Public Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Forest Disease Control in the UK

Invasive pests and diseases in trees impose a range of costs on society related to reductions in timber values, impacts on recreational opportunities and effects on forest biodiversity. These costs need to be considered when assessing control options and developing public policy. We investigate the preferences and willingness to pay of the UK general public for a range of forest disease control measures using a choice experiment with a sample of 605 people. Respondents were relatively well informed about general tree disease‐related issues, such as causes and general measures to minimise the risk of disease spread. They were less knowledgeable about specific tree diseases, with Dutch elm disease and chalara ash dieback being the most well known. We find that disease control programmes in publicly‐owned forests and forests owned by charitable trusts are more likely to be supported by the public than equivalent control programmes in privately‐owned and/or commercial forests. The nature of scientific uncertainty about diseases does not affect peoples’ preferences for disease control measures significantly. Higher respondent income, greater ex‐ante knowledge about tree diseases, and more frequent visits to forests are correlated with greater willingness to support publicly‐funded tree disease control programmes in forests. Better knowledge about tree diseases also improves the clarity of respondents’ choices. We find a negative sentiment against some disease control measures, such as clear felling of a forest, and chemical or biocide spraying. We conclude that there is significant public support for part‐financing forest disease control policies in the UK, but that this is conditional on forest ownership and the type of control measures used.     

Incentive Perception in Livestock Disease Control

The economic incentives facing people making decisions about infectious disease control have been given due theoretical consideration in the literature, based on principles of economic rationality. Such deductive models provide important tools for generating hypotheses. However, the application of such models in a predictive capacity has been criticised. Simultaneously, empirical studies aimed at quantitative exploration of farmer behaviour have relied heavily on social cognitive models, such as the theory of planned behaviour, without exploration of the epidemiological consequences of variability in behaviour within populations. Advances in other social sciences have revealed systematic biases in human reasoning which cast doubt on the validity of the rational economic model as a generalisation of human decision making. We review the characteristics of infectious disease and disease‐control interventions and the potential for bias in implementation decision making at primary producer level. Specific focus is given to the generation of externalities, both positive and negative; the perception of risk, relating to disease incidence, technology adoption and time preference; and finally uncertainty, and its potential to be moderated by trust in information sources. This information is then used to summarise supplemental psychological constructs which taken holistically may strengthen our ability to quantitatively explore human behaviour in this complex decision‐making environment.     

高速公路桥梁常见病害及维修养护对策

高速公路建设企业需要深入分析常见病害,实行科学、合理的维修养护对策进行优化,及时地消除公路建设中的安全隐患,实现交通建设行业的持续、稳定发展。论文主要对高速公路桥梁常见病害及维修养护对策进行了分析。     

Spatial dynamics of major infectious diseases outbreaks: A global empirical assessment

We explore the space–time and mortality dynamics of recent infectious diseases outbreaks which have occurred in a large number of developed and developing countries. We fully acknowledge the heterogeneity of infectious diseases. We find that many outbreaks exhibit spatial dependence, due to the international movement of people and goods. All countries are exposed to these negative cross-border health externalities, which can be triggered by climate shocks. The mortality consequences are much more severe in developing countries. Paying attention to spatial dependence has important implications for economic research and international policymaking.     

计算机蠕虫病毒动力学分析及其传播途径研究

蠕虫也是一种病毒,随着计算机网络的应用和普及,蠕虫对网络系统安全构成了很大的威胁,其破坏能力和传染性不容忽视。本文从传染病动力学入手,介绍了传染病动力学模型的基本形式和蠕虫病毒的危害及传播特性,最后列举了网络蠕虫病毒的几种传播模型并对如何防范蠕虫病毒提出了一些看法。     

印度甘蔗主要病虫草害的防治技术研究

介绍了印度甘蔗主要病虫草害的发生和为害情况以及防治的具体措施,分析总结了印度甘蔗病虫草害的综合防控技术,如重视选育并推广甘蔗良种和高抗病虫品种,实行严格的种苗检疫制度和多样的种苗处理方法等措施.通过比对我国甘蔗病虫草害的防治现状,阐述了印度甘蔗防治技术的研究与应用对我国甘蔗产业的发展具有不可低估的参考和借鉴价值,其成功做法对我国糖业的可持续发展有启示作用.最后,对我国甘蔗产业植保技术的未来发展方向提出了4点建议,具体是:大力培育甘蔗良种和抗病虫品种;加速推广健康脱毒种苗;建立完善的甘蔗有害生物预警监测系统,推广实施生物防治;加大资金投入,加强技术培训.     

