Small towns in the united states: a perspective

Small towns are an important part of the rural settlement fabric in the United States, but there is very little substantive research into their capacity to survive or their intrinsic importance. However, recently there has been increasing interest shown by social scientists in these problems. This paper looks at features of this research from the point of view of the population and economic structure of small towns. It concludes by arguing that the problems of small towns are not indigenous to the towns, and calls for a comprehensive national urban policy.     

Water supply and sanitation services for all: global progress during the 1990s

The Earth may be largely covered with water, but over one billion people are estimated to be without safe drinking water and almost 2.5 billion (40% of the world's population) without adequate sanitation at the outset of the new millennium. The provision of safe water and sanitation for all poses several serious institutional and economic challenges at international, national and local levels. Despite the various political commitments made from the late 1970s onwards, these commitments have remained largely unfulfilled. Even though some efforts to expand coverage have been made over the past two decades, much of those efforts have been undermined by socioeconomic problems and growing population, particularly in the urban areas of developing countries. The water supply and sanitation sector is actually in acute need of new investments for expansion and maintenance of facilities. Nonetheless, some positive trends can be discerned, such as, for example, the increasing recognition of integrated water resources management, environmental sanitation, public-private partnerships and women as a key for improvement and expansion of services.     

Reinventing Environmental Regulation from the Grassroots Up: Explaining and Expanding the Success of the Toxics Release Inventory

/ The success of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) stands in stark contrast to most other environmental regulations in the United States. Between its inception in 1988 and 1995, releases of chemicals listed on the TRI have declined by 45%. We argue the TRI has achieved this regulatory success by creating a mechanism of "populist maxi-min regulation." This style of regulation differs from traditional command-and-control in several ways. First, the majorrole of public agencies is not to set and enforce standards, but to establish an information-rich context for private citizens, interest groups, and firms to solve environmental problems. Second, environmental "standards" are not determined by expert analysis of acceptable risk, but are effectively set at the levels informed citizens will accept. Third, firms adopt pollution prevention and abatement measures in response to a dynamic range of public pressures rather than to formalized agency standards or governmental sanction. Finally, public pressure ruthlessly focuses on the worst polluters-maximum attention to minimum performers-to induce them to adopt more effective environmental practices. TRI has inadvertently set in motion this alternative style of regulation that has, in turn, dramatically reduced toxics emissions in the United States. By properly understanding the mechanisms that drive TRI's accomplishments, more intentional public policy designs can expand the system of populist maxi-min regulation and achieve even more rapid toxics reduction.     

Integrated Resource Management: Moving from Rhetoric to Practice in Australian Agriculture

/ Implementing the concept of sustainability through integrated approaches to natural resource management poses enormous challenges for both the rural communities and government agencies concerned. This paper reviews the underlying rhetoric of sustainable agricultural systems and the integrated resource management paradigm and identifies some of the challenges being experienced in translating this rhetoric into practice. A relatively recently implemented community-based integrated catchment management (ICM) process in a rural community in northeast Australia is examined in terms of some of the lessons learned that may be relevant to other similar integrated resource management (IRM) processes. It reveals a pragmatic, opportunistic, and evolving implementation process based on adaptive learning rather than a more traditional "rational" planning approach. Some essential characteristics of a community-based IRM process are identified, including fostering communication; providing a structure that fosters cooperation and facilities coordination among community, industry, and government agencies; the integration of IRM principles into local government planning schemes; and an emergent strategic approach to IRM program implementation. We conclude by identifying some essential characteristics of an IRM process that can assist a community to adapt to, and manage change for, sustainable resource use.     

Science–policy interface for addressing environmental problems in arid Spain

Science–policy interfaces are avenues for finding solutions for environmental challenges through strengthening collaborations between research disciplines and public administrations. Here we present a methodology for the conduct of science–policy interfaces between scientists and policymakers for addressing day-to-day environmental problems in the southeastern Spanish drylands. A knowledge brokering approach based on six consecutive workshops was used to facilitate mutual understanding and trust between scientists and policymakers. Water policy and biodiversity loss were identified as major environmental concerns in the region, and 12 final environmental problems were agreed as priorities. A graphical tool was used for diagnosing each environmental problem according to the available scientific knowledge, the current regulatory capacity of administrations, and the level of public engagement necessary for addressing the problem. The use of the graphical tool also allowed for (a) the clarification of roles involved in problem solving, and (b) the promotion of a culture of shared responsibility for the implementation of management actions based on collaborative work. We discuss lessons learned and propose recommendations for future experiences.     

