When does centrality matter? Scientific productivity and the moderating role of research specialization and cross‐community ties

The present study addresses the ongoing debate concerning academic scientific productivity. Specifically, given the increasing number of collaborations in academia and the crucial role networks play in knowledge creation, we investigate the extent to which building social capital within the academic community represents a valuable resource for a scientist's knowledge‐creation process. We measure the social capital in terms of structural position within the academic collaborative network. Furthermore, we analyse the extent to which an academic scientist's research specialization and ties that cross‐community boundaries act as moderators of the aforementioned relationship. Empirical results derived from an analysis of an Italian academic community from 2001 to 2008 suggest academic scientists that build social capital by occupying central positions in the community outperform their more isolated colleagues. However, scientific productivity declines beyond a certain threshold value of centrality, hence revealing the existence of an inverted U‐shaped relationship. This relationship is negatively moderated by the extent to which an academic focuses research activities in few scientific knowledge domains, whereas it is positively moderated by the number of cross‐community ties established. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

改性植被混凝土基材力学与植生试验研究

为探明羧甲基纤维素钠(CMC)与麦秸秆纤维对植被混凝土基材力学与植生性能的影响,通过直剪试验、植生试验研究了改性后植被混凝土基材(简称改性基材)的抗剪性能与黑麦草生长性能.结果 表明:①改性基材的剪切强度随CMC掺量的增加呈先增后减的变化趋势,0.5％CMC掺量时基材的剪切强度出现峰值,而随纤维掺量的增加改性基材剪切强...     

HAZOP 分析在酸性水汽提装置上的应用与研究

危险与可操作性分析对于石化装置的工艺安全管理具有重要意义,介绍了HAZOP分析方法在工艺装置上的应用流程,并讨论了HAZOP分析与风险矩阵的结合运用。以克拉玛依石化公司的80吨/小时酸性水汽提装置为例,详细阐述了HAZOP分析的流程及其与半定量分析相结合的方法在实践中的应用,并针对危险源给出了风险削减措施。基于HAZOP分析在实践中的应用情况,总结了一些客观存在的问题,并提出了意见和建议。     

现代分子生物学技术在活性污泥微生物菌群多样性研究中的应用

以活性污泥技术为主体的好氧工艺是污水生物处理技术方面应用较为广泛的方法。随着现代分子生物学技术的不断发展,人们对活性污泥中微生物菌群多样性的认识逐渐深化,大量用传统方法未检测到,但在活性污泥中发挥关键作用的微生物逐渐引起研究学者的重视。现代分子生物学技术以FISH技术、实时荧光定量PCR技术、DGGE／TGGE技术、16SrRNA序列比较、T—RFLP技术、AFLP技术等为代表已成为研究微生物微观形态及种群结构特征的主要手段。文章就这些技术在活性污泥微生物菌群多样性研究中的应用进行了总结,为进一步研究污水处理领域活性污泥的微生物菌群多样性提供了必要的依据。     

Increasing the capacity of community development corporations for brownfield redevelopment: an inside-out approach

While the redevelopment of brownfield sites has been the mainstay of public agencies and private developers, this paper argues that in order to promote just redevelopment that encourages participation and targets weak market sites, a community-based approach to brownfield redevelopment should be encouraged. Furthermore, this paper maintains that community development corporations (CDCs) could be the ideal agents to spur community development and address environmental justice concerns through their increased involvement in brownfield redevelopment projects. In order to promote these positions, we first describe this new approach, which focuses on building the capacity of CDCs to meaningfully participate in brownfield redevelopment. We then offer four proposals designed to increase this capacity. We conclude with a discussion of how community-based brownfield redevelopment connects to larger issues of democratic decision-making, environmental justice, and urban revitalisation.     

