Household behaviour and attitudes with respect to recycling food waste--experiences from focus groups

It is a challenge to reduce the ever-increasing flow of waste. In Norway the systems for recycling of organic waste, paper, glass, metals, etc. differ between municipalities, both with regard to organizational and to technological structures. Our hypothesis is that people's attitudes and behaviour may differ with different systems of waste management. People's behaviour and attitudes regarding (organic) waste recycling were investigated in two municipalities with differing technical and organisational systems. Data came from interviews with municipal employees, questionnaires, focus groups and multi-criteria mapping. People seem to be better informed and more positive about organic waste recycling in one of the municipalities (MH, which has recycling of organic waste) than in the other (MS, which has no such recycling). The two municipalities had similar sets of important criteria for waste management (price, environmental friendliness, easy solutions, information). Many participants stated that they had learned from the group process, though only a few reported changed preferences. The institutional context seems to be important for people's behaviour and attitudes towards waste management. This implies that people's recycling behaviour does not only depend on technical and organisational aspects, but also on institutions. These are important messages for policy makers. On an individual basis, the different systems in the two municipalities seem to affect people's stated attitudes. These differences diminish when they are in a common setting where process and dialogue stimulate new thoughts and encourage people to act more altruistically.     

The impact of nitrogen deposition on acid grasslands in the Atlantic region of Europe

A survey of 153 acid grasslands from the Atlantic biogeographic region of Europe indicates that chronic nitrogen deposition is changing plant species composition and soil and plant-tissue chemistry. Across the deposition gradient (2-44 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) grass richness as a proportion of total species richness increased whereas forb richness decreased. Soil C:N ratio increased, but soil extractable nitrate and ammonium concentrations did not show any relationship with nitrogen deposition. The above-ground tissue nitrogen contents of three plant species were examined: Agrostis capillaris (grass), Galium saxatile (forb) and Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus (bryophyte). The tissue nitrogen content of neither vascular plant species showed any relationship with nitrogen deposition, but there was a weak positive relationship between R. squarrosus nitrogen content and nitrogen deposition. None of the species showed strong relationships between above-ground tissue N:P or C:N and nitrogen deposition, indicating that they are not good indicators of deposition rate.     

Development and application of LC–APCI–MS method for biomonitoring of animal and human exposure to imidacloprid

Imidacloprid (IMI) is a relatively new neuro-active neonicotinoid insecticide and nowadays one of the largest selling insecticides worldwide. In the present study a LC–APCI–MS based method was developed and validated for the quantification of imidacloprid and its main metabolite 6-chloronicotinic acid (6-CINA) in urine and hair specimens. The method was tested in biomonitoring of intentionally exposed animals and subsequently applied for biomonitoring of Cretan urban and rural population.     

新民城市居民头发重金属含量测定及相关分析

文章采用电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法(ICP-AES)及原子荧光光谱法(AFS)对辽宁省新民市城市居民不同年龄、性别群体头发中镉(Cd),铅(Pb),汞(Hg),砷(As)等重金属含量进行了测定,比较并分析了人发中各种重金属含量水平及与年龄、性别的关系。结果表明,新民市城市居民整体群体头发中镉,铅,砷,汞等4种重金属平均含量分别为(0.14±0.10),(3.80±2.43),(0.29±0.17),(0.39±0.21)mg/kg,均在中国居民头发中重金属含量正常值上限以下。回归分析表明,头发中所测定的重金属中只有金属Hg含量变化与年龄之间存在线性关系(R2=0.71);单因素方差(One-way ANOVA)分析表明,不同年龄群体间Cd,Pb,Hg,As等重金属含量无显著性差异(p>0.05);皮尔逊相关分析表明各重金属含量与年龄、性别之间无显著相关性(p>0.05)。     

