Proxies for Pollution

Terrorism and the media have a unique relationship that has been long evident in history and academia. Due to modern advancements in communication and information technologies, the relationship has grown strong and widely influential. Mutual interaction, dependency, and inseparability have characterized the co-existence of terrorists and media personnel. Looking into the various dynamics, discussions, and descriptions of this relationship, this chapter offers a conceptualization of this relationship by introducing and defining a new term. Terroredia is the interactive, codependent, and inseparable relationship between terrorism and the media, in which acts of terrorism and their media coverage are essentially exchanged to achieve the ultimate aims of both parties—exchanging terrorism's wide-ranging publicity and public attention (i.e., oxygen) for media's wide-ranging reach and influence (e.g., airwaves).

In this work, we carried out a preliminary study of traffic-derived pollutants from primary sources (vehicles), and on roads (paved area), road borders and surroundings areas. The study is focussed on the identification, distribution and concentration of pollutants and magnetic carriers. Magnetic parameters and their analyses suggest that the magnetic signal of vehicle-derived emissions is controlled by a magnetite-like phase. Magnetic grain size estimations reveal the presence of fine particles (0.1–5 μm) that can be inhaled and therefore are dangerous to human health. Magnetic susceptibility results (about 175 × 10−5 SI) show a higher magnetic concentration — magnetic enhancement — in the central area of the tollbooth line that is related to higher traffic. In addition, magnetic susceptibility was computed on several roadside soils along a length of 120 km and used to generate a 2-D contour map, which shows higher magnetic values (100–200 10−5 SI) near the edge of the road. The observed distribution of magnetic values indicates that magnetic particles emitted by vehicles are accumulated and mainly concentrated within a distance of several meters (1–2 m) from the edge of the road. In consequence, the magnetic susceptibility parameter seems to be a suitable indicator of traffic-related pollution. Non-magnetic studies show an enrichment of some trace elements, such as Ba, Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb, that are associated with traffic pollution. Furthermore, statistical correlations between the content of toxic trace metals and magnetic variables support the use of magnetic parameters as potential proxies for traffic-related pollution in this study area.

Purpose This research explores the influence of stakeholders and public attention through the media on disclosures related to climate change in the industry most sensitive to climate change, namely the mining industry. Design/methodology/approach This study employs panel data obtained from the financial and sustainability reports of 142 mining companies over the period 2017–2021. The analysis was conducted using the STATA software. Findings The findings of this study indicate that government ownership, creditor power and public attention through the internet had a significant positive impact on climate change disclosures among mining companies in the ASEAN region. In contrast, institutional ownership exhibited a negative effect on these disclosures. These results suggest that companies’ disclosures are primarily driven by external pressures from government authorities, creditors and heightened public scrutiny via online media platforms. Furthermore, the statistical analysis indicates that the overall level of climate change disclosure by mining companies in the ASEAN region remains relatively low. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this research. This research manually inputted data from sustainability reports and annual reports, so there were companies whose reports could not be found, and there were language barriers in several countries. Practical implications The implications of this research investigated climate change disclosure by companies considered sensitive to climate change, namely companies in the mining industry. This research suggests that company managers disclose climate change. It happens because the government, as the guarantor of the sustainability and welfare of the community, has encouraged disclosures responsible for climate change. Originality/value This study investigates the role of public attention, as measured by Google Trends, in influencing climate change disclosures within industrial sectors that are particularly sensitive to climate change.

This encyclopedic book provides comprehensive data about Soviet and Russian strategic weapons, payloads, and delivery systems and on the nuclear complex that supports them. The data are drawn from open, primarily Russian sources. All the information is presented chronologically, arranged by individual systems and facilities, and is not available elsewhere in a single volume. Following an overview of the history of Soviet strategic forces, the book discusses the structure of the political and military leadership in the Soviet Union and Russia, the structure of the Russian military and military industry, nuclear planning procedures, and the structure of the command and control system. It describes the nuclear warhead production complex and the Soviet nuclear weapon development program. It then focuses on the individual services that constitute the so-called strategic triad—land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, the strategic submarine fleet, and strategic aviation. It presents an overview of Soviet strategic defense, including air defense systems, the Moscow missile defense system, the radar and space-based early warning networks, and the space surveillance system. The book also includes a description of the Soviet nuclear testing program, including information on test sites and on all Soviet nuclear tests and peaceful nuclear explosions. It concludes with a look at the future of strategic nuclear weapons in Russia.

