Open-plan office noise: Cognitive performance and restoration

The aim of the present study was to investigate cognitive, emotional, and physiological effects of two open-plan office noise conditions (high noise: 51 LAeq and low noise: 39 LAeq) during work in a simulated open-plan office, followed by four restoration conditions (river movie with sound, only river sound, silence, and office noise) after the work period. Students (N = 47) went through one practice session and two experimental sessions, one each with the low and high noise conditions. In each experimental session they worked for 2 h with tasks involving basic working memory processes. We also took physiological measures of stress (cortisol and catecholamines) and self-reports of mood and fatigue. Analyses indicate that the participants remembered fewer words, rated themselves as more tired, and were less motivated with work in noise compared to low noise. In the restoration phase the participants who saw a nature movie (including river sounds) rated themselves as having more energy after the restoration period in comparison with both the participants who listened to noise and river sounds. Remaining in office noise during the restoration phase also affected motivation more negatively than listening to river sounds or watching the nature movie. The findings bear on the appropriateness of open-plan office designs and the possibilities for restoration available in office settings.     

Benefits of indoor plants on attention capacity in an office setting

This research studied possible benefits of indoor plants on attention capacity in a controlled laboratory experiment. Participants were 34 students randomly assigned to one of two conditions: an office setting with four indoor plants, both flowering and foliage, or the same setting without plants. Attention capacity was assessed three times, i.e. immediately after entering the laboratory, after performing a demanding cognitive task, and after a five-minute break. Attention capacity was measured using a reading span test, a dual processing task known to tap the central executive function of attention. Participants in the plant condition improved their performance from time one to two, whereas this was not the case in the no-plant condition. Neither group improved performance from time two to three. The results are discussed in the context of Attention Restoration Theory and alternative explanations.     

Evaluating 22 EU member states’ ‘waste culture’ using Hofstede’s and Schwartz’s cultural dimensions

The issue of municipal solid waste (MSW) arisings has received great attention recently since it is not only a by-product of economic activity but also serves as an input to the economy through material or energy recovery. The main focus of this study is cultural formation and especially the current picture of waste culture and public perception across European Union (EU) member states. Thus, this study will first evaluate environmental efficiency with data envelopment analysis (DEA) based on five parameters: waste, gross domestic product (GDP), labour, capital, and population density for 22 EU Member States and for the years 2005, 2010 and 2015 in order to evaluate which Member States are more efficient. Then the efficiency results are contrasted to Hofstede’s and Schwartz’s cultural dimensions on STATA with the use of regression modelling. Results show that for year 2005 no significant relationship is noticed for both cultural models, whereas for years 2010 and 2015 there appears to be a significant connection. The above-mentioned findings can be associated with the financial crisis that has hit Europe after 2008 making people more sceptical, while EU legislations have laid out some important directives in the field of waste management. Finally, along with the factors above, EU has faced severe environmental challenges due to waste arisings, as well as accidents and injuries for people working in this sector, which in turn have widely modified EU’s waste culture as supported by this study’s results.     

除草剂三氟羧草醚经口暴露对小鼠学习记忆能力的影响

目前,有关三氟羧草醚(Acifluorfen,AF)的神经毒性未见报道且亟待确定.为探讨AF经口暴露对小鼠学习记忆能力的影响及其可能机制,将30只雄性昆明小鼠随机分成生理盐水对照组、0.13、1.3、13和130 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) AF染毒组共5组,灌胃染毒14 d,进行Morris水迷宫实验,观察脑海马病理切片,并检测脑组织中活性氧(ROS)、丙二醛(MDA)、还原型谷胱甘肽(GSH)、磷酸化cAMP反应元件结合蛋白(pCREB)和脑源性神经营养因子(BDNF)含量.结果显示,与对照组相比,AF染毒剂量分别为13和130 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)时,小鼠行为学上学习记忆能力下降;海马细胞排列松散;出现氧化损伤,其中,ROS含量显著升高(p0.05),GSH含量显著减少(p0.05);神经保护能力减弱,其中,pCREB和BDNF水平显著(p0.05)或极显著(p0.01)下降.结果表明,AF能够导致小鼠学习记忆能力下降,氧化应激和CREB-BDNF通路级联下调可能是AF造成神经毒性的机制之一.     

