Understanding the major drivers for implementation of municipal sustainable policies in underground space

Because of the expanding population in our cities with its demands for more diversified services, we cannot afford a piecemeal type of urban underground growth. Utilization of the urban street system for buried utilities has a serious adverse effect on other street functions because of the continuing necessity to perform excavations for the repair of existing lines and the installation of new ones. The excavations not only are a serious cause of traffic delay and congestion but also create noise and aesthetic disturbances, and result in excessive street maintenance requirements and in shortened overall street life. Consider the enhancing effects in quietness on abutting properties and users of the street, and the benefits become very great. Unfortunately, the lack of data and the difficulty in quantifying the intangibles have made it impossible to arrive at a reasonably accurate figure of overall negative impact on the urban environment of street cuts. However, if drivers are sufficiently strong to merit the use of utility tunnels, then sustainable municipal policies improving living quality will be implemented.     

Context matters: Combined influence of participation and intellectual stimulation on the promotion focus–employee creativity relationship

In this paper, we examined the interactive effects of two contexts—participation and intellectual stimulation, and promotion focus on creativity. On the basis of a multi‐organization sample of 213 employees, we tested and found that although promotion focus was positively related to creativity, the relationship between promotion focus and creativity was most positive when both participation and leader intellectual stimulation were high. We discuss the way contexts in combination influence employee creativity for promotion‐oriented individuals, through increasing decision latitude as well as stimulating and promoting creativity. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Environmental policies,competition and innovation in renewable energy

We investigate the effect of environmental policies on innovation under different levels of competition. Using information regarding renewable energy policies, competition and green patents for OECD countries since the late 1970s, we develop a pre-sample mean count-data econometric specification that accounts for the endogeneity of policies. We find that renewable energy policies are more effective in fostering green innovation in countries with liberalized energy markets. We also find that environmental policies are crucial only in the generation of high-quality green patents, whereas competition enhances the generation of low-quality green patents.     

Non-cooperative and cooperative climate policies with anticipated breakthrough technology

Global warming can be curbed by pricing carbon emissions and thus substituting fossil fuel with renewable energy consumption. Breakthrough technologies (e.g., fusion energy) can reduce the cost of such policies. However, the chance of such a technology coming to market depends on investment. We model breakthroughs as an irreversible tipping point in a multi-country world, with different degrees of international cooperation. We show that international spill-over effects of R&D in carbon-free technologies lead to double free-riding, strategic over-pollution and underinvestment in green R&D, thus making climate change mitigation more difficult. We also show how the demand structure determines whether carbon pricing and R&D policies are substitutes or complements.     

壬基酚对中国林蛙精巢中StAR表达的影响

为研究水体壬基酚(Nonylphenol,NP)污染对两栖动物精巢中类固醇生成急性调节蛋白(StAR)的影响,将雄性成体中国林蛙(Rana chensinensis)分别暴露于c(NP)为10-7,10-6和10-5 mol/L的水体中10,20和30 d.取其精巢组织,在成功扩增获得273 bp的StAR cDNA片段后合成探针,用原位杂交方法检测StAR mRNA在精巢的表达,用免疫组织化学方法检测StAR蛋白的表达.结果在对照组和各NP处理组中均检测到StAR mRNA和蛋白的阳性表达,阳性反应主要在精巢的Leydig细胞.StAR表达相对值的检测结果表明,c(NP)为10-5 mol/L 的水体对StAR表达有抑制趋势,c(NP)为10-7和10-6 mol/L 的水体可上调StAR的表达,表明NP对StAR表达由抑制转向诱导的临界浓度在c(NP)为10-6 mol/L与10-5 mol/L 之间.在c(NP)为10-7和10-6 mol/L 处理组,StAR表达值随c(NP)的增高而增加.在c(NP)为10-6 mol/L 处理组,暴露30 d后StAR表达相对值最大,呈现NP对StAR表达具有累积效应.c(NP)为10-7 mol/L对StAR表达不随时间延长显示累积效应.提示一定剂量范围的NP可通过调控StAR的表达干扰动物类固醇激素的合成.      

