Evaluation of Phosphorus Flows in the Dianchi Watershed,Southwest of China

Environmental problems are closely related to human societies' processing of materials. Along with a rapid economic growth, lake eutrophication has received broad attention in the last two decades in China. As phosphorus is the dominant nutrient in lake environments, this study attempts to examine how human societies extract, utilize and release phosphorus which subsequently leads to eutrophication. Applying substance flow analysis (SFA) approach for the case of Dianchi Lake in southern China, this study establishes a statistical model by balancing the physical quantities of phosphorus flows in 2000. Resource extraction, phosphate industries, agricultural production, livestock breeding, and human living are given focused attentions in the SFA model. The results showed water environment is largely dependent on the local phosphorus metabolism, and thus, if the related phosphorus flows, particularly referring to recycling and wastes flows, could not be re-organized towards a more ecological direction, Dianchi Lake would be unavoidably and continuously suffering eutrophication. Aiming at ecological restructuring of the phosphorus metabolism with respect to economic efficiency and environmental effectiveness, critical options are discussed and future directions in relation to both societal and policy aspects are presented.     

Insights into Flood Risk Misperceptions of Homeowners in the Dutch River Delta

Flooding is one of the most significant natural disasters worldwide. Nevertheless, voluntary take-up of individual damage reduction measures is low. A potential explanation is that flood risk perceptions of individual homeowners are below objective estimates of flood risk, which may imply that they underestimate the flood risk and the damage that can be avoided by damage reduction measures. The aim of this article is to assess possible flood risk misperceptions of floodplain residents in the Netherlands, and to offer insights into factors that are related with under- or overestimation of perceived flood risk. We analyzed survey data of 1,848 homeowners in the Dutch river delta and examine how perceptions of flood probability and damage relate to objective risk assessments, such as safety standards of dikes, as well as heuristics, including the availability heuristic and the affect heuristic. Results show that many Dutch floodplain inhabitants significantly overestimate the probability, but underestimate the maximum expected water level of a flood. We further observe that many respondents apply the availability heuristic.     

Like a Parent and a Friend,but Not the Father: A Qualitative Study of Stepfathers’ Experiences in the Stepfamily

Research about the experience and position of stepfathers in stepfamilies is scarce. Using data from semi‐structured interviews with eight stepfathers, we aim to explore how stepfathers experience family life and their relationships with their (step)children and extended family members (biological father and grandparents), as well as how they describe their position within the stepfamily. Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed three main themes: most participants saw themselves ‘like a parent and a friend.’ While none of them considered themselves as ‘the father’ – this position being assigned to the biological father – they described acting like a parent or a father figure in their relationships with the children. Secondly, despite some difficulties in the initial stages of formation of their new families, most participants described a positive evolution over time and were satisfied with their current family situation. Thirdly, the stepfather's positioning towards non‐cohabiting family members such as the biological father and grandparents added complexity but was managed well. Research findings are discussed in light of the current family therapy literature on working with stepfamilies.     

Dads care too! Participation in paid employment and experiences of workplace flexibility for Australian fathers caring for children and young adults with disabilities

This study uses Australian survey data to explore whether caring for children and young people with disabilities affects paid employment participation of fathers who identify as the secondary caregiver. More fathers in the study were in full-time employment than those in the general Australian population, but they worked fewer hours, often in jobs they did not enjoy or roles with less responsibility. Over one third of fathers reported that caring had impacted on their job opportunities or career progression, particularly those whose children had more severe disabilities. The financial costs of raising a child with disabilities and their caring obligations informed many of the decisions fathers made in relation to employment. Fixed hours of work, lack of understanding from their employer, an income tied to hours worked and staff resources were cited as reasons why almost half of the fathers felt they were unable to access flexible working conditions to assist with their child’s care. Self-employment was seen by many fathers as desirable, but the perceived increase in flexibility may be accompanied by an increase in work hours. Implications for paternal well-being are discussed, along with the lifelong implications of caring on employment and financial security for families in the Australian context.     

Organic coasts? Regulatory challenges of certifying integrated shrimp–mangrove production systems in Vietnam

The Vietnamese government aims to expand the scale of Naturland certified organic production in integrated shrimp–mangrove farming systems across the coast of Ca Mau province by 2015. In doing so the division between public and private regulation has become blurred. We analyze the government's goal by examining the regulatory challenges of using organic certification as a means of linking farm-level management to the sustainability of coastal (mangrove) landscapes. The results show the importance of farmer perceptions of sustainable farm and landscape management, fair benefit sharing mechanisms in the certified value chain, and legitimate private sector-led auditing. We conclude that in order to overcome conflicts of interest and legitimate representation in organic certification, the social and economic conditions of production require regulatory intervention from provincial and local level government. To achieve benefits beyond the scale of the farm, the role of shrimp producers should be redefined as partners in rather than targets of regulation.     

Parent Perspectives on Intensive Intervention for Child Maltreatment

Multi-level intervention, based on an ecological perspective, has been promoted at the preferred model of providing parenting support to high-risk families. However, parent views regarding such interventions have not been determined. Focus groups consisting of 24 parents who had recently completed an intensive parenting program yielded results supporting multi-level interventions but highlighting processes rather than content within such programs as well as the reciprocal effect of particular level interventions. Processes identified at intervention levels included Affirming Parent Self-Worth, Non-Directive Instruction, Promoting Social Connections, and Empowering Communication. Increased understanding of and attending to processes in intensive intervention with high-risk families is indicated.     

Notes on materiality and sociality

In this paper it is argued that materiality and sociality are produced together. In order to explore the implications of this suggestion, three metaphors are developed through a series of note-like stories. The first is that of semiotics. This suggests that materials are relational effects. The second is that of strategy. Here it is suggested that strategy is recursively and reflexively implicated in the performance of materiality. And the third is that of the patchwork. This is a way of exploring the possibility that though material and social relations might be matters of local performance, they may not ‘add up’ to form an overall pattern or structure.     

Characteristic properties of list proportional representation systems

In this paper, three characterizations are given of a rule that models list systems of proportional representation the plurality ranking rule. It is shown that a social preference rule is the plurality ranking rule if and only if it satisfies three independent conditions: consistency, faithfulness, and first score cancellation. It is also shown that first score cancellation is implied by neutrality, anonymity, and topsonlyness. This means a second characterization is found, containing deeper axioms than the previous one. A third characterization contains the notion of top monotonicity. In order to motivate topsonlyness, we show that a scoring seat allocation rule is proof against party fragmentation if and only if it is topsonly. Various other properties of the plurality ranking rule are related to its characterist properties.