The role of perceived effectiveness of policy measures in predicting recycling behaviour in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a compact and ‘land-hungry’ city where recycling has become an important measure for treating waste and reducing the demand on the limited landfills. The objectives of this paper are to extend the model of recycling attitude and behaviour to explain the relationship between perceived policy effectiveness and recycling behaviour. Previous studies on recycling attitude and behaviour had widely adopted the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and the norm activation model (NAM), and drawn policy implications from them. Nevertheless, little research has been conducted to investigate the role of perceived effectiveness of policy measures in predicting recycling behaviour. To address this, a model that integrates the TPB and NAM was proposed in this study, and a street survey was conducted to investigate the case. The results illustrate that recycling intention is influenced by subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, moral norms, and awareness of consequences, as well as a newly proposed construct, namely perceived policy effectiveness. The study proved self-reported recycling behaviour (direct behaviour) and support for policy measures (indirect behaviour) are influenced by recycling intention. All in all the Government should provide more recycling bins, guidelines on recycling activities, and should accent what it has been doing to facilitate and encourage recycling.     

Autotomy shapes the trade-off between seeking cover and foraging in larval damselflies

Animals commonly choose between microhabitats that differ in foraging return and mortality hazard. I studied the influence of autotomy, the amputation of a body part, on the way larvae of the damselfly Lestes sponsa deal with the trade-off between foraging or seeking cover. Survival of Lestes larvae when confronted with the odonate predator Aeshna cyanea was higher in a complex than in a simple microhabitat, indicating that this more complex microhabitat was safer. Within the simple microhabitat, larvae without lamellae had a higher risk for mortality by predation than larvae with lamellae, showing a long-term cost of autotomy. When varying the foraging value (food present or absent) and predation risk (encaged predator or no predator) in the simple microhabitat, larvae with and without lamellae responded differentially to the imposed trade-off. All larvae spent more time in the simple microhabitat when food was present than when food was absent. Larvae without lamellae, however, only sporadically left the safe microhabitat, irrespective of the presence of the predator. In contrast, larvae with lamellae shifted more frequently towards the risky microhabitat than those without lamellae, and more often in the absence than in the presence of the predator. These decisions affected the foraging rates of the animals. I show for the first time that refuge use is higher after autotomy and that this is associated with the cost of reduced foraging success. The different microhabitat preferences for larvae with and without lamellae are consistent with their different vulnerabilities to predation and demonstrate the importance of intrinsic factors in establishing trade-offs. Received: 4 June 1999 / Received in revised form: 18 August 1999/ Accepted: 18 August 1999     

Making sense of invulnerability at work—a qualitative study of police drivers

This paper reports a qualitative study of 54 police drivers who were interviewed about their views on police driver training, driving strategies and their accident involvement. Study of the transcribed interviews indicated that officers constructed narratives of themselves as being highly aware of hazards presented by other road users and they used a variety of discursive devices to minimise their own culpability and attribute risk elsewhere. Rather than maintaining a straightforward ‘illusion of invulnerability’ they were formulating a ‘topography of risk’ in which they were responding to hazards presented by suspects or other road users. Their meticulously detailed accounts of the circumstances surrounding accidents serve to place them as knowledgeable and impartial participants and create a sense of expertise and authority. Training initiatives could profitably seek to challenge this ‘topography of risk’ and sense of authority so that drivers more fully appreciate the hazard they may present to themselves and the public.     

Holocene fire history from the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, New South Wales, Australia: the climate, humans and fire nexus

This study presents a reconstruction of the fire activity of the last ~14,200 cal. years BP (before AD 1950) from Gooches Crater Right, located on the Newnes Plateau, approximately 150 km to the west of Sydney (~33°27′S, 150°16′E) within the Blue Mountains National Park. Charcoal analysis and palynology were undertaken with the aim of untangling any inter-relationship between climate, humans and fire. A chronology of the site was provided by radiocarbon dating. The dominant control on fire in this environment during the Holocene appears to be climate. Periods of climate change, identified in previous studies, are associated with higher levels of fire activity. Fire was less ubiquitous between ~9,000 and 6,000 years BP, a period normally described as having a higher effective moisture in south-eastern Australia. The mid-Holocene fluctuations in charcoal may reflect anthropogenic fire, climate forcing or alternatively human responses to any climate change. Coeval changes in palaeoclimatic sequences elsewhere and palynology at the site support a climatic explanation or that Aboriginal people used fire within a climatic framework.     

Food-exchange by foragers in the hive – a means of communication among honey bees?

Dancing and trophallactic behaviour of forager honey bees, Apis mellifera ligustica >Spinola, that returned from an automatic feeder with a regulated flow rate of 50% weight-to-weight sucrose solution (range: 0.76–7.65 μl/min) were studied in an observation hive. Behavioural parameters of dancing, such as probability, duration and dance tempo, increased with the nectar flow rate, though with very different response curves among bees. For trophallaxis (i.e. mouth-to-mouth exchange of food), the frequency of giving-contacts and the transfer rate of the nectar increased with the nectar flow rate. After unloading, foragers often approached other nest mates and begged for food before returning to the food source. This behaviour was less frequent at higher nectar flow rates. These results show that the profitability of a food source in terms of nectar flow rate had a quantitative representation in the hive through quantitative changes in trophallactic and dancing behaviour. The role of trophallaxis as a communication channel during recruitment is discussed. Received: 14 January 1995/Accepted after revision: 14 August 1995     

Cracking the code: the genesis, use and future of the Code of Conduct

This paper reflects on the genesis of the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Disaster Relief, on the tenth anniversary of its adoption. The origins, usage and future of the code are examined with respect to three debates, current at the time of its inception, namely: the debate about the core content of humanitarianism; the debate about coherence and the consensual nature of the humanitarian community; and the debate about the need for, and the ability to demonstrate, accountability. The paper concludes that although the Code of Conduct was very much a product of its time, its content remains relevant today. However, its future application hinges on the capacity of those who purport to follow it to realise true accountability, and on proving that the code, written essentially for natural disasters, is relevant to contemporary complex emergencies.     