青藏高原湖泊细菌种群结构的研究综述

青藏高原东北地区位于我国东部季风区、西北干旱区和青藏高原高寒区的交汇地带，人为影响较少，是研究人为影响与生物种群组成的理想场所。随着分子生物学技术的迅速发展，高原湖泊菌种群结构多样性研究越来越受到人们的重视并取得了重要成果。本文从青藏高原上应用的技术方法、细菌种群结构研究成果以及区域性的重要影响因素3个方面概述了湖泊细菌种群结构多样性研究在青藏高原上取得的进展。简单地讨论了种群多样性和影响因素的关系，对比发现，微生物种群结构的主要限制性因素会随着环境的变化发生改变。同时，微生物种群结构随着环境的变化实际上是其生理结构适应的结果。     

Molecular diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at a large-scale antimony mining area in southern China

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have great potential for assisting heavy metal hyperaccumulators in the remediation of contaminated soils. However, little information is available about the community composition of AMF under natural conditions in soils contaminated by antimony (Sb). The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of AMF molecular diversity, and to explore the effects of Sb content and soil properties on the AMF community structure in an Sb mining area. Four Sb mine spoils and one adjacent reference area were selected from around the Xikuangshan mine in southern China. The association of AMF molecular diversity and community composition with the rhizosphere soils of the dominant plant species was studied by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). Results from all five studied sites showed that the diversity of AMF decreased with increasing Sb concentration. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the AMF community structure was markedly different among these groups. Further redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that Sb contaminationwas the dominating factor influencing the AMF community structure in the Sb mine area. However, the multivariate analysis showed that, apart from the soil Sb content, extractable nitrogen content and organic matter content also attributed to AMF sequence distribution type. Some AMF sequences were only found in the highly contaminated area and these might be ideal candidates for improving phytoremediation efficiency in Sb mining regions. Gene sequencing analysis revealed that most species were affiliated with Glomus, suggesting that Glomus was the dominant AMF genus in the studied Sb mining area.     

Responses of soil ammonia oxidizers to a short-term severe mercury stress

The responses of soil ammonia-oxidizing archaea(AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB) to mercury(Hg) stress were investigated through a short-term incubation experiment.Treated with four different concentrations of Hg(CK,Hg25,Hg50,and Hg100,denoting 0,25,50,and 100 mg Hg/kg dry soil,respectively),samples were harvested after 3,7,and 28 day incubation.Results showed that the soil potential nitrification rate(PNR) was significantly inhibited by Hg stress during the incubation.However,lower abundances of AOA(the highest in CK: 9.20 × 10~7 copies/g dry soil; the lowest in Hg50: 2.68 × 10~7 copies/g dry soil) and AOB(the highest in CK: 2.68 × 10~7 copies/g dry soil; the lowest in Hg50:7.49 × 10~6 copies/g dry soil) were observed only at day 28 of incubation(P 0.05).Moreover,only the community structure of soil AOB obviously shifted under Hg stress as seen through DGGE profiles,which revealed that 2–3 distinct AOB bands emerged in the Hg treatments at day 28.In summary,soil PNR might be a very useful parameter to assess acute Hg stress on soil ecosystems,and the community structure of soil AOB might be a realistic biological indicator for the assessment of heavy metal stress on soil ecosystems in the future.     

市政污水氧化沟处理工艺对人类致病菌群落组成的影响——以南京市某污水处理厂为例

人类致病菌(HPB)在市政污水中广泛存在,对人类健康产生严重威胁.以南京市某污水处理厂为例,采集1年内污水处理厂进水、污泥和生化处理出水样品,利用16S rRNA基因PCR扩增和高通量测序技术解析了 HPB群落组成特征,研究了生化处理过程中水质理化指标与HPB群落组成的相关性.结果表明,进水和生化处理出水中HPB的检出...     

以可持续发展理论指导社会发展综合实验区的实践

社会发展综合实验区中中国可持续发展战略的实验基地，本文对实验区如何按可持续发展原则，结合当地的人口、资源、环境状况，制宁长远的可持续发展的生态规划做了较系统的论述。