Recent Evolution of Petroleum Exploration and Exploitation Agreements in Developing Countries: New Approaches to Introduce More Flexibility and Progressivity in the Contractual Terms

Over the last decade rather important changes have occurred in the legal and economic aspects of international petroleum agreements for exploration and exploitation. In the late nineteen seventies, as a consequence of the strong increase in oil prices, there was a general tightening of contractual terms and conditions. With the present oil market imbalance, characterized by sharp price falls, there is a tendency to ease the applicable contractual terms. In such a rapidly changing environment, the economic terms contained in a petroleum agreement should be properly designed to introduce a certain element of flexibility and progressivity in regard to the government take, without unduly complicating the fiscal package or discouraging potential investors. This is the present challenge for international petroleum negotiators.     

评价农场尺度上养分和微量元素动态变化的一个系统方法:以(O)jebyn奶牛场的研究为例

通过把全面的农田试验和矿质风化释放养分以及微量元素循环具体研究结合起来,用一个系统分析方法来评价农场尺度上的养分和微量元素可持续性.为了比较有机和常规农业管理方式,在瑞典北部的Ojebyn奶牛场进行了一个包括磷、钾和锌在内的农场尺度上的实例研究.通过结合不同的元素平衡法(农场总体尺度、畜舍尺度和农田尺度)以及进一步把这些方法应用到FARMFLOw模型,我们能够把子系统内质量流和库结合起来并建立子系统之间联系,来进行农场尺度上的预测.研究发现农场内部的元素流动大,而且农场有内部源(锌)和损失项(钾).在Ojebyn奶牛场形成并得到验证的方法是很有前途的,认为可以应用到任何农场.     

Effects of the antibacterial agents tiamulin,olanquindox and metronidazole and the anthelmintic ivermectin on the soil invertebrate species Folsomia fimetaria (Collembola) and Enchytraeus crypticus (Enchytraeidae)

Veterinary pharmaceutical products such as antibacterial agents and antiparasitics are widely used to control diseases and promote production in the agricultural sector. Exposure of non-target organisms are a likely result of using manure from treated live stocks or from dung dropped on the field by grazing animals. The aim of this study was to determine the toxic threshold levels of three antibacterial agents (tiamulin, olanquindox and metronidazole) and one anthelmintic (ivermectin) to two species of soil dwelling organisms (springtails and enchytraeids), that are often found in bio-solids such as manure or dung. The antibacterial agents were not toxic to adults and effects on reproduction occurred generally above concentrations normally found in soil or dung. The threshold values for toxicity (10% reduced reproduction or EC10 values) were in the range of 61-111 mg kg(-1) dry soil for springtails and 83-722 mg kg(-1) dry soil for enchytraeids. Ivermectin was significantly more toxic with EC10 values of 0.26 mg kg(-1) dry soil for the springtails and 14 mg kg(-1) dry soil for the enchytraeids. A comparison of these results with rough estimates of likely and worse case environmental concentrations indicates a potential risk of ivermectin to non-target species such as springtails and enchytraeids, whereas direct toxic effect of antibacterial agents is very unlikely to occur at environmental realistic concentrations. However, indirect effects of antibacterial agents driven through changes in the food web cannot be abolished at this stage.     

Toxicity of eight polycyclic aromatic compounds to red clover (Trifolium pratense), ryegrass (Lolium perenne), and mustard (Sinapsis alba)

