Predicting ectotherm disease vector spread—benefits from multidisciplinary approaches and directions forward

The occurrence of ectotherm disease vectors outside of their previous distribution area and the emergence of vector-borne diseases can be increasingly observed at a global scale and are accompanied by a growing number of studies which investigate the vast range of determining factors and their causal links. Consequently, a broad span of scientific disciplines is involved in tackling these complex phenomena. First, we evaluate the citation behaviour of relevant scientific literature in order to clarify the question “do scientists consider results of other disciplines to extend their expertise?” We then highlight emerging tools and concepts useful for risk assessment. Correlative models (regression-based, machine-learning and profile techniques), mechanistic models (basic reproduction number R ₀) and methods of spatial regression, interaction and interpolation are described. We discuss further steps towards multidisciplinary approaches regarding new tools and emerging concepts to combine existing approaches such as Bayesian geostatistical modelling, mechanistic models which avoid the need for parameter fitting, joined correlative and mechanistic models, multi-criteria decision analysis and geographic profiling. We take the quality of both occurrence data for vector, host and disease cases, and data of the predictor variables into consideration as both determine the accuracy of risk area identification. Finally, we underline the importance of multidisciplinary research approaches. Even if the establishment of communication networks between scientific disciplines and the share of specific methods is time consuming, it promises new insights for the surveillance and control of vector-borne diseases worldwide.     

From large-scale to micromachining: A review of force prediction models

In this paper, a review of work performed in the area of force modelling in metal cutting processes is presented. Past and present trends are described and criticised to compare their relevance with current requirements. Several approaches are reviewed, such as empirical, mechanistic and analytical models. The models’ ability to predict forces, from rough machining to finish machining, is analysed.     

Water footprint: methodologies and a case study for assessing the impacts of water use

The methodologies, approaches and indicators for assessing the impacts of freshwater usage are still evolving. The development of the water footprint concept has been an important step in this direction but the existing methodologies mainly assess the quantity of water used rather than the related impacts. Although there is a recognised need to consider the latter, particularly on a life cycle basis, the difficulty is that there are little or no reliable data on water usage in life cycle databases; furthermore, there is no agreed life cycle impact assessment method for estimating impacts related to freshwater use. However, there have been some methodological developments which propose methods for inventory modelling and impact assessment for water use in life cycle assessment. This paper reviews some of these approaches and discusses their strengths and limitations through a case study, which considers the impacts of freshwater consumption from corn-derived ethanol produced in 12 different countries. The results show a huge variation in the results between different methods and demonstrate the need for a standardised methodology for assessing the impacts of water use on a life cycle basis. Specific recommendations for further research in this field have been made accordingly.     

Participatory modelling for sustainable development: Key issues derived from five cases of natural resource and disaster risk management

Stakeholder participation is considered a key principle for sustainable development in the context of natural resource and disaster risk management. Participatory modelling (PM) is an interactive and iterative process in which stakeholder involvement is supported by modelling and communication tools. Planning and decision-making for sustainable development (SD)integrate three substantive dimensions − social, ecological and economic. The procedural dimension of SD, however, is equally important, and here we see great potential for PM. In this study, we evaluate five PM research projects against criteria for the procedural dimension of SD. This provides a basis for identifying key issues and needs for further research into PM for SD. While the cases show great potential, especially for supporting knowledge integration, learning and transparent handling of values and perspectives, they indicate a particular need to develop PM in respect of organizational integration. This issue is closely connected to the possibility of effectively implementing PM in practice.     

珠江三角洲地区土壤重金属污染控制与修复研究的若干思考

土壤重金属污染是珠江三角洲地区主要的生态环境问题之一,直接影响到区域生态系统稳定和食品安全,关系到经济尤其是农业的可持续发展和人体健康,因而引起广泛的社会关注.对珠江三角洲地区土壤重金属污染现状和主要特征进行了分析,结合国内外土壤重金属污染研究动态,同时考虑国家需求和地区经济发展需要,提出今后热带亚热带地区土壤重金属污染研究的重点,以及对土壤污染综合治理的一些见解.     