The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly shifted people’s behavior in various aspects of life. As a contemporary discourse, pandemic needs to be understood with a more comprehensive approach. This article contains two common perspectives on pandemics: naturalistic perspective, which views pandemics either as individual microscopic entities or as a life process; and socio-constructivist, which views pandemics as non-natural disasters and public discourse consensus. The second view is getting more public attention because of its closeness to sociological experiences amid information uncertainty, which formed from the prevalence of disinformation, fake news, knowledge vulnerabilities, and society’s digital-virtual freedom. However, there is also undeniable confusion about information or particular political interests from government authorities or the scientific community. The post-truth dimension also influences the socio-epistemic constellation of society in understanding the pandemic. This article aims to open a scientific-philosophical discussion and produce an epistemological framework for understanding the pandemic based on a more rigorous epistemological review and then can be a post-pandemic policy consideration.

The article studies the role of regional science and the opportunity of using its tools in spatial social and economic research. The relevance of the topic is explained by the priority influence of geographical location, natural and climatic conditions on the organization of various types of economic life of public law entities. The aim of the study is to find acceptable solutions for intra-, interregional and interstate interaction by all participants in economic relations. Causal relationships in the phenomena and processes under analysis are revealed, general scientific and applied approaches are used: dialectics, analysis and synthesis, comparison, logic and abstraction, induction and deduction, verbal modeling, expert assessments. The relationship between the type and economic situation of administrative and territorial entities, the development of theoretical and methodological foundations of regional science and the use of its tools in economic practice is substantiated. On the basis of the analysis of official information, the emerging contradictions and unifying tendencies in the functioning of regions of different ranks are studied. The conclusion about the desire of constituent entities of federation to expand economic interaction, and the wish of a number of post-soviet countries for the integration of economic relations was made. On the basis of the results of the study, the available set of regional scientific tools, the effectiveness of regulatory measures taken by government authorities is shown. The interstate projects which are currently being implemented and planned for implementation in the nearest future are assessed. The authors make suggestions on the technology for selecting effective economic specialization of regions and embedding their production and infrastructure complexes into the integration processes on the territory of the EAEU. An assessment of the potential for unification processes in Eurasia is made. The presented results can be applied when choosing a problematics for further research and substantiating tactical recommendations that are acceptable for scientific and applied purposes.

Possible health risks from low level exposure to beryllium

This Article is the first in a series of yearly articles analyzing references, discussion, and applications of the Third Amendment in court, legal scholarship, and popular media and commentary. The Third Amendment’s prohibition on the quartering of soldiers in houses during peacetime, and its requirement that quartering during times of war be authorized by law is not typically discussed (or even known) by most in the legal field. This Article and its future iterations aim to address this neglect by surveying references to the Third Amendment and noting trends in its invocation and discussion across all aspects of the legal field. As it turns out, the Third Amendment had a bit of a moment in 2020, drawing brief but widespread public attention in early June. A dispute between the mayor of Washington, DC and National Guard soldiers over whether they could be housed in a particular hotel led to a great deal of speculation over whether the Third Amendment would be invoked and, if so, whether it would apply to the dispute. While no litigation ended up taking place, this incident brought more attention than usual to this neglected component of the Bill of Rights. This Article describes the dispute, surveys the commentary, and evaluates whether a Third Amendment claim could have even been made in the first place. Beyond this, the Article surveys citations and trends in arguments invoking the Third Amendment in 2020 case law and legal scholarship. The Third Amendment’s restrictions on the practice are often cited to demonstrate a constitutional right to privacy and to substantiate claims that the Constitution and its Bill of Rights were designed to protect civilians against overbearing military and governmental authority. Additionally, it tends to be a go-to citation for litigants who claim that their rights were violated and who want to throw every argument they have at the court. This Article provides a comprehensive breakdown of Third Amendment citations in the case law, and evaluates arguments invoking the Third Amendment in 2020 legal scholarship. While the Third Amendment doesn’t get the respect or attention given to adjacent amendments, this Article serves as a first step toward a systematic understanding of the Third Amendment’s role in case law, legal scholarship, and broader society.

