Similarities and differences of metal distributions in the tissues of molluscs by using multivariate analyses

Multivariate analysis including correlation, multiple stepwise linear regression, and cluster analyses were applied to investigate the heavy metal concentrations (Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the different parts of bivalves and gastropods. It was also aimed to distinguish statistically the differences between the marine bivalves and the gastropods with regards to the accumulation of heavy metals in the different tissues. The different parts of four species of bivalves and four species of gastropods were obtained and analyzed for heavy metals. The multivariate analyses were then applied on the data. From the multivariate analyses conducted, there were correlations found between the soft tissues of bivalves and gastropods, but none was found between the shells and the soft tissues of most of the molluscs (except for Cerithidea obtusa and Puglina cochlidium). The significant correlations (P < 0.05) found between the soft tissues were further complemented by the multiple stepwise linear regressions where heavy metals in the total soft tissues were influenced by the accumulation in the different types of soft tissues. The present study found that the distributions of heavy metals in the different parts of molluscs were related to their feeding habits and living habitats. The statistical approaches proposed in this study are recommended for use in biomonitoring studies, since multivariate analyses can reduce the cost and time involved in identifying an effective tissue to monitor the heavy metal(s) bioavailability and contamination in tropical coastal waters.     

洪水作用下汽车的起动流速研究

针对洪水作用下汽车的起动条件开展了一系列的研究:首先分析部分淹没状态下汽车的受力情况,结合滑动平衡的临界起动条件建立相关方程,导出了洪水中汽车起动流速公式;然后在室内水槽中对三款模型车进行了一系列的起动试验。试验结果表明:对于同一款模型车,平行于水流方向放置时,起动流速与水深的相关性较好;并且水深越大,起动流速越小。接着运用试验资料率定了起动流速公式中的相关参数。最后采用模型相似率及率定后的计算公式估算了原型车辆在不同水深下的起动流速,两种方法所得的结果较为接近,故预测结果较为可靠。     

论可持续发展的物质体系

可持续发展的物质体系包括资源、环境和生态。可持续发展的终极基础是资源物质变换，可持续发展的生存依托是环境，可持续发展的动态载体是生态平衡网络。本文通过分析资源、环境和生态之间的关系与相互作用，提出了可持续发展的基础是物质体系的观点。     

Game theory approach to the analysis of inter-plant water integration in an eco-industrial park

Industrial water conservation is an important adaptation to the effects of climate change. In addition to water conservation within individual plants, wastewater can be reused/recycled among different companies through inter-plant water integration (IPWI) schemes. Such schemes are based on the concept of industrial ecology and industrial symbiosis, and can be used to achieve greater water savings than when water conservation is implemented in individual companies separately. However, in IPWI, each participating company seeks to maximise its own benefits. In the absence of centralised authority dictating the terms of water integration schemes, conventional modelling techniques are not appropriate. This paper shows how a game theory-based approach can be used to analyse the interaction of participating companies in an eco-industrial park seeking to develop an IPWI scheme.     

Community-based adaptation in low-lying islands in the Philippines: challenges and lessons learned

Community-based adaptation (CBA) seeks to address climate risks and socio-economic drivers of vulnerability simultaneously. However, as CBA activities appear very similar to standard development work, difficulties in identifying good practices arise. To clarify the role of CBA, this study elucidated how climate change can impact pre-existing development problems by investigating the experiences of four low-lying island communities in central Philippines. The islands currently suffer from frequent and extreme tidal flooding (following an earthquake-induced land subsidence in 2013, with a magnitude that is broadly similar to sea-level rise projections under a 1.5 to 2 °C global warming scenario), and endured a dry spell in 2016. The study also identified various publicly and privately initiated adaptation strategies, and evaluated their resilience against actual biophysical events. The study conducted focus group discussions with local leaders and in-depth interviews with government officials and residents in March 2016. Results show that tidal flooding impacted almost all aspects of daily life on the islands, while the dry spell completely depleted their limited water supplies. The strategies implemented by governments and NGOs (e.g., seawalls, rainwater collectors) were found to be inadequate in preventing tidal flooding and compensating for the dry spell. Also, communities used coral stones and plastic waste for raising the floors of their homes, which have an erosive effect on their capacity to adapt in the long term. Lack of community participation in publicly initiated projects and lack of adaptation funding for community-based strategies were the greatest obstacles to implementing climate-resilient solutions.     

An improved graph convolutional network with feature and temporal attention for multivariate water quality prediction

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The analysis and prediction of water quality are of great significance to water quality management and pollution control. In general, current water...     

战略环境评价（SEA）和可持续发展

SEA的作用不仅仅在于将EIA（环境影响评价）扩展到更具战略意义的决策层，它还是迈向可持续发展的关键一步，它有助于从政策到计划、规划吧至最后的项目遵循可持续发展目标，SEA是联系目前正在进行的项目EIA和使人类活动达到维持环境质量这一目标的纽带，文章讨论了SEA开展的必要性，介绍了SEA的2种类型，结合英国开展的实例，论述了“遵循型”SEA的主要内容及其应用前景。     

An inquiry into the potential of scenario analysis for dealing with uncertainty in strategic environmental assessment in China

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) inherently needs to address greater levels of uncertainty in the formulation and implementation processes of strategic decisions, compared with project environmental impact assessment. The range of uncertainties includes internal and external factors of the complex system that is concerned in the strategy. Scenario analysis is increasingly being used to cope with uncertainty in SEA. Following a brief introduction of scenarios and scenario analysis, this paper examines the rationale for scenario analysis in SEA in the context of China. The state of the art associated with scenario analysis applied to SEA in China was reviewed through four SEA case analyses. Lessons learned from these cases indicated the word “scenario” appears to be abused and the scenario-based methods appear to be misused due to the lack of understanding of an uncertain future and scenario analysis. However, good experiences were also drawn on, regarding how to integrate scenario analysis into the SEA process in China, how to cope with driving forces including uncertainties, how to combine qualitative scenario storylines with quantitative impact predictions, and how to conduct assessments and propose recommendations based on scenarios. Additionally, the ways to improve the application of this tool in SEA were suggested. We concluded by calling for further methodological research on this issue and more practices.     

Does energy consumption contribute to environmental pollutants? evidence from SAARC countries

The objective of the study is to examine the causal relationship between energy consumption and environmental pollutants in selected South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, namely, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Srilanka, over the period of 1975–2011. The results indicate that energy consumption acts as an important driver to increase environmental pollutants in SAARC countries. Granger causality runs from energy consumption to environmental pollutants, but not vice versa, except carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in Nepal where there exists a bidirectional causality between CO₂ and energy consumption. Methane emissions in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Srilanka and extreme temperature in India and Srilanka do not Granger cause energy consumption via both routes, which holds neutrality hypothesis. Variance decomposition analysis shows that among all the environmental indicators, CO₂ in Bangladesh and Nepal exerts the largest contribution to changes in electric power consumption. Average precipitation in India, methane emissions in Pakistan, and extreme temperature in Srilanka exert the largest contribution.