Nutrient emission models in environmental policy evaluation at different scales—experience from the Netherlands

A nutrient emission modelling system, called STONE, has been developed for the Netherlands. The approach of STONE and its use in evaluating environmental policies in the Netherlands are discussed. This specific approach is then compared with that of other nutrient emission modelling systems. Emphasis is put on both the scientific–technical aspects and on the applications in quantifying environmental effects of policy interventions at different scales. Results from STONE show, for example, the areas in the Netherlands where maximally acceptable nitrate concentrations in groundwater may be exceeded in the future, the effectiveness of implemented or intended policy measures on nutrient emissions, and the advantage of its mechanistic, spatially distributed approach. Such a detailed modelling approach is shown to be required to take into account the strong and complex interacting effects of, e.g. nutrient supply, groundwater level and management on nutrient emissions.     

Lost benefits and carbon uptake by protection of Indian plantations

There is a range of problems in assessing how protection of a specific forest to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) affect global emissions of greenhouse gases. This paper shows how knowledge and information about the biophysical characteristics of forests can be combined with theories of forest management and economic behaviour to derive the impacts on global emissions of REDD+. A modelling experiment from India, where 10% of the forest plantations in eight different regions are protected, shows that the biophysical characteristics of forests are decisive for the global impacts on emissions. In regions with slow-growing forests, agents in the non-protected forests are able to increase their output significantly to fill the demand from the protected forests. This opportunity is strictly limited in regions with fast-growing forests. Therefore, prices increase far more in regions with fast-growing forests than in slow-growing forests. Over time, the markets for Indian forestry products contribute to reduce the resulting price differences across regions. When the carbon uptake from protected forests approaches zero, the leakage of emissions to other Indian forests is between 20 and 40%. Only a small part of this is international leakage. Combining different models also helps to identify knowledge gaps, and to distinguish gaps that potentially may be filled with data and new knowledge, and gaps due to different angling of modelling biophysical processes and modelling of economic behaviour.     

国外生态-经济系统整合模型研究进展

生态-经济系统整合模型的研究将生态的、经济的、社会的以及生物物理模型整合在可持续发展框架中,考察生态系统与经济系统之间的相互作用和反馈关系,采用遥感与计算机建模技术,结合多种生态模型和计量经济模型,预测、模拟、优化生态-经济系统。它的研究范围从整个系统的管理和全球生命支撑系统的可持续性到自然资源和环境服务的可持续使用等等,为分析可持续发展而按照不同的论题建立不同的模型框架。生态经济整合模型的建立是今后生态经济学研究的一个最重要的侧面,生态经济学要想取得主流经济学的地位,必须应用整合的方法深入探索生态经济系统的复杂性和不确定性,真正解决实际问题,为生态与经济的正确决策提供依据。     

The common language of space: a way of looking at the social,economic and environmental functioning of cities on a common basis

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植物废料应用于白腐真菌处理难降解有机污染物

综述了植物废料在白腐真菌处理难降解有机污染物反应体系中的应用优势以及研究现状,指出目前国内外相关研究存在的问题主要集中在植物废料的选材、投量、染菌以及废渣最终处理等方面,因此解决以上方面中的瓶颈将是今后植物废料固定化白腐真菌处理难降解有机污染物的主要研究方向。     

Sustainability issues in sheet metal forming processes: an overview

Environmental sustainability in manufacturing is nowadays an urgent and remarkable issue and the main concerns are related to more efficient use of materials and energy.In sheet metal forming processes there is still a lack of knowledge in this field mainly due to the need of a proper modelling of sustainability issues and factors to be taken into account. The aim of this paper is mainly to underline the state of the art from a forming point of view about the sustainability contributions offered in any phase of a product life cycle. Actually, a lack in terms of comprehensive contributions is present in the technical literature, thus, the authors try to give a sort of holistic vision aimed to provide basic guidelines in order to help in identifying the possible solutions with regard to all the phases of a forming product life cycle. The main attention was paid to sheet metal forming technologies. The paper gives an overview of the main topics concerning sheet metal forming problems related to energy and resource efficiency with the aim to stress the principal contributions which may derive from such processes to environmental performances of manufacturing.     

