scholarly journals Environmental impact of Aposelemis dam and tunnel water supply project in NE Crete, Greece

2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 127
Author(s):  
Chrysanthi Vogiatzi ◽  
Constantinos Loupasakis

The current investigation concerns the impact observed at natural and human environment, due to the implementation of the Aposelemis water supply project, as additional aqueduct of Heraklion and Agios Nikolaos cities, as well as other important tourist areas, in NE Crete, Greece. Aposelemis project is differentiated from standard water supply dam projects, through a special component of an underground tunnel that diverts uphill surface water from Lasithi Plateau into the reservoir. The study concerns the first years of project’s operation, and focuses at four affected areas, namely the Lasithi Plateau upland area, dam’s region, river estuary and water supplied cities. The investigation was based on various site visits, while a significant aspect involves local stakeholders’ observation, opinion and perception on the environmental impact of the project in everyday life, through four detailed questionnaires posed to the affected areas’ population. The recorded consequences were characterized as positive or negative and evaluated according to their size and importance, estimated for the current period and also for the future. Among the main positive effects are urban areas’ drinking water supply and improved upland plateau’s flood water drainage, while among the negative consequences appear multiple water resources’ impacts and feelings of downstream lakeside residents. The investigation indicates the initial environmental impact and sets the basis for further future research towards sustainability.

Author(s):  
N. Maidanovych ◽  

The purpose of this work is to review and analyze the main results of modern research on the impact of climate change on the agro-sphere of Ukraine. Results. Analysis of research has shown that the effects of climate change on the agro-sphere are already being felt today and will continue in the future. The observed climate changes in recent decades have already significantly affected the shift in the northern direction of all agro-climatic zones of Europe, including Ukraine. From the point of view of productivity of the agro-sphere of Ukraine, climate change will have both positive and negative consequences. The positives include: improving the conditions of formation and reducing the harvesting time of crop yields; the possibility of effective introduction of late varieties (hybrids), which require more thermal resources; improving the conditions for overwintering crops; increase the efficiency of fertilizer application. Model estimates of the impact of climate change on wheat yields in Ukraine mainly indicate the positive effects of global warming on yields in the medium term, but with an increase in the average annual temperature by 2 ° C above normal, grain yields are expected to decrease. The negative consequences of the impact of climate change on the agrosphere include: increased drought during the growing season; acceleration of humus decomposition in soils; deterioration of soil moisture in the southern regions; deterioration of grain quality and failure to ensure full vernalization of grain; increase in the number of pests, the spread of pathogens of plants and weeds due to favorable conditions for their overwintering; increase in wind and water erosion of the soil caused by an increase in droughts and extreme rainfall; increasing risks of freezing of winter crops due to lack of stable snow cover. Conclusions. Resource-saving agricultural technologies are of particular importance in the context of climate change. They include technologies such as no-till, strip-till, ridge-till, which make it possible to partially store and accumulate mulch on the soil surface, reduce the speed of the surface layer of air and contribute to better preservation of moisture accumulated during the autumn-winter period. And in determining the most effective ways and mechanisms to reduce weather risks for Ukrainian farmers, it is necessary to take into account the world practice of climate-smart technologies.


2021 ◽  
pp. 016264342198997
Author(s):  
Sojung Jung ◽  
Ciara Ousley ◽  
David McNaughton ◽  
Pamela Wolfe

In this meta-analytic review, we investigated the effects of technology supports on the acquisition of shopping skills for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) between the ages of 5 and 24. Nineteen single-case experimental research studies, presented in 15 research articles, met the current study’s inclusion criteria and the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) standards. An analysis of potential moderators was conducted, and we calculated effect sizes using Tau-U to examine the impact of age, diagnosis, and type of technology on the reported outcomes for the 56 participants. The results from the included studies provide evidence that a wide range of technology interventions had a positive impact on shopping performance. These positive effects were seen for individuals across a wide range of ages and disability types, and for a wide variety of shopping skills. The strongest effect sizes were observed for technologies that provided visual supports rather than just auditory support. We provide an interpretation of the findings, implications of the results, and recommended areas for future research.


