Perceived changes in well-being and happiness with gardening in urban organic allotments in Portugal

Urban allotment gardens (AG) in Portugal have increased in recent years, as in many other European countries and worldwide. The contribution of these gardens to the happiness and well-being of urban populations has been recognized, but evaluations of their benefits are still very scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate this contribution, based on the urban organic AG of the Devesa Park in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal. The sample included 65 gardeners who completed the self-administered questionnaires of Bem-Estar Pessoal (personal well-being scale), Felicidade Subjetiva (subjective happiness scale) and sociodemographic characteristics. Respondents were mainly adults under 65 years, married and academically well qualified and about half of them had a professional activity, with nearly one third being retired. They considered themselves happy with their life (Personal Well-being Index = 74.5%) and revealed an optimistic and positive attitude towards life, regardless of economic or social difficulties. The increased frequency of visits for gardening was positively related to a greater perception of subjective happiness. The gardeners who visited the AG more frequently considered themselves happier from a self-perspective and in comparison with peers. It can be suggested that urban organic AG represent a means for enhancing citizen well-being, contributing positively to their feelings of happiness and life satisfaction, changing behaviours and developing personal capacities. Beyond economic measures, urban AG can be recommended to capture the well-being of societies.     

Validation of the positive health behaviours scale: a nationwide survey of nurses in Poland

Purpose. The aim was to adjust the positive health behaviours scale (PHBS) to make it suitable for use by nurses, and to validate the new version of the tool. Methods. A previously formulated PHBS was modified. The scale comprises 29 statements describing certain positive health behaviours in four subscales: nutrition, physical activity, relaxation and behaviours related to mental health, and preventive behaviours. The scale was enriched with items on avoiding risky behaviours and a question regarding respondents’ own assessment of their care for health. Analyses were conducted of reliability, construct validity, criterion validity and dimensionality of subscales. The questionnaire was completed by 1017 nurses. Results. Cronbach's α reached 0.844 for the entire scale and 0.623–0.761 for specific subscales. Empirical data did not confirm theoretical assumptions regarding the existence of a four-element structure of the PHBS. The scale's diagnostic criteria were validated on the basis of positive results of correlation and trend analysis. Only one of the subscales proved homogeneous and could be considered unidimensional. Conclusions. The results confirmed the high internal consistency of the scale and its subscales. The factor structure of the PHBS was equivocal. The PHBS could be used in workplace-based health promotion programmes designed for nurses.     

Rethinking Community-Based Conservation

Abstract:  Community-based conservation (CBC) is based on the idea that if conservation and development could be simultaneously achieved, then the interests of both could be served. It has been controversial because community development objectives are not necessarily consistent with conservation objectives in a given case. I examined CBC from two angles. First, CBC can be seen in the context of paradigm shifts in ecology and applied ecology. I identified three conceptual shifts—toward a systems view, toward the inclusion of humans in the ecosystem, and toward participatory approaches to ecosystem management—that are interrelated and pertain to an understanding of ecosystems as complex adaptive systems in which humans are an integral part. Second, I investigated the feasibility of CBC, as informed by a number of emerging interdisciplinary fields that have been pursuing various aspects of coupled systems of humans and nature. These fields—common property, traditional ecological knowledge, environmental ethics, political ecology, and environmental history—provide insights for CBC. They may contribute to the development of an interdisciplinary conservation science with a more sophisticated understanding of social-ecological interactions. The lessons from these fields include the importance of cross-scale conservation, adaptive comanagement, the question of incentives and multiple stakeholders, the use of traditional ecological knowledge, and development of a cross-cultural conservation ethic.     

历史时期黄河下游河道演变规律与淮河灾害治理

历史时期黄河下游河道演变规律表明,河流从沿程淤积到河口延伸、再到溯源淤积的自适应过程,在1000a、100a、50a、10a等各种时间尺度上均可能发生,这对淮河水系改造的可行性论证、方案设计等有重要指导意义。     

双氧水强化微电解法处理硝基苯废水的试验研究

以某化工厂的硝基苯生产废水为研究对象,在小试确定试验条件的基础上,采用双氧水强化微电解法对废水进行处理,探讨双氧水强化微电解法对废水处理的原理及处理工艺条件.实验结果表明：双氧水强化微电解法处理难降解有机废水,效果好,可以提高废水的生化性,为废水的后续处理提供了有利条件,是难生化有机废水处理的有效方法之一.     

冷却水缓蚀阻垢剂的绿色化研究进展

简要介绍了工业循环冷却水缓蚀阻垢剂的发展概况 ,阐述了低磷聚合物及新型无磷缓蚀阻垢剂的研究现状 ,并指出了今后的发展方向。     

电厂冲灰水回用于冷却循环水系统的试验研究

火电厂冲灰水经絮凝沉降和反渗透处理后用作电厂循环冷却水 ,经多项试验证明 ,此工艺方法技术可行 ,灰水处理回用后不会增加冷却水系统结垢和腐蚀 ,且回用灰水代替部分地下水增加了明显的经济效益。     

城市生活污水处理后回用作热电厂循环冷却水的可行性研究

选用适合热电厂特点的水处理剂,利用静态试验,动态模拟试验手段,对城市生活污水回用于热电厂循环冷却水系统中的复配药剂的阻垢缓蚀性能进行了研究.通过试验表明,污水回用是可行的,为城市生活污水回用于热电厂循环冷却水系统工程提供了可靠的参数.     

城市生活污水处理后回用作热电厂循环冷却水的可行性研究

选用适合热电厂特点的水处理剂，利用静态试验。动态模拟试验手段，对城市生活污水回用于热电厂循环冷却水系统中的复配药剂的阻垢缓蚀性能进行了研究。通过试验表明。污水回用是可行的，为城市生活污水回用于热电厂循环冷却水系统工程提供了可靠的参数。