企业环境信息公开的激励经济学研究

企业环境信息公开的意愿以及真实性成为了环境信息公开工作中面临的一个重要问题。本文从激励经济学的角度出发,分析了企业在环境信息公开过程中面临着的外部性内化、公众的逆向选择以及道德风险等问题,提出了政府主导,企业完善,多元参与的对策建议,以期实现环境保护与经济发展的"双赢"。     

Energy Considerations in Design for Environment: Appropriate Energy Selection and Energy Efficiency

Abstract

The design aspects of energy selection and energy efficiency are described. These topics are key components of Design for Environment, and thus are important considerations in industrial ecology. In the article, background material is presented on energy forms, sources, carriers and conversion technologies. Then, energy use in countries, regions and sectors is discussed, and the impact of energy use on the environment described. Efficiencies and other measures of merit for energy use are presented, and design for energy selection and for energy efficiency are described, highlighting energy-related design factors for pollution prevention. Finally sustainable development and its relation to energy and efficiency are discussed, and a case study is presented.     

Differential parental care behaviors of arboreal and terrestrial microhylid frogs from Papua New Guinea

I studied the ecology of parental care behaviors displayed by two closely related sympatric species of microhylid frogs in Papua New Guinea that occupy different microhabitats. Adult removal experiments on the terrestrial frog Hylophorbus rufescens and the undescribed arboreal frog Oreophryne sp. A demonstrate a significant positive effect of parental attendance on offspring survivorship and differential causes of egg mortality between microhabitats. Desiccation was the primary cause of egg mortality for the arboreal frog, whereas predation was the main source of mortality for the terrestrial frog. These selection pressures (desiccation and predation) are comparable to two of Wilsons prime movers of the evolution of parental care (harsh environment and predation) and may have driven and/or are maintaining the evolution of parental care behaviors in these Papuan microhylid frogs. These results highlight microhabitat-specific selection pressures in the evolution and maintenance of parental care behaviors.Communicated by A. Mathis     

The relationship between recruitment processes, familiarity, trust, perceived risk and safety

Introduction and Method

Participants′ perceptions of the safety-related aspects of their organization′s recruitment processes were examined, as were their perceptions of safety aspects associated with new recruits.

Results

One hundred and fifty-four professional fire fighters indicated the trust they held in the safety-related aspects of their organizations′ selection and pre-start training. Perceived trust in pre-start training was negatively correlated (r = -.24, p < .01) with the risk associated with new recruits, and positively correlated (r = .50, p < .01) with ratings of trust in recruits to immediately work safely. Furthermore, trust in recruits to immediately work safely was negatively correlated (r = -.21, p < .01) with crews′ safety behavior toward recruits.

Conclusions

These results are interpreted as particularly dangerous for workers, as new recruits lack familiarity with aspects of their new workplace that cannot be addressed by either selection or pre-start training, making them a risk.

Impact on Industry

Organizations should actively identify new recruits, and encourage existing team members not to immediately trust new recruits to work safely.     

The selective role of nitrite in the PAO/GAO competition

Proliferation of Glycogen Accumulating Organisms (GAOs) accounts as one of the major bottlenecks in biological phosphorus removal systems. GAO outcompeting polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) results in lower P-removal. Thus, finding optimal conditions that favour PAO in front of GAO is a current focus of research. This work shows how nitrite can provide a novel strategy for PAO enrichment. A propionate-fed GAO-enriched biomass (70% Defluviicoccus I, 18% Defluviicoccus II and 10% PAO) was subjected more than 50 d under anaerobic-anoxic conditions with nitrite as electron acceptor. These operational conditions led to a PAO-enriched sludge (85%) where GAO were washed out of the system (<10%), demonstrating the validity of the new approach for PAO enrichment. In addition, the presented suppression of Defluviicocus GAO with nitrite represents an add-on benefit to the nitrite-based systems since the proliferation of non-desirable GAO can be easily ruled out and added to the other benefits (i.e. lower aeration and COD requirements).     

