining Sector

/ The paper investigates how the Canadian nonferrous sector is tackling the challenge of sustainable development. Although there is no consensus as to what sustainable development means in practice for management in the sector, at least three dimensions must be taken into account: (1) metals are recyclable, the availability of this resource is not a concern for the foreseeable future; (2) the need to minimize environmental impacts of metals exploration, extraction, transformation, consumption, and recycling; and (3) production activities should not be socially or culturally disruptive. The nonferrous mining industry faces several environmental problems. Some of the most significant are acid mine drainage, sulfur emissions, recycling, and metals toxicity. The industry has developed a number of responses to address these specific concerns as well as other more general challenges. Six strategies are described and analyzed: (1) research and development, (2) an effort of consensus building among stakeholders known as the Whitehorse Mining Initiative, (3) international networking, (4) active involvement in the development of environmental management standards, (5) management reorganization and (6) voluntary agreements. The importance of external factors in the shaping of corporate environmental management practices is discussed, in particular the role of government. Progress has been achieved in three areas: (1) managerial practices and organization, (2) reducing the impacts of ongoing operations and (3) minimizing future liabilities, but two significant fields of conflict remain, namely mining in wilderness areas and projects on aboriginal lands.KEY WORDS: Canada; Environmental management; Minerals industry; Nonferrous metals; Sustainable development; Whitehorse Mining Initiative

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

[Dynamics of ecological footprints of agricultural region in Hexi oasis of Gansu Province].

This paper studied the dynamics of ecological footprints (EF), degree of sustainable development and its tendency of Hexi oasis agricultural region in Gansu. The results showed that the EF displayed an increasing trend from 0.426 hm2 to 2.158 hm2 in 1949-2000, which was 0.693 hm2 in 1949-1970, 1.029 hm2 in 1975-1980, and 2.288 hm2 in 1985-2000. The ecological capacity (EC) was also increased from 0.550 hm2 in 1949 to 1.762 hm2 in 2000. Comparing with EF, the EC increased at low speed, which reached 0.782 hm2 in 1949-1970 and 1.715 hm2 in 1975-2000. Meanwhile, the sustainable development of Hexi region maintained ecological remainder during 1949-1975. However, it emerged ecological deficit in 1980, and resumed in 1985. The sustainable development of Hexi region has been successive ecological deficit since 1991. The degree was keeping negative increment at acceleration, and got to -0258 hm2 in 1991-2000. These results showed that the regional economic development of Hexi region was far away from sustainable development, and was in no-sustainable state.

China↗
PubMed1989

The development of sustained attention in children might be related to the maturation of frontal cortical functions.

The relationship between the development of sustained attention and the ability to inhibit responding to external stimuli was investigated in seventy five children, 8, 10 and 12 years old. An important period in the development of both functions is between 8 and 10 years of age. A positive correlation was found between the number of signals detected (sustained attention) and the number of successfully suppressed reflexive saccades to the peripherally located target (the ability to inhibit responding to external stimuli).

Attention↗
PubMed2004

Water governance: learning by developing adaptive capacity to incorporate climate variability and change.

There is increasing evidence that global climate variability and change is affecting the quality and availability of water supplies. Integrated water resources development, use, and management strategies, represent an effective approach to achieve sustainable development of water resources in a changing environment with competing demands. It is also a key to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It is critical that integrated water management strategies must incorporate the impacts of climate variability and change to reduce vulnerability of the poor, strengthen sustainable livelihoods and support national sustainable development. UNDP's strategy focuses on developing adaptation in the water governance sector as an entry point within the framework of poverty reduction and national sustainable development. This strategy aims to strengthen the capacity of governments and civil society organizations to have access to early warning systems, ability to assess the impact of climate variability and change on integrated water resources management, and developing adaptation intervention through hands-on learning by undertaking pilot activities.

Climate↗
PubMed2001

Industry and water security: overarching conclusions.

Fresh water is key to sustainable development. World Business Council for Sustainable Development members are addressing fresh water use "within the corporate fenceline". However, to address water issues "outside the corporate fenceline" will require creative new public-private partnerships. Government's role is to provide sound framework conditions that will encourage businesses to invest time, staff and resources to address vital fresh water issues. Industry is committed to best practice within its internal operations and is ready to enter into partnerships to address broader fresh water issues.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed2004

Ecological footprint of Shandong, China.

Ecological footprint has been given much attention and widely praised as an effective heuristic and pedagogic device for presenting current total human resource use in a way that communicates easily to almost everyone since 1996 when Wackernagel and Rees proposed it as a sustainable development indicator. Ecological footprint has been improving on its calculation and still can be a benchmark to measure sustainable development although there are still ongoing debates about specific methods for calculating the ecological footprint. This paper calculates the ecological footprint of Shandong Province, China with the methodology developed by Wackernagel and analyzes the current situation of sustainable development in Shandong.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Type 2 cytokines in the pathogenesis of sustained airway dysfunction and airway remodeling in mice.

