Highlights of LNG risk technology

The authors have recently undertaken a major review of LNG consequence modeling, compiling a wide range of historical information with more recent experiments and modeling approaches in a book entitled “LNG Risk-Based Safety: Modeling and Consequence Analysis”. All the main consequence routes were reviewed – discharge, evaporation, pool and jet fire, vapor cloud explosions, rollover, and Rapid Phase Transitions (RPT’s). In the book, experimental data bases are assembled for tests on pool spread and evaporation, burn rates, dispersion, fire and radiation and effects on personnel and structures. The current paper presents selected highlights of interest: lessons learned from historical development and experience, comparison of predictions by various models, varying mechanisms for LNG spread of water, a modeling protocol to enable acceptance of newer models, and unresolved technical issues such as cascading failures, fire engulfment of a carrier, the circumstances for a possible LNG BLEVE, and accelerated evaporation by LNG penetration into water.     

Response of “Alamo” switchgrass tissue chemistry and biomass to nitrogen fertilization in West Tennessee,USA

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a perennial, warm-season grass that has been identified as a potential biofuel feedstock over a large part of North America. We examined above- and belowground responses to nitrogen fertilization in “Alamo” switchgrass grown in West Tennessee, USA. The fertilizer study included a spring and fall sampling of 5-year old switchgrass grown under annual applications of 0, 67, and 202 kg N ha^?1 (as ammonium nitrate). Fertilization changed switchgrass biomass allocation as indicated by root:shoot ratios. End-of-growing season root:shoot ratios (mean ± SE) declined significantly (P ≤ 0.05) at the highest fertilizer nitrogen treatment (2.16 ± 0.08, 2.02 ± 0.18, and 0.88 ± 0.14, respectively, at 0, 67, and 202 kg N ha^?1). Fertilization also significantly increased above- and belowground nitrogen concentrations and decreased plant C:N ratios. Data are presented for coarse live roots, fine live roots, coarse dead roots, fine dead roots, and rhizomes. At the end of the growing season, there was more carbon and nitrogen stored in belowground biomass than aboveground biomass. Fertilization impacted switchgrass tissue chemistry and biomass allocation in ways that potentially impact soil carbon cycle processes and soil carbon storage.     

Pesticide and agro-ecological transition: assessing the environmental and human impacts of pesticides and limiting their use

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

From wasteland to wetland: creating a community ecological resource from waste water in regional New South Wales

In areas where rivers have been altered and regulated through dams, the effect on wetland ecosystems can lead to 'wastage' of the land as natural systems are destroyed. In response to the effects of streamflow regulation on a wetland near the city of Albury, on the Murray River, the development of the Wonga Wetlands and associated site rehabilitation addresses two key issues: wasteland and waste water. A Community Advisory Committee has been actively and directly involved in the project, initiated and implemented by the Albury City Council, to restore an area of original wetland into a community ecological resource that utilises 100% of the domestic, commercial and industrial urban 'waste' water from the city's water treatment plant. This project represents a significant direction in the way communities and local governments approach resource recovery. This paper analyses the Wonga Wetlands project from the perspective of sustainable management of waste in terms of water resources and presents it as a model for community-based environmental application and long-term resource sustainability.     

Interpreting measures of economic loss: Evidence from contingent valuation and experimental studies

From the standpoint of conventional welfare theory, it is surprising that responses to contingent valuation studies of environmental goods have shown a consistent difference between willingness to pay and compensation demanded measures of economic loss. This paper examines these results in light of four reasons most often given as grounds for their dismissal. New experimental evidence supports an interpretation of the observed disparity in payment-and compensation-based measures as both real and psychologically meaningful. An alternative conceptual framework, suggested by prospect theory, is outlined and its relevance for economic assessments of potential environmental change is discussed briefly.     

