Social transmission of food handling in the context of triadic interactions between adults and young canaries (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Serinus canaria</Emphasis>)

We studied the factors that enhance food recognition and consumption in young canaries when confronted with adults. In contrast to previous studies on canaries, in which social transmission of food habits was studied in the context of dyadic interactions (one juvenile–one adult), we proposed a more realistic framework in which young canaries were studied in the context of triadic interactions, free or not, with adults of both sexes. We found that during free interactions, the young bird only eats with a familiar male and that this association enhances the social transmission of seed handling. When the juvenile was separated from the adults by a transparent partition, it only learned to husk seed if it was present at the feeder at the same time as a familiar adult acting as a demonstrator. The presence of adults that are familiar but do not act as demonstrators does not facilitate social transmission of handling. However, the presence of a familiar, demonstrating female had also no effect on this transmission. Coordination of the actions of the experienced bird and of the naive subject is required for social transmission to occur. Action coordination does not depend solely on the level of familiarity between partners but also on the role played by the demonstrator (here, the adult male) that looks after the juvenile during its transition towards independence.     

硫酸锰废渣浸出毒性及淋溶特性研究

长沙市兴镇13家硫酸锰厂的生产废渣使当地的生态环境造受到了严重破坏。本文在废渣浸出毒性实验、渣柱淋滤实验以及废渣的全分析基础上,全面地研究了废渣的组成、浸出毒性大小以及在当地酸沉降条件下的淋滤特征,为其安全处置提供了理论基础。研究证明,废渣中重金属种类多、含量高,尤其是锰,高达138800mg/kg。渣的浸出毒性虽未达到国家规定的危险废物鉴别标准,但远超过了《污水综合排放标准》,其衰减可用负指数方程来描述。在酸雨淋溶下,渣中的锰离子会在短时期内大量释放后,维持在一相对较低水平长期释放,对环境威胁巨大。     

Estimation of crop residue in China based on a Monte Carlo analysis

Accurate crop residue resource estimation is important for bioenergy development.This is done by the ratio of residue to grain(R/G),which is usually regarded constant and is widely used for crop residue estimation though uncertainty is inevitable in practice.In this study,a Monte Carlo algorithm was applied to estimate national crop residue by R/G taken from published reports in China.The estimated result was further mapped in pixels by geographic information system.In2009,the amount of crop residue was found to be 802.32 million tons(Mt),with 679.36 and 947.28 Mt as the lower and upper limits for 95%confidence limits.Chinese crop residue was dominated by rice,wheat,and corn,accounting for74.57%(598.29 Mt).From 1949 to 2009,the amount of crop residue increased by four times,accompanied by component change.The spatial distribution of crop residue in China is markedly heterogeneous.Compared to the shortage of crop residue in northwest China,there is an abundant crop residue of about 334 Mt in eastern China,attracting 90%of the country's electricity or heat generation plants.     

物联网技术在城市生活垃圾收运系统中的应用

我国的城市生活垃圾收运系统因其回收率低,监管难等问题,一直受到社会的广泛关注,而物联网技术因其可追溯性、动态性等特点,在解决该问题上表现出其显著优势。简要介绍了物联网技术的作用及其应用领域,总结了国内外基于物联网技术的城市生活垃圾收运情况,以我国上海市餐厨垃圾收运情况为案例,对其现状和目前存在的问题进行了总结,并结合物联网技术对餐厨垃圾信息化收运的管理方法进行了展望。     

COVID-19: From health crises to food security anxiety and policy implications

Like the rest of the world, African countries are reeling from the health, economic and social effects of COVID-19. The continent’s governments have responded by imposing rigorous lockdowns to limit the spread of the virus. The various lockdown measures are undermining food security, because stay at home orders have among others, threatened food production for a continent that relies heavily on agriculture as the bedrock of the economy. This article draws on quantitative data collected by the GeoPoll, and, from these data, assesses the effect of concern about the local spread and economic impact of COVID-19 on food worries. Qualitative data comprising 12 countries south of the Sahara reveal that lockdowns have created anxiety over food security as a health, economic and human rights/well-being issue. By applying a probit model, we find that concern about the local spread of COVID-19 and economic impact of the virus increases the probability of food worries. Governments have responded with various efforts to support the neediest. By evaluating the various policies rolled out we advocate for a feminist economics approach that necessitates greater use of data analytics to predict the likely impacts of intended regulatory relief responses during the recovery process and post-COVID-19.     

