This study computed the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) products derived from NOAA AVHRR, MODIS, and SPOT VGT sensors. NDVI products from different instruments vary in spatial resolution, temporal coverage and spectral range. As a result, multi-sensor NDVI products are rarely used in a single phenological study. In order to evaluate the difference and similarity of NDVI records from the three sensors, I used EPA Eco-region frameworks to determine the average annual Start of Season (SOS) and End of Season (EOS) of Contiguous United States, and analyzed dates among datasets. In addition, I created 1127 sample points within the study area, and compared relationship between SOS/EOS based on land cover. The objectives of this thesis are to: 1) compare multi-sensor NDVI data using phenological models, 2) define a strategy to merge multi-sensor NDVI products to a single phenological product without direct NDVI conversion. The spatial and statistical analysis revealed that the Land Surface Phenology (LSP) measurements retrieved from NDVI time series from different sensors follow linear and positive relationships where compared by either eco-region or sample point. The historical record of AVHRR combined with the modern MODIS and SPOT data provides a critical and reliable perspective on phenological patterns in Contiguous United States area. The success of this study will help LSP by providing understanding of how different instruments can be combined to generate multi-sensor NDVI data for phenology. / Master of Science

The principal claim of this thesis is that anxiety when understood through the lens of philosophical existentialism is a mood of uneasiness that stems from the objectless possibilities, as opposed to real lived possibilities, entailed by the core conditions of our being. These can include anxiety over conditions such as freedom, mortality, identity, and so on. This anxiety has a self-cultivational aspect in that the reflection it motivates provides insight into the self. This self-cultivation of existential anxiety is key to how philosophers can assist those afflicted with the existential form of eco-anxiety, as opposed to the forms of coping offered by social science research that focus on a practical form of eco-anxiety. I show that previous accounts of eco-anxiety point towards a general understanding of existential eco-anxiety that gives a general basic description of what the phenomena is. My contribution is to give a definition of eco-anxiety that, while related to other forms of existential anxiety, accentuates its connection to past historical approaches to existential anxiety and highlights its foundation as a historically instigated phenomenon. While other definitions of eco-anxiety are not without value for understanding the non-pathological anxiety people often feel in the face of ecological crisis, my argument gives a general account that explains what constitutes existential eco-anxiety regardless of its specific manifestations and provides a framework for how philosophers can assist in self-cultivation. The insight gained from these findings is that philosophers can play a role in providing an ecologically friendly interpretation of different values and worldviews on which the anxious may draw to find new ways of living meaningfully in a rapidly changing world. / Thesis / Master of Philosophy (MA) / The key goal of this research project is to reinterpret eco-anxiety, a mood of uneasiness about our current ecological crisis, from an existential perspective that derives inspiration from accounts of anxiety by philosophers such as Kierkegaard and Heidegger. The contribution of this project is to provide a new way of understanding eco-anxiety. My conclusions depart from historical and contemporary understandings of existential anxiety in comparison to the practical anxiety posited by social science literature. A second contribution of this research is to explain why philosophers can and should assist in the work of helping people learn from eco-anxiety, as philosophers can provide the new ideas people need to interpret the current ecological situation and develop themselves toward a more meaningful life, something that is analogous to the historical idea of philosophy as a discipline that cultivates people.

By means of a case study of a small, socially mixed, and ecologically oriented community in South Africa, known as the Lynedoch Eco-Village, this thesis sets out to identify motivations of people from different socio-economic backgrounds for joining such a community, and as a result live a more sustainable life. The case was studied during a minor field study (MFS) in the South African spring of 2015, during which sixteen eco-villagers were interviewed. The study discovers a wide range of motives reported by the respondents; some motives stemming from materialistic concerns and others being of a more idealistic nature. The socio-economic comparison of the respondents´ accounts is analysed using post-material theory and, interestingly, some accounts directly contradict the accounts that this influential theory would predict, with respondents from a lower socio-economic background reporting highly idealistic motives and views.