电除尘器船型灰斗内部粉尘在停机后的温度研究

本文以土耳其SILOPI 2#机电除尘器为工程分析对象,对燃煤电厂电除尘器船型灰斗内的粉尘在停机后的温度变化情况进行分析计算和有限元模拟,通过粉尘随时间的温度变化数据判断粉尘的凝结情况,得出该项目在最低气温-9.3℃环境下,119小时内船型灰斗不会因粉尘凝结而发生严重堵塞情况,模拟结果与实际一致。本文为工程上电除尘器因故停机的检修提供时间参考。     

The role of social processes for sustainable consumption

Rethinking the role consumption plays in individual well-being and societal development is key for addressing pressing environmental problems. We perceive the need to envision consumption as a social activity, which requires the active engagement of consumers in order to better enhance their quality of life. The paper focuses on the framework of Product Service Systems, one particular programme for more sustainable consumption. After reviewing the potential benefits and limitations of this programme, we explore the opportunities to learn from participatory and community-based strategies like LETS.     

磷酸化蛋白质组学技术的发展及其在环境毒理研究中的应用

磷酸化修饰是蛋白质最主要的翻译后修饰形式之一,磷酸化蛋白质组学从整体上观察细胞或组织中磷酸化修饰的状态及其变化,为探讨药物刺激和环境应激下生物体受损的生物学过程提供新的视角.针对磷酸化蛋白质组学技术的发展以及其在环境毒理研究中的应用展开综述.首先,从磷酸化肽富集、磷酸化蛋白的鉴定和磷酸化位点的预测、定量磷酸化蛋白质组学研究3个方面对磷酸化蛋白质组学技术的研究内容和分析策略进行了概述.在此基础上,按照离体实验、活体实验以及毒性作用通路分析3部分对磷酸化蛋白质组学在环境毒理研究中的应用进行了详细阐述.最后,总结了目前磷酸化蛋白质组学研究的不足,并有针对性地提出了磷酸化蛋白质组学在环境毒理研究中的发展方向.     

Investigation on condensable particulate matter emission characteristics in wet ammonia-based desulfurization system

Particulate matter emissions from ammonia-based wet flue gas desulfurization (Ammonia-WFGD) systems are composed of a filterable particulate matter and a condensable particulate matter (CPM) portion. However, the CPM part has been ignored for a long time, which results in an underestimation of the aerosol problems caused by Ammonia-WFGD systems. In our research, the characteristics of the CPM that emits from an Ammonia-WFGD system are investigated experimentally for the first time, with the US Environmental Protection Agency Method 202 employed as the primary measurement. The influences of some essential desulfurizing parameters are evaluated based on the experimental data. The results show that CPM contributes about 68.8% to the total particulate matter emission. CPM consists mainly of ammonium sulfates/sulfites, with the organic part accounting for less than 4%. CPM is mostly in the submicron fraction, about 71.1% of which originates from the NH₃–H₂O–SO₂ reactions. The appropriate adjustments for the parameters of the flue gas and the desulfurizing solution can inhibit CPM formation to different extents. This indicates that the parameter optimizations are promising in solving CPM emission problems in Ammonia-WFGD systems, in which the pH adjustment alone can abate CPM emission by around 49%. The opposite variations of the parameters need attention because they can cause tremendous CPM emission increase.     

The vulnerability of Australian rural communities to climate variability and change: Part I—Conceptualising and measuring vulnerability

Vulnerability is a term frequently used to describe the potential threat to rural communities posed by climate variability and change. Despite growing use of the term, analytical measures of vulnerability that are useful for prioritising and evaluating policy responses are yet to evolve. Demand for research capable of prioritising adaptation responses has evolved rapidly with an increasing awareness of climate change and its potential impacts on rural communities. Research into the climate-related vulnerability of Australian rural communities is only just beginning to emerge. Current research is dominated by hazard/impact modelling, drawing on a heritage of managing the risks posed by seasonal climate variability. There is a natural tendency to use the same risk management approach to understand the emergent nature of vulnerability. In this paper, we explore the consequences for policy advice of imperfectly examining vulnerability through the lens of an impact/hazard modelling approach to risk management. In a second paper in this series, we show how hazard/impact modelling can be complemented with more holistic measures of adaptive capacity to provide quantitative insights into the vulnerability of Australian rural communities to climate variability and change.     

