Indicators of sustainability as a tool in agricultural development: partitioning scientific and participatory processes

SUMMARY

Sustainable indicators have become popular tools by which policymakers can assess progress towards a more sustainable agriculture. Varying approaches to defining sustainability lead to disagreement about the value of indicators and yet some form of measurement is required so that society can judge the effects of policy. Environmental and social problems and their causes span national boundaries. An international framework for assessing agricultural activities, their effects and the pressures that drive those activities is therefore required. However, a guiding principle of the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development is that global problems require local action. Thus, indicators must provide information for policymakers as well as guidance for farmers and other practitioners. Many indicator programmes currently proposed do not provide this level of guidance as no evaluation as to what level of activity is sustainable has been agreed. A model is presented, to show how scientific and political or participatory approaches may be combined to meet the multiple objectives of involving people, maintaining scientific integrity and providing guidance for policymakers and practitioners alike.     

Characteristics and mixing state of S-rich particles in haze episodes in Beijing

Direct individual analysis using Scanning Electron Microscopy combined with online observation was conducted to examine the S-rich particles in PM_2.5 of two typical polluted haze episodes in summer and winter from 2014 to 2015 in Beijing. Four major types of S-rich particles, including secondary CaSO₄ particles (mainly observed in summer), S-rich mineral particles (SRM), S-rich water droplets (SRW) and (C, O, S)-rich particles (COS) were identified.We found the different typical morphologies and element distributions of S-rich particles and considered that (C, O, S)-rich particles had two major mixing states in different seasons. On the basis of the S-rich particles’ relative abundances, S concentrations and their relationships with PM_2.5 as well as the seasonal comparison, we revealed that the S-participated formation degrees of SRM and SRW would enhance with increasing PM_2.5 concentration. Moreover, C-rich matter and sulfate had seasonally different but significant impacts on the formation of COS.

Open image in new window

     

高强铝合金超塑挤压成形

主要介绍了工业牌号高强铝合金在供应态或经简单预处理后在通用油压机上超塑成形的实例,并分析探讨了非理想组织材料超塑成形中微观组织的变化。     

我国城市生活垃圾现状分析及未来削减的建议

分析讨论了我国城市生活垃圾的产生量和成分,并在此基础上提出了未来削减我国城市生活垃圾产生量的建议,主要包括:改变民用燃料结构,尽力回收利用废品,提倡净菜进城,推行食品净包装和“励行节约,反对浪费”等。      

流量调节因子在非稳态河网水质计算中的应用

对平原河网水流流向不定引起的非稳态水质变化问题,引入流量调节因子加以校正,对调节因子在不同流向的形式进行了分析,在水质显格式离散方程中建立对应的水质模型,利用研究区河网枯水期实测的水质资料进行相应验证,结果表明校正的水质模型有较高的精度,具有一定的实用性。为非稳态情况下河网水质问题的决策分析提供了可行计算途径。     

矿井火区启封安全性分析及判别准则

矿井火区启封时火区状态判断失误会导致火区复燃或火区内瓦斯爆炸。为此,本文在分析矿井火区启封的安全性的基础上,从气体信息采集和火区燃烧状态的判断技术两方面,提出了相关准则。气体信息采集准则含气样代表火区状态真实性、提高气样代表火区大气状态的真实性、正确的气样采集方法十六项内容,主要论及钻孔取样、孔内测压、火区气体采样地点、倾斜巷道密闭取样、取样地点对气样准确度的影响、气样采集时间、采集钻孔封堵、混合气样分段采集方法、取样时间间隔、气样分析方式等。火区燃烧状态的判断技术准则含十二项内容,主要论及不同火区气体浓度条件和环境条件下正确判断火区燃烧状态技术。准则可为矿井火区治理中正确分析判断火区状态和启封条件提供参考。     

