Using metacommunity theory, I investigated the mechanisms of meta-assemblage structure and assembly among medium- to large-bodied mammals in North Texas. Mammals were surveyed with camera-traps in thirty property units of the LBJ National Grasslands (LBJNG). In Chapter II the dispersal and environmental-control based processes in community assembly were quantified within a metacommunity context and the best-fit metacommunity structure identified. A hypothesis-driven modelling approach was used in Chapter III to determine if the patterns of species composition and site use could be explained by island biogeography theory (IBT) or the habitat amount hypothesis (HAH). Islands were defined as the LBJNG property unit or the forest patch bounded by the property unit. Forest cover was selected as the focal habitat for the HAH. Seasonal dynamics were explored in both chapters. Metacommunity structure changed with each season, resulting in quasi-nested and both quasi and idealized Gleasonian and Clementsian structures. Results indicated that the anthropogenic development is, overall, not disadvantageous for this assemblage, that community assembly receives equal contributions from spatial and environmental factors, and that the metacommunity appears to operate under the mass effects paradigm. The patterns of species composition and site use were not explained by either IBT or HAH. Likely because this assemblage of generalist, dispersal-capable mammals are utilizing multiple habitat types both in the protected land and in the private land. This research highlights the versatility of these species and the potential value of rural countryside landscapes for wildlife conservation.

The Swedish National Rail Administration, Banverket, has the overarching sector responsibility for Swedish railways, including a responsibility for implementing and managing the government decision for an ecologically sustainable development. In support of achieving ecologically sustainable development and fulfilment of the national environmental objectives and environmental legislation, Banverket initiated the implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) in 1998. The overall aim of this thesis is to examine the EMS applied at Banverket with regard to the identification and monitoring of environmental aspects at the administrative Railway Regions of Banverket. The analysis is based on a qualitative approach comprising questionnaires, interviews, document analysis and participating observations. Areas for potential improvements are identified. A more stringent use of the EMS is needed in the organisation. Furthermore, a link between activity, aspect and impact when identifying environmental aspects would improve the procedure. Like in other public organisations, the monitoring of environmental aspects at Banverket is insufficient. Introducing indicators and integrating different Government requirements for environmental monitoring into one system, using EMS as a tool would make the system more effective. In the thsesis a framework is proposed for the identification of environmental aspects pertaining to operation and maintenance at Banverket. This framework has an input–output perspective and provides a clear connection between activity, aspect and impact. Furthermore, by establishing the framework on a system used mainly for environmental performance evaluation, a better connection between the identification and monitoring of aspects is created, possibly improving both processes. The framework for the identifica-tion of environmental aspects, as proposed in the thesis, could also be modified and applied in other organisations. A major conclusion of the study is that the EMS applied at Banverket, in its present form, is not an effective environmental management tool for achieving ecologically sustainable development within the rail sector. Adapted methods for identification and monitoring of environmental aspects for public organisations such as Banverket would facilitate the application of EMS and increase its effectiveness as an environmental tool. / <p>QC 20101213</p>

Abstract The research behind this licentiate is spread out over a decade of intensive development of environmental work in industry. A 1998 survey of Swedish companies with newly installed environmental management systems (EMS) concluded that such systems need more product-orientation. Data collected by companies as part of the process of creating their EMS between 1996-2001 offered further evidence that it is environmentally justified to seek improvements in the materials selection, use and disposal phases of products, i.e., to make the environmental improvement work more product-orientated. In a EU-funded project carried out between 2004-2006 it was demonstrated that developing an environmental product declaration could be a cost-effective product-oriented environmental action even for smaller companies. This licentiate thesis relates to methods for companies to orientate their environmental work on their products. In particular, it examines experience and provides insights on the possibilities for companies, including small ones, to use life cycle assessment in product development in order to design products with an environmental performance well above legal compliance. It is difficult to give general recommendations to companies about their environmental work because each company has its own unique business idea, customers, work culture, stakeholders etc. Nevertheless, the main findings of the licentiate thesis can be summed up in the following recommendations for, say, a small company in Europe without much previous experience of environmental work: §  Focus your environmental work on your products because you will accomplish more environmentally and the chance of profiting economically will motivate your personnel; §  Consider doing a life cycle assessment, LCA, on a strategically chosen product in order to learn more about your products and how to improve their environmental performance; §  Do not expect to find a general market demand for green products; start a dialogue with your best customers in order to create the demand; §  Engage an LCA specialist to do the LCA and work together with your personnel to interpret the results and generate improvement ideas; §  If your customers demand that you install an environmental management system, ask them if they would not prefer to receive an environmental product declaration on the particular product they are interested in, and a chance to discuss how its environmental performance can be improved.