The mechanisms underlying airway hyperresponsiveness remain unclear, although airway inflammation and remodeling likely play important roles. We have observed sustained airway hyperreactivity and airway remodeling occurring in mice after chronic allergen exposure and persisting beyond resolution of allergen-induced inflammation. The aim of this study was to delineate mechanisms involved in allergen-induced airway hyperreactivity and airway remodeling and to examine evidence for a causal association between airway remodeling and sustained airway hyperreactivity. Wild-type (WT) and interleukin (IL)-4-, IL-5-, and IL-13-deficient (-/-) mice were sensitized and studied 4 weeks after chronic allergen exposure. By measuring airway responsiveness and airway morphometry, we demonstrated that WT mice developed sustained airway hyperreactivity and aspects of airway remodeling after chronic allergen exposure. Both IL-4(-/-) and IL-13(-/-) mice were protected from developing sustained airway hyperreactivity and aspects of airway remodeling. In contrast, IL-5(-/-) mice developed sustained airway hyperreactivity and aspects of airway remodeling similar to that seen in WT mice. Our results confirm that IL-4 and IL-13, but not IL-5, are critical for the development of sustained airway hyperreactivity and airway remodeling after allergen exposure.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2003

Responses to hypoxia during early development.

Sustained hypoxia evokes a predictable cascade of ventilatory, neurochemical, and metabolic responses. Responses in immature animals are characterized by earlier and more marked depression of ventilation than fully mature animals. Ventilation during hypoxia reflects a collective system output, incorporating a number of compensatory mechanisms (stimulation or depression) from multiple systems. The time course of these responses is clearly developmentally regulated. When hypercapnia interacts with hypoxia, the ventilatory responses are enhanced but other responses are apparently unchanged. We propose a model in which responses to intermittent stimuli vary according to the point within the sequence of a single response where the stimulus interruption occurs. An intermittent stimulus may be seen as 'continuous' if the recurrence frequency exceeds a certain threshold, whereas application of slower cycles below such threshold may elicit discordant recruitment of the compensatory responses. Indeed, experimental observations on intermittent (hypercapnic or poikylocapnic) hypoxia show excitatory or depressant effects that are dictated by the cycle duration. Subject to further testing, this model may help explain how detrimental effects of hypoxic events in infancy only affect selected groups.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Life cycle approaches to sustainable consumption: a critical review.

The 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg called for a comprehensive set of programs focusing on sustainable consumption and production. According to world leaders, these programs should rely on life cycle assessment (LCA) to promote sustainable patterns of production and consumption. Cleaner production is a well-established activity, and it uses LCA. UNEP, the European Union, and a number of national organizations have now begun to work on sustainable consumption. In developing sustainable consumption policies and activities, the use of LCA presents interesting opportunities that are not yet well understood by policy makers. This paper reviews how life cycle approaches, primarily based on input-output analysis, have been used in the area of sustainable consumption: to inform policy making, select areas of action, identify which lifestyles are more sustainable, advise consumers, and evaluate the effectiveness of sustainable consumption measures. Information on consumption patterns usually comes from consumer expenditure surveys. Different study designs and a better integration with consumer research can provide further interesting insights. Life-cycle approaches still need to be developed and tested. Current research is mostly descriptive; policy makers, however, require more strategic analysis addressing their decision options, including scenario analysis and backcasting.

Community Participation↗
PubMed1997

FORUM: Is Ecotourism Sustainable?

/ It is legitimate to ask whether and in what form tourism might contribute to sustainable development. This is not the same as sustainable tourism which, as a single-sector approach to development, may overlook important linkages with other sectors. If tourism is to contribute to sustainable development, then it must be economically viable, ecologically sensitive and culturally appropriate. Ecotourism is often advocated as being a sustainable form of tourism but imprecision in terminology clouds basic issues and there are strong economic, ecological, and cultural reasons for believing that, even in its purest forms, ecotourism is likely to present substantial challenges to destination areas, particularly if it competes for scarce resources and displaces existing uses and users. Sustainable tourism and ecotourism are not synonyms, many forms of ecotourism may not be sustainable, and if ecotourism is to contribute to sustainable development, then careful planning and management will be required.KEY WORDS: Ecotourism; Sustainable development; Development; Tourism

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Development of sustained attention assessed using the continuous performance test among children 6-15 years of age.