Recognize fish as food in policy discourse and development funding

The international development community is off-track from meeting targets for alleviating global malnutrition. Meanwhile, there is growing consensus across scientific disciplines that fish plays a crucial role in food and nutrition security. However, this ‘fish as food’ perspective has yet to translate into policy and development funding priorities. We argue that the traditional framing of fish as a natural resource emphasizes economic development and biodiversity conservation objectives, whereas situating fish within a food systems perspective can lead to innovative policies and investments that promote nutrition-sensitive and socially equitable capture fisheries and aquaculture. This paper highlights four pillars of research needs and policy directions toward this end. Ultimately, recognizing and working to enhance the role of fish in alleviating hunger and malnutrition can provide an additional long-term development incentive, beyond revenue generation and biodiversity conservation, for governments, international development organizations, and society more broadly to invest in the sustainability of capture fisheries and aquaculture.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01451-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

铝锆改性生物炭对水体低浓度氟的吸附特性

针对低浓度含氟水难处理,氟超标排放造成水污染等问题,制备了铝锆改性生物炭(AZBC),研究其对水体低浓度氟离子(F^-)的吸附特性及吸附机制.结果表明,AZBC是具有均匀孔隙结构的介孔生物炭,能够快速吸附水体F^-,可在20 min内达到吸附平衡.当初始ρ(F^-)为10mg·L^-1,AZBC投加量为30 g·L^-1时,F^-去除率为90.7%,出水浓度低于1mg·L^-1.AZBC的pH_pzc为8.9,推荐pH使用范围为3.2～8.9.其吸附动力学符合拟二级动力学,吸附过程符合Langmuir模型,在25、 35和45℃下的最大吸附量分别为8.91、 11.40和13.76mg·g^-1.可用1mol·L^-1 NaOH脱附F^-,5次循环使用后,AZBC的吸附量下降约15.9%. AZBC的吸附机制为静电吸附和离子交换共同作用.以某工业园区污水厂污水为实验对象...     

Natural food resources bank in the form of forestry and grassland: Scenarios to ensure sustainable food security

An evaluation was conducted to establish the feasibility of a Natural Food Resources Bank (NFRB), in the form of forestry or grassland, to achieve both continuous food production and an accumulation of primary nutrients in living perennial plants. The development of an NFRB protects our living environment from deterioration (especially soil erosion) by increasing the surface coverage of the world's land, even in mountainous areas. Additionally a functioning NFRB enhances food sustainably and security, representing a tangible and renewable food resource production system. Research has identified the prospects of cultivating the NFRB in the form of forestry and also grassland. The review investigated the distinct differences of an NFRB from a range of approaches and discusses the environmental advantage and feasibility of cultivating NFRB. The ability of the NFRB to realize sustainable food resources production for ensuring food security is evaluated in terms of environmental and economical feasibility. A NFRB can attenuate climatic change by increasing CO₂ absorption and fixation. It is worth considering the replacement of the annual food production system by the NFRB (especially in steeplands) in environmental law, and replacing the policy of maintaining annual food reserves by the NFRB in food security policy.     

Waste of organic and conventional meat and dairy products—A case study from Swedish retail

Many retailers take initiatives to reduce food waste, which can lead to enhanced sustainability, including reduced environmental impacts and cost savings. Another common environmental strategy in retail management is to increase the range of organic products. This study examined if organic food products have a higher level of waste, which thereby risk to counteract the environmental ambitions behind offering these products. The study also examined to what degree differences in waste level could be explained by turnover, shelf-life and wholesale pack size. In the study, six Swedish supermarkets provided data on all articles sold or wasted in the deli, meat, dairy and cheese departments during 2010 and 2011. 24 organic products were compared to their conventional counterparts; 22 of these had higher waste levels (from 1.5 to 29 times higher). Differences in wastage were also compared across departments; in all four departments, organic products as a group had higher waste percentage at all four departments. There was a negative correlation between the total mass sold of a product and the percentage waste. Also, longer shelf-life was associated with decreased waste, but only for products with low turnover. The systematic problem of retail food waste – particularly of organic products and other products with a low turnover – may be mitigated by increasing turnover, by stocking products with longer shelf-life or by decreasing the ordered volume (e.g. through decreased wholesale pack sizes).     

Temporal trends in organophosphorus pesticides use and concentrations in river water in Japan, and risk assessment

We reviewed organophosphorus pesticide use in Japan between 1982 and 2016 using data from the National Institute of Environmental Studies. Organophosphorus pesticide concentrations in river water throughout Japan were taken from the literature, and risk assessments were performed for some organophosphorus pesticides based on risk quotients and hazard quotients. Assessments were performed for 20 common pesticides, including insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. The amounts used decreased in the order: insecticides?>?herbicides?>?fungicides. Organophosphorus insecticide and fungicide use have decreased over the last four decades, but organophosphorus herbicide use has increased. During this period, annual organophosphorus pesticide use was the highest for chlorpyrifos (105,263?tons/year) and the lowest for glyphosate-sodium (8?tons/year). The ecotoxicological risk assessment indicated that diazinon and fenitrothion posed strong risks to the Japanese aquatic environment, and chlorpyrifos and malathion have moderate risks. None of the pesticides that were assessed posed significant risks to humans. Continued use of organophosphorus pesticides in Japan may cause strong risks to aquatic environments. These risks should be reassessed periodically.