北极耐冷石油降解菌的筛选、鉴定及其碳源利用广谱性

从北极不同海底沉积物样品中富集、分离得到50株能以石油作为唯一碳源和能源的北极耐冷石油降解菌株,命名为BJ1、BJ2…BJ50,用红外分光光度法测定培养基中剩余油含量,选出降解率较高的菌株BJ1、BJ9和BJ19;通过形态学观察、生理生化试验和16S rDNA序列分析,将BJ1、BJ9和BJ19鉴定为假交替单胞菌属(Pseudoalteromonas,P.);以常见石油产品和石油中典型直链烷烃和芳香烃为唯一碳源培养的结果表明,该三株菌能在低温下利用多种碳源。研究结果表明,BJ1、BJ9和BJ19均为海洋耐冷石油降解菌,且对碳源的利用具有广谱性。     

Factors affecting the evacuation decisions of coastal households during Cyclone Aila in Bangladesh

Despite sincere efforts by concerned agencies and recent improvements in hazard warnings, thousands of at-risk people did not evacuate during Aila, a category-I tropical cyclone that struck southwestern coastal Bangladesh in 2009. This study investigated the responses of the people affected by Aila to cyclone warnings and associated evacuation orders, and unveiled behavioural aspects that explain why they did or did not comply with the evacuation orders. Utilising the primary data collected from 420 households living in the severely affected coastal sub-district Koyra, located in Khulna District, this study found that although more than 97% of the households had received cyclone warnings and evacuation orders before Aila's landfall, only around 26% had evacuated. We also examined this study's empirical findings for factors that had dissuaded people from complying with the evacuation orders. Relevant test statistics along with results from principal component analysis suggested that the significant and systematic absenteeism of households from disaster preparedness training appears to be one of the key determinants that affected their evacuation decisions, along with factors related to warning messages, the attributes of cyclone shelters, risk perception, and socioeconomic aspects. A number of recommendations are also presented in this study for people at risk to improve their evacuation rates in future emergencies, not only to save their own lives but also to save their livestock.     

环渤海区域典型河流下游水体中抗生素赋存状况及风险评估

利用高效液相色谱-串联质谱法分析了环渤海区域典型河流下游水体中6类58种抗生素的赋存特征,采用生态风险模型和人类健康风险模型分别评估了抗生素对生态和人体的健康风险.结果显示:环渤海区域4大典型河流(小凌河、滦河、黄河和大辽河)下游水体中有6类50种抗生素被检出,青霉素G浓度水平最高,最高浓度为353.13ng/L.β-...     

我国典型土壤上重金属污染对番茄根伸长的抑制毒性效应

采用盆栽试验观测了我国3种典型土壤——黄泥土、褐土、红壤上不同重金属(铜、锌、铅)作用下敏感植物番茄的根伸长,其中黄泥土和褐土上重金属添加量范围为Cu(0～2000mg·kg-1)、Zn(0～4000mg·kg-1)和Pb(0～5000mg·kg-1),红壤上为Cu(0～400mg·kg-1)、Zn(0～750mg·kg-1)和Pb(0～2000mg·kg-1).对不同土壤上Cu、Zn、Pb对番茄的根伸长抑制率进行了比较,以阐明不同土壤上重金属种类及用量对蔬菜根生长的抑制及毒性效应.结果表明,相同Cu、Zn、Pb污染水平(添加量)下,土壤中重金属对番茄的根伸长抑制率大小顺序基本表现为:红壤>黄泥土>褐土.番茄对红壤中的重金属最敏感,其次是黄泥土,再次是褐土.番茄对不同重金属的毒性响应不同,对Cu最敏感,Zn和Pb次之.土壤中有效态重金属含量与番茄根伸长呈显著(p<0.05)或极显著(p<0.01)负相关,表明有效态重金属含量是影响蔬菜根伸长的重要因素.     

Financial services and disaster risk finance: Examples from the community level

Increased attention has recently been given to the possible role of financial services in the management of natural disaster risk. Local communities have been at the forefront of developing innovative disaster risk finance strategies and implementing risk-oriented incentive programs. In view of increasing risks, including the impacts of climate change, such programs will become more important. This paper examines four models and some recent experiences in using financial services at the community level. The paper offers an overview of advantages and limitations of each model to manage disaster risk in communities. Examples include a federal government initiated scheme of social protection funds, a local government risk reduction scheme, an insurance product provided by a non-governmental organization, and a micro-insurance scheme. Finally, the paper offers some directions about specific ways that the public and private sectors, in collaboration with other partners can improve finance alternatives for disaster management at the community level. It appears that a range of follow-up studies and further dialogue is needed, in order to expand the knowledge on what types of risk finance models can help manage and reduce the financial impacts of natural disasters.     

