On “China-measures related to the exportation of various raw materials” case in terms of DSB’s interpretations

The Appellate Body report in January 2012 had supported the decision of Panel in the “China-measures related to the exportation of various raw materials” case (WT/DS394,395,398) and affirmed that China’s restrictions (such as tariffs and quota measures) on the exportation of raw materials violated rules put forth by the WTO, which were required to be modified. In this case China’s right to invoke Article 20 of GATT1994 (“general exception”) to justify its exemption from the guidelines in Article 11.3 of the WTO Accession Protocol was denied by the Panel and the Appellate Body. This was due to the fact that the phrasing in Article 11.3 of Protocol failed to mention “GATT.” This was the consequence of the two interpretation approaches the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) adopted – a narrow textual interpretation and a subjective presumption of “legislative silence.” The inappropriate use of the two methods of interpretation lead to an imbalance between the right and obligation of China under the additional obligations that were imposed upon China by the WTO, which create a negative impact on China’s rare earth case and the protection of domestic natural resources.     

基于人口数据空间化技术的区域人口发展功能分区研究——以武汉城市圈为例

人口发展功能分区研究是解决我国宏观与区域人口布局的重大课题。已有的研究多以行政区划为基本单元,研究尺度涉及国家级、省级以及市县级,较少涉及城市圈的人口功能分区。以武汉城市圈为研究对象,以传统的基于行政区划的人口发展功能区为参比,在对统计型人口数据进行空间化的基础上,以人口数据与地理数据的叠加分析结果为基本依据,通过建立人口与耕地、水体和高程的决策树,探索一种全新的人口功能分区路径,并对两种人口功能分区的结果进行对比分析。研究表明：和传统的基于行政区划的人口发展功能分区结果相比,基于人口数据空间化技术的人口发展功能分区结果在总体上与前者吻合,同时具有如下优势：一是在分区方法上摈弃了诸多的指标计算,二是分区的精度得到了加强,三是更加有利于统计数据与资源环境数据的耦合分析。对今后特定区域的人口发展功能分区研究具有一定的借鉴意义,为实现更加客观、更有利于应用的规划方法提供思路     

重庆三峡库区生态经济区县域经济发展空间差异分析

经济发展可决定一个地区资源配置的空间分布和发展格局,探究经济发展空间差异及影响因素可为区域发展规划、发展政策制定提供重要参考。以重庆三峡库区生态经济区县域为评价单元,建立经济发展水平指标体系,运用主成分分析法,计算各县域的经济发展水平综合得分值,将其划分为最高、较高、中等、较低和最低5个等级,进而运用多元变量回归分析探究经济发展空间差异的显著影响因素。研究表明：该区经济发展水平具有明显的空间差异性,总体趋势为自西向东逐渐降低。地形、区位及交通3者是造成经济发展空间差异的主要影响因素,在远离重庆主城区、海拔高、坡度大的山区,交通通达性已成为制约县域经济发展的瓶颈因素。因而,要缩小经济发展差距,促进各县域协调发展,应首要解决交通问题     

Adsorption of herring sperm DNA onto pine sawdust biochar: Thermodynamics and site energy distribution

● Adsorption of environmental deoxyribonucleic acid on biochar was studied. ● π−π interaction and electrostatic repulsion worked in the adsorption. ● Thermodynamics indicated the adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic. Environmental deoxyribonucleic acid (eDNA), which includes antibiotic resistance genes, is ubiquitous in the environment. The interactions between eDNA and biochar, a promising material widely used in soil amendment and water treatment, greatly affect the environmental behavior of eDNA. Hitherto few experimental evidences are available yet, especially on the information of thermodynamics and energy distribution to explains the interactions between biochar and eDNA. This study investigated the adsorption of herring sperm DNA (hsDNA) on pine sawdust biochar, with a specific emphasis on the adsorption thermodynamics and site energy distribution. The adsorption of hsDNA on biochar was enhanced by an increase in the pyrolysis and adsorption temperatures. The higher surface area, stronger π−π interaction, and weaker electrostatic repulsion between hsDNA and biochars prepared at high pyrolysis temperatures facilitated the adsorption of hsDNA. The thermodynamics indicated that the adsorption of hsDNA on biochar was spontaneous and endothermic. Therefore, higher temperature was beneficial for the adsorption of hsDNA on biochar; this was well explained by the increase in E^* and F(E^*) with the adsorption temperature. These results are useful for evaluating the migration and transformation of eDNA in the presence of biochar.     

The inactivation of bacteriophages MS2 and PhiX174 by nanoscale zero-valent iron: Resistance difference and mechanisms

• The resistance of phage PhiX174 to nZVI was much stronger than that of MS2. • The nZVI damaged the surface proteins of both bacteriophages. • The nZVI could destroy the nucleic acid of MS2, but not that of PhiX174. •The phage inactivation was mainly attributed to the damage of the nucleic acid. Pathogenic enteric viruses pose a significant risk to human health. Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), a novel material for environmental remediation, has been shown to be a promising tool for disinfection. However, the existing research has typically utilized MS2 or f2 bacteriophages to investigate the antimicrobial properties of nZVI, and the resistance difference between bacteriophages, which is important for the application of disinfection technologies, is not yet understood. Here, MS2 and PhiX174 containing RNA and DNA, respectively, were used as model viruses to investigate the resistances to nZVI. The bacteriophage inactivation mechanisms were also discussed using TEM images, protein, and nucleic acid analysis. The results showed that an initial concentration of 10⁶ PFU/mL of MS2 could be completely inactivated within 240 min by 40 mg/L nZVI at pH 7, whereas the complete inactivation of PhiX174 could not be achieved by extending the reaction time, increasing the nZVI dosage, or changing the dosing means. This indicates that the resistance of phage PhiX174 to nZVI was much stronger than that of MS2. TEM images indicated that the viral particle shape was distorted, and the capsid shell was ruptured by nZVI. The damage to viral surface proteins in both phages was examined by three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). However, the nucleic acid analysis demonstrated that the nucleic acid of MS2, but not PhiX174, was destroyed. It indicated that bacteriophage inactivation was mainly attributed to the damage of nucleic acids.     

Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of highly stable RuPd bimetallic catalysts supported on MgAl-layered double hydroxide for N-ethylcarbazole hydrogenation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - N-Ethylcarbazole (NEC), as a promising liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC), can store and release hydrogen through a reversible catalytic...     

Urinary concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and phthalate metabolite mixtures in relation to semen quality among men attending an infertility clinic

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Previous studies have reported that exposure to phthalates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is individually associated with altered semen...     

Interactions between tannins allelochemicals and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) of Microcystis aeruginosa

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The protective mechanism of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) secreted by a harmful cyanobacteria against tannins allelochemicals was explored...     

Preparing porous Cu/Pd electrode on nickel foam using hydrogen bubbles dynamic template for high-efficiency and high-stability removal of nitrate from water

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Electrochemical reduction is a promising technology to remove nitrate from water. The metallic composition and geometry of electrodes usually dominate...     

Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) Composite Membrane with Polyamidoamine Dendrimers for Efficient Separation of CO2/H2 and CO2/N2

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Although polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membranes are commonly used for CO2 separation, there is still large development space in mechanical properties and high...