脂肪与人体健康关系的的辩证分析

脂肪作为6大营养素之一,在人体中发挥着重要的生理作用,但摄入过多易导致肥胖、心脑血管疾病等健康问题,危害人体健康.因此,正确的脂肪摄入对人体至关重要.本文简要分析了脂肪与人体健康之间的辩证关系,简述脂肪的正确摄取方式,为人们保持健康体质提供简要依据.     

农村宅基地使用权有偿退出的扩散效应研究 ——以浙江省嘉兴市得胜村为例

研究目的:探究农户客观经济因素(自身固有倾向或实际需要)、从众心理(已退出农户数量)以及由于从众心理而可能导致的后悔心理,对农村宅基地使用权有偿退出的影响效应。研究方法:以传染病学理论为基础,构建农村宅基地使用权有偿退出的扩散模型,并利用浙江省嘉兴市得胜村的调查数据进行实证研究。研究结果:(1)农村宅基地使用权有偿退出受到客观经济因素的显著影响,表现为农户自身固有倾向或实际需要是影响农村宅基地使用权有偿退出的重要因素;(2)农村宅基地使用权有偿退出受到从众心理因素的显著影响,表现为已退出农户数量是农户决定是否参加农村宅基地使用权有偿退出政策的参考依据;(3)农村宅基地使用权有偿退出进程中存在后悔心理,但对农村宅基地使用权有偿退出趋势并未产生显著影响。研究结论:农村宅基地使用权有偿退出问题是一个外部客观经济因素驱动及内部成员互相作用的过程。     

通畅工程砼路面出现的病害与施工工艺关系及防治

对通畅工程路面出现的病害与施工工艺的关系,进行分析并提出了相应的防治办法。     

Citizens,consumers and farm animal welfare: A meta-analysis of willingness-to-pay studies

The sustainable intensification of animal production systems is increasing as a consequence of increased demand for foods originating from animals. Production diseases are particularly endemic in intensive production systems, and can negatively impact upon farm animal welfare. There is an increasing need to develop policies regarding animal production diseases, sustainable intensification, and animal welfare which incorporate consumer priorities as well as technical assessments of farm animal welfare. Consumers and/or citizens may have concerns about intensive production systems, and whether animal production disease represent a barrier to consumer acceptance of their increased use. There is a considerable body of research focused on consumer willingness-to-pay (WTP) for improved animal welfare. It is not clear how this relates specifically to a preference for reduced animal production disease incidence in animal production systems. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to establish the publics’ WTP for farm animal welfare, with a focus on production diseases which arise in intensive systems. Systematic review methodology combined with data synthesis was applied to integrate existing knowledge regarding consumer WTP for animal welfare, and reduced incidence of animal production diseases. Multiple databases were searched to identify relevant studies. A screening process, using a set of pre-determined inclusion criteria, identified 54 studies, with the strength of evidence and uncertainty for each study being assessed. A random effects meta-analysis was used to explore heterogeneity in relation to a number of factors, with a cumulative meta-analysis conducted to establish changes in WTP over time. The results indicated a small, positive WTP (0.63 standard deviations) for farm animal welfare varying in relation to a number of factors including animal type and region. Socio-demographic characteristics explained the most variation in the data. An evidence gap was highlighted in relation to reduced WTP for specific production diseases associated with the intensification of production, with only 4 of the 54 studies identified being related to this. A combination of market and government based policy solutions appears to be the best solution for improving farm animal welfare standards in the future, enabling the diverse public preferences to be taken into consideration.