Are Life Patents Ethical? Conflict between Catholic Social Teaching and Agricultural Biotechnology's Patent Regime

Patents for genetic material in theindustrialized North have expandedsignificantly over the past twenty years,playing a crucial role in the currentconfiguration of the agricultural biotechnologyindustries, and raising significant ethicalissues. Patents have been claimed for genes,gene sequences, engineered crop species, andthe technical processes to engineer them. Mostcritics have addressed the human and ecosystemhealth implications of genetically engineeredcrops, but these broad patents raise economicissues as well. The Catholic social teachingtradition offers guidelines for critiquing theeconomic implications of this new patentregime. The Catholic principle of the universaldestination of goods implies that genes, genesequences, and engineered crop varieties areineligible for patent protection, although theprocesses to engineer these should be eligible.Religious leaders are likely to make a moresubstantive contribution to debates aboutagricultural biotechnology by addressing theselife patents than by speculating that geneticengineering is ``playing God.'     

高效液相色谱-串联质谱法分析水体中六溴环十二烷异构体

建立了高效液相色谱-串联质谱(HPLC-MS-MS)准确测定水体中六溴环十二烷(HBCD)3种异构体(α-HBCD、β-HBCD、y-HBCD)残留量的方法.样品添加13C-HBCD后,以二氯甲烷液液萃取,萃取液经硅胶柱净化后,以甲醇-0.2％氨水溶液为流动相通过BDS-C18色谱柱进行分离,采用电喷雾电离(ESI)、负离子模式对HBCD异构体进行分析.该方法线性范围为0.5 ～ 100 μg/L,α-HBCD、β-HBCD、γ-HBCD 3种异构体检出限分别为0.42、0.52、0.48 ng/L,平均回收率分别为88％、84％、86％,相对标准偏差均小于6.5％.应用该法对黄海沿岸21个采样站位水样进行分析,其中13个采样站位有HBCD 3种异构体的检出,表明该法适用于水体中HBCD的检测.     

Determination of Fine Particulate Semi-Volatile Organic Material at Three Eastern U.S. Sampling Sites

ABSTRACT

Correct assessment of fine particulate carbonaceous material as a function of particle size is, in part, dependent on the determination of semi-volatile compounds, which can be lost from particles during sampling. This study gives results obtained for the collection of fine particulate carbonaceous material at three eastern U.S. sampling sites [Philadelphia, PA; Shenandoah National Park, VA; and Research Triangle Park (RTP), NC] using diffusion denuder technology. The diffusion denuder samplers allow for the determination of fine particulate organic material with no artifacts, due to the loss of semi-volatile organic particulate compounds, or collection of gas-phase organic compounds by the quartz filter during sampling. The results show that an average of 41, 43, and 59% of fine particulate organic material was lost as volatilized semi-volatile organic material during collection of particles on a filter at Philadelphia, RTP, and Shenandoah, respectively. The particle size distribution of carbonaceous material retained by a filter and lost from a filter during sampling was obtained for the samples collected at Philadelphia and Shenandoah. The carbonaceous material retained by the particles during sampling was found predominantly in particles smaller than 0.4 μm in aerodynamic diameter. In contrast, the semi-volatile organic material lost from the particles during sampling had a mass median diameter of ~0.5 μm.     

From fatalism to resilience: reducing disaster impacts through systematic investments

This paper describes a method for reducing the economic risks associated with predictable natural hazards by enhancing the resilience of national infrastructure systems. The three-step generalised framework is described along with examples. Step one establishes economic baseline growth without the disaster impact. Step two characterises economic growth constrained by a disaster. Step three assesses the economy's resilience to the disaster event when it is buffered by alternative resiliency investments. The successful outcome of step three is a disaster-resistant core of infrastructure systems and social capacity more able to maintain the national economy and development post disaster. In addition, the paper considers ways to achieve this goal in data-limited environments. The method provides a methodology to address this challenge via the integration of physical and social data of different spatial scales into macroeconomic models. This supports the disaster risk reduction objectives of governments, donor agencies, and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.