变权综合法在航空公司风险评价中的应用研究

针对民航风险评价中大多数综合评价方法采取常权综合法,当评价指标体系中某些指标出现严重缺陷时,导致最终综合评价值与实际情况不符的现象,将变权综合法应用到民航风险评价中。给出变权综合法风险评价的基本步骤,以航空公司风险评价为例,建立评价指标体系,运用模糊数学知识对底层指标进行赋值,并对其进行标准量化,其次根据变权综合评价法的基本原理及民航行业高风险的特点,选择适合的状态变权公式,计算评价指标体系的状态变权及变权,最后由变权综合法的综合评价公式,计算出系统的风险评价值。通过与常权综合法的计算结果相比较,变权综合法能较好解决民航风险评价中常权综合法存在的问题,同时计算结果也验证了变权综合法的优越性、有效性和实用性。     

Depth perception,dark adaptation,vigilance and accident proneness of Chinese coal mine workers

To explore the relationships between human factors and accident proneness of coal mine workers, the depth perception, dark adaptation and vigilance abilities of 239 Chinese coal mine workers were tested and their accident proneness was surveyed with an accident proneness questionnaire. The results indicated that dark adaptation and vigilance abilities of the mine workers declined with increasing age. Vigilance had a significant negative relationship with accident proneness. There were significant differences in vigilance between coal mine workers doing different types of work. Individual difference in vigilance was relevant to the type of work that an individual did in a coal mine. The dark adaptation index had a significant positive relationship with accident proneness. Coal mine workers with weaker dark adaptation ability were also more accident prone. Some ergonomics recommendations concerning coal mine safety management in China are proposed.     

Extrinsic and intrinsic determinants of winter foraging and breeding phenology in a temperate seabird

In temperate regions, winter presents animals with a number of challenges including depressed food abundance, increased daily energy requirements, higher frequency of extreme weather events and shortened day length. Overcoming these constraints is critical for overwintering survival and scheduling of future breeding of long-lived species and is likely to be state dependent, associated with intrinsic abilities such as food acquisition rates. We examined the relationship between environmental and intrinsic factors on overwintering foraging and subsequent breeding phenology of the European shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis, a diurnal marine predator. We tested a range of hypotheses relating to overwintering foraging time and location. We found that individuals greatly increased their foraging time in winter to a peak of more than 90% of available daylight at the winter solstice. The seasonal patterns of foraging time appear to be driven by a combination of light levels and weather conditions and may be linked to the availability of the shag's principal prey, the lesser sandeel Ammodytes marinus. There was no evidence that shags dispersed south in winter to increase potential foraging time. Foraging time decreased after the winter solstice and, crucially, was correlated with subsequent breeding phenology, such that individuals that spent less time foraging in February bred earlier. The relationship was much stronger in females than males, in line with their more direct control of timing of breeding. Our results demonstrate that pre-breeding intrinsic foraging ability is critical in determining breeding phenology.     

An Analysis of Secondary Pollutants in Buenos Aires City

Air pollutant concentrations from a monitoring campaign in Buenos Aires City, Argentina, are used to investigate the relationships between ambient levels of ozone (O₃), nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) as a function of NO _x (=NO + NO₂). This campaign undertaken by the electricity sector was aimed at elucidating the apportionment of thermal power plants to air quality deterioration. Concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and sulphur dioxide (SO₂) were also registered. Photo stationary state (PSS) of the NO, NO₂, O₃ and peroxy radicals species has been analysed. The ‘oxidant’ level concept has been introduced, OX (=O₃ + NO₂), which varies with the level of NO _x . It is shown that this level is made up of NO _x -independent and NO _x -dependent contributions. The former is a regional contribution that equates the background O₃ level, whereas the latter is a local contribution that correlates with the level of primary pollution. Furthermore, the anticorrelation between NO₂ and O₃ levels, which is a characteristic of the atmospheric photo stationary cycle has been verified.The analysis of the concentration of the primary pollutants CO and NO strongly suggests that the vehicle traffic is the principal source of them. Levels of continuous measurements of SO₂ for Buenos Aires City are reported in this work as a complement of previously published results.