Search

We are witnessing exponential trends in the production and use of plastic. This exponential increase can largely be attributed to the benefits certain kinds of plastic have. However, there are harmful consequences of plastic use and disposal. Recycling plastic is one potential way to mitigate the harmful consequences of plastic disposal, yet people in the United States recycle at a low rate (∼20–30% of recyclable material). One factor likely related to recycling behaviors is objective knowledge of plastic recycling. No instrument exists to measure objective knowledge of plastic recycling. In three studies, (N = 224, 195, and 246) we developed a 13-item objective measure of knowledge of plastic recycling, the Outcomes of Plastic Recycling Knowledge Scale (OKPRS). The 13-item measure predicted attitudes towards recycling, subjective norms, subjective knowledge, and environmental concern. The OKPRS also uniquely predicted positive recycling behaviors in addition to attitudes towards recycling, subjective norms, subjective knowledge, and environmental concern. Having a measure of objective recycling knowledge fills a void in models predicting plastic recycling and may help us estimate if, and to what extent, educational interventions increase desirable recycling behaviors. • What people know about plastic recycling is likely to impact how well they do it. • Objective knowledge may help address the attitude-behavior gap in plastic recycling. • Objective knowledge of plastic recycling uniquely predicts positive recycling behaviors. • Including objective knowledge may provide a more holistic picture in modeling recycling behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of a deep 300 ks Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) observation of the highly variable narrow-line Seyfert Type 1 galaxy NGC 4051. The HETG spectrum reveals 28 significant soft X-ray ionized lines in either emission or absorption; primarily originating from H-like and He-like K-shell transitions of O, Ne, Mg and Si (including higher order lines and strong forbidden emission lines from O and Ne ) plus high-ionization L-shell transitions from Fe to Fe and lower ionization inner-shell lines (e.g. O ). Modelling the data with requires four distinct ionization zones for the gas, all outflowing with velocities 1000 km s. A selection of the strongest emission/absorption lines appear to be resolved with full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 600 km s. We also present the results from a quasi-simultaneous 350 ks Suzaku observation of NGC 4051 where the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) spectrum reveals strong evidence for blueshifted absorption lines at 6.8 and 7.1 keV, consistent with previous findings. Modelling with suggests that this is the signature of a highly ionized, high-velocity outflow (log ; ) which potentially may have a significant effect on the host galaxy environment via feedback. Finally, we also simultaneously model the broad-band 2008 XIS+HXD (Hard X-ray Detector) Suzaku data with archival Suzaku data from 2005 when the source was observed to have entered an extended period of low flux in an attempt to analyse the cause of the long-term spectral variability. We find that we can account for this by allowing for large variations in the normalization of the intrinsic power-law component which may be interpreted as being due to significant changes in the covering fraction of a Compton-thick partial-coverer obscuring the central continuum emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]