Klimatfrågan är idag en världsomfattande utmaning och därmed krävs ett omfattande arbete för att minska vår klimatpåverkan. Parallellt i samhället har det skett en stor utveckling inom digitalisering och ökad implementation av informationssystem. Tidigare forskning belyser att informationssystem besitter en stor potential för ett mer hållbart arbete där kommuner och regioner innehar en viktig roll i att miljöanpassa sina verksamheter. Green IS (Green Information Systems) och Environmental Management Systems (EMS) är två termer som vuxit fram inom IS-sektorn. Det innebär att implementera informationssystem som stödjer miljöarbete och hållbarhet samtidigt som effektivisering och kostnadsreducering eftersträvas. Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka hur kommuner och regioner i Småland använder sig av Green IS och EMS för ett mer hållbart klimatarbete. Studien ämnade att belysa vilken sorts system som används och huruvida det bidrog till ett minskat klimatavtryck. Kommuner och regioner är stora aktörer och det ses som viktigt att de ligger i framkant för en utveckling gentemot ett land utan fossila utsläpp. För att besvara studiens frågeställningar utfördes en kvalitativ små-N-studie på sex kommuner och regioner. Informanterna valdes ut strategiskt då de arbetade i olika roller på respektive miljöenhet. Insamling av empiriskt material utfördes genom semistrukturerade intervjuer för en djupare förståelse inom området. Vidare tillämpades en tematisk analys för att strukturera det empiriska resultatet. Strategiska teman valdes ut för att framhäva hur kommuner och regioner verkar i det generella miljöarbetet, hur de använder informationssystem och huruvida det har hjälpt till för organisationen. Resultatet från den här studien visade att kommuner och regioner använde en mängd system och digitala verktyg inom verksamheten som kan härledas till Green IS och EMS. Majoriteten av organisationerna hade någon form av mjukvara för att beräkna och rapportera klimatdata, samt möjlighet att visualisera denna data. I organisationernas klimatarbete användes det för att samla in statistik för utsläpp och samtidigt identifiera kritiska områden. Det mynnade ut i att åtgärder har kunnat implementerats i avsikt mot ett mer effektivt miljöarbete. Det empiriska resultatet tyder på att det inte finns några kvantitativa siffror på hur användningen av Green IS och EMS har påverkat organisationernas klimatavtryck. Det har istället varit till hands genom ett effektivare sätt att identifiera kritiska områden genom beräkning och visualisering av klimatdata, som sedan har agerat underlag för åtgärder. Följaktligen har Green IS och EMS implementerats på flera sätt i kommuner och regioner vilket lett till indirekta minskningar i dess utsläpp. / Nowadays, the climate issue is a worldwide challenge and, thus, extensive work from individual actors and organizations is required to reduce our climate impact. In parallel, there has been major development in digitization and implementation of information systems (IS). Previous research highlights that information systems have great potential for more sustainable work.  The Information Systems, which go under the collective names of Green IS and Environmental Management Systems (EMS), have been implemented in organizations to support environmental work and sustainability, while striving for efficiency and cost reduction.                Municipalities and regions are major organizational actors and it is important that they are at the forefront of a development towards a country without fossil emissions. Thus, the purpose of this bachelor thesis research has been to investigate how municipalities and regions in Småland use Green IS and EMS for sustainability and climate work. The research study explored which type of these information systems are used in municipalities and regions in Småland and whether their use has contributed to reduced climate footprint. For this, a small-N-approach was selected in six municipalities and regions. The informants were purposively chosen as they work in different roles at environmental units of municipalities and regions. For the collection of empirical research data, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the aforementioned informants to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the research topic. Furthermore, a thematic analysis was applied to present the research results and highlight how municipalities and regions operate regarding environmental work; how they use information systems for that purpose and whether this has helped the organization. The bachelor thesis research results show that municipalities and regions used a variety of Green IS, Environmental Management Systems and related digital tools.  Most of the organizations had some form of software and applications for calculating and reporting climate data, as well as the ability to visualize this data. Within the organization’s climate work, this was used to collect statistics for emissions and, at the same time, identify critical areas. This has resulted in measures being implemented in the pursuit of more efficient climate work. The research results indicate that there are no quantitative figures on how the use of Green IS and EMS has affected the organization’s climate footprint. Instead, it has provided a more efficient way to identify critical areas through calculation and visualization of climate data, which has been the basis for measurements. Concluding, Green IS and EMS were found to be implemented in several ways, indirectly reducing emission factors in the study’s surveyed municipalities and regions.

