Enforcement styles among environmental protection officials in China

2002-2003 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Interaction of Fanaroff-Riley class II radio jets with a randomly magnetised intra-cluster medium

A combination of three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and synthetic numerical simulations are presented to follow the evolution of a randomly magnetised plasma that models the intra-cluster medium (ICM), under the isolated effects of powerful, light, hypersonic and bipolar Fanaroff-Riley class II (FR II) jets. We prescribe the cluster magnetic field (CMF) as a Gaussian random field with a Kolmogorov-like energy spectrum. Both the power of the jets and the viewing angle that is used for the synthetic Rotation Measure (RM) observations are investigated. We find the model radio sources introduce and amplify fluctuations on the RM statistical properties which we analyse as a function of time as well as the viewing angle. The average RM and the RM standard deviation are increased by the action of the jets. Energetics, RM statistics and magnetic power spectral analysis consistently show that the effects also correlate with the jets' power, and that the lightest, fastest jets produce the strongest changes in their environment. We see jets distort and amplify the CMFs especially near the edges of the lobes and the jets' heads. This process leads to a flattening of the RM structure functions at scales comparable to the source size. The edge features we find are similar to ones observed in Hydra A. The results show that jet-produced RM enhancements are more apparent in quasars than in radio galaxies. Globally, jets tend to enhance the RM standard deviation which may lead to overestimations of the CMFs' strength by about 70%. This study means to serve as a pathfinder for the SKA, EVLA and LOFAR to follow the evolution of cosmic magnetic fields.Comment: Accepted for publication in the MNRAS. 21 pages, 15 figure

Predicting Bison Migration out of Yellowstone National Park Using Bayesian Models

Long distance migrations by ungulate species often surpass the boundaries of preservation areas where conflicts with various publics lead to management actions that can threaten populations. We chose the partially migratory bison (Bison bison) population in Yellowstone National Park as an example of integrating science into management policies to better conserve migratory ungulates. Approximately 60% of these bison have been exposed to bovine brucellosis and thousands of migrants exiting the park boundary have been culled during the past two decades to reduce the risk of disease transmission to cattle. Data were assimilated using models representing competing hypotheses of bison migration during 1990–2009 in a hierarchal Bayesian framework. Migration differed at the scale of herds, but a single unifying logistic model was useful for predicting migrations by both herds. Migration beyond the northern park boundary was affected by herd size, accumulated snow water equivalent, and aboveground dried biomass. Migration beyond the western park boundary was less influenced by these predictors and process model performance suggested an important control on recent migrations was excluded. Simulations of migrations over the next decade suggest that allowing increased numbers of bison beyond park boundaries during severe climate conditions may be the only means of avoiding episodic, large-scale reductions to the Yellowstone bison population in the foreseeable future. This research is an example of how long distance migration dynamics can be incorporated into improved management policies

A Notch updated

Cell–cell signaling mediated by the Notch receptor is iteratively involved in numerous developmental contexts, and its dysregulation has been associated with inherited genetic disorders and cancers. The core components of the signaling pathway have been identified for some time, but the study of the modulation of the pathway in different cellular contexts has revealed many layers of regulation. These include complex sugar modifications in the extracellular domain as well as transit of Notch through defined cellular compartments, including specific endosomes

Corporate reputation past and future: a review and integration of existing literature and a framework for future research

The concept of corporate reputation is steadily growing in interest among management researchers and practitioners. In this article, we trace key milestones in the development of reputation literature over the past six decades to suggest important research gaps as well as to provide contextual background for a subsequent integration of approaches and future outlook. In particular we explore the need for better categorised outcomes; a wider range of causes; and a deeper understanding of contingencies and moderators to advance the field beyond its current state while also taking account of developments in the macro business environment. The article concludes by presenting a novel reputation framework that integrates insights from reputation theory and studies, outlines gaps in knowledge and offers directions for future research

Stakeholder influences on environmental management practices: A study of fleet operations in Hong Kong (SAR), China

Relationships between stakeholder influences and the effectiveness of environmental management practices are examined using a sample of 130 diesel fleet operations within Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (HKSAR) companies. The results indicate that fleet managers in the HKSAR have adopted numerous elements of environmental management systems (e.g., environmental policies, planning methods, and implementation practices), but these have yet to be formally systematized. The influence of stakeholder groups on the adoption of more effective environmental management practices was found to be modest in the sample of fleets and appears to be limited to influences from community and media pressures. Fleet size, however, was shown to significantly moderate these relationships. For larger fleets, competitive and governmental pressures also emerge as significant predictors of environmental management practices

The influence of environmental knowledge and values on managerial behaviours on behalf of the environment: An empirical examination of managers in China

This study explores linkages between what Chinese managers generally know about environmental issues, how strongly they value environmental protection, and different types of behaviours/actions they may take within their organizations on behalf of the environment. From a sample of 305 managers in Guangzhou and Beijing, it was found that both environmental knowledge and values are more predictive of more personal managerial behaviours, such as keeping informed of relevant company issues and working within the system to minimize environmental impacts, than more overt behaviours. Moreover, for these more personal actions, environmental knowledge and values were found to have both main and interactive effects. By comparison, it was found that both environmental values and knowledge had additive effects on managerial tendencies to initiate new programs within their domain of responsibility. Only environmental values was found to have a modest influence environmental advocacy

Enforcement styles, organizational commitment, and enforcement effectiveness: an empirical study of local environmental protection officials in urban China

The authors investigated the relationship between enforcement styles and perceptions of enforcement effectiveness in China by surveying three groups of environmental protection bureau officials from the major cities of Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Dalian. In general, it was found that organizational commitment partially mediates the relationship between the enforcement style of prioritization and perceptions of effectiveness. In this case, mediation and direct effects work together such that prioritization has by far the greatest positive total effect. In contrast, a coercive enforcement style is more completely mediated by organizational commitment, but this relationship is negative (that is, a coercive style appears to reduce organizational commitment, leading to lower perceptions of enforcement effectiveness). Although some differences are noted among the three samples, the overall pattern suggests that other enforcement styles (formalism, education, and external influence) appear to be much less influential in shaping perceptions of enforcement effectiveness