Institutional quality,financial development and sustainable economic growth among lower income countries

This article postulates strong endogenous relationships in lower income countries between institutional quality, financial development and sustained economic growth. These associations were investigated using the vector-error correction model (VECM) and Granger causality method for a sample of 79 countries from 2005 to 2022. The findings show that (1) these variables reinforce each other in the short run. (2) In the long run, both institutional quality and financial development can fuel economic growth. (3) The positive effect of institutional quality on economic growth is greater than that of financial development. Policy implications of these findings are that careful attention should be paid to co-development policies to enhance the institutional quality and the financial system in these economies. Policies should also consider economic growth strategies to enable sustainable economic growth rates.     

Environmental pollution,hydropower and nuclear energy generation before and after catastrophe: Bathtub-Weibull curve and MS-VECM methods

In this paper, the life span of hydro and nuclear energy generations and the relationship between hydro and nuclear energy generations, environmental pollution, and economic growth were investigated for Japan covering the period of 1960–2018 by employing the Bathtub-Weibull curve and Markov switching-vector error correcting (MSVEC) method, respectively. According to the Bathtub-Weibull curve analysis, a rising failure rate for nuclear energy was found, indicating that the life of nuclear energy has expired, but a decreasing failure rate for hydroelectric energy has been detected. Then two different MSVEC models were used. The MSVEC method, unlike traditional approaches, determines the relationship between variables under different regimes. The results of MSVEC methods indicate three important points. First, regime-dependent asymmetry and regime changes are crucial for policy recommendations. Second, the shocks to hydropower and nuclear energy generations cause temporary deviations from the long-run growth path in both regimes. Lastly, the increase in hydropower generation leads to a decrease in environmental pollution and an increase in GDP, and an increase in nuclear power generation increases pollution and growth in both regimes.     

Discounting in the presence of scarce ecosystem services

The discount rate for cost-benefit analysis has to take account of future scarcity of ecosystem services in consumption and production. Previous literature focuses on the first aspect and shows the importance of the relative price effect, for given growth rates of consumption and ecosystem services. This paper focuses on intermediate ecosystem services in production and shows that for limited substitutability and a low growth rate of these ecosystem services, the growth rate of consumption, and thus the discount rate, declines towards a low value. Using a Ramsey growth model, the paper distinguishes three cases. If ecosystem services can be easily substituted, the discount rate converges to the usual value in the long term. Secondly, if ecosystem services can be easily substituted in production but not in consumption, the relative price effect is important. Finally, and most interestingly, if ecosystem services cannot be easily substituted in production, the discount rate declines towards a low value and the relative price effect is less important. Another part of the previous literature has shown that a declining discount rate is the result of introducing several forms of uncertainty, but this paper reaches that conclusion from an endogenous effect on the growth rate of the economy.     

Assessing the Effectiveness of Winter Cover Crops for Controlling Agricultural Nutrient Losses

A nutrient loss reduction strategy is necessary to guide the efforts of improving water quality downstream of an agricultural watershed. In this study, the effectiveness of two winter cover crops, namely cereal rye and annual ryegrass, is explored as a loss reduction strategy in a watershed that ultimately drains into a water supply reservoir. Using a coupled optimization-watershed model, optimal placements of the cover crops were identified that would result in the tradeoffs between nitrate-N losses reduction and adoption levels. Analysis of the 10%, 25%, 50%, and 75% adoption levels extracted from the optimal tradeoffs showed that the cover crop placements would provide annual nitrate-N loss reductions of 3.0%–3.7%, 7.8%–8.8%, 15%–17.5%, and 20.9%–24.3%, respectively. In addition, for the same adoption levels (i.e., 10%–75%), sediment (1.8%–17.7%), and total phosphorus losses (0.8%–8.6%) could be achieved. Results also indicate that implementing each cover crop on all croplands of the watershed could cause annual water yield reduction of at least 4.8%, with greater than 28% in the months of October and November. This could potentially be detrimental to the storage volume of the downstream reservoir, especially in drought years, if cover crops are adopted in most of the reservoir's drainage area. Evaluating water yield impacts, particularly in periods of low flows, is thus critical if cover crops are to be considered as best management practices in water supply watersheds.     

