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.     

A Management-Orientated Comparative Analysis of Urban and Rural Anglers Living in a Metropolis (Berlin,Germany)

Increased efforts to analyze the human dimensions of anglers are necessary to improve freshwater fisheries management. This paper is a comparative analysis of urban and rural anglers living in a metropolis, based on n = 1061 anglers responding to a mail survey in the German capital of Berlin. More than two thirds of the anglers (71%) had spent most (>50%) of their effort outside the city borders of Berlin and thus were categorized as rural anglers. Compared to the rural anglers, urban anglers (50% of total effort spent inside the city) were younger and less educated. Urban anglers were more avid and committed, less mobile, and more frequently fished from boats and during weekdays. Rural anglers were more experienced, fished for longer times per trip, fished more often at weekends and on holidays, were more often members of angling clubs, and more frequently caught higher valued fish species. The achievement and fish quantity aspects of the angling experience were more important for urban than for rural anglers. Concerning management options, urban anglers more frequently suggested constraining other stakeholders and reducing regulations, whereas rural anglers more often proposed improving physical access to angling sites. Future urban fishing programs should offer ease of access, connection to public transportation, moderate prices, and diverse piscivorous fish stocks. In contrast to rural fisheries, the provision of high ecological and aesthetical quality of the angling waters can be regarded as of minor importance in urban fisheries. Rural fisheries managers need to consider the needs of stakeholders living in Berlin to minimize impacts on the less degraded rural water bodies and potential user conflicts with resident anglers. Ecosystem-based management approaches should guide rural fisheries policy.     

除尘器三维流场自动检测系统及其应用

介绍了以五孔球形探针为主的除尘器流场自动检测系统的研制过程。同时,应用该系统对两种旋风除尘器进行了测定。测定结果表明,该系统完全满足除尘器三维流场的测定要求。     

Biotechnology is compatible with sustainable agriculture

Biotechnology can provide appropriate new tools for use in solution of specific problems in sustainable agriculture. Its usefulness will depend in large part on the degree to which sustainable agriculturists understand the utility of biotechnology and apply it toward ends they deem important. Biotechnology can give little assistance to sustainable agriculture in the short term. It can be more useful in the medium term, and it could be highly useful in the long term as an integral part of the art and science of plant breeding and other components of sustainable agriculture systems.     

加速度场中六维力传感器研制

针对加速度场中惯性效应对六维力测量的影响,提出一体化平面结构的六维力传感器设计思想,从传感器结构设计、标定方法等方面进行了详细介绍,为解决多维加速度场中六维力的测量问题和综合离心试验所需多维力传感器设计提供理论与方法指导。     

Implications of Functional Capacity Loss and Fatality for Vehicle Safety Prioritization

Objective: We investigate the use of the Functional Capacity Index (FCI) as a tool for establishing vehicle safety priorities by comparing the life year burden of injuries to the burden of fatality in frontal and side automotive crashes. We demonstrate FCI’s utility by investigating in detail the resulting disabling injuries and their life year costs.

Methods: We selected occupants in the 2000–2013 NASS-CDS database involved in frontal and side crashes, merged their injuries with FCI, and then used the merged data to estimate each occupant’s overall functional loss. Lifetime functional loss was assessed by combining this measure of impairment with the occupants’ expected future life spans, estimated from the Social Security Administration’s Actuarial Life Table.

Results: Frontal crashes produce a large number of disabling injuries, particularly to the lower extremities. In our population, these crashes are estimated to account for approximately 400,000 life years lost to disability in comparison with 500,000 life years lost to fatality. Victims of side crashes experienced a higher rate of fatality but a significantly lower rate of disabling injury (0.3 vs. 1.0%), resulting in approximately 370,000 life years lost to fatality versus 50,000 life years lost to disability.

Conclusions: The burden of disabling injuries to car crash survivors should be considered when setting vehicle safety design priorities. In frontal crashes this burden in life years is similar to the burden attributable to fatality.     