Bushfires are an integral part of the forest regeneration cycle in Australia. However, from the perspective of a natural disaster, the impact of bushfires on human settlements and the environment is massive. In Australia, bushfires are the most disastrous natural hazards. According to the records of the Parliament of Australia, the recent catastrophic bushfires in NSW and Victoria burnt out over 10 million hectares of land, a figure more significant than any previous bushfire damage on record. After the deadly 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, which killed 173 people in Victoria, public attention to bushfires reached a new peak. Due to the disastrous consequences of bushfires, scientists have explored various methods to mitigate or even avoid bushfire damage, including the use of bushfire alerts. The present study adds satellite imagery and GIS-based semi-real-time bushfire contents to various bushfire warnings issued by government authorities. The new product will disseminate graphical bushfire contents to rural Australians through social media, using Google Maps. This low-cost Media GIS content can be delivered through highly popular smartphone networks in Australia through social media (Facebook and Twitter). We expect its success to encourage people to participate in disaster mitigation efforts as contributors in a participatory GIS network. This paper presents a case study to demonstrate the production process and the quality of media GIS content and further discusses the potential of using social media through the mobile network of Australia while paying attention to mobile blackspots. Media GIS content has the potential to link with the public information systems of local fire management services, disseminate contents through a mobile app, and develop into a fully automated media GIS content system to expand the service beyond bushfires.

The Department of Energy's (DOE) problem-plagued nuclear weapons research, development, testing and production complex is managed primarily by the Office of Defense Programs. DOE historically defined the mission of its nuclear weapons program as the research, development, testing and production of nuclear warheads and bombs of the type and quantity "ordered" by its primary "customer," the Department of Defense. DOE has among its contractors the best nuclear weapons scientists and designers in the world, but there are no new nuclear weapons on order from the Department of Defense, nor are such orders likely to be forthcoming in the future. As that program wanes, the environmental cleanup and waste management budget burgeons. President Ronald Reagan repeatedly declared his desire to abolish DOE and often denigrated, at least implicitly, federal public service. Much of DOE's troubles can be traced to its historic lack of accountability to federal, state and local environmental laws which govern private industry.

The radiation legacy left from nuclear weapons production is one of the forces compelling countries ofthe former Soviet Union to undertake risk assessment and risk management. This legacy is also compelling them to understand and manage risk perceptions. Operations ofthe nuclear production complex ofthe former Soviet Union resulted in the accumulation ofabout 500 million cubic meters ofradioactive waste with an aggregate radioactivity about 1. 7 billion curies. This chapter describes, based on published information, the structure, composition, and arrangement ofthat production complex; sites ofnuclear weapon tests; locations for storage and disposal ofradioactive waste; and territories exposed to radioactive contamination as a result ofnominal activity and radiation accidents. As the author notes, iflarge affected areas are considered, then the historical radiation fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapon testing exceeds in magnitude many ofthe sources discussed in this chapter.

Public responses to nuclear technologies are often strongly negative. Events, such as accidents or evidence of unsafe conditions at nuclear facilities, receive extensive and dramatic coverage by the news media. These news stories affect public perceptions of nuclear risks and the geographic areas near nuclear facilities. One result of these perceptions, avoidance behavior, is a form of “technological stigma” that leads to losses in property values near nuclear facilities. The social amplification of risk is a conceptual framework that attempts to explain how stigma is created through media transmission of information about hazardous places and public perceptions and decisions. This paper examines stigma associated with the U.S. Department of Energy's Rocky Flats facility, a major production plant in the nation's nuclear weapons complex, located near Denver, Colorado. This study, based upon newspaper analyses and a survey of Denver area residents, finds that the social amplification theory provides a reasonable framework for understanding the events and public responses that took place in regard to Rocky Flats during a 6-year period, beginning with an FBI raid of the facility in 1989.