Community energy plans in Canadian cities: success and barriers in implementation

Climate change and sustainable development concerns have motivated some municipalities in Canada to develop community energy plans, which focus on energy needs at the local level for the development of efficient, economical and environmental energy systems. Five Canadian cities that were early adopters of community energy planning principles were studied to assess whether implementation has occurred and what barriers have been experienced. The cities achieved success in the implementation of energy management in municipal operations despite barriers in jurisdiction, perception of cost, communication and capacity, but energy management in the community had not been fully implemented and long-term changes were not prevalent. While reductions were made in the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by municipal operations, the community's overall GHG emissions were not significantly reduced. Long-term impacts on a city's function and growth will be key if community energy planning is to significantly impact community-wide GHG emissions and energy use.     

Oiling the gears of public participation: the value of organisations in establishing Trinity of Voice for communities impacted by the oil and gas industry

With energy crises looming, conflicts over resource extraction and production are on the rise. For communities lacking voice to participate in these conflicts, community-based organisations and local non-governmental organisations help to unite, communicate, and negotiate with other stakeholders. In this paper we compare two cases that demonstrate the roles of organisations in providing voice to citizenry impacted by environmental justice issues. We use Senecah's concept of Trinity of Voice for the purposes of evaluation. These cases provide contrasting examples of how local/regional organisations chose to either expand their organisation's mission to intervene or stick to a strict reading of their mission thus excluding involvement. In both examples we found that organisational involvement, or lack thereof, influenced how citizens were involved in decision-making with one case leading to legislation protecting property owners from industrial activities, and the other leading to a lack of effective involvement and negatively impacted citizens.     

A protracted age of oil: pipelines,refineries and quiet conflict

This article examines the relevance of environmental justice (EJ) and climate change debates as points of articulation and mobilisation among community groups responding to a proposed refinery. It then compares media coverage of the refinery project, a bi-national pipeline and other energy and climate-related news events. The analytical frame joins the EJ paradigm with citizen mobilisation on issues of climate change and energy projects that emit greenhouse gases and that discourage development of renewable sources. Data were collected and analysed from websites, public message boards and media documents. Findings indicate that a community-based anti-refinery campaign combined local EJ struggles with climate activism, while challenging fossil fuel dependencies and calling for renewable regional energy. A climate justice community formed – yet their voices were in their blogs and websites, not in local or national media.     

Community epidemiology and environmental health risk from dioxin contamination in Paritutu

This article explores community-awareness perspectives and actions towards dioxin-related health exposure in Paritutu Community, New Plymouth, New Zealand. The actions are analysed through media reports, covering a 10-year period from 1998 to 2008. Since 1964, Paritutu Community residents have expressed concern about increased morbidity associated with dioxin contamination from a nearby agrichemical plant. Upon investigation, official agencies were at first unable to verify a causal link between dioxin and morbidity, precipitating community activism and increasing public pressure on relevant authorities. Residents played a major role in alleviating further damage to their community by analysing and evaluating data and providing information that ultimately resulted in both official recognition of their environmental health risk and preventative strategies to alleviate their morbidity. This article backgrounds the Paritutu Community Epidemiology approach and evaluates stages in how the Paritutu Community overcame indifference and lack of precaution and exerted influence leading to the removal of the source of contamination and positive policy changes in public health including the setting up of ameliorative health services for affected people. The findings of this research support theories of popular, lay, community and worker epidemiology.     

The effects of community-based action for sustainability on participants' lifestyles

There has been increased interest in the role of community-based action in promoting sustainable lifestyles in recent years, but relatively limited evidence on the effects of such activity on participants' behaviours. In this paper, I present an evaluation of the effects of community-based action for sustainability on participants' lifestyles. I draw on extensive qualitative research to assess how much change participants of community sustainability projects report, what kinds of participants these projects attract and how the circumstances of these projects affect the changes that participants make. The main findings are that these initiatives have different effects on different people. Those who are new to sustainability and who are actively involved in cohesive groups, which are specifically targeting their lifestyles, are more likely to report substantial changes. I present a model to explain what change occurs, for which types of participants, in what circumstances as a result of community-based action.