Besides navigation accuracy: Gender differences in strategy selection and level of spatial confidence

A virtual version of the reorientation task was employed to test new behavioral measures of navigation strategies and spatial confidence within a gender-fair assessment approach. The results demonstrated that, from a behavioral point of view, women had lower level of spatial confidence than men regardless of level of accuracy. Moreover, the way men and women selected spatial strategies depended on the arrangement of spatial cues within the environment. In other terms women relied on landmarks under specific conditions compatible with an adaptive combination/associative model of spatial orientation. Finally, the present study emphasized the importance to assess gender differences taking into account specific affective variables and information selection processing, beyond accuracy.     

文化景观遗产的可持续发展浅析——以杭州西湖为例

文化景观是自然、文化和历史的完美结合体,文化景观遗产的设立不但改变了世界遗产对价值的认识,而且拓宽了世界遗产的实践领域。从世界文化景观遗产入手,分析了它的分布现状及其原因;介绍了我国两项文化景观遗产之一的西湖,同时利用SWOT分析法对西湖进行分析,总结西湖的可持续发展趋势。通过综合分析,提出我国文化景观申遗和保护的建议。     

陕西省非物质文化遗产旅游开发与生态环境影响研究

陕西省近几年谋求转型发展,致力于将旅游业转换成为陕西省新兴支柱产业,并使其成为陕西转型升级的突破口,进而打造文化旅游大省.陕西省非物质文化遗产旅游资源丰富,在竞争中独具优势,市场前景广阔.因旅游开发起步晚,关注度低,存在着一定程度的欠缺.文章通过研究陕西省非物质文化遗产旅游资源的空间分布,同时采用网络文本分析法分析游客感知,认为应更多的关注游客认知与反馈,提高游客认同感,从而提出陕西省非物质文化遗产旅游的开发模式.     

以城市经济发展为主导的历史文化遗产保护模式与对策——以四川省三台县为例

历史文化遗产作为城市的重要组成部分,与城市的文化、经济、生活具有高度的关联性,其科学合理的保护利用已成为学术界和政府共同关注的热点问题。从城市产业结构调整、用地性质置换等方面入手,以四川省三台县为例进行了实证研究,试图提出一种以经济发展为引导的历史文化遗产保护模式,使其与城市经济协调、可持续地发展。     

森林生态系统恢复力评价——以江西省莲花县为例

生态系统恢复力是森林资源可持续发展的中心目标之一。在明确生态系统恢复力定义和尺度的基础上,分析了森林生态系统恢复力的影响因素,从生境条件和生态存储两方面遴选出26个指标,建立了森林生态系统恢复力评价指标体系,并以江西省莲花县为案例区,采用组合赋权法确定了指标权重,通过空间叠加计算了莲花县森林生态系统恢复力。结果表明:森林生态系统恢复力主要受内部存储的影响,其权重达到0.554。莲花县森林生态系统恢复力在0.103到0.464之间,平均值为0.268,恢复力达到或超过平均水平的森林面积为37 907 hm²,占森林总面积的49.2%,整体处于较低水平;分级结果表明仅48.16%的森林达到高或较高恢复力水平;在空间分布上,莲花县森林生态系统恢复力为南高北低,南部和中部的森林大多处于高或较高恢复力水平,北部地区大部分森林处于中等、较低或低恢复力水平。此外,恢复力高的森林沿乡镇边界线分布的特点非常明显。该研究结果可为森林资源管理提供重要科学依据。     

关于自然遗产的概念及其几个相关问题的探讨

讨论了自然遗产的概念,通过对自然遗产概念的讨论进一步分析了自然遗产的特征并对自然遗产进行了分类,最后对自然遗产与文化遗产、自然遗产与地质遗迹进行了辨析