The effect of eight polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) on the seed emergence and early life-stage growth of three terrestrial plants (Sinapsis alba, Trifolium pratense and Lolium perenne) were studied in a greenhouse, using a Danish agricultural soil with an organic carbon content of 1.6%. After three weeks of exposure, seed emergence and seedling weight (fresh weight and dry weight) were determined. Exposure concentrations were verified with chemical analysis. The substances tested were four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (fluoranthene, pyrene, phenanthrene and fluorene), the N-, S-, and O-substituted analogues of fluorene (carbazole, dibenzothiophene and dibenzofuran, respectively), and the quinoline representative acridine. Seedling growth was a far more sensitive endpoint than seed emergence for all substances. Concentrations estimated to give a 20% reduction of seedling fresh weight (EC20-values) ranged from 36 to 290 mgkg(-1) for carbazole, 43 to 93 mgkg(-1) for dibenzofuran, 37 to 110 mgkg(-1) for dibenzothiophene, 140 to 650 mgkg(-1) for fluoranthene, 55 to 380 mgkg(-1) for fluorene, 37 to 300 mgkg(-1) for phenanthrene, and 49 to 1300 mgkg(-1) for pyrene. For acridine, no toxicity was observed within the concentration range tested (1-1000 mgkg(-1)). As illustrated by the EC20-values, there was a rather large difference in sensitivity between the species, and T. pratense was the most sensitive of the species tested.     

Relative sensitivity of one freshwater and two marine acute toxicity tests as determined by testing 30 offshore E & P chemicals

Acute toxicity of 30 offshore E & P (Exploration and Production) chemicals was measured using the three standard test organisms Daphnia magna (freshwater cladoceran), Acartia tonsa (marine copepod) and Skeletonema costatum (marine diatom alga). Test chemicals included 20 water-soluble and 10 (partially) non-soluble products. For 22 out of the 30 chemicals, the difference in sensitivity between the three tests varied within one order of magnitude. A very good correlation was found between the two marine tests (r = 0.96, P < 0.01, n = 30), and a correlation coefficient of r = 0.78 (P < 0.01, n = 30) was found between D. magna and both A. tonsa and S. costatum, individually. When the comparison of D. magna and A. tonsa sensitivity was based only on the water-soluble chemicals, a significantly higher correlation was obtained (r = 0.84, n = 20), indicating that the sample preparation method used for the (partially) non-soluble chemicals (the water accommodated fraction (WAF) method) induces additional variation between tests performed with different test media. (Partially) non-soluble chemicals are characterised by phase separation or precipitation at the concentrations used for testing. In a WAF-based test, each test concentration/exposure level is prepared separately, and following mixing and separation, only the water phase is used for testing. Toxicity is related to the amount of substance originally added to the mixing vessels. For 25 of the 30 chemicals, D. magna was found to be less sensitive than the marine copepod by a factor >2. The generally higher sensitivity of the marine toxicity tests compared to the Daphnia test emphasise the importance of using marine data for environmental hazard classification as well as for environmental risk assessment purposes.     

HPLC-DRC-ICP-MS检测四种尿砷化合物

拟建立检测尿液中As(Ⅲ)、DMA(Ⅴ)、MMA(Ⅴ)和As(Ⅴ)4种砷化合物形态的HPLC-DRC-ICP-MS的方法。采用DRCTM(反应气为O2)与HPLC联用作为检测器,Phenomenex ODS-3作为分离柱,5 mmol/L四丁基羟胺,3 mmol/L丙二酸,5%(体积分数)甲醇为流动相(pH=5.0~6.0),建立了同时分析尿液中As(Ⅲ)、DMA(Ⅴ)、MMA(Ⅴ)和As(Ⅴ)的方法。实验结果显示:该分析方法对上述4种砷化合物的检测限均在0.1μg/L以下,在1~20μg/L范围内线性关系良好,准确度和精密度良好,回收率为89%~106%,样品中的Cl-1对测定没有影响。所建立的HPLC-DRC-ICP-MS分析方法稳定、可靠,适用于快速、批量测定尿砷形态。     

A systems approach to assess farm-scale nutrient and trace element dynamics: a case study at the Ojebyn dairy farm

A systems analysis approach was used to assess farmscale nutrient and trace element sustainability by combining full-scale field experiments with specific studies of nutrient release from mineral weathering and trace-element cycling. At the Ojebyn dairy farm in northern Sweden, a farm-scale case study including phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and zinc (Zn) was run to compare organic and conventional agricultural management practices. By combining different element-balance approaches (at farmgate, barn, and field scales) and further adapting these to the FARMFLOW model, we were able to combine mass flows and pools within the subsystems and establish links between subsystems in order to make farm-scale predictions. It was found that internal element flows on the farm are large and that there are farm internal sources (Zn) and loss terms (K). The approaches developed and tested at the Ojebyn farm are promising and considered generally adaptable to any farm.     

