Evaluating the role of environmental quality in the sustainable rural economic development of England

The issue of the sustainable development of rural economies in England has recently received considerable attention. This is because many of the poorest areas in the country are rural, often of high environmental quality, but suffering from high unemployment and a lack of services and facilities. The rapid decline in agricultural incomes and in-migration of affluent urban workers since 1990 has exacerbated economic inequality in such areas. A number of factors have the potential to drive rural development and this paper applies, and considers, the feasibility of a method from the USA for combining economic and environmental variables in a regional growth model to examine the hypothesis that environmental quality is an important determinant of sustainable rural development in England. The model output suggests that, although environmental quality does play a role in sustainable rural development in England there are other, more important, factors driving development. These include business and communications infra-structure, the degree and opportunities for commuting and underlying employment prospects. The robustness and limitations of the method for combining economic and environmental variables is discussed in relation to the spatial interrelatedness of Local Authority Districts in England, and conclusions are drawn about areas for refinement and improvement of the method.

产朊假丝酵母处理马铃薯淀粉废水

研究了pH、接种量、无机盐(通过加入磷酸二氢钾进行无机盐补充)及DO等对产朊假丝酵母处理马铃薯淀粉废水的影响.结果表明.在pH为5.0、产朊假丝酵母接种量为10%(体积分数)、磷酸二氢钾(质量分散为0.1%)加入量为0.5 g/L、废水不灭菌的条件下,废水处理效果和产朊假丝酵母生长最佳.且当废水COD为5 074 mg/L时,COD去除率达到74.86%,同时可获得2.23g/L的单细胞蛋白.产朊假丝酵母处理马铃薯淀粉废水的最佳条件的实验研究对实现马铃薯淀粉废水资源化利用提供了理论参考.     

Predicting land cover using GIS, Bayesian and evolutionary algorithm methods

Modelling land cover change from existing land cover maps is a vital requirement for anyone wishing to understand how the landscape may change in the future. In order to test any land cover change model, existing data must be used. However, often it is not known which data should be applied to the problem, or whether relationships exist within and between complex datasets. Here we have developed and tested a model that applied evolutionary processes to Bayesian networks. The model was developed and tested on a dataset containing land cover information and environmental data, in order to show that decisions about which datasets should be used could be made automatically. Bayesian networks are amenable to evolutionary methods as they can be easily described using a binary string to which crossover and mutation operations can be applied. The method, developed to allow comparison with standard Bayesian network development software, was proved capable of carrying out a rapid and effective search of the space of possible networks in order to find an optimal or near-optimal solution for the selection of datasets that have causal links with one another. Comparison of land cover mapping in the North-East of Scotland was made with a commercial Bayesian software package, with the evolutionary method being shown to provide greater flexibility in its ability to adapt to incorporate/utilise available evidence/knowledge and develop effective and accurate network structures, at the cost of requiring additional computer programming skills. The dataset used to develop the models included GIS-based data taken from the Land Cover for Scotland 1988 (LCS88), Land Capability for Forestry (LCF), Land Capability for Agriculture (LCA), the soil map of Scotland and additional climatic variables.     

The Sustainable Development of ICTs in China： An Empirical Study of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

The wide application of new information and communication technologies （ICTs） has been argued to be critical to business success of small and medium-sized enterprises （SMEs）, especially to those in the developing countries. Drawing upon existing literature, this article will examine the determinants of ICTs application in SMEs in China based on data collected from interviews with top managers and/or owners of 70 SMEs. We identify 20 factors affecting ICTs application in SMEs in China and divide them into four broad categories, namely pressures, firm specific factors, technical factors and local milieu. We also pay special attention to the Chinese business environment affecting ICTs application. Our analysis shows that local ICT infrastructure, external pressures from competitors and ICT knowledge of employees are the determinants of Internet application by SMEs, while product characteristics and market target are important factors of e-commerce adoption.     