The Continuous Performance Test (CPT) is a widely used measure of sustained attention, which may rely on the efficiency of cognitive inhibition. We examined the relationships of age and sex with CPT performance among 341 randomly selected school children 6-15 years of age. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the hit rate, false alarm rate, and sensitivity of both the undegraded and the degraded CPT were associated with age by a quadratic relationship. The age-development curves for the hit rate and sensitivity were convex, whereas that for the false alarm rate was concave. Sex was associated with the hit rate and sensitivity on the degraded CPT only. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that sustained attention develops during the primary school ages. The data reported are essential for identifying children with conditions associated with sustained attention deficit, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, as well as those at an increased risk for developing schizophrenia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Energy for the new millennium.

The evolution of thinking about energy is discussed. When the authors began collaborating 20 years ago, energy was typically considered from a growth-oriented, supply-side perspective, with a focus on consumption trends and how to expand supplies to meet rising demand. They were deeply troubled by the environmental, security and equity implications of that approach. For instance, about two billion people lack access to affordable modern energy, seriously limiting their opportunities for a better life. And energy is a significant contributor to environmental problems, including indoor air pollution, urban air pollution, acidification, and global warming. The authors saw the need to evolve a different perspective in which energy is provided in ways that help solve such serious problems. They argued that energy must become an instrument for advancing sustainable development--economically viable, need-oriented, self-reliant and environmentally sound development--and that the focus should be on the end uses of energy and the services that energy provides. Energy technological options that can help meet sustainable development goals are discussed. The necessity of developing and employing innovative technological solutions is stressed. The possibilities of technological leap-frogging that could enable developing countries to avoid repeating the mistakes of the industrialized countries is illustrated with a discussion of ethanol in Brazil. The role foreign direct investment might play in bringing advanced technologies to developing countries is highlighted. Near- and long-term strategies for rural energy are discussed. Finally, policy issues are considered for evolving the energy system so that it will be consistent with and supportive of sustainable development.

Brazil↗
PubMed1999

Using relationship marketing to develop and sustain nurse loyalty: a case of a rural health care institution.

The prosperity of a health care organization is contingent on its ability to compete for and retain a high quality staff of "loyal" nurses. Although the benefits of maintaining a loyal nursing staff are obvious, turnover in the health care industry is dangerously high. One solution for reducing turnover is to develop and sustain a loyal nursing staff. The purpose of this article is to apply customer-oriented marketing theories and practices to better understand how strong nurse-provider relationships can be developed and maintained over time. The authors first examine relationship marketing literature as it applies to nurse relationship and management issues. Second, a framework for conceptualizing internal marketing efforts devoted to enhancing nursing staff satisfaction and retention in tested. Finally, strategies for practicing relationship marketing will be provided.

Health Services Research↗
PubMed2002

Developing and sustaining 3-chlorophenol-degrading populations in up-flow anaerobic column reactors under circum-denitrifying conditions.

Microbial consortia capable of degrading 3-chlorophenol (3-CP) were enriched in continuous up-flow column reactors under circum-denitrifying conditions. 3-CP degradation capability was developed and sustained when 3-CP was supplied at 16-21 microM, although suppression of the 3-CP degradation capability was observed when 3-CP was supplied at 42 microM. When 3-CP was stably degraded, the ratio of nitrate consumption to 3-CP degradation approached the theoretical stoichiometric value, which was calculated by assuming a 3-CP degradation-dependent nitrate reduction. Batch-incubation experiments demonstrated that the microbial consortium that was enriched in the column reactors required either nitrate or oxygen for degrading 3-CP, while 3-CP was not degraded under sulfate-degrading conditions. Although many attempts were made to sustain the microbial 3-CP degradation capability under denitrifying conditions, mostly in batch cultures, none of them have been successful so far. Therefore, the results obtained in this study may be the first to demonstrate sustainable 3-CP degradation capability under circum-denitrifying conditions.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed2005

[Evaluation of China' s regional sustainable utilization of water resources and its type classification].

Based on the idea of sustainable development, this paper analyzes the characteristics of sustainable utilization of water resources and builds the sustainable utilization evaluation system of water resources in the aspect of the status of water resources, the efficiency of water resources utilization, the stress of water resources sustainable utilization and the capacity of water resources sustainable utilization. According to this evaluation system, the sustainable utilization of water resources in China's 31 provincial regions is evaluated and is classified as 5 types correspondingly, namely high, relative high, medium, relative low and low types. The situation of water sustainable development presents the general decrease trend from the northeast coastal area to northwest inland. Compared with water resources endowment, the low water utilization efficiency is becoming another restrict to water sustainable utilization. There is obvious inverse correlation between water resources endowment and its utilization efficiency.

China↗