Public responses to nuclear technologies are often strongly negative. Events, such as accidents or evidence of unsafe conditions at nuclear facilities, receive extensive and dramatic coverage by the news media. These news stories affect public perceptions of nuclear risks and the geographic areas near nuclear facilities. One result of these perceptions, avoidance behavior, is a form of “technological stigma” that leads to losses in property values near nuclear facilities. The social amplification of risk is a conceptual framework that attempts to explain how stigma is created through media transmission of information about hazardous places and public perceptions and decisions. This paper examines stigma associated with the U.S. Department of Energy's Rocky Flats facility, a major production plant in the nation's nuclear weapons complex, located near Denver, Colorado. This study, based upon newspaper analyses and a survey of Denver area residents, finds that the social amplification theory provides a reasonable framework for understanding the events and public responses that took place in regard to Rocky Flats during a 6‐year period, beginning with an FBI raid of the facility in 1989.

Shushtar as one of the most important cities of Khuzestan in safavid era was inhabited by some officials and rulers mostly due to its specific geographical, strategic and military situation during the rule of Safavid dynasty. The establishment of new villages in Shushtar and its surroundings areas by the local rulers caused this city to grow and develop more. In the same regard, due to the entering of many different clans and tribes to Shushtar in the Safavid period, extensive ethnic conflicts emerged in this city. Turk Qizilbash (Shamlus, Rumlus, Afshars, Ustodjlus, Turkmens, and Dulghadirs), Chagatai family, Circassia, Georgians, great religious scholars from Jabal Amel region, Jazayeri and Kalantar Sadats were among the tribes and clans entering Shushtar in the Safavid period. At the end of this period, natural disasters such as flood influenced Shushtar status both socially and politically to a great extent. The current study attempts to describe the political and social conditions of Shushtar during the Safavid period, aiming to answer this question: Why was Shushtar under the spotlight by the Safavid rulers and inhabited by most governmental rulers and authorities? It is hypothesized in this study that due to the geographical and military situation, Shushtar have always been considered as a defensive barrier by the Safavids against Mushashaiyah central bases in the South of Khuzestan, and Ranshis bases in the North of Khuzestan and also against Bakhtiyari Khans. Unquestionably, taking into consideration the topics such as ethnic origin, tribal interests, occupation state, religious and social values, and changing or modification of each case can give provide us with some useful information about the social and political life of Shushtar in the Safavid period.

:The recycle of plutonium from refractory residues is a necessary activity for the nuclear weapon production complex. Traditionally, high-lired plutonium oxide (PuO2) was leached from the residue matrix using a nitric acid/fluoride dissolving flow sheet. The recovery operations were time consuming and often required multiple contacts with fresh dissolving solution to reduce the plutonium concentration to levels where residual solids could be discarded. Due to these drawbacks, the development of an efficient process for the recovery of plutonium from refractory materials is desirable. To address this need, a pretreatment process was developed, which utilizes a sodium peroxide (Na2O2) fusion to oxidize plutonium from the 4+ to the 6+ valence forming an acid-soluble ternary oxide. The development program utilized a series of small-scale experiments to optimize processing conditions for the fusion process and demonstrate the plutonium recovery efficiency using ceramic materials developed as potential long-term storage forms for PuO2 and an incinerator ash from the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (Rocky Flats) as test materials.Process optimization studies using high-fired PuO2 demonstrated that the efficiency of plutonium recovery increased with the Na2O2 fusion temperature (up to 700°C), increasing Na2O2 to PuO2 ratio and a decrease in the Na2O2 particle size. Complete recovery of high-fired PuO2 was obtained by dissolving the fused product in 8 M nitric acid following fusion at 700°C for 2h with 100% excess in the amount of Na2O2 required for complete conversion to the ternary oxide.In the initial demonstration of the process, the plutonium-containing ceramics were fused with Na2O2 and dissolved in 8 M nitric acid. Plutonium recovery efficiencies ranged from approximately 95% to essentially complete recovery. The second demonstration of the fusion process was performed using incinerator ash from Rocky Flats.In experiments with ash containing 17-18wt% plutonium, 90-95% recovery was obtained following dissolution of the fused product in 8 M nitric acid. In subsequent experiments with ash containing only 8-9 wt% plutonium, the recovery efficiencies were significantly less, ranging from 60-90% for experiments performed using similar conditions. The general reduction in the recovery efficiency was attributed to at least a two- to three-fold increase in the silicon dioxide (SiO2) concentration. Because the ash was predominately SiO2, a material which reacts with Na2O2, it is doubtful that sufficient Na2O2 was added to completely oxidize the plutonium.