Exposure to radiation from global system for mobile communications at 1,800 MHz significantly changes gene expression in rat hippocampus and cortex

We have earlier shown that radio frequency electromagnetic fields can cause significant leakage of albumin through the blood–brain barrier of exposed rats as compared to non-exposed rats, and also significant neuronal damage in rat brains several weeks after a 2 h exposure to a mobile phone, at 915 MHz with a global system for mobile communications (GSM) frequency modulation, at whole-body specific absorption rate values (SAR) of 200, 20, 2, and 0.2 mW/kg. We have now studied whether 6 h of exposure to the radiation from a GSM mobile test phone at 1,800 MHz (at a whole-body SAR-value of 13 mW/kg, corresponding to a brain SAR-value of 30 mW/kg) has an effect upon the gene expression pattern in rat brain cortex and hippocampus—areas where we have observed albumin leakage from capillaries into neurons and neuronal damage. Microarray analysis of 31,099 rat genes, including splicing variants, was performed in cortex and hippocampus of 8 Fischer 344 rats, 4 animals exposed to global system for mobile communications electromagnetic fields for 6 h in an anechoic chamber, one rat at a time, and 4 controls kept as long in the same anechoic chamber without exposure, also in this case one rat at a time. Gene ontology analysis (using the gene ontology categories biological processes, molecular functions, and cell components) of the differentially expressed genes of the exposed animals versus the control group revealed the following highly significant altered gene categories in both cortex and hippocampus: extracellular region, signal transducer activity, intrinsic to membrane, and integral to membrane. The fact that most of these categories are connected with membrane functions may have a relation to our earlier observation of albumin transport through brain capillaries.     

Barriers Beyond the Partners: Bureaucratic and Political Constraints to Implementing Joint Forest Management in Tamil Nadu,India

Whereas past research has treated co-management of common pool resources as if villagers and project implementing authorities were the only relevant actors, numerous external factors beyond the control of these two partners create barriers to successful co-management. This paper draws on discussions with Forest Department officials to examine the influence of these forces on the outcomes of Joint Forest Management (JFM) in Tamil Nadu, India. An empirical inquiry into the operational aspects of JFM indicates the important roles of political parties, powerful people, and other state institutions and functionaries as well as the flow of foreign funding. Further, the strong demand by local people for socio-economic development interventions as opposed to improvement of degraded forests belittles the role of the Forest Department relative to other departments. Numerous other conditioning factors and relationships are explored. The authors call for reforms in public governance to allow better participation of all the actors involved for this participatory management approach to succeed and sustain.     

北京核与辐射恐怖事件风险分析

采用风险分类-要素分析-风险排序的思路,对北京市核与辐射恐怖事件风险进行分析。根据国际上1998—2006年该类恐怖事件的实例,从事件所涉及的材料、场所角度将核与辐射恐怖事件分为6大类。结合北京市的实际情况进行涉核恐怖事件的要素分析,将北京市各类场所划分为4类敏感区并与5类涉核恐怖事件结合起来,得到北京市核与辐射恐怖事件风险构成图。通过风险分析,笔者认为北京市发生核与辐射恐怖事件风险最大的场所为核研究机构,最容易发生的核与辐射恐怖事件类型为涉及放射源的恐怖事件,结合分析结果对从阻止、探测、响应3个层次上提出了奥运核安保工作的反核恐工作建议。     

区域水战略方案选优的动态组合评价模型研究

水安全危机是人类进入新世纪以来在生存及发展方面所面临的最严重挑战之一。研究科学合理的水安全战略成为区域可持续发展的重大课题。针对区域水战略问题涉及众多因素且各因素之间动态关联的特点，提出了基于水战略方案优选的兼容度极大化动态组合评价模型（CMM—DCEM），并将其成功地应用于我国广东省北江下游及其三角洲地区水安全战略方案优选评价。评价结果及模型基于不确定性的敏感性分析结果证明：CMM—DCEM实现了主、客观赋权方法以及单一评价模型的融合，使用实码加速遗传算法求解目标函数，克服了传统的组合评价方法计算繁琐的不足，评价过程更加科学合理。     

Perceptions toward stewardship among residents living near U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Facilities

