Microalgae biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles for application in the control of agricultural pathogens

The occurrence of diseases in cultivars has caused significant losses in global food production. The advancement of nanobiotechnology makes it possible to obtain new products to be used in the control of pathogens in cultivars. Silver nanoparticles can be synthesized by microalgae and are widely known for their antimicrobial activity. In addition, the biomass produced in microalgal culture for the biosynthesis of the nanoparticles also demonstrates antimicrobial properties, as it can increase the antibacterial and antifungal potential of the silver nanoparticles. In this context, this article addresses the use of microalgae to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles simultaneously with biomass production. In addition, we demonstrate the antimicrobial potential of these nanomaterials, as well as of the microalgal biomass produced in biosynthesis, to use in the control of pathogens in agriculture.     

用后向空气轨迹方法对胶州湾主要大气污染物分布的分析

采用青岛崂山点位2005-2009年的大气监测数据,利用HYSPLIT4.8模式和象限分析方法,计算出污染物的方位贡献情况,判断出胶州湾大气污染物的传输路径主要为北、西北和西部路径,S02、N02和PM10在北部和西北部象限的5年平均贡献率分别为25.32％和28.21％、21.16％和21.53％以及20.25％和22.83％,这与胶州湾东方和东南方为海洋、北方和西北方为工业城市有关.通过个例分析得出的传输路径与象限分析的结果一致.另一方面,胶州湾地区的主要污染物在过去5年中的年均值浓度变化显示,SD2浓度呈下降趋势,NO2浓度呈上升趋势,PM10浓度变化趋势不明显.为调查青岛市和周边5个省污染物排放水平对胶州湾污染物分布的影响,分析了2005-2009年的相关环境统计数据,SO,的排放量下降,燃料煤消耗量、氮氧化物排放量以及机动车数量逐年升高可能是导致胶州湾地区污染物浓度变化的原因.     

Campaign contributions,lobbying and post‐Katrina contracts

This research explores the relationship between political campaign contributions, lobbying and post‐Hurricane Katrina cleanup and reconstruction contracts. Specifically, a case‐control study design is used to determine whether campaign contributions to national candidates in the 2000–04 election cycles and/or the employment of lobbyists and lobbying firms increased a company's probability of receiving a post‐hurricane contract. Results indicate that both a campaign contribution dichotomous variable and the dollar amount of contributions are significantly related to whether a company received a contract, but that lobbying activity was not. These findings are discussed in the context of previous research on the politics of natural disasters, government contracting and governmental and corporate deviance.     

山东省水泥行业CO_2减排关键技术的实施分析

由于社会对水泥需求的不断增长,多年来山东省水泥工业一直处于快速发展时期。作为国民经济的基础工业同时也是高耗能行业,山东省水泥行业面临着巨大的CO2减排压力。同时,技术自身的先进性决定了其相应的减排潜力,而减排效果的实现程度则取决于技术的推广度。在技术的推广过程中,其减排潜力、减排成本以及相关的政策支持都是关键性的影响因素,针对技术实施障碍进行深入的分析和探讨对实际减排效果的预测具有重要的意义。本研究利用长期能源替代规划系统软件建立了LEAP-Shandong Cement模型,对山东省水泥行业的CO2排放量及相应的减排潜力进行了模拟评估。到2020年,相对于基准情景,政策情景和技术情景下的减排潜力分别为8.2%和15.6%。山东省水泥行业实现减排主要依靠窑型的替代和相应技术的进步,其中余热发电技术改进为近期的重点减排技术,在水泥行业减排兼具显著的环境、经济和社会效益。     

基于工业化视角的能源效率评价方法与实证研究

节能减排潜力的准确评估依赖于对能源效率的科学评价,而能源效率评价又涉及到能源与经济发展的关系问题。20世纪90年代以来,中国的工业化一直处于快速推进阶段,对能源依赖较强的高耗能行业成为经济增长的主要推动力。因此,中国工业化进程中的能源效率评价必须结合工业化背景下的经济增长理论与实践。与单要素能源效率方法相比,全要素能源效率方法及多目标情形下的能源效率评价模型是评价工业化经济体能源效率的一个较好分析框架。该分析框架以工业化、经济增长为背景,以生产函数为依托,不仅可以比较准确地衡量重要经济变量不断变化条件下能源与其他要素之间的替代效应,而且可以反映出一个国家或地区在特定经济发展阶段、要素禀赋结构以及经济激励机制下能源使用的综合水平,使评价结果更符合中国正处于工业化过程的经济现实。在该分析框架的基础上,结合工业行业面板数据,对中国工业部门的能源效率进行了实证测算。     

Policy Options for Sustainable Development in Urban Transport: Analysis of Energy Consumption and Environmental Benefit Influenced by Different Transport Policies in Beijing

Transportation is a sector with high energy consumption as well as high emissions. Generally speaking, economic growth will inevitably lead to the increase of travel demand and vehicle population, which in turn results into the augmentation of environmental and social costs. For metropolis like Beijing under rapid development, there exist various possibilities and options for transport development policy instruments. But there is no guarantee that they will be suitable for Beijing, although they are effective in their local places. This article assesses what kind of policy can most effectively improve the traffic conditions in Beijing in the future. After literature reviews on the practices of foreign policy and we established several feasible scenarios. Then, we used the Long Range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LREAP) analyzed their corresponding results of reduced energy consumption and emissions. Finally, by simulating and computing the realistic Beijing transportation scenarios, this paper scientifically assesses what kind of policy can most effectively improve the traffic condition in Beijing in the coming decade.     