Drivers of support for citizen science across state wildlife management agencies in the United States

Citizen science (CS) is gaining recognition as a valuable approach to meet data needs for environmental projects while fostering collaboration between scientists and members of the public. Despite increasing implementation of CS by natural resource entities, organizations’ motivations for engaging in CS remain poorly understood. We examined the utility of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and social exchange theory (SET) in identifying factors influencing support of CS by scientific organizations. To test predictions of the TPB and SET theories, we surveyed (quantitative, web based) state wildlife agency staff in the United States on their perceptions of organizational engagement in CS. We divided questions that measured TPB items into individual and organizational components to address the influence of personal- and organization-level decision-making on staff perceptions and attitudes. We used structural equation modeling to identify key constructs that influence staff support of CS in state wildlife agencies. The survey yielded 627 responses across 44 states. Both TPB and SET constructs accurately predicted staff support of CS; however, measures from SET (e.g., public engagement benefits and costs of CS to scientific credibility) were most influential (i.e., TPB constructs had less impact). Our findings indicate that organizational support for CS is primarily influenced by assessment of trade-offs among perceived costs and benefits. Indicators of support for CS were further elucidated by including measures from the TPB model. Based on our results, we suggest that natural resource entities give careful consideration to CS project design, develop thorough communication and data management plans, and practice iterative evaluation of CS project productivity.     

转型期土地利用总体规划公共治理职能研究

土地利用总体规划具有较强的公共政策属性,在我国社会转型期,将“公共治理”理论引入土地利用总体规划中,对于公平、有效配置和永续利用土地资源具有重要意义.采用文献资料法和定性分析法,阐述“公共治理”理论的内涵,论证土地利用总体规划公共政策属性,探讨“土地利用总体规划公共治理职能”的含义及功效、主要表现和基本特征.概述我国社会转型期第一、二轮土地利用总体规划发展历程,总结取得的成绩,从转型时期的经济体制改革和社会主义市场经济发展角度分析两轮土地利用总体规划公共治理职能定位及实现过程中所存在的不足.论述转型期社会经济发展对土地利用总体规划公共治理职能的内在要求,从市场化经济、政治民主化进程、全球化和加入WTO背景分析转型期实现土地利用总体规划公共治理职能的社会条件.在此基础上,从公共治理目标、编制实施理念、规划内容、公民社会网络治理、市场配置土地资源功能、法律法规以及各类规划协调配合等七方面,提出实现与完善土地利用总体规划公共治理职能的对策建议.     

Promoting Sustainability with Ecological, Economic and Social Dimensions in Developing Countries

Sustainable development is one of the most important ideas, and goals of our time. It is defined as ＂development which meets the needs and aspirations of the current generation and develops safe and sound society for future generation＂. Achieving sustainable development thus involves a vigorous and urgent debate on different dimensions. The different dimensions of sustainability as a framework involve all issues such as science, technology, economic growth and development, health, education, finance investment and trade, politics, natural disasters, population growth and terrorism, etc. No single dimension is responsible to develop sustainable society. This article mainly described the integrated relationship among the three dimensions ofsustainability.     

天然气输送管道泄漏事故危害定量分析

针对某天然气工程中高压输送管道可能发生的天然气泄漏的爆炸危险性进行分析.利用质量流速模型计算出泄漏流量.根据泄漏流量和天然气的燃烧下限浓度,通过高斯扩散模式定量计算在大气为中性,风速为5 m/s,且位于市区的条件下,天然气在大气中的轴向、径向和切向的扩散距离,从而计算该天然气-空气混合云团的体积.对该体积预混云团的爆炸危害进行评估,计算形成蒸气云爆炸的参数,并应用Mat lab软件计算出该管道泄漏引起蒸气云爆炸事故的个人风险曲线,其结果可为新管线的规划、建设及现有管线的调整提供决策依据.