Although stewardship has been widely defined and used in environmental management and planning, there is a dearth of studies that describe how the lay public perceives this concept. A national sample of residents in 14 states who live near DOE nuclear facilities were interviewed to delineate public understanding and awareness of the stewardship program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This study discusses the findings of the survey and discusses how institutional trust influences public participation and resident’s choices of potential stewards. Almost 40% of the respondents could not define stewardship; those who did, believed that ‘responsibility,’ ‘management,’ and ‘accountability’ are key elements of stewardship. In addition, about a third of the respondents identified Federal groups and the DOE as potential stewards. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue     

Utilization and degradation of imazaquin by a naturally occurring isolate of Arthrobacter crystallopoietes

A species of bacteria that is capable of utilizing imazaquin as the sole carbon source was isolated from soil with repeated imazaquin applications, and was identified as Arthrobacter crystallopoietes (designated as strain “WWX-1”). This isolate degrades imazaquin as high as 200 μg ml⁻¹, and the estimated dissipation half-lives increased from 1.51 d for the treatment at 50 μg ml⁻¹ to 4.75 d for 200 μg ml⁻¹. Optimal growth of WWX-1 in mineral salt medium with 50 μg ml⁻¹ imazaquin was obtained at 35 °C and a pH of 5.0. Growth of WWX-1 was also observed in mineral salt medium with the addition of other imidazolinone herbicides such as imazethapyr and imazapyr, but not with different classes of herbicides such as metsulfuron-methyl. Two imazaquin metabolites were detected, and spectral analysis with HPLC–MS, ¹H NMR, and IR revealed one metabolite with a molecular weight (MW) of 199 as quinoline-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride. We propose that A. crystallopoietes (WWX-1) could serve as an efficient biodegradation system for remediation of water and soils that are heavily contaminated with imazaquin or other structurally similar chemicals.     

建筑火灾烟流运动特性网络模型的求解收敛性

分析了运用网络模型模拟建筑火灾烟流的计算过程，通过总结影响网络模型求解精度及收敛性的关键因素，改进了原烟流预测软件对建筑物各开口的净、正、负质量流量的算法。改进后的模型消除了振荡效应，模拟结果曲线平滑稳定，实现了运用网络模型对多室建筑物烟流特性的模拟计算。     

Modelling Tracer Dispersion from Landfills

Several wind tunnel experiments of tracer dispersion from reduced-scale landfill models are presented in this paper. Different experimental set-ups, hot-wire anemometry, particle image velocimetry and tracer concentration measurements were used for the characterisation of flow and dispersion phenomena nearby the models. The main aim of these experiments is to build an extensive experimental data set useful for model validation purposes. To demonstrate the potentiality of the experimental data set, a validation exercise on several mathematical models was performed by means of a statistical technique. The experiments highlighted an increase in pollutant ground level concentrations immediately downwind from the landfill because of induced turbulence and mean flow deflection. This phenomenon turns out to be predominant for the dispersion process. Tests with a different set-up showed an important dependence of the dispersion phenomena from the landfill height and highlighted how complex orographic conditions downwind of the landfill do not affect significantly the dispersion behaviour. Validation exercises were useful for model calibration, improving code reliability, as well as evaluating performances. The Van Ulden model proved to give the most encouraging results.     

优势菌的筛选及其强化活性污泥好氧反硝化的研究

利用含活性污泥提取物的贫培养基筛选SBR系统中的好氧异养优势菌。结合自然温度（15～20℃）、延长培养时间等条件来提高菌群的可培养性。从SBR活性污泥系统中分离出5种细菌。4株去除COD优势菌，1株异养硝化细菌，能在好氧条件下实现对总氮的去除。反应池底采用边缘对称曝气，反应池内细菌在时间顺序和空间位置上循环经历好氧过程及微氧过程。将PVA铝盐法固定的细菌对反应器进行生物强化。结果显示，在好氧工艺的条件下，投加优势菌群后，与未加优势菌群的反应器相比，可以显著改善污泥的沉降性能，COD、NH₃-N和TN降解率显著提高，分别达到98%、97%和90%。生物强化作用明显，反应器内具有良好的好氧反硝化环境。