Eco-labels impact consumers‟ likelihood to buy eco-labelled products and serve as a tool during the decision-making process that helps consumers make informed purchase choices. The textile industry is responsible for a large amount of pollution, but has started to follow a more holistic, eco-friendly approach. Information about their eco-friendliness is communicated to consumers via eco-labels. Consumers can influence the textile industry to include more eco-labelled textile products in their desired range of products, by buying and demanding eco-labelled textile products. However, international studies indicate that consumers do not understand textile eco-labels and the information that is found on these labels. A lack of understanding prevents consumers from including such products in their pre-purchase decision-making process. Yet some consumers, from developed and developing countries, are willing to buy eco-labelled products and pay more for such products. Limited research in this regard, within a South African context, is available hence, more research was required in this study field. Therefore, this study aimed to explore consumers‟ understanding and utilisation of textile eco-labels during pre-purchase decision-making. The research for the study was done using a convenience and purposive sampling method with a quantitative structured online questionnaire for data collection purposes. Findings suggest that respondents were environmentally conscious, but only to some extent. Most respondents objectively understood textile eco-labelled products, but not textile eco-labels or organic label information regarding cotton production processes. Respondents indicated that they do not use textile eco-labels when making a pre-purchase decision, yet they somewhat recognised the need to buy eco-friendly textile products, because they are aware of environmental implications. Regarding the information on eco-labels, respondents searched for information surrounding the quality of eco-labelled textile products, followed by the care instructions and the credibility of the eco-label on the product. Finally, there was a segment of respondents who buy and utilise textile eco-labelled products, and are willing to pay a higher price for these products. The higher price was the main factor that prevented other respondents from buying eco-labelled textile products. Consumers can benefit from education regarding environmental issues and how their purchasing choices can make a difference in protecting the environment. Furthermore, educating consumers about eco-labelled textile products might increase their awareness and utilisation of these products. In turn, this awareness about eco-labels might encourage consumers to include these kinds of products in their pre-purchase decision-making process. Additionally the industry can strive towards keeping eco-labelled products‟ prices relatively equal to regular product‟s prices to make it easier for consumers to choose between the different products, based on their environmental attributes and not price. Finally, the textile industry and manufacturers can focus on making textile eco-labels more attractive and attention-grabbing in order to focus consumers‟ attention on these labels. Furthermore, on these labels, symbols and words should be used together and all elements should correspond to enhance consumers‟ understanding. If all of these elements of an eco-label convey the same message, consumers might be able to understand the intended message by manufacturers and the industry better. / M Consumer Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Immunity and reproduction are important and costly life-history traits and a large part of eco-immunology focuses on trade-offs between investing in reproduction versus immunity. Male Cape ground squirrels (Xerus inauris) are a good organism to test these trade-offs as they invest heavily in sperm competition, evidenced by their large testes, and exhibit alternative reproductive tactics. My research objective was to determine 1) if testosterone suppresses immunity, or if immunity suppresses testosterone, and 2) if alternative reproductive tactics differ in their investments in immunity and reproduction. I found evidence that testosterone was suppressed after an immune challenge, and that manipulatively increased testosterone had no effect on immunity, body condition or parasites. The dispersing tactic males were in worse condition, had higher parasite abundances, but showed no difference in their innate immune ability to non-dispersing males. Males incur increased costs with dispersal and may focus their energy into reproduction instead of immunity. / October 2015

