Policy Windows, Policy Change, and Organizational Learning: Watersheds in the Evolution of Watershed Management

Employing in-depth, elite interviews, this empirical research contributes to understanding the dynamics among policy windows, policy change, and organizational learning. First, although much of the research on agenda setting—how issues attract enough attention that action is taken to address them—has been conducted at the national scale, this work explores the subnational, regional scale. With decentralization, regional-scale environmental decision-making has become increasingly important. Second, this research highlights the role of policy windows and instances of related organizational learning identified by natural resources managers. Having practitioners identify focusing events contrasts with the more typical approach of the researcher identifying a particular focusing event or events to investigate. A focusing event is a sudden, exceptional experience that, because of how it leads to harm or exposes the prospect for great devastation, is perceived as the impetus for policy change.     

Reproductive health in Afghanistan: results of a knowledge, attitudes and practices survey among Afghan women in Kabul

A reproductive-health knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) survey was carried out among 468 Afghan women of reproductive age. A convenience sample of women was selected from attendees in the outpatient departments of four health facilities in Kabul. Seventy-nine per cent of respondents had attended at least one antenatal consultation during their last pregnancy. Two-thirds (67 per cent) delivered their first child between 13 and 19 years. The Caesarean-section rate was low (1.6 per cent). Two-thirds (67 per cent) of deliveries occurred in the home. The contraceptive prevalence rate was 23 per cent (16 per cent modern and 7 per cent natural methods). Twenty-four per cent had knowledge of any STIs, although most of these women did not know correctly how to prevent them. Most of the women (93 per cent) needed authorization from their husband or a male relative before seeking professional health-care. In multivariate analysis, women's schooling was significantly associated with antenatal-care attendance (AOR 4.78), institutional delivery (AOR 2.29), skilled attendance at birth (AOR 2.07) and use of family planning (AOR 4.59). Reproductive-health indicators were noted to be poor even among these women living in Kabul, a group often considered to be the most privileged. To meet the reproductive-health needs of Afghan women, the socio-cultural aspects of their situation--especially their decision-making abilities -- will need to be addressed. A long-standing commitment from agencies and donors is required, in which the education of women should be placed as a cornerstone of the reconstruction process of Afghanistan.     

公平的旅游贸易

旅游业关注组织 ( Tourism Concern) 意识到在必然的旅游程序中 , 存在着一连串错误的解释 , 它们都在暗示自己才是旅游开发所产生问题的解决方案 . 就我们所见 , 它们被冠以的名目 有 : “ 责任心之旅 “ 、 “ 绿色之旅 “ 、 “ 亲近贫困之旅 “ 、 “ 民俗特色之旅 “ 、 “ 社区之旅 “ 、 “ 生态之旅 “ 等等 , 不一而足 . 它们把我们的视线从关注真正的需求 , 切换到旅游结构 与发展中基本原则的改变 . 　　……     

旅游部门的太阳能和生态设计

ACCor是欧洲最大的旅行、旅游和团体服务集团.它有150000名员工,分布在140个国家.将近有4000个Accor旅馆(443000个房间)分布在90个国家.……     

Comparisons of elements and inorganic compounds inside and outside of residences

The results of more than 1 yr of air monitoring inside and outside of five homes in each of two communities are presented for SO₂, NO₂, mass respirable particles, SO₄, Al, Br, Cl, Mn, Na, and V. Outdoor measurements across the home site in each city are consistent with proximity to outdoor sources. Looking across indoor residential sites in each city, the home appears to alter outdoor concentrations in several ways. Indoor level of SO₂, SO₄, Mn, and V are lower than those measured outdoors. These constituents are thought generally to result from outdoor sources. The other constituents studied are at times found in excess within homes. In some cases the source or sources of excess concentration of a particular constituent could be identified; often, however, the source of excess indoor concentration could not be identified.     