Magister Educationis - MEd / Schools played an important role during apartheid in shaping the mindsets of learners. In contemporary South Africa schools can now play a similar role in promoting democratic values in order to build a more just, humane and democratic society in a democratic South Africa. Through democratic citizenship, democratic schools can be created. Apple and Beane (1999, p. 10) state that democratic schools are the result of specific attempts by educators to put arrangements in place that will bring democracy to life. These arrangements and opportunities involve the production of democratic structures and processes through which life in a school is carried out and the creation of a curriculum that will allow young people the opportunity to experience the nature of democracy.

Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich an einem praktischen Beispiel mit der Frage, ob und inwiefern es möglich ist, auf regionaler Ebene Einfluss auf globalisierte Vorgänge und Phänomene mit dem Ziel einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung nehmen zu können. Dies soll anhand eines sogenannten extremen Fallbeispiels (vgl. Flyvbjerg 2006), dem Sojagebrauch in der Tierproduktionsregion Weser-Ems, untersucht werden. Als Grundlage wird zunächst das regionale Netzwerk der Sojanutzung erhoben und analysiert, um die relevanten Akteure, ihre Sichtweisen und Macht-Positionen zu bestimmen. Diese sind elementar für die Abschätzung der Erfolgschancen möglicher Governanceansätze. Zudem werden die Nachhaltigkeitsauswirkungen der Tierproduktion sowie notwendige Hintergrundfaktoren der Szenarien und der Tierproduktion in Literatur und aus Akteursperspektive erhoben, um Aussagen darüber treffen zu können, inwiefern der Komplex und seine Governance in Konflikt mit dem Ziel einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung geraten. Auf diese Erkenntnisse aufbauend werden zu angedachten und erwarteten Entwicklungen Governanceszenarien entworfen, um die jeweiligen Folgen für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung, Reaktionen der Akteure und Auswirkungen auf den betrachteten regionalen Komplex abschätzen zu können. Diese Szenarien bilden die Grundlage für konkrete Politikempfehlungen. Zugleich werden, wenn auch nur begrenzt, Rückschlüsse auf zentrale Fragen möglich, welche in den drei dieser Arbeit zugrunde liegende Konzepten (Globalisierung, nachhaltige Entwicklung, Governance) diskutiert werden.

Traumatic injuries have steadily increased during the last two decades, affecting over 5.8 million persons annually and have become a global public health issue. Since 2008, 80% of all deaths from noncommunicable diseases and trauma, approximately 29 million occurred in developing countries. Sixteen thousand young adults worldwide have died due to traumatic injuries. Additionally, injuries account for over 15% of the global burden of diseases, with approximately 90% of these injuries occurring in developing countries like St. Lucia. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to examine policy gaps in prehospital traumatic injury responses and explore implementing Essential Public Health Functions (EPHF), that were conceptualized by countries in the Caribbean, to strengthen prehospital injury responses in St. Lucia. Using criterion-based sampling, 13 respondents from the St. Lucia emergency room, fire service Emergency Medical Services, and the ministry of health were interviewed. Their responses indicated a general deficiency in the procedures that guide trauma responses. Respondents cited EPHF 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, and sections of 9, as missing, and 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 10 as useful to improve prehospital response procedures and policies. These EPHF can be implemented through consultation with the ministry of health once political buy-in is achieved. The results indicate that the use of EPHF as a gold standard could be enforced through quality assurance programs. The findings from this study contribute to the knowledge base of prehospital traumatic injury responses. The study also has the potential to impact social change by providing health education campaigns that sensitize citizens to the perils of unnecessary and improper movement and transportation of injured victims

Firefighter Emergency Medical Service (EMS) responder personnel are at a high risk for occupational exposures to bloodborne and airborne infectious pathogens due to their unpredictable work duties in the pre-hospital environment. Not much is known about the compliance with Universal Precautions (UP) among firefighter EMS responders' personnel with regards to occupational exposures to infectious diseases. The purpose of this cross-sectional research study was to determine the relationship between compliance with UP, knowledge of UP, attitudes towards UP, occupational practices, and occupational exposures to bloodborne and airborne pathogens to prevent transmission of infectious disease among firefighter EMS responder personnel in the pre-hospital environment. A convenience sample (n = 246, 99% response) was gathered from the 6 career fire service departments in Miami-Dade County Florida. The participants completed a 40-question, self-administered survey questionnaire. Research questions and related hypotheses were evaluated with Pearson's product moment correlation, t test, analysis of variance, and linear regression models. In this study, the correlation between knowledge and compliance with UP was statistically significant (p = 0.005). This suggest that the compliance with UP among firefighter EMS responder participants increased with increase in knowledge. However, firefighter EMS personnel are not consistently complying with UP to prevent exposures to infectious diseases in the pre-hospital work environment. This research contributed to positive social change by increasing innovative knowledge that will allow the firefighter EMS responders to improve occupational practices and compliance with universal precautions.

No description available.

No description available.