Experimental evidence of a testosterone-induced shift from paternal to mating behaviour in a facultatively polygynous songbird

Previous studies have suggested that testosterone (T) profiles of male birds reflect a trade-off between mate attraction behaviours (requiring high T levels) and parental care activities (requiring low T levels). In this study, we experimentally elevated T levels of monogamous males in the facultatively polygynous European starling (Sturnus vulgaris), and compared mate attraction and paternal behaviour of T-treated males with those of controls (C-males). T-males significantly reduced their participation in incubation and fed nestlings significantly less often than C-males. Females paired to T-treated males did not compensate for their mate’s lower paternal effort. The observed reduction in a male’s investment in incubating the eggs was accompanied by an increased investment in typical female-attracting behaviours: T-males spent a significantly higher proportion of their time singing to attract additional females. They also occupied more additional nestboxes than C-males, although the differences just failed to be significant, and carried significantly more green nesting materials into an additional nestbox (a behaviour previously shown to serve a courtship function). T-males also behaved significantly more aggressively than C-males. During the nestling period, the frequency of mate-attracting behaviours by T-treated and control males no longer differed significantly. Despite the reduced paternal effort by T-males and the lack of compensation behaviour by females, hatching and breeding success did not differ significantly between T- and C-pairs. Received: 7 February 2000 / Revised: 10 August 2000 / Accepted: 3 September 2000     

Maternal investment in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): reproductive costs and consequences of raising sons

Maternal investment in offspring is expected to vary according to offspring sex when the reproductive success of the progeny is a function of differential levels of parental expenditure. We conducted a longitudinal investigation of rhesus macaques to determine whether variation in male progeny production, measured with both DNA fingerprinting and short tandem repeat marker typing, could be traced back to patterns of maternal investment. Males weigh significantly more than females at birth, despite an absence of sex differences in gestation length. Size dimorphism increases during infancy, with maternal rank associated with son’s, but not daughter’s, weight at the end of the period of maternal investment. Son’s, but not daughter’s, weight at 1 year of age is significantly correlated with adult weight, and male, but not female, weight accounts for a portion of the variance in reproductive success. Variance in annual offspring output was three- to fourfold higher in males than in females. We suggest that energetic costs of rearing sons could be buffered by fetal delivery of testosterone to the mother, which is aromatized to estrogen and fosters fat accumulation during gestation. We conclude that maternal investment is only slightly greater in sons than in daughters, with mothers endowing sons with extra resources because son, but not daughter, mass has ramifications for offspring sirehood. However, male reproductive tactics supersede maternal investment patterns as fundamental regulators of male fitness. Received: 23 July 1999 / Received in revised form: 23 February 2000 / Accepted: 13 March 2000     

中小企业的安全投入行为研究

在分析安全事故的"外部性"和"不确定性"特征的基础上,探讨安全事故的特征对企业安全投入行为的影响。我国中小企业安全投入不足的原因甚多:员工生命价值低估导致人员伤亡赔偿偏低、我国劳动力供大于求的现状、中小企业安全投资决策缺乏科学性等。我国劳动力市场供大于求的状况短期内无法改变,只能通过强化政府的激励和监管作用,促进中小企业建立科学的安全投资决策支持系统,以提高中小企业安全投入水平。     

流域水权市场中的节水激励

流域水权制度是否具有内在的节水激励是能否纾缓一个国家或地区水资源危机的关键.水权再分配机制是水权制度的重要组成部分,而水权市场则是水权再分配机制的方式之一.该文通过构建节水投资收益净现值(NPV)模型,分析水权市场对节水激励的作用,讨论各因素对不同层次用水户进行节水投资决策的不同影响,并且应用节水投资收益净现值模型对黄河流域进行了案例分析.分析表明:有效的流域水权市场能够激励用水者进行节水投资,获得水权交易收益,同时缓解水资源供需矛盾,实现流域水资源的优化配置;跨地区跨行业的水权交易由于规模大,需要的投资金额多,交易成本较高,只能由较高级别的水资源管理机构或取水工程完成,但需要采取适当的节水设施管理方式;地区内行业内的水权交易规模小,需要的投资金额少,交易成本低.对于微观用水户具有激励作用,但需要政府提供相应的信贷支持.     