A Review of Environmental Sociology and the Sociology of Natural Resources： Insights for the Development of Environmental Sociology in China

Environmental sociology and the sociology of natural resources are two key subdisciplines of the sociological study on the interactions between nature and human society. Previous discussion on the relationships of these two fields has largely focused on their distinctions and synthesis in western （particularly American） academia. Environmental sociology emerged as an important sociological subdiscipline in China in the early 1990s and is under vigorous disciplinary construction at present. By contrast, the sociology of natural resources is still a novel term for most Chinese researchers. This article provides a systematic review of recent literature on the relationships between environmental and natural resource sociologies, which should provide important implications for the further development of environmental sociology in China.     

Structural-functional organization of lower vegetation layers in tree communities of the upper timberline ecotone in the Polar Urals

Typologically identical (dwarf birch-herb-dwarf shrub-moss) open and closed larch forests growing on the same altitudinal transect have proved to differ in the structural-functional organization of lower vegetation layers. Coverage, general species composition, and species richness of the herb-dwarf shrub layer are higher in the open forest than in the closed forest. Correlations between individual species of vascular plants weaken upon transition from the open to the closed forest. Conversely, the coverage of the lichen-moss layer increases in the closed forest, which contributes to its role as a factor of selection of vascular plant species against the background of the prevailing influence of the tree layer.     

Ecogenetic features and functions of solods in transural forest-steppes (within Sverdlovsk Oblast)

Specific ecogenetic features of solods in the forest-steppe zone has been studied, and the role of biotic and abiotic factors of soil formation has been estimated. Differentiation of soil horizons with respect to the physical clay fraction accounts for specific features of their moistening, which is reflected in the ratio of strongly and weakly crystallized forms of iron. Periodic changes in redox conditions results in iron segregation, and a high content of fulvic acids accounts for its eluvial migration. These processes are controlled by soil geochemical barriers.     

Reproductive parameters and disturbances of embryonic development in the fieldfare (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Turdus pilaris</Emphasis> L.) in the zone of impact from the nuclear fuel industry

The impact of emissions from the Siberian Chemical Plant (Tomsk oblast) on reproduction and embryonic development of the fieldfare was studied. Bird abundance, clutch size, and egg volume in the impact and background (control) zones were similar, but partial brood mortality in the impact zone proved to be significantly higher, and the frequency of embryonic pathologies (including developmental abnormalities) was also several times higher than in the control.     

微量金属元素及其配合物对厨余垃圾甲烷发酵的影响

生物可利用的微量金属元素不仅能够保证污染物以最大的速率转化,而且还可以使某些特殊的转化得以发生,并提高微生物对有毒污染物质的耐受能力。在研究厨余垃圾总固体浓度(total solid, TS)、接种量和C/N比对厨余垃圾厌氧发酵影响的基础上,重点探讨微量金属元素钴及其配合物丝氨酸对厨余垃圾厌氧发酵甲烷产量及关键酶含量的影响。结果表明,当TS为0.5%、接种污泥量为100 mL/L和C/N比为20∶1时,厨余垃圾厌氧发酵的甲烷产率较高,为367 mL/g COD;添加2 μmol/L的微量金属元素钴-配合物丝氨酸时,甲烷产率则提高到432 mL/g COD,相应地,辅酶M的含量由空白实验的41.21 μmol/g VSS提高到54.64 μmol/g VSS,辅酶F₄₂₀的含量由0.31 μmol/g VSS提高到0.48 μmol/g VSS。     

ABR反应器的两种快速启动方法对比

ABR反应器的启动是ABR反应器能否高效稳定运行的关键,其影响因素很多。为了更好地实现ABR反应器的启动,提出了通过2种不同启动方法的对比,即1^#反应器采用好氧预挂膜的方法,2^#反应器采用低负荷启动法,得出的结论为,好氧预挂膜启动法的启动时间短,COD去除率高,出水pH稳定,颗粒状污泥生长情况较好,是一种可推广的启动方法。