Impacts of Social and Demographic Factors on Residents＇ Subjective Well-being in Rural China

The objective of social development is to construct a harmonious society.In China,the key to a harmonious society is the happiness of more than 900 million farmers living in the rural areas.This study aimed to measure rural residents' subjective well-being(SWB) through the day reconstruction method,as well as to analyze SWB's influencing factors through a variety of statistical methods.The results showed that the average U index was 12.79%,indicating that respondents were unhappy 12.79% of the time.Twenty-seven percent of the population had a U index greater than 0,with the average value being 47%,indicating that these people were unhappy 47% of the time.The study also found that SWB varied according to the characteristics of the respondents.Logistic regression analysis showed that social and demographic factors,including age,education,county,household size,generation number,per capita income,migration status and social networking,which significantly affected rural residents' SWB.The size of the impact varied with the different factors.     

Riding the storm: the response of Plantago lanceolata to simulated tidal flooding

Supra-tidal plant communities fulfil a vital role in coastal protection and conservation but despite an increased likelihood of salt-water inundation from storm surges, we understand remarkably little on how salinity affects habitats like coastal grasslands or their component species. We quantified the survival and growth of a common coastal grassland plant, Plantago lanceolata when exposed to short-duration (1-, 2-, 4-, or 8-h) immersion in sea water. We also calculated root:shoot ratios (R:SR) and specific leaf area (SLA) to examine how salinity stress affects above- and below-ground resource allocation patterns and likely interactions with other trophic levels. Immersion in sea water reduced Plantago survival particularly at longer durations of 4- and 8 h, and for surviving plants, growth was also much reduced. Contrary to studies with crop plants however, we found reduced allocation to root biomass (R:SR) and increased SLA. The fact that Plantago displayed opposite ecophysiological responses to those consistently reported in the literature highlights that the response of coastal grassland plants to storm surge events cannot be assumed from conventional wisdom. In order to better protect and conserve these internationally important ecosystems from the effects of anthropogenically induced sea-level rise, a systematic exploration of the effects of sea water flooding on coastal grasslands is required.     

Exploratory observations on microhabitat selection within the intertidal zone by the Chinese mudskipper fish Periophthalmus cantonensis

The amphibious Chinese mudskipper fish Periophthalmus cantonensis liver in complex, variable, tropical intertidal mangrove forest and mudlfat habitats. Within these macrohabitats, an array of microhabitats are available to this species which spends most of its time out of water. It is subjected to, and tolerates, wide ranges of salinity and temperature. It is primarily diurnally active and uses dark, usually water-filled burrows in the mud as refuges and breeding places. Individuals of P. cantonensis were captured at night from intertidal mudflats of mangrove forests in the northeastern New Territories, Hong Kong in 1971 and 1972. Using choice experiments in the laboratory, we determined behavioural preferences of this fish for five combinations of abiotic environmental variables relevant to its selections of microhabitats. P. cantonensis usually preferred being out of water, resting on damp mud, to being in direct contact with water of any salinity. In salinity-choice experiments it showed no preference for any particular salinity, but avoided exposure to fresh water. Offered choices between various water temperatures it displayed a strong preference for higher temperatures (30° to 35°C), even though these temperatures were close to those known to cause distress or death. In light-dark choice experiments in very shallow water P. cantonensis preferred darkness to light. Experiments combining watertemperature differences with light-dark choices showed that these two factors interact in complex ways. We discuss implications of these results for understanding of behavioural selection of microhabitats by this fish.     

Swine wastewater treatment using attached-growth and suspended-growth two stage sequencing batch reactors with real-time control.

Two two-stage sequencing batch reactors (TSSBR), one attached-growth and one suspended-growth, were operated under three levels of wastewater concentration (approximately 4,000, 2,000 and 500 TOC mg/L), respectively, to compare the pH and ORP (oxidation-reduction potential) patterns and system performance. In both TSSBR systems, the pH and ORP profiles varied with organic loading yet exhibited consistent patterns with distinctive features suitable for real-time control. For all runs at the three levels of influent, both systems achieved similar levels of treatment for BOD5, TOC and TSS of over 97.5, 93.4, and 97.3%, respectively. The attached-growth system out performed the suspended-growth system in achieving the same levels of treatment at much shorter aeration cycle times. The treatment efficiency for NO3(-)-N and PO4(-3) was greatly affected by the carbon content in the wastewater, and the best treatment was achieved during the TOC approximately 4,000 mg/L runs with final effluent at 4.0 and 21.3 mg/L, respectively.     