微生物对饮用水典型消毒副产物前体物的降解效能及其群落特征

相对于CF（氯仿）等C-DBPs（含碳消毒副产物）,DCAN（二氯乙腈）等N-DBPs（含氮消毒副产物）具有更高的毒性.控制DBPs（消毒副产物）的前体物是抑制DBPs产生的最有效方法之一.为考察微生物降解DBPs前体物对生成DBPs的影响,分别选取C-DBPs和N-DBPs的典型代表物CF和DCAN及其相应的典型前体物Tyr（酪氨酸）和Asp（天冬氨酸）为研究对象,采用微生物培养前体物的方式,探究微生物对典型前体物Tyr和Asp的降解效果及其对生成CF和DCAN的控制效果.结果表明:①Tyr和Asp两种前体物经微生物降解后,DOC（溶解性有机碳）的去除率分别为94.0%和85.6%,DON（溶解性有机氮）的去除率分别为69.0%和81.0%.②在前体物经微生物降解后的水样中,氯化或氯胺化消毒后生成CF和DCAN的量较降解前均大大减少.以Tyr为前体物,水样经微生物降解、氯化消毒后生成CF和DCAN的量分别降低了56.1%和89.5%,氯胺化消毒后生成CF的量降低了68.5%;以Asp为前体物,水样经微生物降解、氯化消毒后生成DCAN的量最高可降低99.9%,经微生物降解、氯胺化消毒后生成的CF可降低50.7%.③对水样中微生物菌群分析发现,在门水平上的菌群主要有变形菌门（Proteobacteria）、放线菌门（Actinobacteria）和拟杆菌门（Bacteroidetes）,在属水平上的菌属主要有伯克氏菌属（Burkholderia-paraburkholderia）、半角藻属（Haliangium）、分枝杆菌属（Mycobacterium）、沉积小杆菌属（Sediminibacterium）、norank_f_Chitinophagaceae和动胶菌属（Zoogloea）.研究显示,微生物降解对DBPs典型前体物Tyr和Asp的去除,以及对生成CF和DCAN的控制具有较大的潜力,变形菌和放线菌在降解DBPs前体物中起到了重要作用.      

基于UAHP的采空区稳定性模糊综合评判

为准确评判矿山采空区稳定性等级,通过分析采空区稳定性各影响因素,确定地质、水文、采空区几何参数、环境等4个2级指标为影响其稳定性的主要因素。运用层次分析法(AHP)并结合模糊数学理论,建立采空区稳定性2级模糊综合评判模型。用区间数表示评判结果,分析处理评判矩阵得到专家评判的相似度和差异度,进而获取专家评判的可信度,建立基于不确定型层次分析法(UAHP)的采空区稳定性模糊评判方法。实例计算结果表明:在Ⅰ级评判指标中,地质构造、周围开采影响、地下水活动程度、跨度对采空区稳定性影响较大;用该采空区的稳定性等级为Ⅱ级。用该方法能得出各影响因素的综合权重,准确评判采空区稳定性等级。     

Conservation mycology in Australia and the potential role of citizen science

Fungi are undoubtedly important for ecosystem functioning; however, they have been omitted or given scant attention in most biodiversity policy documents, management plans, and formal conservation schedules throughout the world. This oversight may be due to a general lack of awareness in the scientific community and compounded by a scarcity of mycology‐associated curricula at the tertiary level and a lack of mycologists in research institutions. Although molecular techniques advance the systematic cataloging of fungi and facilitate insights into fungal communities, the scarcity of professional mycologists in the environmental sciences hampers conservation efforts. Conversely, citizen science initiatives are making significant contributions to the mycology discipline by increasing awareness and extending the scope of fungal surveys. Future research by professional and amateur mycologists into the distribution of fungi and their function in ecosystems will help identify wider and more effective conservation goals.     

Nutritional phagostimulants function as male courtship pheromone in the German cockroach, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Blattella germanica</Emphasis>

Summary. Males of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica, secrete a pheromonal substance from the abdominal tergal glands, which elicits a feeding response in females during the sequential courtship behavior. The nuptial secretion consists predominantly of a synergistic mixture of sugars and phospholipids. Cholesterol and a series of amino acids, which are also components of the males glandular secretion, significantly enhanced the phagostimulant activity of the sugar components. The nuptial feeding behavior of the female cockroach is therefore elicited by a complex assortment of nutritive components in the male tergal secretion, including sugars, phospholipids, cholesterol, and amino acids. These results indicate that a mixture of primary metabolites, and not of specific secondary metabolites, serves as a pheromonal cue that appeals to the females gustatory sense and effectively brings her to the precopulatory position. Although the male secretion consists of nutrients, we suggest that these compounds probably do not represent a significant nutrient investment in females and their progeny but rather function as a signal in the mating sequence of B. germanica.     

荔枝花雄蕊和雌蕊发育过程中碳氮化合物的动态变化

比较分析了荔枝花性决定中碳氮化合物的动态变化。结果发现：C/N较大有利于雄蕊分化,反之则有利于雌蕊分化;氨基酸含量较高有利于雌蕊分化,雄蕊的氨基酸含量仅为雌蕊的一半。脯氨酸与花粉育性存在着密切相关关系。另外,探讨了雌蕊或雄蕊败育的生理意义,在长期的进化中,败育的雌蕊或雄蕊“废物”重新被利用,为同一花中迅速发育的雌蕊或雄蕊提供能量和物质的需求,表5参13。     

辽宁中部城市群环境保护治理规则

辽宁中部城市群是由以沈阳为中心，包括沈阳，鞍山、抚顺、本溪、辽阳、铁岭六个市。本文分三部分，辽宁中部城市不境质量现状基本概况，辽宁中部城市九环境保护治理，辽宁中部城市群环境保护政策措施。