Pseudofactorialism, response structures and collective responsibility

Impact of the bonus approach on recertification strategies for LEED-EB v3 office projects in major US metropolitan areas: A case study

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) version 3 (v3) encourages the recertification of existing buildings by offering them four bonus points (“bonus approach”). This study investigates the influence of a bonus approach on recertification strategies. We analyzed 112 LEED-EB v3 certification-to-recertification office space projects in Washington, DC; Chicago; and New York City. The percentage of average score (PAS) was used to evaluate the difference in certification strategies between (1) gold certification and recertification (with bonus); (2) silver certification and gold recertification (with bonus); (3) gold certification and recertification (without bonus); and (4) silver and gold certification, and gold recertification (combined data from Cases 1–3). In Case 1, recertification showed worse results in the materials and resources (MR), and indoor environmental quality (EQ) categories. In Case 2, recertification showed better results in the water efficiency, and energy and atmosphere categories. In Case 3, certification and recertification showed the same results. We found that recertification of LEED-EB v3 projects with a four-point bonus system resulted in lower results in the MR and EQ categories. This highlights the need to include additional controls in the LEED-EB v3 and v4.1 bonus systems, possibly including a moderate penalty for diminishing achievements in certain categories.

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We examined the impact of four bonus points on LEED-EB v3 recertification.

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112 LEED-EB v3 offices in Washington, DC; Chicago; and New York City were analyzed.

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Gold certification-to-recertification led to decreased MR and EQ credits.

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We offer a moderate penalty as a form of control over the re-certified categories.

Do dense layers of invasive plants elevate the foraging intensity of small mammals in temperate deciduous forests? A case study from Pennsylvania, USA

Monospecific stands of invasive plants can dramatically restructure habitat for fauna, thereby elevating population densities or promoting foraging of consumer species who benefit in the altered habitat. For example, dense stands of invasive plants may protect small mammals from predators, which in turn could increase foraging pressure on seeds that small mammals feed upon. We used a before-after, control-impact experimental design to test whether small mammal capture rates were higher and giving-up densities (GUDs) lower beneath dense stands of Berberis thunbergii, an invasive shrub with a rapidly expanding range throughout eastern North America. Our experimental design included three plot categories: 1) plots heavily invaded by B. thunbergii, 2) control plots lacking invasive shrub cover, and 3) invaded plots where we eradicated B. thunbergii midway through the study. Although our overall small mammal capture rate was low, small mammal captures were 65% higher in B. thunbergii invaded habitat relative to control plots and eradication lowered capture rates by 77%. GUDs were also 26% higher within B. thunbergii relative to control plots and eradication decreased GUDs by 65%. Our findings suggest that small mammals perceive dense stands of B. thunbergii as relatively safe foraging habitat. Prior surveys within our study locations revealed dramatically depressed tree seedling densities under B. thunbergii, thus invasive plants may promote intensive foraging by small mammals and reduce recruitment for species with foraged seeds or seedlings.

The Effect of Regional Priority Points on the Performance of LEED 2009 Certified Buildings in Turkey, Spain, and Italy

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has five basic categories: Sustainable sites (SS), Water Efficiency (WE), Energy and Atmosphere (EA), Materials and Resources (MR), and Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ). Additionally, in LEED 2009, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) introduced regional priority (RP) points to adapt LEED to the local conditions of foreign countries. However, the appropriateness of the RP points stated for the Mediterranean basin has not yet been evaluated. Thus, we studied the similarities and differences in performances of LEED 2009 Commercial Interiors (CI) and LEED 2009 Core and Shell Development (C&S) Gold certified projects in Turkey, Spain, and Italy. We revealed that the categories without RP points, SS, MR, and EQ, performed similarly in all three countries, thereby signaling the correctness of CI and C&S applications in the Mediterranean basin. However, the categories with RP points, WE and EA, performed differently. It can be suggested that the following RP points would be beneficial for all three countries: (i) in the MR category, RP points that initiate decreases in virgin construction material; (ii) in the WE category, RP points that encourage water saving; and (iii) in the EA category, RP points that encourage using renewable energies.

