Integrative research on environmental and landscape change: PhD students' motivations and challenges

The growing demand for integrative (interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary) approaches in the field of environmental and landscape change has increased the number of PhD students working in this area. Yet, the motivations to join integrative projects and the challenges for PhD students have so far not been investigated. The aims of this paper were to identify the understanding of PhD students with regard to integrative research, their motivations to join integrative projects, their expectations in terms of integration and results, and to reveal the challenges they face in integrative projects. We collected data by a questionnaire survey of 104 PhD students attending five PhD Master Classes held from 2003 to 2006. We used manual content analysis to analyse the free-text answers. The results revealed that students lack a differentiated understanding of integrative approaches. The main motivations to join integrative projects were the dissertation subject, the practical relevance of the project, the intellectual stimulation of working with different disciplines, and the belief that integrative research is more innovative. Expectations in terms of integration were high. Core challenges for integration included intellectual and external challenges such as lack of knowledge of other disciplines, knowledge transfer, reaching depth, supervision, lack of exchange with other students and time demands. To improve the situation for PhD students, we suggest improving knowledge on integrative approaches, balancing practical applicability with theoretical advancement, providing formal introductions to other fields of research, and enhancing institutional support for integrative PhD projects.     

关于在环保企业集团成立企业管理机构的思考

文章分析了目前国内大型环保企业集团企业管理中存在的主要问题,提出了在环保企业集团成立企业管理机构对各子公司进行有效控制和管理的必要性和措施。     

Integrating Sustainable Development into Global Institutions： Reforming the United Nations

This article will briefly outline the origins, structure and functions of United Nations Environment Program and the Commission on Sustainable Development in the context of the goals of ecologically sustainable development （ESD）. Economic development, social development and environmental protection form the three interconnected parts of ESD. The achievements of the key UN environmental institutions and programs in opening up the global system to civil society, the private sector and a diversity of actors and interests, promoting the role of poverty alleviation as part of ESD through the Millennium Development Goals, and facilitating important Multilateral Environmental Agreements should be recognized. However, with these notable exceptions, organizations such as United Nations Environment Program and the Commission on Sustainable Development have become weak in scientific and technical leadership, global policy, co-ordination （inside and outside the UN） and has few achievements in the inter- national and national implementation of obligations and standards in Global Environmental Governance - including enforcement, compliance and effectiveness. This article will outline the key reasons for this inadequacy. Attention will also be focused on the way forward through of a new United Nations Environment Organization. This will require a clarification of purpose and function （within the UN system and as part of global governance structures） as well as consideration of whether it depends on system-wide UN reform. It is recommended that medium and long term strategies for reform are necessary.     

Interdemic variation in mixed-species association patterns: common diurnal primates of Kibale National Park, Uganda

We used interdemic variation in the tendency to form mixed-species groups to examine the costs and benefits of association among the primates of Kibale National Park, Uganda. A year-long survey of six sites revealed that the amount of time that the five common diurnal primates [red colobus (Procolobus tephrosceles), black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza), redtail monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius), blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis), and grey-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena)] spent in mixed-species groups varied dramatically among sites. In many cases, the proportion of time that species associated was positively related to their densities. By using detailed behavioral observations of redtail monkeys and red colobus made over 4 years (2660 h) at four sites, we were able to reject the null hypothesis that associations occur by chance for only one of four sites. However, a correlative approach exploring the costs and benefits of association suggests that ecological variables do influence association patterns. We found that redtail monkeys and red colobus overlapped in diet (19.2% of their foraging effort) and traveled further when in mixed-species groups than when alone. Having demonstrated this, we examined the applicability of the ecological constraints model for predicting the proportion of the time spent in mixed-species groups based on food availability. For this analysis we concentrated on red colobus from the site with 35 months of observation and demonstrated that their tendency to be in mixed- species groups was related to food availability. We used two methods to examine if mixed-species associations function to decrease predation risk. First, chimpanzees are known to prey heavily on red colobus, but rarely kill other primates. The time red colobus spent in mixed-species groups was correlated to chimpanzee density, but it was not for the other monkey species, suggesting that mixed-species groups serve to decrease predation risk. Second, when red colobus groups contain more infants and are presumably at the greatest risk of predation, they form mixed-species groups most often. These results demonstrate that the costs and benefits of mixed-species associations vary dramatically over small spatial and temporal scales. If such variation is generally the case, then studies conducted at different locations or different times could easily highlight the importance of difference selective agents in favoring mixed-species associations. Received: 10 February 1999 / Received in revised form: 16 September 1999 / Accepted: 2 October 1999     