Suitability of Crangonyx pseudogracilis (Crustacea: Amphipoda) as an Early Warning Indicator in the Multispecies Freshwater Biomonitor (9 pp)

Background Biological monitors are increasingly important in 'Biological Early Warning Systems' (BEWS) for monitoring water quality. This study examines the freshwater amphipod Crangonyx pseudogracilis as a potential new indicator species when used in the Multispecies Freshwater Biomonitor (MFB). The MFB is an online continuous biomonitor which uses impedance conversion to record behavioural responses of vertebrates and invertebrates. Methods Four experiments were undertaken to establish: (1) if the electrical field generated by the MFB affected the organisms' behaviour, (2) if defined behaviours and their response to a gradient of ammonium chloride could be detected by the MFB, (3) if there was variation in the behaviour of C. pseudogracilis over a diel cycle, and (4) if behaviour changed significantly in response to a pulse of ammonium chloride. Results and Discussion Results showed no significant effect of the MFB's current on behaviour of C. pseudogracilis. Four behaviours; swimming, walking, grooming and inactivity, were observed and identified in the MFB. In the MFB, each behaviour changed significantly in response to an increasing gradient of ammonium chloride exposure. The MFB also detected increases in nocturnal activity by C. pseudogracilis. The MFB also detected a significant increase in activity after a pulse of ammonium chloride. Conclusion The range of behaviours exhibited by Crangonyx pseudogracilis, together with its ease of culture, suggest future potential of this species as an indicator species for the Multispecies Freshwater Biomonitor. Recommendations and Perspective . Further testing is required over a range of toxicants and concentration gradients to establish threshold responses and the full compliment of behaviours that could be useful in online biomonitoring.     

磷酸铵盐亚纳米粉体灭火性能实验研究

使用溶剂-非溶剂法制备了粒径达到亚纳米量级（300nm-500mm）的磷酸铵盐灭火剂,建立了1．2m×1．2m×1．2m的小尺度灭火实验平台,开展了灭油池火和木垛火的全淹没灭火实验,对磷酸铵盐亚纳米粉体的灭火性能进行了研究,并与普通磷酸铵盐粉体的灭火性能进行了比较。实验结果显示磷酸铵盐亚纳米粉体的灭火性能要明显高于普通粉体,并且在低压下就可以获得很好的灭火果。工作压力的增加会缩短粉体的灭火时间,但是对于磷酸铵盐亚纳米粉体灭木垛火的情况,由于灭火时间相差示大,反而会导致灭火剂用量增加。     

火灾下匀质防火保护钢构件温度计算(Ⅰ):理论与公式

介绍了火灾下有匀质防火层保护的钢构件温度计算的一维传热模型。给出了求解该模型的相关边界条件和假定,并给出求解该一维传热模型在不同边界条件下的解。通过分析三种典型防火材料保护下、截面系数不同的三种截面的升温,比较了由我国规范CECS200、欧洲规范、欧钢协标准、美国规范及其他学者推荐的方法得到的结果,并对照有限元结果,考察了不同计算方法的有效性。结果表明,CECS200与国外规范给出的结果符合良好且略微偏高。通过计算典型截面在不同耐火极限要求下的最小保护层厚度,比较了各国规范的设计结果。结果显示,由不同规范推荐的公式计算得到的最小保护层厚度相差不大。CECS200计算的最小保护层厚度与国外规范一致,与欧洲规范得到的结果基本相同。研究表明,在标准火灾环境中我国规范给出的方法合理有效且形式简单便于工程运用。     

Numerical simulation of small-scale pool fires of LNG

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been largely indicated as a promising alternative solution for the transportation and storage of natural gas. In the case of accidental release on the ground, a pool fire scenario may occur. Despite the relevance of this accident, due to its likelihood and potential to trigger domino effects, accurate analyses addressing the characterization of pool fires of LNG are still missing.In this work, the fire dynamic simulator (FDS) has been adopted for the evaluation of the effects of the released amount of fuel and its composition (methane, ethane, and propane), on the thermal and chemical properties of small-scale LNG pool fire. More specifically, the heat release rate, the burning rate, the flame height, and thermal radiation, at different initial conditions, have been evaluated for pool having diameter smaller than 10 m. Safety distances have been calculated for all the investigated conditions, as well.Results have also been compared with data and correlations retrieved from the current literature. The equation of Thomas seems to work properly for the definition of the height over diameter ratio of the LNG pool fire for all the mixture and the investigated diameters.The addition of ethane and propane significantly affects the obtained results, especially in terms of radiative thermal radiation peaks, thus indicating the inadequacy of the commonly adopted assumption of pure methane as single, surrogate species for the LNG mixture.