Le béton est le matériau de construction le plus utilisé dans le monde. Des fibres sont introduites pour le renforcement du béton de structure. Jusqu'à présent, les fibres utilisées sont généralement des fibres métalliques ou synthétiques (par exemple les fibres de polypropylène).Dans notre étude, nous nous sommes intéressés au remplacement des fibres synthétique (le polypropylène dans notre cas), par des fibres végétales naturelles à s'avoir l'alfa, une graminée méditerranéenne.Nous avons formulé et confectionné des éprouvettes de différents types de bétons renforcés aux fibres d'alfa ainsi que deux bétons témoins, le premier ordinaire et le second renforcé de fibres de polypropylène.La caractérisation a montré que les dosages en fibres d'alfa les plus performants sont ceux de 1% et 1,5% de fibres d'alfa, qui ont donnés des résistances mécaniques comparables à celles des bétons ordinaires et des bétons renforcés au polypropylène.Les tests de durabilité (attaque sulfatique externe et élévation de température) ont montré que le béton renforcé à 1% de fibre d'alfa est celui dont les résultats se rapprochent de ceux des bétons ordinaires. Le béton à 1% de fibres d'alfa constitue donc le béton optimal.L'analyse environnementale a montré que les fibres d'alfa sont beaucoup moins impactantes sur l'environnement que celles de polypropylènes quant-à l’épuisement des énergies fossiles, le changement climatique (lié à l’émission de gaz à effet de serre, parmi lesquels le CO2), l’émission atmosphérique de particules, l’écotoxicité marine et l’oxydation photochimique. / Concrete is the most used building material in the world. In order to reinforce struture concretes, different kinds of fibres are added among which metallic and synthetic (e.g. polypropylene) fibres.In our study, we have replaced polypropylene fibres by natural vegetal fibres of alfa, a grass commonly found aroud the Mediterranean.We have prepared 3 kinds of concrete : alfa-reinforced concrete (with various amounts of alfa fibres), polypropylene-reinforced concrete and ordinary concrete used as references.Characterization showed that the best amounts of alfa fibres are 1 and 1.5 %, that gave a mechanical behaviour close to that of ordinary and polypropylene-concrete.Durability tests (sulfatic attack and high temperature) showed that the concrete reinforced with 1% of alfa fibres gives the closest results compared to ordinary concrete. Concrete with 1% of alfa fibres is hence the best concrete.Environmental analyses showed that alfa fibres generate far less impacts than polypropylene fibres as regards fossil fuel depletion, climate change (linked with emissions of greenhouse gases among which CO2), atmospheric emission of particles, marine ecotoxicity and photochemical oxydation.

Tutta la produzione echiana, saggistica e narrativa, si è mossa sempre tra due poli di attrazione, quello della verità e quello della menzogna, con una indubbia fascinazione per la seconda. Partendo dalla commistione problematica di vero/falso presente nei testi letterari (e non solo), Eco, fin da Opera Aperta (1962), ma soprattutto con Sei passeggiate nei boschi narrativi (1994) e Lector in fabula (1979) ha tentato di indagare lo statuto finzionale-veritativo del mondo scritto, le strategie testuali messe in atto dallAutore modello in una determinata storia, le trappole del linguaggio. Problematizzando la relazione tra i mondi possibili della letteratura e il mondo storico di riferimento (ECO, 1994), Eco ci mostra quanto siano labili e permeabili le frontiere di tali mondi e come in essi si sovrappongano, intercambiandosi, le nozioni di vero, verosimile, falso, menzognero. Appaiando allinterno di uno stesso orizzonte ermeneutico i mondi finzionali della letteratura e quelli veri della realtà e della Storia, sulla base di un principio comune che li sottende entrambi, che è il principio di Fiducia, Eco interpreta lintero sistema culturale e storico cui apparteniamo mediante un paradigma semiotico-narrativista, secondo il quale le esperienze umane, attraverso la narrazione, escono dalla loro opacità di fatti bruti e vengono organizzate allinterno di un continuum che le rende parte viva e vitale di una storia/Storia (personale o collettiva che sia). La collisione tra metanarrativa e Storia presente in tutte le sue opere narrative, tra la chiusura dellautoriflessione e lapertura del riferimento alla realtà storica, crea un attrito tale da portare in evidenza il carattere artificiale, metaforico e retorico delle nostre costruzioni culturali e delle stesse narrative storiche. Attraverso i suoi romanzi Eco ci avverte, però, anche del rischio di un regime interpretativo pansemiotico: la realtà, per quanto debole e noumenicamente inattingibile, esiste, è un Limite ontologico (forse anche metafisico?) che impedisce derive ermeneutiche e riscritture falsificanti e aberranti della Storia. / A presente tese propõe-se como uma análise global da multifacetada obra, narrativa e não ficcional, de Umberto Eco, através da lente do Falso, facies mentirosa mas complementar da Verdade, contemplando todas as possíveis declinações.Vai-se, então, da questão da verdade/falsidade na literatura, ou melhor, da relação problemática entre os \"mundos possíveis\" da ficção e os mundos \"verdadeiros\" do mundo histórico de referência ao falso subversivo das imitações paródicas; da \"força\" do falso na História, desde sempre impregnada