Colony-level selection effects on individual and colony foraging task performance in honeybees, Apis mellifera L.

In honeybees, as in other highly eusocial species, tasks are performed by individual workers, but selection for worker task phenotypes occurs at the colony level. We investigated the effect of colony-level selection for pollen storage levels on the foraging behavior of individual honeybee foragers to determine (1) the relationship between genotype and phenotypic expression of foraging traits at the individual level and (2) how genetically based variation in worker task phenotype is integrated into colony task organization. We placed workers from lines selected at the colony level for high or low pollen stores together with hybrid workers into a common hive environment with controlled access to resources. Workers from the selected lines showed reciprocal variation in pollen and nectar collection. High-pollen-line foragers collected pollen preferentially, and low- pollen-line workers collected nectar, indicating that the two tasks covary genetically. Hybrid workers were not intermediate in phenotype, but instead showed directional dominance for nectar collection. We monitored the responses of workers from the selected strains to changes in internal (colony) and external (resource) stimulus levels for pollen foraging to measure the interaction between genotypic variation in foraging behavior and stimulus environment. Under low-stimulus conditions, the foraging group was over-represented by high-pollen-line workers. However, the evenness in distribution of the focal genetic groups increased as foraging stimuli increased. These data are consistent with a model where task choice is a consequence of genetically based response thresholds, and where genotypic diversity allows colony flexibility by providing a range of stimulus thresholds. Received: 3 May 1999 / Received in revised form: 22 December 1999 / Accepted: 23 January 2000     

Analysis of competition models in periodic medium

We propose special models (the so-called D-systems) with periodic delta-functions being used as the growth velocities of the populations. This allows to build, in a practically explicit form, corresponding Poincare mapping and to reveal a series of “paradoxical” phenomena and selection criteria in the dynamics of the competitors. For the analysis of non-autonomous models, new general principle of inheritance of a series of local properties by the global Poincare shift mapping is worked up. Specifically, key heritable properties are determined for non-autonomous competition models. The selection criterion for competitive selection, based on the concept of the universal allowance constant, is derived in this work.     

选址敏感类建设项目环境影响评估有关技术问题探讨

以经过城市垃圾场的某高速公路连接线项目及矿山选址与生态环境敏感区的大型水泥建设项目为例,剖析项目在选址方面的法律、法规相容性,这些项目或由于与某些政策不相符;或由于法规、政策、规划颁布的部门不同,会出现不包容现象,而项目选址从其它角度考虑又很难调整。作为评估机构在评估这类项目时,应充分利用信息优势,发挥专家特长,协调几者关系,帮助建设单位调整项目方案,提出环境影响减缓措施,科学公正地给出建设项目的评估意见,帮助审批部门把好关。     

水厂排泥水处理工艺方案的选择

介绍了水厂排泥水的性质、组分、脱水性能、沉降特性以及高分子絮凝剂的选择。给出了符合水厂排泥水处理要求的工艺流程方案。     

重选—磨细—酸浸联合工艺回收PCB中金属的研究

采用重介质分选选择性磨细酸浸联合工艺,利用磁铁矿重介质悬浮液,对粗碎后的PCB进行分选,再利用PCB中不同塑料可磨性的不同,将其进行选择性磨细,使PCB中所含金属成分与其他组分有效分离,采用酸浸工艺将各种金属成分转移到液相中,实现金属成分的高效回收。结果表明,在PCB的粒度小于等于2.5mm时,可使PCB中约55.26%的金属得到富集;86.08%的Au和89.21%的Ag被富集到磨细的粉末中,产品中的各种金属含量分别为:Au0.68kg/t,Ag0.91kg/t,Cu120.8kg/t,Al2.98kg/t,Sn28.02kg/t。当采用350mL浓H2SO4、浸出时间为8h,浸出温度为100℃条件下,对50g分选后的重组分进行酸浸时,可以使Au的回收率达到89.8%,Ag的回收率达到90.2%。与其他传统工艺相比,该工艺具有回收效率高、低污染、低能耗等特点,可以作为PCBs资源化的有效手段。