A biogenic volatile organic compound emission inventory for Hong Kong

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in the atmosphere react to form ozone and secondary organic aerosols, which deteriorate air quality, affect human health, and indirectly influence global climate changes. The present study aims to provide a preliminary assessment of BVOC emissions in Hong Kong (HKSAR). Thriteen local tree species were measured for their isoprene emission potential. Tree distribution was estimated for country park areas based on field survey data. Plant emission data obtained from measurements and the literature, tree distribution estimation data, land use information, and meteorological data were combined to estimate annual BVOC emissions of 8.6×10⁹ g C for Hong Kong. Isoprene, monoterpenes, and other VOCs contributed about 30%, 40%, and 30% of the estimated total annual emissions, respectively. Although hundreds of plant species are found in Hong Kong country parks, the model results indicate that only 10 tree species contribute about 76% of total annual VOC emissions. Prominent seasonal and diurnal variations in emissions were also predicted by the model. The present study lays a solid foundation for future local research, and results can be applied for studying BVOC emissions in nearby southern China and Asian regions that share similar climate and plant distributions.     

Estimating the population size with a behavioral response in capture-recapture experiment

A new estimating procedure is suggested to estimate the population size in a capture-recapture experiment. The capture intensities for first-capture and recapture are allowed to be different and time dependent but they are assumed to be proportional. It is shown that the information on the proportionality constant is crucial to the estimation of the population size. Sensitivity analysis with a misspecification of the proportionality constant is conducted. The method has also been extended to the case with an unknown proportionality. A real example is given.     

Cultural shift towards sustainability in the construction industry of Hong Kong

Sustainable development is forward-looking; it is a continuous mission for future developments of human society. A genuinely sustainable society is one that initiates developments in sustainable ways. The development of a genuinely sustainable society is supported by its citizens who think and act according to a recognized code of conduct - the sustainable culture. Similar to other forms of culture, sustainable culture of a society is not static, but changes over time. The changes found in a sustainable culture are reflections of the status of sustainability in a society and these changes should be measured from time to time. The resulting measurement gives very important information for decision-makers, in the government and in the private sector, to examine the magnitude of changes that have taken place in a given period of time. The results will also enable them to review and adjust policies in order to better accommodate changes according to the trends of society.This paper provides a method – the T-model, to investigate and measure the extent of change of sustainable culture through two extensive surveys among participants of the construction industry of Hong Kong. The change in sustainable culture is reflected by the change in attitude and practice among construction participants, this can be found in their performance in project development, design and construction operations. The data of these changes are collected and converted to numerical scores. The T-model synthesized these scores and revealed the change of sustainable culture within the specific study time frame.     

A fast Bayesian method for updating and forecasting hourly ozone levels

A Bayesian hierarchical space-time model is proposed by combining information from real-time ambient AIRNow air monitoring data, and output from a computer simulation model known as the Community Multi-scale Air Quality (Eta-CMAQ) forecast model. A model validation analysis shows that the model predicted maps are more accurate than the maps based solely on the Eta-CMAQ forecast data for a 2 week test period. These out-of sample spatial predictions and temporal forecasts also outperform those from regression models with independent Gaussian errors. The method is fully Bayesian and is able to instantly update the map for the current hour (upon receiving monitor data for the current hour) and forecast the map for several hours ahead. In particular, the 8 h average map which is the average of the past 4 h, current hour and 3 h ahead is instantly obtained at the current hour. Based on our validation, the exact Bayesian method is preferable to more complex models in a real-time updating and forecasting environment.     

Impact of Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme on work practices at construction sites in Hong Kong

Waste management in the building industry in Hong Kong has become an important environmental issue. Particularly, an increasing amount of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is being disposed at landfill sites. In order to reduce waste generation and encourage reuse and recycling, the Hong Kong Government has implemented the Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme (CWDCS) to levy charges on C&D waste disposal to landfills. In order to provide information on the changes in reducing waste generation practice among construction participants in various work trades, a study was conducted after 3 years of implementation of the CWDCS via a structured questionnaire survey in the building industry in Hong Kong. The study result has revealed changes with work flows of the major trades as well as differentiating the levels of waste reduced. Three building projects in the public and private sectors were selected as case studies to demonstrate the changes in work flows and the reduction of waste achieved. The research findings reveal that a significant reduction of construction waste was achieved at the first 3 years (2006–2008) of CWDCS implementation. However, the reduction cannot be sustained. The major trades have been influenced to a certain extent by the implementation of the CWDCS. Slight improvement in waste management practices was observed, but reduction of construction waste in the wet-finishing and dry-finishing trades has undergone little improvement. Implementation of the CWDCS has not yet motivated subcontractors to change their methods of construction so as to reduce C&D waste.