Nestmate recognition and the ontogeny of acceptability in the ant,Leptothorax curvispinosus

Summary In social insects, there is often a brief period following eclosion when workers are highly acceptable in alien nests of their own or other species. This study tested for such an acceptance period in the facultatively polygynous ant, Leptothorax curvispinosus, and compared the duration and effectiveness of this period for conspecific and heterospecific introductions. Workers that eclosed and aged for 1–70 h or 30 days in isolation were introduced into either their parental nests (n=24), alien conspecific nests (n=265), or nests of the closely related and biologically similar species, L. longispinosus (n=341). In alien conspecific nests, acceptance was maximal for workers aged 1–12 h at introduction (67.7% not attacked, 75.8% adopted) and gradually decreased until the level of nonaggression (after 60 h) and adoption (after 36 h) were not significantly different from 30-day-old workers (5.9% not attacked, 17.6% adopted). In heterospecific nests, acceptance was maximal for workers aged 1–4 h at introduction (34.8% not attacked, 37.0% adopted) but thereafter was not significantly different from 30-day-old workers (5.6% not attacked, 8.3% adopted). In their parental nests, workers were generally accepted regardless of age (4–56 h posteclosion, 95.8% not attacked, 100% adopted); a result that is consistent with previous research on older workers (38–157 days posteclosion). This study demonstrates an acceptance period that is more effective and of longer duration within than between these species but that, under uniform laboratory conditions, is often not necessary for the integration of workers into their parental colonies. Within colonies, acceptance periods might only be important during relatively brief periods in a colony's life history when eclosing workers produce genetically based nestmate recongition cues that are not already represented in the colony and must be learned by colony members (e.g., during early colony growth or following adoption of queens), or when young workers must acquire environmentally based nestmate recognition cues to achieve and maintain acceptability.     

对太平洋岛屿的全球国际水域评估:跨界、水资源短缺和沿海渔业问题

跨界、水资源短缺和渔场问题以近期完成的太平洋岛屿全球国际水域评估(GIWA)结果为基础进行了讨论.太平洋岛屿水域面积3000万km2,占全球海洋面积的大约12%,在地理、人口和发展等方面具有多样性.全球性变化,尤其是海平面上升和海面温度的提高,是最主要的跨界关注的问题,因为它影响着生活的方方面面.水资源短缺和不可持续发展的海洋渔业问题也是讨论的议题,因为这些问题在可预见的将来会主宰整个地区,在此以斐济、基里巴斯、汤加的例子加以说明.社会经济因素,例如人口快速增长、城市化、传统生活方式的解体以及现金经济的发展,加剧了环境问题.本文提出了有助于解决这些问题的政策方案.     

Conceiving a fetus for bone marrow donation: An ethical problem in prenatal diagnosis

We present a family who sought prenatal diagnosis in order to bear a healthy child to serve as an HLA–identical bone marrow donor for their son affected with Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome. They intended to abort HLA-incompatible fetuses who would have been unsuitable bone marrow donors. This case led us to conclude that prenatal diagnosis should not be used to benefit a third party or facilitate the conception or abortion of a fetus for the purpose of generating an organ for transplantation. The limits of parental autonomy and physician responsibility are discussed.     

The Dynamics of Rural Vulnerability to Global Change: The Case of southern Africa

Research on the agricultural impacts of global change frequently emphasizesthe physical and socioeconomic impacts of climate change, yet globalchanges associated with the internationalization of economic activity mayalso have significant impacts on food systems. Together, climate change andglobalization are exposing farmers to new and unfamiliar conditions.Although some farmers may be in a position to take advantage of thesechanges, many more are facing increased vulnerability, particularly in thedeveloping world. This paper considers the dynamics of agriculturalvulnerability to global change through the example of southern Africa. Wedemonstrate that the combination of global and national economic changesis altering the context under which southern African farmers cope withclimate variability and adapt to long-term change. We find that farmers whoformerly had difficulty adapting to climatic variability may become lessvulnerable to drought-related food shortages as the result of tradeliberalization. At the same time, however, removal of national credit andsubsidies may constrain or limit adaptation strategies of other farmers,leaving them more vulnerable to climate variability and change.