考虑儿童运动特性的小学教学楼楼梯间人员疏散研究

为研究小学教学楼楼梯间人员运动行为以及影响人员疏散的因素，开展人员疏散实验并构建疏散模拟场景。基于疏散实验研究不同实验场景的出口流量和人员运动速度，通过疏散仿真模拟，分析不同人员运动速度、人员数量及疏散策略对疏散的影响。结果表明:排队下楼的人员运动速度比紧急疏散人员低22.7%，自由上楼人员运动速度比排队上楼人员高8%；人员总疏散时间随人员运动速度的增加而降低，但总疏散时间随速度增加而降低的幅度变小；加入分层疏散策略会增加人群疏散总时间，但整个疏散过程人员分布均匀，在建筑瓶颈不易产生人员过度拥挤现象，因而在疏散过程中应适当采用分层疏散策略。     

高层公寓式住宅建筑电梯协同楼梯疏散策略研究

为探索高层建筑利用电梯协同楼梯疏散以提高疏散效率的可行性，基于现有的电梯协同楼梯疏散研究成果，运用Pathfinder构建某高层住宅建筑实例模型，研究楼层总数及电梯数量对电梯最佳停靠层的影响，提出2个电梯协同楼梯的疏散策略，并对策略进行优化分析。结果表明:电梯最佳停靠层随楼层总数的增加，呈现“平台阶变”的特征和线性增加的趋势，但随楼层总数的增加，最佳疏散层在“平台阶变”后会更加远离顶层；策略1（顶层优先策略）下因存在最佳分离楼层使得该策略下的总疏散时间最短，策略2（分段顶层优先策略）可有效提高电梯利用率，通过对策略2下的人员使用电梯比例进行控制，可进一步提高疏散效率，该优化策略可将总疏散时间从仅楼梯无电梯疏散的804 s缩短到580 s，使疏散效率提升27.9%。     

Community participation in cultural heritage and environmental policy formulation in Botswana

Cultural heritage does not have direct economic benefits. However, if properly managed it can stimulate social cohesions, improving the environment and have beneficial economic spin offs for the local communities. This paper discusses the role of communities in the formulation of the policies concerning their local environment. It argues that community engagement by policy makers is important in giving legitimacy and ownership of the policies. Furthermore, this paper discusses the potential of cultural heritage in diversifying the economy in Botswana. This paper recommends for the re-assessment of the relationship between the state and local communities which is critical in resuscitating the seemingly ailing community business organizations. In conclusion, it argues for the sustainable management of cultural heritage as a social and economic resource in the next 50 years of Botswana’s independence.     

广东省电子废物回收处理体系建设对策研究

广东省的电子废物产生量大,亟须建立规范的回收处理处置体系,实现资源的有序回收利用,避免电子废物的不当拆解处理造成环境污染。针对广东省电子废物回收处理的现状和存在问题,提出建设规模化的集中处理体系,产业化的回收利用体系和规范化的统一监管体系的相关对策,以促进电子废物的无害化、减量化和资源化处理处置。     

Cd/Sb/Pb复合污染对竺麻生长及吸收富集特征的影响

通过盆栽试验,分析了不同浓度Cd/Sb/Pb复合作用下苎麻的生长响应及重金属吸收、富集和迁移特征变化。结果表明,低浓度Cd/Sb/Pb复合处理对苎麻生长及生物量没有产生明显影响,而高浓度条件下则产生明显抑制效应,株高变矮,茎粗变细及生物量明显减少。苎麻体内Cd、Pb和Sb吸收量与污染土壤具有直接相关性,随复合处理浓度增加明显增大。至最高污染浓度处理时,苎麻体内重金属吸收量以Cd>Sb>Pb,地上部含量分别达335.74 mg/kg、157.55 mg/kg和92.31 mg/kg。复合处理下苎麻地上部对Cd、Sb和Pb的富集系数分别在0.67~0.88、0.13~0.17和0.05~0.06之间,均表现为随复合处理浓度增加而减少变化。苎麻Cd、Sb和Pb的转运系数分别为0.81~0.92、0.38~0.46和0.53~0.73,其中Cd、Sb的转运系数随复合处理浓度增加而增大,Pb则随复合处理浓度增加而减少。苎麻对重金属Cd/Sb/Pb复合污染具有较好吸收累积及转运能力,相比生物量小的植物而言,是目前修复重金属Cd/Sb/Pb复合污染的理想植物。     

Air quality management in China: Issues, challenges, and options

This article analyzed the control progress and current status of air quality,identified the major air pollution issues and challenges in future,proposed the long-term air pollution control targets,and ...