Acid mine drainage from inactive eastern coal operations

The most widely used technique for abatement of acid drainage from inactive surface mines and refuse disposal areas is revegetation of a soil cover applied to the waste material. Nonetheless, acid production often persists and in some cases, limits establishment of vegetation. This paper reports on several field studies intended to determine the location of pyrite oxidation zones and migration pathways of oxidation products at inactive spoil and refuse sites.Oxygen required for pyrite oxidation is believed to he provided in the gaseous state from the atmosphere. Therefore, the oxygen concentration in unsaturated mine waste should provide an estimate of the weathering tendency in the local environment. We are currently monitoring gas composition in refuse and spoil at six sites. Barren refuse appeared to be oxygenated (>2% 0₂) in a shallow zone extending less than 1 metre below the surface during most of the year. Preliminary data from coal spoil showed that oxygen can be available throughout the unsaturated thickness, even at a revegetated site. Gas composition varied vertically and laterally at a single site and also appeared to show seasonal dependence.Hydrologic factors are also important in acid production and transport. Discharge monitoring alone does not adequately describe the mass transport of acid products through the spoil. For example, at one reclaimed mine the mean sulfate content in six monitoring wells ranged from 24% to 240% of the mean concentration at the discharge point. Sources of recharge and relative flow rates determine the contribution of a particular zone to overall discharge quality.These basic studies of acid production and transport indicate some shortcomings of standard reclamation practices at certain sites. This information will he used to develop alternative abatement technology designed to mitigate acid production at the source.     

Evaluating colloidal phosphorus delivery to surface waters from diffuse agricultural sources

Colloid-facilitated phosphorus (P) delivery from agricultural soils in different hydrological pathways was investigated using a series of laboratory and field experiments. A soil colloidal P test was developed that yields information on the propensity of different soils to release P attached to soil colloids. The relationship between turbidity of soil extracts and total phosphorus (TP) was significant (r2 = 0.996, p < 0.001) across a range of agricultural soils, and a strong positive relationship (r2 = 0.86, p < 0.001) was found between "colloidal P" (H2O-CaCl2 extracts) and turbidity. Linear regression of the proportion of fine clay (<2 microm) for each soil type evaluated against the (H2O-CaCl2) colloidal P fraction gave a weak but positive relationship (r2 = 0.38, p = 0.082). The relative contribution of different particle-size fractions in transporting P in agricultural runoff from grassland soils was evaluated using a randomized plot experiment. A significant difference (p = 0.05) in both TP and reactive phosphorus (RP) in subsurface flow was recorded for different particle-size fractions, with most TP transferred either in association with the 2-microm fraction or with the 0.001-microm or smaller fractions. Total P concentrations in runoff were higher from plots receiving P amendments compared with the zero-P plots; however, these differences were only significant for the >0.45-microm particle-size fractions (p = 0.05), and may be evidence of surface applications of organic and inorganic fertilizers being transferred through the soil either as intact organic colloids or attached to mineral particles. Our results highlight the potential for drainage water to mobilize colloids and associated P during rainfall events.     

Economic valuation of marsh areas for marine production processes

The relationship of natural marsh-estuarine systems to the economic productivity of marine systems is not well understood, at least in any quantitative sense. An approach is developed for relating blue crab economic productivity on Florida's Gulf Coast to marsh availability in the area. Previous efforts have not always applied economic concepts appropriately in attempts at such quantification. The marginal value productivity of marsh is shown to vary with alternative levels of marsh and effort in the fishery. The interaction and subsequent interdependence is shown to be statistically significant. Data availability on marginal response to marsh changes poses a severe obstacle to further progress.     

旅游部门的太阳能和生态设计

ACCor是欧洲最大的旅行、旅游和团体服务集团.它有150000名员工,分布在140个国家.将近有4000个Accor旅馆(443000个房间)分布在90个国家.     

北京市大气PM2.5中矿物成分的污染特征

为了解北京市大气细粒子中矿物成分的浓度水平和污染特征,在清华园和车公庄进行了连续1a的PM_2.5累积周采样和全样品分析.Al、Si、Ca、Mg和Fe等地壳元素的周变化相似,最大周均浓度均出现在春季有强沙尘天气的一周;其季节变化显著,显示季节性的源排放以及气象条件对矿物成分的含量影响显著.土壤尘的季节平均浓度从夏季逐步上升,至次年春季达到最高(21.1 μg·m^-3),表明春季频繁发生的沙尘天气对土壤尘细粒子有重要贡献.大量的建筑活动可能大大增加了北京细粒子中Ca的负荷,应加强其排放控制.