Changing Trends in World Metal Demand: The Case of Tin

This paper examines the changing trends in world tin demand for the period 1962–1985. In the early 1970s tin production peaked, and has since declined. The reasons for the decline are examined in terms of changes in product composition of income (i.e. mix of goods and services), changes in material composition of products, decline in gross domestic investment and the rising price of tin.     

The Evolution and Role of Non-OPEC Production in the International Oil Market

In 1982, for the first time since OPEC was founded in 1961, its production was surpassed by the non-OPEC countries in the world excluding the centrally planned economies. In that year, for the world as a whole, OPEC provided 35% of the oil consumed. The decline was brought about by a decrease in consumption and by a marked increase in production from non-OPEC sources. It is expected that non-OPEC producers will have the capacity to meet more than half of the world's oil requirements until the early 1990s, at which time OPEC producers will again assume the role of providing over 50% of the world's oil.     

The European Water Framework Directive: Water Quality Classification and Implications to Engineering Planning

The European Water framework directive (WFD) is probably the most important environmental management directive that has been enacted over the last decade in the European Union. The directive aims at achieving an overall good ecological status in all European water bodies. In this article, we discuss the implementation steps of the WFD and their implications for environmental engineering practice while focusing on rivers as the main receiving waters. Arising challenges for engineers and scientists are seen in the quantitative assessment of water quality, where standardized systems are needed to estimate the biological status. This is equally of concern in engineering planning, where the prediction of ecological impacts is required. Studies dealing with both classification and prediction of the ecological water quality are reviewed. Further, the combined emission–water quality approach is discussed. Common understanding of this combined approach is to apply the most stringent of either water quality or emission standard to a certain case. In contrast, for example, the Austrian water act enables the application of only the water quality based approach - at least on a temporary basis.     

Oxidative DNA damage levels and catalase activity in the clam Ruditapes decussatus as pollution biomarkers of Tunisian marine environment

Levels of the oxidative DNA damage 7, 8-dihydro-8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) and catalase (CAT) activity were measured in the digestive gland and gills of clams Ruditapes decussatus, related to the presence of pollutants along Tunisian marine environment. Increased levels of CAT were observed in tissues of clams from all the sites studied, compared to control values, and elevated 8-oxodG levels were observed at specific sites. Results obtained in this work indicate that the measurement of 8-oxodG levels and CAT activity in tissues of R. decussatus is promising in pollution monitoring studies of the Tunisian marine environment.     

Ecological Compensation in Dutch Highway Planning

The ecological compensation principle was introduced by the Dutch government in 1993. This principle is designed to enhance the input of nature conservation interests in decision-making on large-scale development projects and to counterbalance the ecological impacts of such developments when implemented. This article evaluates the application of the Dutch compensation principle in highway planning. Six current highway projects reveal consistent implementation of this principle, although provincial policies on compensation and a national method for identifying compensation measures are still under development. As the planning process has not yet been completed for all the projects, no general conclusions can be drawn on the impact of the compensation principle on highway decision-making. Nevertheless, several examples show that the principle stimulates project initiators to develop alternative routes or route sections in order to avoid or reduce ecological impacts and the need for coherent compensation measures. If the compensation principle is to be properly implemented in the context of highway planning, particular attention should be paid to the following aspects: (1) sequential assessment of overall project legitimacy and the necessity of intersecting protected areas and compensation measures, (2) the initiator's attempts to avoid and mitigate ecological impacts in developing alternative routes prior to compensation for impacts, and (3) the role of uncertain ecological impacts in identifying compensation measures, especially those concerning habitat isolation.     

膜生物反应器活性污泥酶活与磷脂脂肪酸分析

分析了不同污染负荷下膜生物反应器的运行效率,并运用酶活表征污泥活性,用磷脂脂肪酸(PLFAs)分析微生物种群结构及其分布特征.结果表明,膜生物反应器对COD,TP,TN,NH4+-N 保持着高而稳定的去除率,不同有机负荷下去除率差异不大(P>0.05);磷酸酶活性在低污染负荷下最高,脱氢酶、β-糖苷酶在中低污染负荷时的活性比高污染负荷时高,脲酶及蛋白酶活性随负荷增加而升高;活性污泥PLFAs 组成以单不饱和脂肪酸、饱和脂肪酸和支链脂肪酸为主,而多不饱和脂肪酸与环丙烷脂肪酸含量较少,特征脂肪酸的比值表明在反应器中好氧细菌占绝对优势;微生物的群落结构分析显示,活性污泥中好氧原核微生物为优势类群,其次是革兰氏阳性细菌及其他厌氧细菌,而真核微生物所占比例最低.     

Social Contract and Deterring Famine: First Thoughts

The links between certain kinds of political systems and protection against famine are investigated in this paper. The starting-point is a critique of Amartya Sen's observation that famines are unknown in countries with a free press and competitive elections. This holds true only in India because of a unique political history in which freedom from famine became a right, upon which political legitimacy was founded: an anti-famine 'social contract'.
The rise and decline of anti-famine systems in Africa is charted. Major reasons for decay include neo-liberalism and the international humanitarian system, both of which undermine relationships of domestic political accountability that underpin effective famine prevention. A number of politically regressive tendencies in 'actually existing humanitarianism' are identified that work against any nascent anti-famine social contracts in Africa. This is possible because famine prevention has not been established as a right in Africa.     

北京雾霾天气期间气溶胶光学特性

为了解北京地区雾霾天气条件下大气气溶胶的光学特性,利用2002～2008年AERONET资料分析了雾霾天气期间气溶胶光学厚度、Angstrom波长指数、粒子尺度谱分布和单次散射反照率等气溶胶光学特性参数.结果表明,北京地区雾霾天气期间气溶胶光学厚度表现出较高值,且随波长增大而减小,440 nm时平均气溶胶光学厚度达到1.34.Angstrom波长指数在雾霾天气时也表现出较高值,平均值达到1.11;其中高于0.9的波长指数出现频率达到94%,说明北京雾霾天气期间气溶胶粒子主要以细粒子为主.气溶胶体积尺度谱分布表现出双峰型结构,细模态的平均峰值半径随光学厚度增大而增大,而粗模态的平均峰值半径却随光学厚度增大表现出减小趋势;气溶胶粒子尺度谱中的主模态峰与光学厚度有关.雾霾天气期间平均单次散射反照率达到0.89,且随光学厚度增大表现出依次增大趋势,但对波长变化表现不敏感.     

Land-Use Change and Carbon Flux Between 1970s and 1990s in Central Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico

6 tons C were released to the atmosphere during the period of time covered by our study, equal to approximately 34% of the 1975 vegetation C pool. The Chiapas highlands, while comprising just 0.3% of Mexico's surface area, contributed 3% of the net national C emissions.