The whole relationship between environmental variables and firm performance: Competitive advantage and firm resources as mediator variables

The examination of the possible direct link between environmental protection and firm performance in the literature has generally produced mixed results. The present paper contributes to the literature by using the resource-based view as a mediating process in this relationship. The study specifically tests whether or not the resource-based view of the firm mediates the positive relationships of proactive environmental management and improved environmental performance with competitive advantage, which also has consequences for financial performance. We also check the possible link between the adoption of a pioneering approach and good environmental management practices. Our findings support that early investment timing and intensity in environmental issues impact on the adoption of a proactive environmental management, which in turn helps to improve environmental performance. The findings also show that a firm's resources and competitive advantage act as mediator variables for a positive relationship between environmental protection and financial performance. This contribution is original because the present paper develops a comprehensive whole picture of this path process, which has previously only been partially discussed in the literature. In addition, this study clarifies a relevant point in the literature, namely that the effect of environmental protection on firm performance is not direct and can vary depending on the sector considered. Whereas competitive advantage in relation to costs influences financial performance in the IPPC law sector, the relevant influence in the hotel sector comes from competitive advantage through differentiation.     

面向可持续发展的国家投资策略

可持续发展战略逼迫投资创新，呼唤着新的国家投资策略。本文分析了可持续发展与投资创新的关系，系统地研究了可持续发展的投资策略，讨论了可持续发展的投资结构问题，有针对性地提出了可持续发展的投资政策建议。     

薄荷新品种在云南的发展前景

本文介绍了云南引种薄荷新品种的情况，分析了国内外薄荷市场的现状和前景，提出了加速云南薄荷新品种的产业化设想。     

重视城市污水集中处理投资,收费与运营市场化

本文深入研究了国外城市污水处理的成功经验。就城市污水处理市场化进程中，建立什么样的投资，收费与运营模式进行了讨论。     

滇池流域水污染防治财政投资政策绩效评估

滇池流域水污染防治巨额的治理投资尚未带来根本性的水质改善,因此,开展滇池流域水污染防治财政投资政策绩效评估研究,对提高投资资金的效益和效率具有重要意义.为此,本文利用数据包络分析(DEA)的方法,应用数据包络C2R模型和BC2模型,对2001—2012年滇池流域水污染防治财政投资政策绩效进行了评估.结果表明,2001—2012年滇池流域水污染防治投资综合效率值均值为0.708,总体效率水平不是很高,且只有2001年、2006年和2010年DEA有效,DEA无效年份中2011年效率值最低为0.441;影响滇池流域水污染防治投资综合效率的主要因素为城镇污水处理率和滇池综合营养状态指数(外海),同时,工程治理投资和面源污染治理投资存在较多冗余.因此,未来滇池治理可适当调整工程治理和面源污染投资金额,进一步提高城市污水的收集和处理率,以减少污水的排放和降低入湖污染负荷.     

基于产业投资视角的乡村旅游发展区域差异与形成机制

乡村旅游发展区域差异是乡村旅游投资空间不均衡的外在表现。新时代乡村振兴背景下乡村旅游投资不断增长,正加速影响乡村旅游发展空间格局与区域差异。在对比认识浙晋乡村旅游发展差异基础上,深入剖析了乡村旅游投资系统作用区域乡村旅游发展差异的深层机理。结果发现：（1）以乡村旅游精品线路为表征的浙晋乡村旅游发展水平和市场成熟度差异显著。（2）在乡村旅游投资“自然—产业—社会”环境中,产业基础环境对区域乡村旅游发展差异贡献最突出,是区域差异形成的核心要素,自然生态环境是基础,社会文化环境则发挥积极促进作用。（3）乡村旅游发展区域差异是不同乡村旅游投资环境引起区域乡村旅游投资收益预期和回报水平与乡村旅游发展路径及模式差异的结果。基于此,提出新时代乡村旅游投资IE-maps模式,以期促进区域乡村旅游协调发展和乡村振兴战略实施。