de mentiras e narrações fabulatórias mas errôneas, que influenciaram o curso de seus eventos, à simulação/dissimulação enganosa e desonesta da manipulação de documentos falsos, como também à psicologia paranóide dos complôs e à deliberada difusão de notícias e informações falsas pela mídia. Nesse sentido, a presente tese tem como objetivo sublinhar a relevância do trabalho echiano, tanto não-ficcional quanto narrativo, a maneira pela qual este solicita formas de reflexão e análise crítica de todo o horizonte da cultura ocidental e suas formas constitutivas, e, acima de tudo, destacar o confronto aberto e problemático que a obra echiana estabelece com a complexidade labiríntica, reticular, polimórfica das sociedades contemporâneas e a pluralidade de saberes que a constituem. O que toda a obra echiana postula e mantém viva e atual é a instância de uma literatura como uma forma de conhecimento e interpretação do mundo, a necessidade de reiterar com urgência a autonomia da linguagem literária (e não apenas) como produtora de espírito crítico, diferenciando-se da linguagem da comunicação que se origina apenas em si e inocula um novo conformismo pós-ideológico, aliás meta-ideológico. Além disso, com este trabalho pretendemos fornecer aos leitores brasileiros algumas chaves úteis para o acesso à obra echiana analisada como um todo (mas sem pretensão de exaustividade), um complexo sistema teórico semiótico-narratológico, com base no qual Eco constrói os dispositivos narrativos de seus sete romances, que são analisados em detalhes aqui. A presente tese configura-se, então, como uma monografia-ensaio sobre um dos mais importantes e reconhecidos intelectuais italianos da época contemporânea, que procura fornecer uma interpretação crítica abrangente de seu trabalho, estimulando sua divulgação para um público mais amplo de estudiosos e leitores brasileiros.

Desenvolvimento Sustentável, Responsabilidade Social Corporativa e Sustentabilidade Empresarial são conceitos que convergem para o mesmo objetivo: integrar os aspectos econômicos, sociais e ecológicos dos negócios. A eco-eficiência pode ser utilizada para integrar desempenho econômico e ecológico. Há no mercado divulgação de empresas que mantém ações que visam à proteção ambiental. No entanto, para contribuir para a sustentabilidade do negócio essas atividades devem convergir para a eco-eficiência. Para isso, a ação ecológica empresarial deve atuar sobre os resíduos emitidos pelas operações da própria empresa e os gastos nelas incorridos devem resultar em benefícios econômico-financeiros ao negócio. Nesse contexto, este estudo identifica a seguinte pergunta de pesquisa: em termos contábeis, como podem ser categorizadas as ações ecológicas empresariais para fornecer informações sobre eventos relacionados com a eco-eficiência do negócio? O objetivo desta dissertação é: categorizar as ações ecológicas empresariais visando o fornecimento de informações econômico-financeiras sobre eventos relacionados com a eco-eficiência do negócio. Este trabalho, por meio de um estudo de corte transversal, análise de conteúdo, pesquisa exploratória, descritiva, básica e indutiva, identifica 608 exemplos de ações ecológicas mantidas por empresas, das quais 450 atuam sobre elementos não relacionados com os próprios detritos por meio de programas de desenvolvimento sustentável, educação ambiental, reciclagem, preservação e recuperação; e 158 sobre os resíduos emitidos pela própria companhia durante o processamento de seus produtos e serviços em quatro direções: I. reduzir o consumo de insumos, substituir os não-renováveis por renováveis, reciclados ou retirados de forma ecológica; II. transformar resíduos em insumos; III. transformar resíduos em produtos; IV. promover a coleta seletiva de lixo, reduzir a emissão de resíduos, neutralizar o efeito tóxico dos resíduos e cumprir com obrigações contratuais. Há duas categorias para as ações ecológicas empresariais. As que podem aumentar a eco-eficiência do negócio ficam separadas dos programas voltados ao desenvolvimento sustentável da sociedade, mas externos ao negócio da empresa. Isso organiza os gastos e resultados incorridos nas ações ecológicas empresariais e gera informação sobre o caminho para a empresa integrar desempenho ecológico e econômico. O objetivo deste trabalho foi alcançado, pois identifica uma forma de organização capaz de favorecer o processo de fornecimento de informações sobre os fluxos monetário e físico envolvidos com inputs e outputs do sistema empresa e o efeito das ações ecológicas nesses fluxos. Esse tipo de informação é útil para os executivos da gestão ambiental administrarem a eco-eficiência do negócio e pode ser fornecida pelo subsistema da ciência contábil chamado de Contabilidade Ambiental ou Contabilidade da Gestão Ambiental. Por fim, a pesquisa resulta em um sistema de gestão da eco-eficiência empresarial e aponta caminhos para futuros estudos. / Sustainable Development, Corporative Social Responsibility and Enterprise Sustainability are concepts that converge the same to objective: to