Patterns of soil copper contamination and temporal changes in vegetation in the vicinity of a copper rod rolling factory

Patterns of soil copper contamination have been examined in the vicinity of a copper rod rolling plant in Prescot, Merseyside, UK. The site, established in 1975, was found to possess clear patterns of soil copper contamination, with the highest levels of HNO3 and water-extractable fractions encountered in the factory grounds adjacent to the location of the furnace chimney. The majority of the copper had accumulated in the upper soil horizons. The site is surrounded by planted lawns, established at different times after the commissioning of the plant. The species composition of the extant grassland communities, found at sites with differing soil copper levels, was compared to the composition of the original seed mixtures sown at each of ten sites. These surveys clearly showed that different levels of soil copper contamination had produced significant changes in grassland composition with time. At the most polluted site, copper tolerant Agrostis capillaris clones were the main grasses present only two years after the area was sown with a four-species mixture of non-tolerant grass seed. Lolium perenne possessed extreme sensitivity to copper. A number of dicotyledonous species, normally considered sensitive to elevated copper levels, were found to be unaffected where such conditions had arisen after plants had established from seed.     

Persistent organochlorine residues in soils from tropical and sub-tropical Asian countries

Soil samples from paddy fields, uplands, and urban areas (gardens and roadsides) collected from Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan were analysed to determine the residual levels of persistent organochlorine compounds such as DDTs, HCHs, and PCBs. DDT concentration in soil samples from Vietnam were found to be highest, with a mean value of 110 ng g(-1), and were followed by those in Taiwanese soils with a mean value of 20 ng g(-1). HCH concentrations were highest in soil samples from Vietnam (a mean value of 4.8 ng g(-1)) and were followed by those from Taiwan (a mean value of 1.4 ng g(-1)). Concentrations of PCBs were found to be highest in Taiwanese soil samples, with a mean of 95 ng g(-1). Interestingly, relatively high concentrations of PCBs in rural cultivated-soil samples from Vietnam were recorded with a mean value of 25 ng g(-1), probably suggesting PCB release from different kinds of weapons used during the Second Indochina war. The lowest concentrations of DDTs, HCHs, and PCBs were obtained in soil samples from Thailand, with mean values of 8.3 ng g(-1), 0.4 ng g(-1), and 2.7 ng g(-1), respectively.     

Emergency centers in Israel: A small community organizes to cope with war related crises*

This paper focuses on community-wide emergencies caused by war-related events in Lebanon at the beginning of June 1982. Mobilization for the "Peace for Galilee" campaign began on Friday, 4th June. Overnight, families were disrupted, husbands and sons were in danger, and within 24 hours there were notifications of casualities and deaths. Families in crisis became a widespread phenomenon. In Herzlia, as in many other communities, a new service - the Emergency Center - emerged under the auspices of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the Municipality. The authors describe this process of getting organized, the populations served, how the Center was staffed, the role of citizen volunteers, and the types of interventions used to help vulnerable families as well as soldiers home on leave. Stress is placed on the unique type of short-term co-operation achieved between social workers of the local Department of Social Welfare, the staff of the Department of Community Services (especially its Volunteer Bureau), the local liason officer of the Israel Defence Force, the municipal government, and public-spirited volunteers. Mention is made of conditions which made possible the activation of such a service within hours, of the Center's capacity to serve all segments of the population, and of how it was deactivated within a few weeks when the emergency ended. On the basis of lessons learned from this experience, the paper ends with a number of specific recommendations. The authors hope that such innovative forms of crisis-intervention will become part of the helping technology widely available at the community level in future years.     

Bereavement and mourning after a shipping disaster: The case for intervention

This paper describes the help given by the social services department of a shipping company to bereaved families following a shipping disaster. In the absence of clear, factual and prompt information from an authoritative source, there is a tendency for bereaved individuals to deny their loss and thereby delay the process of mourning and eventual recovery. Appropriate intervention and support can help to overcome this tendency as was seen in the Madasa case.     

SPATIO-TEMPORAL CHANGE OF DROUGHT DISASTER IN CHINA IN RECENT FIFTY YEARS

Foreword　Inglobalview ,droughtdisasterisregardedasthemostserioustypeofnaturaldisasterintheworld ,whichhascausedthewidestrangeofeffectsandthebiggesteconomiclosses .Se veredroughtsmainlyoccurinAfrica ,India ,China ,formerSovietUnion ,NorthAmerica ,andAustralia,accountingforalmosthalfofcountriesintheworld .Droughtdisasteroccursfre quentlyinChina ,withwiderangeofinfluence ,whichisthemostseriousmeteorologicaldisas ter ,causingeconomiclossesinagriculture .Fromthe 50’stothe 80’sinthe 2 0thcent…     

FRACTAL DIMENSION ANALYSIS APPLIED TO THE 7 DRAINAGE BASINS AND THE FLOOD IN CHINA

Foreword　Asoneofthethreegreatdiscoveriesin 1 970s ,thefractaltheoryhasbeenwidelyappliedinmanyfieldsconcerningthesciencesofnatureandthehumanities .Atpresent ,thefractaltheoryhasbeenappliedintherelatedanalysisofwatersystemordisaster .However ,thestud iesonnatureofrelationshipbetweenthewholewatersysteminChinaanddisasterfractalanaly sisarestillintheirinitialperiod .Thepaperpresentsafractaldimensionof 7drainagebasinsandthefloodinChinaaswellastheirpossiblerelations .Itishopedthatthepaperwouldbehe…     

指导环保事业发展的纲领性文件

在"十一五"即将起步之时,在全面建设小康社会的关键时期,国务院发布了<关于落实科学发展观加强环境保护的决定>(以下简称<决定>),这是深入贯彻十六届五中全会精神,落实科学发展观,构建社会主义和谐社会,指导我国经济、社会与环境协调发展的一份纲领性文件.深入学习贯彻<决定>,对于广泛调动全社会力量,加快推进环保事业发展,实现全面建设小康社会的宏伟目标将产生巨大的推动作用.     

联合起来共创更加舒适的职安条件

现在全球的职业种类正在改变,这些改变在职业安全健康(劳动保护)方面给我们提出了新的挑战。这些挑战要求我们找出新的解决方法,这一切都是因为全球经济一体化发展促使我们拥有共同的利益和需求。我们的解决方案必须充分考虑差别甚