旅游部门的太阳能和生态设计

ACCor是欧洲最大的旅行、旅游和团体服务集团.它有150000名员工,分布在140个国家.将近有4000个Accor旅馆(443000个房间)分布在90个国家.……     

Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of frontonasal dysplasia

We report a case of prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of frontonasal dysplasia. This represents a very rare disorder involving the face (hypertelorism, median cleft lip, absence of the nasal tip) and often the central nervous system (CNS) (cranium bifidum occultum, ethmoidal cephalocele, agenesis of the corpus callosum). Although several of the typical anomalies are diagnosable by ultrasound in utero (hypertelorism, median cleft lip, anterior cephalocele), very few cases have been reported prenatally, the present being only the third. In the present case, hemimegalencephaly is first reported among the anomalies possibly associated with frontonasal dysplasia. The diagnosis was made at 22 weeks' gestation and was confirmed by necropsy following termination of pregnancy. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Environmental performance evaluation of agro-industrial innovations – Part 2: methodological approach for performing vulnerability analysis of watersheds

Environmental vulnerability analysis has been sparsely used in environmental performance evaluation (EPE) of technological innovations. The present paper proposes a methodological approach to carry out vulnerability analysis of watersheds and to integrate this analysis into methods of environmental performance evaluation of agro-industrial innovations. This approach is applied to the Ambitec-Life Cycle method, described in Part 1 (this issue) of this study. The case study of green coconut substrate compared to ripe coconut substrate, also described in Part 1 (this issue), is now presented considering the vulnerability analysis of the watersheds where the life cycle stages of these products occur. The integration of vulnerability analysis in Ambitec-Life Cycle contributes to a better understanding of the environmental aspects of agro-industrial technological innovations with potential to cause significant impacts in watersheds where these innovations are implemented.     

Climate change and human health in Latin America: drivers, effects, and policies

Many people would be increasingly affected by living under critical conditions in Latin America if, as expected, global warming aggravates disease and pest transmission processes. Heat waves and air pollution would increase heat-related diseases and illness episodes in large cities. Fire smoke has been associated with irritation of the throat, lung and eyes, and respiratory problems. Climate extreme increases associated with climate change would cause physical damage, population displacement, and adverse effects on food production, freshwater availability and quality. It would also increase the risks of infectious and vector-borne diseases. Climate change impacts the geographical range, seasonality, and the incidence rate of vector-borne diseases, such as malaria. Climate-related ecological changes may expand cholera transmission, particularly among populations in low-laying tropical coastal areas. El Niño conditions may affect the incidence of infectious diseases, such as malaria. Ocean warming would increase temperature-sensitive toxins produced by phytoplankton, which could cause more frequent contamination of seafood. A clearer understanding on the current role of climate change in disease patterns will be able to improve forecasts of potential future impacts of projected climate change and support action to reduce such impacts.     

Acid mine drainage from inactive eastern coal operations

The most widely used technique for abatement of acid drainage from inactive surface mines and refuse disposal areas is revegetation of a soil cover applied to the waste material. Nonetheless, acid production often persists and in some cases, limits establishment of vegetation. This paper reports on several field studies intended to determine the location of pyrite oxidation zones and migration pathways of oxidation products at inactive spoil and refuse sites.Oxygen required for pyrite oxidation is believed to he provided in the gaseous state from the atmosphere. Therefore, the oxygen concentration in unsaturated mine waste should provide an estimate of the weathering tendency in the local environment. We are currently monitoring gas composition in refuse and spoil at six sites. Barren refuse appeared to be oxygenated (>2% 0₂) in a shallow zone extending less than 1 metre below the surface during most of the year. Preliminary data from coal spoil showed that oxygen can be available throughout the unsaturated thickness, even at a revegetated site. Gas composition varied vertically and laterally at a single site and also appeared to show seasonal dependence.Hydrologic factors are also important in acid production and transport. Discharge monitoring alone does not adequately describe the mass transport of acid products through the spoil. For example, at one reclaimed mine the mean sulfate content in six monitoring wells ranged from 24% to 240% of the mean concentration at the discharge point. Sources of recharge and relative flow rates determine the contribution of a particular zone to overall discharge quality.These basic studies of acid production and transport indicate some shortcomings of standard reclamation practices at certain sites. This information will he used to develop alternative abatement technology designed to mitigate acid production at the source.     

Solid wastes integrated management in Rio de Janeiro: input-output analysis

This paper analyzes the socioeconomic aspects of solid waste management in Rio de Janeiro. An "input-output" methodology was used to examine how the secondary product resulting from recycling is re-introduced into the productive process. A comparative profile was developed from the state of recycling and the various other aspects of solid waste management, both from the perspective of its economic feasibility and from the social aspects involved. This was done analyzing the greenhouse gas emissions and the decreased energy consumption. The effects of re-introducing recycled raw materials into the matrix and the ensuing reduction of the demand for virgin raw materials was based on the input-output matrix for the State of Rio de Janeiro. This paper also analyzes the energy savings obtained from recycling and measures the avoided emissions of greenhouse gases.     

Evaluating colloidal phosphorus delivery to surface waters from diffuse agricultural sources

Colloid-facilitated phosphorus (P) delivery from agricultural soils in different hydrological pathways was investigated using a series of laboratory and field experiments. A soil colloidal P test was developed that yields information on the propensity of different soils to release P attached to soil colloids. The relationship between turbidity of soil extracts and total phosphorus (TP) was significant (r2 = 0.996, p < 0.001) across a range of agricultural soils, and a strong positive relationship (r2 = 0.86, p < 0.001) was found between "colloidal P" (H2O-CaCl2 extracts) and turbidity. Linear regression of the proportion of fine clay (<2 microm) for each soil type evaluated against the (H2O-CaCl2) colloidal P fraction gave a weak but positive relationship (r2 = 0.38, p = 0.082). The relative contribution of different particle-size fractions in transporting P in agricultural runoff from grassland soils was evaluated using a randomized plot experiment. A significant difference (p = 0.05) in both TP and reactive phosphorus (RP) in subsurface flow was recorded for different particle-size fractions, with most TP transferred either in association with the 2-microm fraction or with the 0.001-microm or smaller fractions. Total P concentrations in runoff were higher from plots receiving P amendments compared with the zero-P plots; however, these differences were only significant for the >0.45-microm particle-size fractions (p = 0.05), and may be evidence of surface applications of organic and inorganic fertilizers being transferred through the soil either as intact organic colloids or attached to mineral particles. Our results highlight the potential for drainage water to mobilize colloids and associated P during rainfall events.     

Economic valuation of marsh areas for marine production processes

The relationship of natural marsh-estuarine systems to the economic productivity of marine systems is not well understood, at least in any quantitative sense. An approach is developed for relating blue crab economic productivity on Florida's Gulf Coast to marsh availability in the area. Previous efforts have not always applied economic concepts appropriately in attempts at such quantification. The marginal value productivity of marsh is shown to vary with alternative levels of marsh and effort in the fishery. The interaction and subsequent interdependence is shown to be statistically significant. Data availability on marginal response to marsh changes poses a severe obstacle to further progress.