冬季采暖期气象条件对PM2.5等空气质量要素的影响——以咸阳市为例

以汾渭平原典型城市——咸阳为研究区域,利用地面空气质量监测数据和欧洲中期天气预报中心（ECMWF）发布的第五代全球气候再分析资料数据集（ERA5）,分析了咸阳市2018—2020年3 a采暖期污染物浓度变化特征和不同污染程度下的气象条件,采用统计学方法分析各项污染物浓度与气象因素间的相关性,使用多元线性回归模型评价各气象因素对PM_2.5浓度的影响程度,使用二元Logistic回归分析气象因素对PM_2.5超标风险的影响。咸阳市采暖期首要污染物以细颗粒物（PM_2.5）和可吸入颗粒物（PM₁₀）为主,采暖期超标最多的污染物为PM_2.5,超标天数逐年递减;PM₁₀的日变化呈“双峰双谷”型,PM_2.5的谷值出现在17∶00且夜晚浓度较高。颗粒物浓度与相对湿度呈正相关,与风速、边界层高度、温度、气压呈负相关。多元线性回归预测模型显示PM_2.5浓度预测值与实测值变化趋势保持一致,预测值的波动频率比实测值大,预测准确率为51.54%;二元Logistic回归模型显示：除相对湿度外,其他气象因素对PM_2.5超标情况都是保护因素,边界层高度每增高1 m,日均浓度超标风险降低0.7%;相对湿度每升高1%,日均浓度超标风险升高5.3%;温度每升高1℃,日均浓度超标风险降低19.8%;气压每升高1 hPa,日均浓度超标风险降低9.7%。以上研究结果揭示了咸阳市采暖期主要气象因素对空气污染的影响程度,为我国北方城市今后的空气污染治理提供科学依据,为相关政策制定提供理论参考。     

Performance/Cost Estimates for Retrofitting Control Technologies

The U.S. EPA’s Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory is responsible for assessing control technology performance and costs under the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program. A major part of this assessment involves developing site-specific estimates of the performance and costs of retrofitting SO₂ and NO_x control technologies for the top 200 SO₂- emitting (1980) coal-fired power plants in the 31-state eastern region. This effort includes detailed evaluation of a small number of plants (30 or less) representing a cross-section of the top 200 population. In cooperation with the states of Ohio and Kentucky (in conjunction with the U.S. EPA’s State Acid Rain Grant Program), efforts were undertaken to visit and conduct detailed evaluation of 12 coal-fired plants—five in Ohio, seven in Kentucky and the Tennessee Valley Authority System. A variety of commercial and advanced SO₂ and NO_x control technologies—including precombustion, combustion (in-furnace), and postcombustion (flue gas cleanup) technologies—were applied to each plant through conceptual designs. Retrofit factors (applied to the capital cost of a new pollution control system), cost “adders” (e.g., movement of existing equipment), and costs were developed for applying the control technologies to the boilers of each plant. Results of these and subsequent efforts will be valuable in evaluations of acid deposition control strategies by federal and state agencies and by electric utilities.     

Fishery Stability, Local Extinctions, and Shifts in Community Structure in Skates

Abstract: Skates are arguably the most vulnerable of exploited marine fishes. Their vulnerability is often assessed by examining fisheries catch trends, but these data are not generally recorded on a species basis except in France. Aggregated skate catch statistics tend to exhibit more stable trends than those of other elasmobranch fisheries. We tested whether such apparent stability in aggregated catch trends could mask population declines of individual species. We examined two time series of species-specific surveys of a relatively stable skate fishery in the northeast Atlantic. These surveys revealed the disappearance of two skate species, long-nose skate (   Dipturus oxyrhinchus ) and white skate (   Rostroraja alba ) and confirmed a previously documented decline of the common skate (   D. batis ). Of the remaining five skate species, the three larger ones have declined, whereas two smaller species have increased in abundance. The increase in abundance and biomass of the smaller species has resulted in the stability of the aggregated catch trends. Because there is significant dietary overlap among species, we suggest the increase in abundance of the smaller species may be due to competitive release as the larger species declined. A consequence of this kind of stability is that declining species cannot be detected without species-specific data, especially in taxa exhibiting competitive interactions. This may explain why previously documented disappearances of two species of skates went unnoticed for so long. The conservation of skates and other elasmobranchs requires species-specific monitoring and special attention to larger species.     

Sex selection and non-invasive prenatal testing: A review of current practices,evidence, and ethical issues

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) can determine the sex of the fetus very accurately and very early in gestation. There are concerns that the ease, timing, and accuracy of NIPT sex determination will facilitate sex-selective termination of pregnancy (TOP). Here, we review current practices, the evidence for a link between NIPT and sex-selective TOP, and associated ethical issues. Sex-selective TOP, usually motivated by son preference, has had serious demographic consequences in countries such as India and China. Currently, ultrasound is the primary method by which parents determine the sex of the fetus. The diffusion of ultrasound technology has had a direct impact on the rates of sex-selective TOP. Although NIPT is currently more costly, it is feasible that increased uptake of this technology could have a similar effect. Partly because NIPT is a relatively recent development in prenatal screening, there is little data on the impact of NIPT on sex selection practices. Evidence that NIPT is playing a role in sex-selective TOP remains largely anecdotal. Further research is required to assess and quantify TOP resulting from NIPT sex determination. The use of these technologies for sex selection raises a number of ethical issues, in addition to practical demographic consequences.     

Use of metal-reducing bacteria for bioremediation of soil contaminated with mixed organic and inorganic pollutants

Mixed contamination by organic and inorganic compounds in soil is a serious problem for remediation. Most laboratory studies and field-scale trials focused on individual contaminant in the past. For concurrent bioremediation by biodegradation and bioleaching processes, we tested metal-reducing microorganism, Geobacter metallireducens. In order to prove the feasibility of the coupled process, multiple-contaminated soil was prepared. Mineralogical analyses have shown the existence of labile forms of As(V) as amorphous and/or weakly sorbed phases in the secondary Fe oxides. In the biotic experiment using G. metallireducens, biodegradation of toluene and bioleaching of As by bacteria were observed simultaneously. Bacteria accelerated the degradation rate of toluene with reductive dissolution of Fe and co-dissolution of As. Although there have been many studies showing each individual process, we have shown here that the idea of concurrent microbial reaction is feasible. However, for the practical use as a remediation technology, more details and multilateral evaluations are required in future studies.

     

Re‐evaluating the Contribution of Social Capital in Achieving Sustainable Development

The last decade has seen considerable interest in the concept of social capital and there have been a number of publications focused around the concept. A wide range of claims have been made for the analytic potential of social capital leading some to question the concept's continued value. We think that the concept still has considerable value if used in a careful and rigorous way. We further think that the concept has particular value when considering policy for sustainable development. However, just as sustainable development is a multi‐faceted concept, this application requires a multi‐faceted reading of social capital. Having concluded that a clearer typology of social capital is needed, we propose a threefold typology, adding the new category of ‘bracing’ social capital to the more commonly used distinction between ‘bonding’ and ‘bridging’ social capital. We also address the issues of what social capital can do and how it actually works, specifically in the context of policy for sustainable development.