The Moral Considerability of Invasive Transgenic Animals

The term moral considerability refers to the question of whether a being or set of beings is worthy of moral consideration. Moral considerability is most readily afforded to those beings that demonstrate the clearest relationship to rational humans, though many have also argued for and against the moral considerability of species, ecosystems, and “lesser” animals. Among these arguments there are at least two positions: “environmentalist” positions that tend to emphasize the systemic relations between species, and “liberationist” positions that tend to emphasize the attributes or welfare of a particular individual organism. Already, this classic conflict provides for some challenging theoretical clashes between environmentalists and animal liberationists. The question of moral considerability is complicated, however, by recent developments in genetic engineering. Some animals, like pigs and fish, have been genetically modified by humans to grow organs that can then be transplanted into humans. If environmental arguments for the moral consideration of species are correct, then we are released from our obligations to morally consider those animals that we have genetically modified, since they are by their nature always an “invader species.” If, instead, the welfare of the animal is of penultimate importance, then there is a case for strengthening the moral considerability of GM animals over “naturally-occurring” animals, since they bear a closer relationship to humans. This would appear to be an intractable problem, a “bad marriage,” as Mark Sagoff once proposed. This paper argues that the case of invasive transgenic animals exposes weaknesses in this classic conflict, and particularly, in the framing of this conflict. To remedy this framing problem, this paper argues for a reconceptualization of the term “moral considerability,” instead urging a strong distinction between moral considerability, moral relevance, and moral significance.     

Contamination, Crop Trials, and Compatibility

This paper examines the ethical andsocial questions that underlie the present UKdiscussion whether GM crops and organicagriculture can co-exist within a given regionor are mutually exclusive. A EuropeanCommission report predicted practicaldifficulties in achieving sufficientseparation distances to guarantee lowerthreshold levels proposed for GM material inorganic produce. Evidence of gene flow betweensome crops and their wild relatives has beena key issue in the recent Government consultation toconsult on whether or not to authorizecommercial planting of GM crops, following theresults of the current UK farm scale trials.The admixture of imported Bt transgenes intolandrace varieties of Mexican maize alsopresents difficulties. An ethical evaluationis made of the claim that organic growersshould expect protection from adventitioustraces of GM constructs in their products. Towhat extent – on either side of the debate –can any particular group in society set upagricultural standards for itself that mayeffectively restrain others from an otherwisejust business? The assumptions behind notionslike ``purity'' and ``contamination'' areexamined, together with their underlying viewsof nature and human intervention. The 2001UK Agriculture and Environmental BiotechnologyCommission report is relevant to theseissues. While the Government wishes to promotethe UK biotechnology industry and is underpressure from US claims of trade restraint, astrong organic lobby demands purity from GMcontamination. Does this adversarial framingof the issues reflect broader public opinionin the UK public consultation? Inarriving at policy decisions, the role of thevirtue of tolerance is considered inpost-modern and Christian ethical contexts.     

Arsenic removal from contaminated soil via biovolatilization by genetically engineered bacteria under laboratory conditions

In Rhodopseudomonas palustris, an arsM gene, encoding bacterial and archaeal homologues of the mammalian Cyt19 As(III) S-adenosylmethionine methytransferase, was regulated by arsenicals. An expression of arsM was introduced into strains for the methylation of arsenic. When arsM was expressed in Sphingomonas desiccabilis and Bacillus idriensis, it had 10 folds increase of methyled arsenic gas compared to wild type in aqueous system. In soil system, about 2.2%–4.5% of arsenic was removed by biovolatilization during 30 days. This study demonstrated that arsenic could be removed through volatilization from the contaminated soil by bacteria which have arsM gene expressed. These results showed that it is possible to use microorganisms expressing arsM as an inexpensive, efficient strategy for arsenic bioremediation from contaminated water and soil.     