城市可持续发展评价的分指数及综合指数公式

在指标按特征分类的基础上，提出了城市可持续发展评价分类指标的分指数公式和多类别组合的综合指数公式。应用遗传算法对公式中的参数进行优化，得到简单而适用的城市可持续发展评价模型。模型应用于全国“七五”，“八五”可持续发展评价结果与实际分析结果一致。该模型具有可比性强，通用性好和简单，实用的特点。     

UV/H2O2/微曝气联用工艺对BP的去除

采用新型工艺UV/H2O2/微曝气对水中内分泌干扰物(EDCs)4-叔丁基苯酚(BP)的降解进行研究.结果表明,UV/H2O2/微曝气工艺比UV/H2O2工艺可以更为有效地去除水中BP;UV/H2O2/微曝气联用工艺降解BP受BP初始浓度值、UV光强、初始H2O2投加浓度以及溶液初始pH影响较大.随着光强的增大,BP的降解速率呈线性增长;在329～882μg/L浓度范围内,k1随着浓度的增大而逐步降低;随着初始H2O2投加浓度从1mg/L上升到20mg/L,k1几乎呈线性增长;当BP溶液pH值为3.94时,UV/H2O2/微曝气对BP的降解速率最大.     

MODELING NITROGEN UPTAKE AND POTENTIAL NITRATE LEACHING UNDER DIFFERENT IRRIGATION PROGRAMS IN NITROGEN-FERTILIZED TOMATO USING THE COMPUTER PROGRAM NLEAP

Readily available nitrogen (N) sources such as ammonium nitrate with excessive irrigation present a potential hazard for the environment. The computer program Nitrate Leaching and Economic Analysis Package (NLEAP) is a mechanistic model developed for rapid site-specific estimates of nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N) moving below the root zone in agricultural crops and potantial impacts of NO₃-N leaching into groundwater. In this study, the value of NLEAP was tested to simulate N uptake by crops and NO₃-N leaching parameters in large lysimeters under the tomato crop. Three seedlings of tomato variety of H-2274 (Lycopersicum esculentum L.) were transplanted into each lysimeter. N fertilizer at the rate of 140 kg N ha^–1 was sidedressed in two split applications, the first half as ammonium sulphate and the second half as ammonium nitrate. The lysimeters were irrigated based on programs of C 0.75, 1.00, 1.25 and 1.50, C referring to class A-Pan evaporation coefficients. Parameters such as leaching index (LI), annual leaching risk potential (ALRP), N available for leaching (NAL), amount of NO₃-N leached (NL) and amount of N taken up by the crops (NU) were estimated using the NLEAP computer model. To test the ability of model to simulate N uptake and NL, measured values were compared with simulated values. Significant correlations, R² = 0.92 and P < 0.03 for the first year and R² = 0.86 and P < 0.06 for the second year, were found between measured and simulated values for crop N consumption, indicating that the NLEAP model adequately described crop N uptake under the varied irrigation programs using an optimal N fertilization program for the experimental site. Significant correlations, R² = 0.96 and P < 0.01 for the first year and R² = 0.97 and P < 0.01 for the second year, were also found between measured and simulated values of NL, indicating that the NLEAP model also adequately predicted NL under the varied irrigation programs. Therefore, this computer model can be useful to estimate the NO₃-N moving beyond the root zone under conditions in which the present experiment was carried out. Also, the NLEAP-estimated NAL values and other parameters can also be used to improve N management practices and N fertilizer recommendations that will help to decrease the adverse effect of N fertilizer on groundwater quality and farm profitability.