Modelling the effects of the current policy measures in agriculture: An unique model from field to regional scale in Walloon region of Belgium

Diffuse nutrient loss from agriculture into the soil, groundwater and surface water affects their quality. Different policies are in force throughout the European Union aiming for their limitation. They were implemented through action plans on a regional scale.Hydrological modelling can be a powerful method for efficiently evaluating their effectiveness. In order to be useful whatever the action and for every reporting unit (whole Region, water bodies, nitrate vulnerable zones, fields...) the model must be physically based, it must simulate water and nutrient fluxes in the root zone and the vadose zone as well as being geographically flexible. This paper presents such a model and its application in the context of Wallonia (Southern part of Belgium). It also presents a calculation of what water and nutrient flows could be under a given climatic scenario until 2015.In Belgium, water quality depends upon Regions. Wallonia implemented the European Nitrate Directive through two action plans the first in 2002 and the second in 2007. These actions plans were modelled and compared to a scenario without any modification in the farmers’ practices.The modelling showed the need for two indicators: nitrate concentration under the root zone as fast indicator of the actions’ efficiency and transfer time from surface to groundwater table. The first action plan hardly modified farmers’ field practices and consequently it did not impact water quality. The second action plan had more impact (reduction up to 10 mg/l NO₃ under the root zone). It was mainly due to catch crop introduction in the nitrate vulnerable zone, if they are followed by a reduction of the mineral fertilisation (not mandatory). Our results show that new actions are necessary. We show where and to what extent they have to be implemented.Nevertheless, the greatest variation in nitrate leaching from the root zone seems to be dependent on the weather, more than the action plans. Particularly the rainy period between 1998 and 2002 had a huge impact on nitrogen flows. Our hydrological modelling is showed to be a powerful tool of nitrogen management in a still uncertain climatic evolution context.Finally, we showed that patience and perseverance will be necessary to reach the targets of the WFD in the Walloon context. The map of transfer time shows that 8% of the groundwater bodies need over 15 years to be impacted by mitigation measures.     

A nexus perspective on competing land demands: Wider lessons from a UK policy case study

As nations develop policies for low-carbon transitions, conflicts with existing policies and planning tools are leading to competing demands for land and other resources. This raises fundamental questions over how multiple demands can best be managed. Taking the UK as an empirical example, this paper critiques current policies and practices to explore the interdependencies at the water-energy-food nexus. It considers how current land uses and related policies affect the UK’s resilience to climate change, setting out an agenda for research and practice relevant to stakeholders in land-use management, policy and modelling. Despite recent progress in recognising such nexus challenges, most UK land-related policies and associated science continue to be compartmentalised by both scale and sector and seldom acknowledge nexus interconnections. On a temporal level, the absence of an over-arching strategy leaves inter-generational trade-offs poorly considered. Given the system lock-in and the lengthy policy-making process, it is essential to develop alternative ways of providing dynamic, flexible, practical and scientifically robust decision support for policy-makers. A range of ecosystem services need to be valued and integrated into a resilient land-use strategy, including the introduction of non-monetary, physical-unit constraints on the use of particular services.     

聚脲弹性体阻燃改性的研究进展

介绍了聚脲的特性与燃烧机制,从添加型和反应型2个方面总结了聚脲阻燃改性的研究现状,包括添加卤系、磷系、氮系、纳米阻燃剂,以及通过化学反应引入阻燃元素及结构等方法,系统分析了阻燃机理及各自优缺点。提出添加型阻燃剂存在与基体相容性不佳的问题,反应型阻燃改性技术难度大,但是不存在界面问题,结合不同阻燃剂的优势可实现协同提升的效果。研究结果为提高聚脲阻燃性能提供了技术参考。     

Ökotoxikologie am Beispiel der Rheinverschmutzung durch den Chemie-Unf all bei Sandoz in Basel

A fire at a chemical manufacturing plant at Schweizerhalle (near Basel) in November 1986 and the subsequent release of toxic agrochemicals into the Rhine river is taken as a basis to discuss some problems and needs in ecotoxicological research. Especially serious is the lack of knowledge about chronic effects of mixtures of chemicals to individuals and whole ecosystems. There is an urgent need for generally applicable principles and concepts. A discussion of the relationship between toxic effects to fish, exposure time, and concentration provides some hints about the direction towards which research should proceed. Finally, eight theses pertaining to ecotoxicology summarize what can be learned from the analysis of a chemical spill.