A Comparative Analysis of Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction 2009 Certified Projects in Finland, Sweden, Turkey, and Spain

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is currently intensively applied in several European countries. The aims of the present study were to compare the difference between (i) two countries from the same region (i.e., Finland vs. Sweden or Turkey vs. Spain) and (ii) two European regions (northern Europe [Finland and Sweden] vs. [Turkey and Spain]) when the LEED- New Construction (NC) 2009 Certified rating level certified projects were analyzed. We found that, in the northern and southern parts of Europe, LEED- NC 2009 credit achievements in terms of Sustainable Sites (SS), Water Efficiency (WE), Materials and Resources (MR), and Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) were similar, whereas credit achievements in Energy and Atmosphere (EA) were different. High achievements were revealed in WE and SS, with values of 80–100% and 70–75%, respectively; intermediate achievements were revealed in EQ, with values of 40–60%; and low achievements were revealed in MR (20–40%). EA achievements were intermediate (60–65%) in northern Europe, while they were low in southern Europe (40%). This evidence can help recognize the categories that are performed with a high number of points and those that are performed with a low number of points.

Pervasive interactions between foliar microbes and soil nutrients mediate leaf production and herbivore damage in a tropical forest

Producing and retaining leaves underlie the performance and survivorship of seedlings in deeply shaded tropical forests. These habitats are characterized by conditions ideal for foliar bacteria, which can be potent plant pathogens. Leaf production, retention and susceptibility to enemies may ultimately depend upon interactions among soil nutrients and foliar microbes, yet this has never been tested. We experimentally evaluated the degree that foliar bacteria and soil resource supply mediate leaf dynamics for five common tree species (five different families) in a Panamanian forest. We reduced foliar bacteria with antibiotics for 29 months and measured leaf production, retention and damage for seedlings nested within a replicated 15-yr factorial nutrient enrichment experiment (nitrogen, N; phosphorus, P; potassium, K). Our results demonstrate that when we applied antibiotics, soil nutrients - particularly N - always regulated seedling leaf production (and to a lesser extent herbivore damage) for all five tree species. In addition, it was common for two macronutrients together to negate or completely reverse the impact of applying either one alone. Our findings of frequent plant-microbe-nutrient interactions are novel and suggest that these interactions may reinforce plant species-environment associations, thereby creating a fairly cryptic and fine-scale dimension of niche differentiation for coexisting tree species.

Analysis of substrate degradation, metabolite formation and microbial community responses in sand bioreactors treating winery wastewater: a comparative study

There is a global need for the implementation of more cost-effective green technologies for the treatment of effluent from wineries. However, systems reliant on microbial biodegradation may be adversely affected by the highly seasonal character of cellar waste. In this study, the biodegradation of two different formulations of winery effluent in sand bioreactors was compared. The degradation of organic substrates and formation of metabolites was monitored by physicochemical analyses of pore water and final effluent samples. Changes in the bacterial community structures were detected using molecular fingerprinting. In wastewater with an overall COD of 2027 mg/L, a formulation with a high concentration of acetate (800 mg COD/L) was more recalcitrant to degradation than a formulation with a high concentration of glucose (800 mg COD/L). Ethanol, glucose and phenolics were degraded preferentially in the deeper layers of the sand bioreactors (average Eh 25 mV) than in the superficial layers (average Eh 102 mV). The redox status also played a pivotal role on the bacterial community composition. The study yielded valuable insight that can be utilized in the design (configuration and operation) of full scale sand bioreactors.

Growth and fluctuating asymmetry of human newborns: influence of inbreeding and parental education

Historically, medical concerns about the deleterious effects of closely inbred marriages have focused on the risk posed by recessive Mendelian disease, with much less attention to developmental instability. We studied the effects of inbreeding (first-cousin marriage) on growth and fluctuating asymmetry of 200 full-term infants (101 inbred and 99 outbred) whose parents were of similar socioeconomic status in Sivas Province, Turkey. In addition to differences in their mean inbreeding coefficients (f = 1/16 for first cousins and f < 1/1,024 for unrelated parents), the consanguineous parents were less well educated (3 years, on average for both husbands and wives). We measured weight, height, head circumference, and chest circumference of the newborns, as well as four bilateral traits (ear width, ear length, and second and fourth digit lengths). After taking education into account, none of the measures of size (weight, height, head circumference, and chest circumference) and fluctuating asymmetry differed between the inbred and outbred groups. Male children of well-educated parents, however, were larger and had less fluctuating asymmetry. Female children of well-educated parents weighed more than those of less well-educated parents, but were otherwise indistinguishable for height, head circumference, chest circumference, and fluctuating asymmetry. We conclude that inbreeding depression causes neither an increase in fluctuating asymmetry of full-term newborns, nor a decrease in body size. Unmeasured variables correlated with education appear to have an effect on fluctuating asymmetry and size of male children and only a weak effect on size (weight) of female children.