Author(s):  
Ashok Kumar Shah ◽  
Yu Jintian ◽  
Dinesh Sukamani ◽  
Manita Kusi

Research on environment management in construction industry is as topic of debate globally. Thus, this study examined how green transformational leadership played for green building sustainability via green creativity and green procurement. We developed an assimilated research model to examine the impact of green transformational leadership, green creativity and green procurement on sustainability in construction industry by accessing resources-based view theory and componential theory of creativity. The sample included from 305 project team member of construction firm in Nepal. Structural equation model (SEM) using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 24.0 have been applied to find empirical results. The results revealed direct positive effects of green transformational leadership, green creativity and green procurement on sustainability. Green transformational leadership also appeared as predictor of green creativity and green procurement. Moreover, green creativity and green procurement found partial mediators of the relationship between green transformational leadership and sustainability in construction industry. Discussed future research direction along with theoretical implication and practical implication for environment policymakers and researcher attentive in promoting sustainability in construction industry.


1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark G. Wilson ◽  
Cynthia Jorgensen ◽  
Galen Cole

Purpose. To examine the individual and organizational health effects of HIV/AIDS interventions conducted at the worksite. Search Methods. This review is part of a series of reviews that used search methods described in an introductory article. To supplement these methods, HIV/AIDS-specific periodicals were searched to include journals that might not be incorporated in the computerized databases. Twelve of the 20 articles identified through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and our own subsequent searches met the criteria and were included in this review. Findings. Ten of the 12 studies reviewed reported positive effects of employee education programs on knowledge or attitudes. Nine of the studies involved health care workers or employees with potential occupational exposure to HIV, and nine lacked a comparison or control group. None of the studies however, examined the effects of policies, manager training, or family education on the organization or person. Conclusions. Methodologic weaknesses in many of the studies reviewed, coupled with the small number of studies, led us to conclude that the research literature on worksite HIV/AIDS interventions is weak. Impact is, however, plausible. Future research should be directed toward developing valid measures of key variables, controlling for confounding factors, and ultimately examining the impact of organizational factors.


2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 692-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilyn Ruble Whitesell ◽  
Leanna Stiefel ◽  
Amy Ellen Schwartz

Across the country and in urban areas in particular, many students change schools during the academic year. While much research documents the impact of changing schools on the academic achievement of mobile students themselves, less research explores whether new arrivals have negative spillovers on stable classmates. The lack of research on impacts of mid-year entry is problematic, as poor, minority, and low-achieving students are disproportionately exposed to mid-year entry. In this study, we use a rigorous causal identification strategy and rich longitudinal data on fourth- through eighth-grade students in the New York City (NYC) public schools to estimate the impact of exposure to mid-year entry on the achievement of stable students. We analyze heterogeneous effects of mid-year entrants by origin (arriving from other NYC public schools, from other U.S. school systems, or from other countries), determine the extent to which mid-year entrants’ characteristics mediate the impact of mid-year entry, and explore the moderating influence of stable students’ characteristics. We find small negative effects of mid-year entry on both math and English language arts test scores in the short run. These impacts are not driven by mid-year entrant characteristics and are somewhat larger for Asian students and those who do not qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Finally, results suggest mid-year entry continues to negatively influence the math performance of stable students beyond the year of exposure. We discuss the relevance of results and conclude with recommendations for future research.


Author(s):  
Benjamin De Cleen ◽  
Ewen Speed

Building on Rinaldi and Bekker’s scoping review of articles on the impact of populist radical right (PRR) politics on welfare and population health, this short article formulates three pointers towards a framework that might help structure future research into PRR, populist politics more generally, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other health issues. First, we discuss the centrality of welfare chauvinism to the PRR’s impact on health, taking this as a cue for a broader reflection on the importance on distinguishing between the nativist and populist dimensions of PRR politics. Secondly, we turn our attention to the potential moderating effect of the PRR’s welfare chauvinism on the welfare cuts proposed by their right-wing coalition partners, comments we see as pointing to the need to focus on nativist, populist, neoliberal and other threats to welfare policy more generally, rather than on the PRR only. Thirdly, we reflect on the paradoxical nature of welfare chauvinism – its negative consequences for the health of the ‘own people’ it proclaims to defend – as a starting point for a brief discussion of the need to consider carefully the not-so-straightforward relation between the PRR’s political rhetoric, its (impact on) policy and institutions, and the outcomes of such policy.