integrate the economic, social and ecological aspects of the businesses. The eco-efficiency can be used to integrate economic and ecological performance. It has in the market spreading of companies that keeps actions that aim at the environmental protection. However, to contribute for the sustainability of the business these activities they must converge to the eco-efficiency. For this, the enterprise ecological action must act on the residues emitted for the operations of the proper company and the expenses in incurred them must result in economic-financial benefits to the business. In this context, this study it identifies the following question of research: in accounting terms, how can be categorized the enterprise ecological actions to supply information on events related with the eco-efficiency of the business? The objective is: to categorize the enterprise ecological actions being aimed at the supply of information economic-financiers on events related with the eco-efficiency of the business. This dissertation, by means of study of transversal cut, content analysis, explorer, descriptive, basic and inductive research, identifies 608 examples of ecological actions kept by companies, of which 450 act on elements unrelated to the debris of the proper firm by means of programs of sustainable development, environmental education, recycling and preservation and recovery; and 158 act on the residues emitted for the proper company during of the processing of its products and services in four directions: I. to reduce the consumption of raw materials, to substitute not renewed them for renewed, recycled or removed of ecological form; II. to transform residues into raw materials; III. to transform residues into products; IV. to promote the garbage collection selective, to reduce the emission of residues, to neutralize the toxic effect of the residues or to fulfill with contractual obligations. It has two categories for the enterprise ecological actions. The ones that they can increase the eco-efficiency of the business are separate of the programs directed to sustainable development of the society, but external to business of the company. This organizes the expenses and results incurred into the enterprise ecological actions and generates information on the way it company to integrate ecological performance and economic. The objective of this work was reached, therefore it identifies a form of organization capable to favor the process of supply of information on the monetary and physical flow involved with inputs and outputs of the system company and on the effect of the ecological actions in these flows. This type of information is useful for the executives of the environmental management to manage the eco-efficiency of the business and can be supplied by the subsystem of accounting call of Environmental Accounting or Environmental Management Accounting. Finally, the research results in a enterprise eco-efficiency management system and points a way with respect to future studies.

O presente estudo objetivou entender a influência das práticas de gestão socioambientais para o desempenho da eco-inovação empresarial. Para tanto, desenvolveu-se, numa primeira fase, pesquisa bibliográfica que permitiu construir o modelo teórico da pesquisa baseado nas práticas para programas e objetivos para a sustentabilidade, recursos e capacidades, cooperação com stakeholders, inovação ambiental em processos e no desempenho eco-inovador da competência organizacional, em eco-inovação em processos e em eco-inovação em produtos. Com base nesses temas, o estudo pretendeu responder a seguinte questão: qual a relação entre a adoção das práticas de gestão socioambientais orientadas para a sustentabilidade e o desempenho da eco-inovação nas indústrias? A segunda fase do estudo envolveu pesquisa de campo com 95 empresas do setor industrial, associadas ao CIESP e localizadas nas regiões do Vale do Paraíba e Alto Tietê, no Estado de São Paulo. Os dados quantitativos foram obtidos por meio da aplicação de um questionário a respeito da intensidade da adoção das práticas de gestão socioambientais para a sustentabilidade. Análises posteriores foram feitas com o uso das técnicas estatísticas descritivas e de correlações e com o uso da técnica de modelagem de equações estruturais, que avaliou a consistência dos construtos e hipóteses da pesquisa. Os resultados corroboram com pressupostos encontrados na literatura, que evidenciaram a influencia positiva das práticas voltadas para recursos e capacidades e em inovação ambiental em processos no desempenho eco-inovador das empresas. Os resultados apontaram que as empresas investigadas apresentam algumas fraquezas quanto às práticas para objetivos e programas para a sustentabilidade e nas práticas de cooperação com stakeholders, cujas hipóteses foram parcialmente confirmadas. Os coeficientes da modelagem de equações estruturais indicaram que as práticas de gestão socioambiental impactaram, respectivamente, sobre o desempenho da eco-inovação em processos, competência organizacional e