Information technologies and the sharing of disaster knowledge: the critical role of professional culture

A comparative survey of a diverse sample of 96 US and Italian emergency management agencies shows that the diffusion of new information technologies (IT) has transformed disaster communications. Although these technologies permit access to and the dissemination of massive amounts of disaster information with unprecedented speed and efficiency, barriers rooted in the various professional cultures still hinder the sharing of disaster knowledge. To be effective the available IT must be attuned to the unique settings and professional cultures of the local emergency management communities. Findings show that available technology, context, professional culture and interaction are key factors that affect the knowledge transfer process. Cultural filters appear to influence emergency managers' perceptions of their own professional roles, their vision of the applicability of technology to social issues, and their perspective on the transferability of disaster knowledge. Four cultural approaches to the application of IT to disaster communications are defined: technocentric; geographic,; anthropocentric; and ecocentric.     

Effects of humic acids derived from lignite and cattle manure on antioxidant enzymatic activities of barley root

To investigate the effects of humic acids (HAs) on the ability of plants to defend themselves against oxidative stress, barley was hydroponically cultured in the absence and presence of HAs, and the antioxidant enzymatic activities (catalase, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate and glutathione peroxidases) of root tissue were evaluated. Auxin-like structures in HAs, which were extracted from an oxidation product of lignite (LHA) and compost derived from cattle manure (CHA), were identified by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with tetramethylammonium hydroxide. The LHA, which had the lower molecular weight, was more effective in promoting the growth of barley root than CHA. However, the amounts of auxin-like structures in the CHA were much higher than those for LHA. The antioxidant enzymatic activities were initially decreased in the presence of LHA and CHA at the first day after refreshing the culture solution, but were significantly increased on the second day. The CHA sample, which contained relatively high levels of phenolic acids that contained auxin-like structures, was effective in increasing four types of enzymatic activities, while the activities of catalase and ascorbate peroxidase were increased in the presence of LHA, which contains naphthalene derivatives. These results indicate that using HAs as a supplement can be effective in enhancing antioxidation enzymatic activities, while the appearance of the effects is retarded because of the decomposition and release of auxin-like compounds from HAs by organic acids from the plant roots.     

玉米浸泡液制备苏云金杆菌生物杀虫剂的影响因素研究

以玉米淀粉生产过程中的浸泡液为培养基,摇瓶发酵培养苏云金杆菌生物杀虫剂,通过一系列单因子试验,考察了不同培养条件(种子液的种龄、接种量、浸泡液的含固率、初始pH值、摇床转速、发酵温度及发酵时间)对苏云金杆菌在玉米浸泡液中的生长(菌数增长与芽孢形成)以及发酵液的生物毒效的影响.研究表明,在最佳摇瓶培养条件(种子液种龄10 h,接种量2%,浸泡液含固量3%,初始pH值7.0～7.5,摇床转速200 r/min,发酵温度30℃)下发酵48 h,活菌数和活芽孢数分别可达到7.9×108 CFU/mL和5.5×108 CFU/mL,毒力效价为698.0 IU/μL.本试验可为生物农药的工业化生产提供实用参数.     

Introducing a multi-variate classification method: Risky driving acceptance among different heterogeneous driver sub-cultures

Introduction: Heterogeneous driving populations with many different origins are likely to have various sub-cultures that comprise of drivers with shared driver characteristics, most likely with dissimilar traffic safety cultures. An innovative methodology in traffic safety research is introduced which is beneficial for large datasets with multiple variables, making it useful for the multi-variate classification of drivers, driving attitudes and/or (risky) driving behaviours. Method: With the application of multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS), this study explores traffic safety culture in the State of Qatar using a questionnaire and investigates the similarity patterns between the questionnaire items, aiming to classify attitudes towards risky driving behaviours into themes. MDS is subsequently applied to classify drivers within a heterogeneous driving sample into sub-cultures with shared driver characteristics and different risky driving attitudes. Results: Results show that acceptance of speeding is highest among the young Arabic students and acceptance of distraction and drivers’ negligence such as phone use and not wearing a seatbelt is highest among male Arab drivers. Acceptance of extreme risk-taking like intoxicated driving and red-light running is highest among South-Asian business drivers. Conclusion: It is important and practical to understand risky behavioural habits among sub-cultures and thereby focussing on groups of drivers instead of individuals, because groups are easier to approach and drivers within sub-cultures are found to influence each other. By indicating which groups of drivers are most likely to perform specific risky driving themes, it is possible to target these groups and effectively emphasise certain subsets of risky driving behaviours during training or traffic safety education. Practical Applications: This study provides guidance for the improvement of driver education and targeted traffic safety awareness campaigns, intending to make changes to attitudes and habits within specific driver sub-cultures with the aim to improve traffic safety on the longer term.     

Shifting Baselines: Conveying Climate Change in Popular Music

Popular music is a generation-specific zeitgeist, while music affords otherwise unobtainable engagement with environmental themes. Despite being the most widespread form of music there is a paucity of scholarship on climate change vis-à-vis popular music. In turn, this article explores how popular music may provide a soundtrack that narrates the rapidity of contemporary biophysical change. Approaches of conveying versus communicating climate change in music are considered across a spectrum of musical forms, from contemporary and historical popular music to contemporary classical music and sound art. The article applies the framework of shifting baselines to music engaged with environmental change in order to formulate a closer relationship between objective and quantitative intergenerational biophysical change and subjective and qualitative socio-cultural change. To cease losing track of such inexorable degradation, the article speculates on future musical forms that may obviate such intergenerational myopia by conveying and/or communicating the unprecedented rapidity of biophysical change.     

