Information technologies and the sharing of disaster knowledge: the critical role of professional culture

A comparative survey of a diverse sample of 96 US and Italian emergency management agencies shows that the diffusion of new information technologies (IT) has transformed disaster communications. Although these technologies permit access to and the dissemination of massive amounts of disaster information with unprecedented speed and efficiency, barriers rooted in the various professional cultures still hinder the sharing of disaster knowledge. To be effective the available IT must be attuned to the unique settings and professional cultures of the local emergency management communities. Findings show that available technology, context, professional culture and interaction are key factors that affect the knowledge transfer process. Cultural filters appear to influence emergency managers' perceptions of their own professional roles, their vision of the applicability of technology to social issues, and their perspective on the transferability of disaster knowledge. Four cultural approaches to the application of IT to disaster communications are defined: technocentric; geographic,; anthropocentric; and ecocentric.     

Relation of waste generation and composition to socio-economic factors: a case study

To develop an effective waste management strategy for a given region, it is important to know the amount of waste generated and the composition of the waste stream. Past research has shown that the amount of waste generated is proportional to the population and the average mean living standards or the average income of the people. In addition, other factors may affect the amount and composition of waste. These are climate, living habits, level of education, religious and cultural beliefs, and social and public attitudes. This paper presents the findings of a study carried out in a suburban municipal area in Sri Lanka to determine the solid waste generation rate and waste composition based on field surveys and to determine the related socio-economic factors. A database was developed that included information on the quantity and composition of waste generated in a sample of households in the study area over a time period. The collected data was analysed to relate waste generation and composition data to various socio-economic factors. Over 400 sample households were selected for the study using a stratified random sampling methodology based on municipal wards and property values. A technique that considers both the number of households in a particular income group (property value range) and the standard deviation of property values within a given income group was used to determine the appropriate sample size for each municipal ward. Through category and regression analyses, the quantities of waste and waste composition were related to several socio-economic factors. The paper describes the basis for the sample selection, the methodology adopted for data collection, the socio-economic parameters used for the analysis, and the relationships developed from the analysis.     

城市垃圾处理与管理对策研究

对北京、天津、上海、重庆、广州等１７个城市垃圾的调查,结果表明,近１０年,上述城市垃圾总量的增长城市化关系密切,城市垃圾的组分受经济发展,生活水平、消费行为方式的影响,地域差异显著;城市垃圾处理技术欠完善,管理体制不合理,急需通过市场化动作国吧改善。     

双碱法脱硫技术研究

脱硫过程主要是二氧经硫与氢氧化钠生发化学反应,反应生成物亚硫酸钠溶于水,含亚硫酸钠的脱硫循环水与投加的氢氧化钙反应可生成氢氧化钠和亚硫酸钙。通过沉淀分离可将难溶钙从循环水中清除,氢氧化钠易溶于水可循环使用,脱硫过程中消耗氢氧化钙。达到脱硫效率高,运行费用低的目的。     

从顽拗植物荔枝中提取基因组DNA技术的研究

针对荔枝体内含有大量影响ＤＮＡ提取质量的多酚等次生代谢物质的特点,在常规ＳＤＳ和ＣＴＡＢ提取方法的基础上做了技术改进,即在核裂解之间先破碎细胞,将存在于细胞质中次生物质除去后再裂解细胞核,同时加入活性炭以吸咐杂质反复清洗几次后加入核型解液释放基因组ＤＮＡ,纯化之后经外观和电泳检测,以及Ｄ２６０ｎｍ和Ｄ２８０ｎｍ比值的测定,限制性内切酶反应,ＰＣＲ扩增的结果表明,用改进方法提取的ＤＮＡ无论在纯度上还     

环境管理、规划管理与项目管理

文章从深入分析环境管理的内涵出发,进而提出树立项目管理意识,强化项目管理的概念,说明项目管理在环境管理中的地位和作用,从这个意义上讨论环境管理与项目管理的关系,简述环境保护项目管理的主要环节,达到提高环境管理效能的途径的目的。     

Rehabilitation of metropolitan beaches by local administrations in Catalonia: new trends in sustainable coastal management

The planning and management of coastal sites in Catalonia has been mainly concerned with rendering beaches functional for mass frequentation. This has caused serious problems for the beaches, including the alteration of dune formation processes and the destruction of beach vegetation and habitats. Municipal capacity to plan and manage beaches is theoretically very limited and relegated to the design of plans related to the maintenance of facilities for beach users. Nonetheless, a singular experience, led by a local council in the metropolitan area of Barcelona demonstrates the crucial role that a local administration can play in achieving a balance between habitat preservation and social use based on sustainable coastal management objectives, in spite of a restrictive legislation.     

Uncertainty in integrated coastal zone management

Uncertainty plays a major role in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). A large part of this uncertainty is connected to our lack of knowledge of the integrated functioning of the coastal system and to the increasing need to act in a pro-active way. Increasingly, coastal managers are forced to take decisions based on information which is surrounded by uncertainties. Different types of uncertainty can be identified and the role of uncertainty in decision making, scientific uncertainty and model uncertainty in ICZM is discussed. The issue of spatial variability, which is believed to be extremely important in ICZM and represents a primary source of complexity and uncertainty, is also briefly introduced. Some principles for complex model building are described as an approach to handle, in a balanced way, the available data, information, knowledge and experience. The practical method of sensitivity analysis is then introduced as a method for a posterior evaluation of uncertainty in simulation models. We conclude by emphasising the need for the definition of an analysis plan in order to handle model uncertainty in a balanced way during the decision making process.     

Ecological effects of cultivation on the machair sand dune systems of the Outer Hebrides, Scotland

The machair sand dune systems of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland are a unique habitat, which is rare within both a global and European context. Unusually, the machair habitat also represents an agricultural resource that is very important to the Hebridean people, having been subject to both grazing and cultivation throughout the historical period. Following designation as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) in 1988, the machairs of South Uist have been studied with the aim of understanding the links between agricultural practice and their plant community and ecosystem dynamics. This research focused primarily on the effects of cultivation practices and their role in maintaining plant species richness and community and ecosystem stability. Within two carefully selected areas, the successional plant communities of machair at different stages of recovery following ploughing and cultivation of cereals and potato patches or ‘lazy beds’ were identified at both a macro- and micro-level. Investigations of the vegetation recovery processes on turves taken from newly ploughed land indicated that the initial stages of recolonization are characterized primarily by rapid vegetative reproduction and growth, although re-vegetation by seeds is also an important factor. The implications of these findings for the long-term management of machair plant communities are discussed and in particular the need to maintain old cultivation practices such as shallow ploughing. The need for more detailed research into both seed banks and seed rain and into processes of vegetative reproduction is stressed. Nomenclature: Clapham et al. (1981) and Stace (1991, 1997) for vascular plants; Hubbard (1984) for grasses; Pankhurst & Mullin (1991) for the regional flora; Dobson (1992) for lichens; Watson (1981) for mosses and liverworts.     

美国瑞典日本农药环境管理综述

我国是个农业大国 ,农药的使用量大 ,使用品种多 ,农药对生态环境污染较为严重。长期以来 ,我国的农药环境管理极其薄弱 ,农药环境管理体系不完善。国外一些国家如美国、瑞典、日本等农药管理体制比较健全 ,在农药环境管理方面取得了一些成功经验 ,这对我国建立农药管理体系有很好的借鉴意义。