Author(s):  
Olga Leonidovna Sytykh

The subject of this study is the transformation of modern culture associated with the visual turn. Using the dialectical method and systemic analysis, the author determines the trends in transformation of modern culture. The goal of article is to demonstrate the essence such changes, their vector and impact upon individual and society. The factors of transformation, its manifestations, and consequences are revealed. The works of the representatives of philosophy, culturology, sociology, history, etc. comprise the theoretical framework for this research. The empirical base contains the results of sociological survey conducted 2020 on the premises of two universities in the Altai Krai. The novelty consists in identification of the trends of cultural transformation under the influence of visual turn, their positive and negative consequences for individual and society, as well as generalization of numerous manifestations of these trends. The main conclusion of this study is the author's position about serious and contradictory transformations in society under the influence of visual rotation. The impact of visual rotation has both positive and negative development trends and their consequences. Among the positive effects of the visual turn, the author highlights stimulation of the development of visual thinking, which depends on functioning of the right brain. The author also indicates negative consequences of the visual transformation of culture. Perception through images weans people from thinking. Receiving information through images, rather than through speech, increases the clipping nature of consciousness. This entails the possibility of formation of an individual subject to manipulation. The presentation of images on the Internet and arrangement of visual series develops the habit of expecting “the solution of your problems by someone else” in the situation of choice. Another consequence of the transition from logos to image is the formation of prerequisites for “easy” submersion into virtual situations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Su-Ying Wu ◽  
Wei-Tsong Wang ◽  
Ming-Hsuan Hsiao

There exists a lack of an understanding of how to facilitate knowledge sharing (KS) behaviors in healthcare organizations. This study is among the first to specifically address this issue through synthesizing psychological ownership (PO), self-determination theory, and psychological empowerment (PE) theory. This study developed a research model that described the impact of the psychological and motivational facilitating factors, including autonomous motivation, user PE, and PO on knowledge sharing intention (KSI) and knowledge sharing behavior (KSB). Data collected from 343 healthcare professionals were analyzed using the technique of partial least squares (PLS) to validate the research model. The results indicated that user PE, organization-based PO, and autonomous motivation all had significant direct/indirect positive effects on KSI and KSB as we hypothesized. Surprisingly, knowledge-based PO had a significant positive effect on KSI, which contradicted our original hypothesis. The implications for theory and for practice, limitations, and future research directions are discussed accordingly.


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja Hofmann ◽  
Sonja S. Schmucker ◽  
Werner Bessei ◽  
Michael Grashorn ◽  
Volker Stefanski

During their lifespan, chickens are confronted with a wide range of acute and chronic stressors in their housing environment that may threaten their welfare and health by modulating the immune system. Especially chronic stressful conditions can exceed the individual’s allostatic load, with negative consequences for immunity. A fully functional immune system is mandatory for health and welfare and, consequently, also for high productivity and safe animal products. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the impact of housing form, light regime as well as aerial ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations on the immune system in chickens. Certain housing conditions are clearly associated with immunological alterations which potentially impair the success of vaccinations or affect disease susceptibility. Such poor conditions counteract sustainable poultry production. This review also outlines current knowledge gaps and provides recommendations for future research.


2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda T. McHenry ◽  
Brian R. Wilson ◽  
Peter V. Lockwood ◽  
Christopher N. Guppy ◽  
Brian M. Sindel ◽  
...  

Woody vegetation thickening occurs in agri-ecosystems worldwide, often with negative consequences for production. Dense Callitris glaucophylla (Joy Thomps. & L.A.S. Johnson) stands affect landscapes across NW NSW, Australia, and strategies to reduce tree density to levels which maintain biodiversity values alongside agricultural production are currently being sought. We investigated soil chemical and groundcover patterns associated with individual small and large C. glaucophylla trees at six sites of variable management history and lithology in NW NSW, Australia. We posed two questions: (1) do individual C. glaucophylla trees impose patterns on soil and groundcover (soil extractable P, C, N, S and pH, litter biomass, litter P and pasture cover), and, (2) if patterns exist, do they differ between tree sizes? Results showed that extractable P, C and pH decreased away from trees of both sizes, but significantly higher values were recorded adjacent to the stem of large trees. Litter biomass exhibited a strong site-related trend independent of soil variables. Positive correlations between litter and soil variables existed for some sites and not others, indicative of processes such as grazing which contribute to the transport of litter away from the tree. Irrespective of tree size ground-storey vegetation cover increased significantly away from the stem, presumably as a consequence of competition for soil water. Further results indicated that single C. glaucophylla trees enrich soils in patterns analogous to other species in similar environments worldwide. However, localised soil improvements must be weighed up against the negative effects of decreased groundcover associated with trees, and the potential for the species to re-seed prolifically into managed paddocks. Future research will discern the impact of individual C. glaucophylla trees at higher densities, where soil patterning may be modified by intense within-stand competition.


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