关于生物剽窃规制框架的法律思考

生物剽窃是指生物遗传资源勘探者未经提供者同意并给予合理补偿,就商业化地利用后者的生物遗产资源,又借助知识产权独占惠益的行为。生物剽窃严重损害作为资源提供方的发展中国家的利益,违反自然资源国家主权原则,《生物多样性公约》及其议定书形成一系列规制措施。我国应借鉴国际立法经验,并结合本国国情,建立健全诸如遗传资源数据库、事先知情同意、共同协商、对价补偿和惠益分享及所得撤销等遗传资源保护法律制度。     

富营养化评价的幂函数加和型普适指数公式

提出了一个用幂函数加和型表示湖泊富营养化评价的综合指数公式,并采用粒子群算法优化公式中的参数,得出优化后适用于多指标的富营养化综合评价的普适指数公式,该公式的特例也可作为单项指标的富营养化评价指数公式.将优化好的湖泊富营养化评价公式用于我国不同地域和不同类型的65个湖泊的实例评价.其评价结果与用修正卡森指数公式TSI.和我国营养状态指数公式TSI,及其它方法的评价结果基本一致,并与实况相符,从而为水体富营养化评价提供了一种新的有效途径.     

大气污染总量控制GA方法对气象因子的敏感性

通过数值模拟试验,研究了基于遗传算法(GA)的大气污染总量控制方法对风向、风速、稳定度三个最重要的气象因子的敏感性。结果表明,用基于遗传算法的大气污染总量控制方法所求得的区域允许排放总量以及允许排放总量在各污染源之间的分配方案,对风向、风速、稳定度三个气象因子都敏感,从而验证了该方法的稳定性和可靠性。     

基于循环神经网络的缓坡场地液化侧移预测*

为预测缓坡场地地震液化侧向位移,基于改进自适应算法（Rectified Adam）和循环神经网络模型（RNN）,提出液化侧移预测模型RA-RNN,通过对侧移数据进行样本学习,并利用改进自适应算法优化循环神经网络结构,验证RA-RNN模型可靠性,并与多元线性回归法（MLR）计算结果进行对比。结果表明:RA-RNN模型计算得到侧移一般为实测位移的0.7~1.3倍,训练结果R2,RMSE,MAE分别为0.977,0.375,0.141;土耳其科喀艾里RA-RNN模型预测结果RMSE和MAE为MLR模型的1/26,1/830;中国台湾集集镇RA-RNN模型预测结果RMSE和MAE为MLR模型的1/18,1/350,RA-RNN模型预测结果较优,预测精度及泛化能力得到很大提升。     

基于DBSCAN聚类的城市区域火灾风险计算方法——以深圳市盐田区为例*

为探究评估城市区域的火灾综合风险,提出空间聚类和层次分析法对深圳市盐田区2011年至2019年火灾数据进行建模分析。运用DBSCAN聚类模型对火灾地点进行分类,结合层次分析法构建火灾风险评估验证模型,探讨聚类结果、火灾场景、火灾原因构建系统层次结构模型,综合得出风险评估结果。通过将聚类区域还原至百度地图,结合场景信息及层次分析法指标值对模型的有效性进行验证。结果表明:由于各区区域功能及地理位置不同,区域火灾风险值有明显差异,模型计算出的4个区域结果与实际火灾情况具有一致性。     

基于遗传算法的综合热能管理系统代偿优化

在SIMULINK平台下搭建了飞机综合热能管理系统仿真模型,并利用遗传算法对其可控参数如发动机引气的阀门开度、冲压空气进口面积和液体环路的流量等进行在不同飞行状态下的寻优,使得飞机在满足温度等要求的情况下起飞总重的代偿较小。结果表明,利用智能算法可以实现这种复杂系统的参数优化,从而提高飞机燃油经济性。     

植物促生菌应用研究进展

植物促生菌即PGPB不仅在农业生产中促进植物生长以及防治植物病害,还逐渐应用于环境保护方面。文章从以下几方面就PGPB的研究进展进行了综述,包括PGPB在农业和环境中的应用、PGPB内生菌、生物防治型PGPB、PGPB的基因工程改良、PGPB剂型等。最后展望了该领域的研究方向。