好氧活性污泥中自养硝化细菌分离方法研究

分别采用琼脂平板、琼脂糖平板、水洗洋菜平板和硅胶平板分离培养城市污水处理厂好氧活性污泥中的硝化细菌。在相同的培养条件下,琼脂平板和水洗洋菜平板有杂菌生长;硅胶平板制作过程繁琐,培养后期出现失水性干裂;琼脂糖平板没有杂菌生长。通过对分离菌株的表观形态观察和NorB基因检测鉴定分离菌株,证明琼脂糖分离出了目的菌株,适合生长周期长的自养硝化细菌分离培养。     

湖北“两圈”区域发展可持续性评价与预测

利用可持续发展指数（SDI）对湖北“两圈”各市州发展现状进行了评价,而后利用9年的人均生物资源生态承载量年平均增长率、人口年平均增长率和足迹承载量比值年平均增长率及2006年相关数据对未来44年进行了预测。结果表明,截至2006年底,湖北省有一半以上国土面积的生物资源开采超过当地土地负荷,人均生物资源生态承载量持续下降,资源日益紧张,呈不可持续发展;武汉城市圈2006年生物资源生态足迹超出生物资源生态承载量的32%;鄂西生态文化旅游圈（简称：鄂西生态圈）除襄樊、荆州、荆门因人口多,生物资源生态足迹较大等原因导致SDI值较高外,其他市州的SDI值均较低;神农架的SDI最小;武汉城市圈人均生物资源生态承载量呈负增长,人口控制较好,足迹承载量比值增长较快;鄂西生态圈人均生物资源生态承载量呈负增长,增长速率大于武汉城市圈和湖北省,人口控制较差,足迹承载量比值增长较慢;按照现有发展模式,无论是武汉城市圈还是鄂西生态圈,无论其当前发展是可持续性还是不可持续的,未来他们都将进入不可持续的发展状态。因此,对“两圈”进行规划时要根据各自发展现状制定长期、科学的发展规划.     

Confirmation of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) distribution in the blood and verification of simple quantitative method for PCBs based on specific congeners

We measured the concentration of each polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congener in whole blood, plasma and blood cells, and investigated the distribution of PCBs in human blood using high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). The PCB concentrations in plasma and whole blood in terms of lipid concentrations were almost equal, with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.972. In the blood, the ratio of PCBs in blood cells to those in plasma was generally about 1:9 and the congener distribution patterns in blood cells and plasma were similar.We performed verification of a simple mass screening method by obtaining information on the main PCB congeners for investigations on human accumulation and exposure. The total concentration of the seven PCB congeners (UNEP-7) proposed to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) by Muir and Morita was about 50% of the total concentration of all PCB congeners, and UNEP-30 was about 80%. The seven main congeners in the blood (MCB-7) showed a value that was about 60%, and MCB-30 showed a value that was about 90%. Determinations with the main congeners in the blood showed a correlation of r = 0.990 or more between the main eight congeners (MCB-7 plus #74) and the total PCB concentration for all congeners. The results suggest that, although total PCB concentration can be effectively estimated from the main seven congeners, the main eight congeners would be preferable, and that the use of these congeners in the simple mass screening method would be effective for populations in areas uncontaminated by PCBs.     

江苏阳澄湖螺类群落的空间分布格局

2008年1月～2009年10月对江苏阳澄湖螺类群落结构进行了季节调查研究。共采集到螺类4科5属6种,优势种为铜锈环棱螺,次优种为长角涵螺。阳澄湖螺类平均密度为220±47 ind./m2,平均生物量为2331±469 g/m2,螺类密度和生物量在年际和季节间均无明显差异,但群落结构存在显著的空间变化,密度在东湖区和中华绒螯蟹围网养殖区较大、西湖区最小,生物量围网养殖区最高、西湖区最低;铜锈环棱螺密度围网养殖区最高、西湖区最低,长角涵螺密度东湖区最高、围网养殖区次之、入湖河流及其它湖区极低。中华绒螯蟹养殖未导致围网养殖区螺类数量下降,螺类（主要是铜锈环棱螺）的投放可能是该区螺类密度、生物量及铜锈环棱螺所占比例较高的主要原因之一。逐步回归分析表明,水深是影响螺类群落整体密度和生物量空间分布差异的主要因子;典型对应分析（CCA）表明,铜锈环棱螺主要分布在叶绿素a较高的水域,而长角涵螺和纹沼螺则主要分布在透明度较大的地方     

Assessing inter-laboratory comparability and limits of determination for the analysis of cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes in whole Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes (cVMS) are high volume production chemicals used in a wide range of industrial and consumer products. Three cVMS compounds (D4, D5, and D6) have and are undergoing environmental risk evaluations in several countries and have been proposed for legal regulation in Canada. As interest in monitoring concentrations of these chemicals in the environment increase, there is a need to evaluate the analytical procedures for cVMS in biological matrices in order to assess the quality of data produced. The purpose of this study was to determine laboratory testing performance for measuring residues of D4, D5, and D6 in a standard set of fish homogenate samples and to estimate limits of determination for each substance. The samples sent to each laboratory consisted of homogenized whole body tissues of hatchery raised rainbow trout which were fed food fortified with D4, D5, and D6 (dosed) and trout that were fed standard food rations (control). The participants analyzed each sample using their analytical method of choice using their own standards and procedures for quantification and quality control. With a few exceptions, participating laboratories generated comparable results for D4, D5, and D6 in both the dosed and control samples having z-scores between 2 and −2. Method detection limits for the whole fish matrix were on average 2.4 ng g⁻¹ ww for D4, 2.3 ng g⁻¹ ww for D5, and 1.8 ng g⁻¹ ww for D6.