公共危机管理中的组织学习研究

目前国外对危机管理的研究已经趋于成熟,已经进一步提出了在危机中学习的概念并取得一些进展。而在经历了几次大的危机之后,国内学者开始关注公共危机管理。随着危机种类越来越多,发生频率越来越高,政府的公共部门必须要具备组织学习的能力。但是国内对于组织学习研究在公共管理领域的延伸还十分有限,我国仅少量学者探讨了学习型政府,对其它类型公共部门的组织学习研究则更为罕见。显然,这种研究的缺失不利于公共组织构建组织学习能力和提高服务水平。未来的国内学习型组织研究需要在公共组领域有所突破,特别是危机情境下的公共组织学习。因此本文以分析文献的方式,借鉴国内外学者对公共危机管理,以及组织学习的研究,希望能为公共部门组织学习的深层探索提供思路。     

Modelling the economic consequences of the EU Water Framework Directive for Dutch agriculture

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires member states to take measures to ensure that bodies of water will be in good chemical and ecological condition by 2015. Important measures to achieve this goal include reducing emissions of nitrogen (N) and phosphate (P₂O₅) from manure and mineral fertilizers into the environment. In regions with a high livestock density, this measure is expected to affect agricultural production and income. To quantify these effects, an environmental economic model is required that can assess alternatives capable of reducing N and P₂O₅ potential emissions to water. In this paper, we develop a model that is capable of analysing changes in potential emissions to water of N and P₂O₅ and apply it to the Netherlands, a country with large nutrient emissions. Compared to a 2015 reference scenario based on current efforts to reduce nutrient emissions, we found that the WFD measures will increase regional transport and export of manure and reduce the number of animals in the Netherlands. Fodder adjustments (defined as lower N and P₂O₅ input in purchased fodder) to decrease nutrient excretion in manure were a less attractive option than amongst others export, transportation of manure to another region, land use changes or reduction of the number of livestock. Compared to the reference scenario in 2015, total agricultural income will decrease by about €81.5 million per year (about €49/ha per year), although the effects will differ among parts of the Netherlands and agricultural sectors. The average predicted decrease in N emissions from agricultural sites, vulnerable to leaching into bodies of water will be almost 20% or approximately 14.7 kg N/ha per year. The reduction in N emissions to air from animal sheds, manure storage systems, application of animal manure and mineral fertilisers to the crops and grazing animals equals 6.5% or 5 kg ammonia (NH₃) per hectare.     

The Prestige oil spill and its economic impact on the Galician fishing sector

The sinking of the Prestige oil tanker on 18 November 2002 off the coast of Galicia, Spain, had important economic, environmental and social ramifications. The aim of this paper is to carry out an initial analysis of the costs related to a halt in fishing activities in Galicia between November 2002 and December 2003. This involves three different steps: an assessment of the cost of the preventative and palliative measures introduced by Spanish public administrations (compensation for affected fishermen and shellfish fisherman); an indirect evaluation of the implications of the disaster (via a study of data on production); and a direct appraisal of the economic impact of the event (reduction in income), using questionnaires completed by a representative sample of fishermen and shellfish fisherman. The results obtained from these three methods of estimating losses are compatible. By December 2003, losses to the Galician fishing sector stood at an estimated EUR 76 million.     

How inclusive is inclusive recycling? Recyclers’ perspectives on a cross-sector partnership in Santiago de Chile

Inclusive recycling is the inspiring slogan of a project relying on a cross-sector (public–private–civil society) partnership implemented in Latin America with the objective to improve the socioeconomic conditions of recyclers. Through a qualitative study in Santiago de Chile, this paper seeks to understand how inclusive inclusive recycling is, by assessing how organised recyclers perceive the goals, the process, and the outcomes of this project. The main findings converge in observing a general low inclusion of recyclers, but they also enable to decompose the notion of inclusion into three dimensions: “inclusive goals” refers to the extent to which the goals of the recyclers are taken into account when designing the collaboration project; “inclusive process” refers to the extent to which recyclers are involved in the process of implementing the project; and “inclusive outcomes” refers to the capacity of the partnership to acknowledge the achievements of recyclers organisations before (and during) the project and to take into account the ongoing local dynamics when evaluating the project. These findings contribute to better understand the position and challenges of recyclers in this type of partnership and more generally to shed light on the potential power imbalance in waste management cross-sector partnerships.