生物多样性保护规制工具更新——规范层面的分析

生物多样性保护法律的有效执行,应立足于具体规制工具的设计。生物多样性保护立法涉及三个主要法律领域——物种保育法、自然保护地法和生物安全法,从法律规范层面分析,这三个法律领域对规制工具的偏好与选择呈现出"硬者极硬,刑罚优先,软者无力"的整体格局。本文以生物多样性保护原理对现行规制工具进行检验,物种保育法和自然保护地法应以规制领域的去极端化为导向进行规制工具更新,一方面要软化甚至去除极硬规制,与此同时应建立完善行政合同、行政指导、行政奖励等柔性规制工具,赋予其可操作性,使之柔而有力。     

城市控规单元防灾能力评价的有向加权图模型研究

为从城市具体规划建设的视角进行防灾能力评价,找到城市空间与设施的防灾薄弱环节,提升城市的防灾减灾能力,首先,在深入分析城市抗灾-救灾理念的基础上,从抗灾能力和救灾能力2个方面,建立适用于控制性详细规划层面的防灾能力评价指标体系;其次,基于防灾能力评价指标体系构建城市防灾有向加权图模型,通过PageRank算法对用地单元防灾能力值进行排序,实现防灾减灾能力的定量评价;最后,通过某市规划实例检验评价模型,针对控规单元的防灾问题提出规划提升措施。研究结果表明：所构建模型能够实现对各控规单元的防灾能力等级评价,反映城市控规单元防灾能力的分布情况,发现用地单元规划建设中的防灾减灾问题。     

中国辐射环境监测法规标准问题分析

随着辐射环境复杂程度的不断提升,国内外良好实践和先进技术的出现,以及中国持续改善环境质量总目标的确立,中国的辐射环境监测法规标准体系面临新的挑战。通过对中国辐射环境监测法规标准进行梳理和研究,指出现有法规标准中存在的问题,提出解决问题的对策,建议加快制修订《中华人民共和国放射性污染防治法》、《环境监测管理条例》、《环境监测管理办法》以及辐射环境监测工作系列导则和相关行业标准,以保证辐射安全工作规范开展,全方位保证中国辐射环境质量提升。     

论排污许可证制度对点源排放控制政策的整合

中国水污染防治政策很多,包括环境影响评价、"三同时"、排污收费等,但各项政策基本是分散和独立执行的,没有核心和基础的政策,不成体系,缺乏效率。基于排污许可证作为政府的执法文件的角度,论证了将分散的点源排放控制政策围绕排污许可证整合为系统的排放控制政策体系。中国已具备实施排污许可证制度的基础条件,以排污许可证制度为基础的政策整合对现有点源排放控制政策进行了修改、补充和改进,将其整合为一个系统的点源排放控制政策体系,使各级管理部门可以各司其职,协调合作;协调整合不同类型的政策手段,使命令控制、经济激励和劝说鼓励3类手段相互补充,进一步提高政策执行效率,降低政策执行成本,提高排放控制政策效果、效率,降低执法和守法成本。     

A method for supporting the design of efficient heating systems using EU product policy data

The design of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems is still a challenging engineering task which requires experienced and informed decision-making. These systems have a great energy-saving potential at the system level rather than at the level of the individual products of which they are composed. European environmental product policies have been very useful in facilitating a homogeneous rating scheme which can be used to compare the energy performance of different products that provide the same service. This paper proposes a simplified design method which uses the performance of components that are regulated by European product policies to obtain the overall performance of heating systems in residential buildings. It is a flexible method and allows different product configurations to be assessed so as to optimise the system performance during the design phase. The method is tested on a real case study with domestic hot water and space heating systems. The case study shows the potential for improving the heating systems according to the performance levels of its products currently available in the market. Results of the domestic hot water system show that upgrading its storage tank to the maximum energy class (A⁺) could bring the highest energy savings ( 4162 kWh/y).