em eco-inovação em produtos, demonstrando que as empresas estão preocupadas com o aumento da capacidade de inovação ambiental. A aplicação dos testes de correlação de Pearson e da modelagem de equações estruturais apresentou que o porte da empresa não se mostrou significativo para influenciar a relação entre as práticas de gestão para a sustentabilidade e o desempenho da eco-inovação. / This study aimed to understand the influence of social and environmental management practices for the performance of corporate eco-innovation. To this end, initially, it was developed, bibliographic research that allowed to build the theoretical model of research, based on practices for programs and goals for sustainability, resources and capabilities, cooperation with stakeholders, environmental innovation in processes, to eco-innovation performance of organizational competence, eco-innovation in processes and eco-innovation in products. Based on these themes, the study sought to answer the following question: what is the relationship between the adoption of environmental management practices geared towards sustainability and performance of eco-innovation in industries? The second phase of the study involved fieldwork with 95 industrial companies, associated to CIESP and located in the regions of Vale do Paraiba and Alto Tietê, in São Paulo. Quantitative data were obtained through a questionnaire about the intensity of adoption of social and environmental management practices for sustainability. Subsequent analyzes were performed with the use of descriptive statistics and correlation techniques and the use of the technique of structural equation modeling, that evaluated the consistency of the constructs and hypotheses of the research. The results corroborate assumptions found in the literature, demonstrating the positive influence of practices for resources and capabilities in environmental and process innovation in corporate eco-innovation performance. The results showed that the companies investigated have some weaknesses regarding the objectives and practices for sustainability programs and practices of cooperation with stakeholders, whose hypotheses were partially confirmed. The coefficients of structural equation modeling indicated that environmental management practices impacted respectively, on the performance of eco-innovation in processes, organizational competence and eco-innovation in products, demonstrating that companies are concerned about the increase in environmental innovation capacity. The application of Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling tests showed that company size was not significant in influencing the relationship between management practices for sustainability and eco-innovation performance.

A presente dissertação com tema: \"Eco Campus como vertente sustentável: sua implementação e ações com ênfase no campus da Universidade de São Paulo (USP) \" apresentada para a banca de Mestrado, abordará questões relativas a uma das vertentes dentro do contexto da Sustentabilidade aplicada como Eco Campus. Esta vertente é ressaltada através do papel das universidades na implementação e promoção de ações sustentáveis por meio do desenvolvimento de Planos Ambientais dentro de seus campi. Assim sendo, os capítulos que compõem esta pesquisa englobam as características mais relevantes de complementação dos conceitos e aplicações de Planos Ambientais. Concluindo, a pesquisa foi desenvolvida com o objetivo de contribuir para a Universidade de São Paulo (USP) através da concepção de um \"guia base\" no que diz respeito às relações vinculadas ao conceito de Eco Campus, as universidades e seus Planos Ambientais e no direcionamento de pesquisas vinculadas a edificações sustentáveis. Como também, ressalta a importância das universidades em contribuir como \"laboratórios vivos\" para suas cidades dentro do contexto da sustentabilidade. / The present dissertation with theme: \"Eco Campus as a sustainable aspect: its implementation and actions with emphasis on the campus of the University of São Paulo (USP)\" presented to the Master\'s bank, will address issues related to one of the aspect within the context by applying sustainability as EcoCampus. This aspect is highlighted through the role of universities in the implementation and promotion of sustainable actions through the development of Environmental Plans within their campuses. Thus, the chapters that compose this research encompass the most relevant characteristics of complementing the concepts and applications of Environmental Plans. In conclusion, the research was developed with the main objective of contributing to the University of São Paulo (USP) through the conception of a \"base guide\" regarding the relationships, which embodied the Eco Campus concept, the universities and their Environmental Plans and the direction to the researches that are linked to sustainable buildings. It also highlights the importance of universities to contribute as \"living laboratories\" to their cities within the context of sustainability.