Plasticity of social organization in a forest ant species

We manipulated availability of food and nesting sites in one population of the forest ant Myrmica punctiventris. The manipulations produced significant changes in relatedness structure, reproductive allocation, and response to hierarchical selection. Food availability appeared to have a consistently stronger influence on these aspects of social organization than did availability of nesting sites. We interpret our experimental results in light of observed differences between populations, and discuss implications for kin selection dynamics. Received: 30 July 1998 / Accepted after revision: 31 October 1998     

水电站建设工程农民工安全教育培训模式研究

主要介绍当前建筑业农民工的基本状况,大型水电建设工程安全特点以及存在的问题,结合建筑业和水利水电行业农民工安全教育培训的现状,通过对大型水电站伤亡事故原因的统计分析,探讨适合我国大型水电站建设工程的农民工安全培训模式.     

安全生产中介组织建设与发展

社会主义市场经济体制要求政府职能转变成适合市场经济体制要求的功能,随着产权多元化、企业自主经营为基本内容的经济体制改革促使企业和政府所分离出来的大量社会事务,需要大量的专业人力、物力资源,特殊的运行机制去配置,有大量的工作需要有执行特定社会职能的组织去从事;要实现这一领域里活动的有序进行,需要特定的体制和机制去协调。因此,如何根据社会中介组织的特征把握发展方向,如何对社会中介组织功能进行科学定位,本文进行了论述和研究探索。根据社会中介组织功能定位,发挥其在政府和生产经营单位之间的联结纽带和桥梁的作用。通过研究当前安全生产中介发展过程中存在的现实问题和薄弱环节入手,探寻安全中介技术服务工作的切入点以及有利于安全生产的工作方式和手段,积极推进我国安全生产形势的稳步好转。     

我国安全培训机构分布现状分析

为了解现有安全培训机构分布状况,对当前全国3813家机构有关信息进行了统计分析。分析结果表明：安全培训机构建设已经进入了规范提高阶段,当前安全培训机构合理利用了各类资源,但四级安全培训机构定位尚不明确。建议充分发挥四级机构作用,建立安全培训机构地域分布合理的判定标准。     

安全生产培训体系的理论研究

安全生产培训体系是一个复杂的系统工程,包括安全生产培训的影响因素、保障机制、计划分析、培训实施、质量监督与评估五个方面。影响因素有内因和外因之分;保障机制包括法制建设、组织与机构建设、师资与教材建设、信息化建设、档案管理和资金保障;计划分析包含目标和原则、对象和需求、内容和方式方法;培训实施分为教学实践和考试考核;质量监督与评估则涉及质量监督、质量评估和意见反馈。运用教育科学的原理和方法,对安全生产培训体系运行机制进行系统的理论研究,尚不多见。     

医疗安全事故的组织因素研究

基于西安交通大学医学院第一附属医院发生的严重感染事件,简要介绍颇受关注的"组织事故"理论,尝试探索医疗事故的组织因素。做到医院安全行医,不仅要建立完善的医疗管理体系,并把管理制度深刻融入到组织成员的意识、观念中,加强安全医疗意识,还要加强医院感染应急系统及预案,建立可行的医疗风险防范机制及加强对医务工作者的管理;最重要的是在组织运营中不断发现和纠正其中的错误,提高组织的安全管理系统水平,体现安全文化的管理哲学。做到以上几点,才有可能避免医疗事故,让患者安全就医。