Mapping Change in Human Pressure Globally on Land and within Protected Areas

It is widely accepted that the main driver of the observed decline in biological diversity is increasing human pressure on Earth's ecosystems. However, the spatial patterns of change in human pressure and their relation to conservation efforts are less well known. We developed a spatially and temporally explicit map of global change in human pressure over 2 decades between 1990 and 2010 at a resolution of 10 km². We evaluated 22 spatial data sets representing different components of human pressure and used them to compile a temporal human pressure index (THPI) based on 3 data sets: human population density, land transformation, and electrical power infrastructure. We investigated how the THPI within protected areas was correlated to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) management categories and the human development index (HDI) and how the THPI was correlated to cumulative pressure on the basis of the original human footprint index. Since the early 1990s, human pressure increased 64% of the terrestrial areas; the largest increases were in Southeast Asia. Protected areas also exhibited overall increases in human pressure, the degree of which varied with location and IUCN management category. Only wilderness areas and natural monuments (management categories Ib and III) exhibited decreases in pressure. Protected areas not assigned any category exhibited the greatest increases. High HDI values correlated with greater reductions in pressure across protected areas, while increasing age of the protected area correlated with increases in pressure. Our analysis is an initial step toward mapping changes in human pressure on the natural world over time. That only 3 data sets could be included in our spatio‐temporal global pressure map highlights the challenge to measuring pressure changes over time. Mapeo del Cambio en la Presión Humana Global en Tierra y Dentro de Áreas Protegidas     

利用人皮肤模型评价杀菌类农药腐蚀/刺激性的研究

建立人皮肤模型检测杀菌类农药的腐蚀/刺激性,探讨体外皮肤模型替代农药的动物皮肤安全性评价实验的可行性和影响因素.使用人皮肤成纤维细胞与鼠尾胶原混合培养模拟真皮层,在真皮层上接种人角化细胞,经气液培养形成表皮层.通过细胞活性和细胞因子测定鉴别化合物的腐蚀/刺激性,并比较体外皮肤模型和动物测试结果的一致性.结果表明,皮肤模型对十种农药的腐蚀性测试中,与动物安全评价测试结果完全一致.在刺激性试验中,细胞因子白介素-1a(IL-1a)作为检测终点提高了体外皮肤模型的灵敏性和准确性,人皮肤模型和动物测试结果的一致性达到80％.研究表明,构建的人皮肤模型在对杀菌类农药腐蚀/刺激性测试中初步表现出较好的性能,作为动物替代方法进行农药品安全性评价具有良好的应用前景.     

Human capital diversity in the creation of social capital for team creativity

We highlight the social aspects of team creativity by proposing that team creativity is influenced by two types of team social capital: bridging and bonding social capital. Going beyond the structural perspective, we posit that team‐level human capital diversity is one of the potential antecedents of social capital for team creativity. We suggest that network structures are formed by teammates' interactions, which are largely the result of differences in their individual characteristics. The results of an empirical study using 36 teams of MBA students showed that the interaction of team‐bridging social capital with team‐bonding social capital was positively and significantly related to team creativity. Knowledge variety and knowledge disparity had a joint effect on team‐bridging social capital, and knowledge separation was negatively related to team‐bonding social capital. Moreover, team social capital mediated the effects of knowledge diversity on team creativity. Our study has several important implications for team creativity, social networks, and diversity research. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

长江中下游洪水灾害成因及洪水特征模拟分析

长江中下游地区洪水灾害的发生是自然地理条件及人类活动共同作用的结果。流域水系构造和地理特征决定了其洪水多发性,气候变化和土地利用/地表覆盖变化导致该地区水循环过程发生较大改变,而大量水库、堤防的建设以及城市化的发展使得洪水过程发生显著变化,因此在各种因素的综合作用下,长江中下游地区近年来洪水灾害频繁发生。综述了气候变化对长江中下游降水的影响,探讨了长江中下游水系特征与洪水灾害的关系,分析了人类活动对洪水灾害的影响规律,在此基础上,开展了气候和下垫面特征变化条件下的暴雨洪水模拟研究,以长江下游太湖东苕溪流域的南苕溪为研究区,进行了流域降雨径流过程的动态模拟验证和特征分析,并取得了较满意的成果,从而为长江中下游地区防洪减灾研究打下了基础。     

煤矿人为失误的原因及控制

随着科学技术的进步,机器设备的可靠性得到了大幅度的提高,人为失误导致的事故比例快速上升.掌握人为失误的原因,进而控制人为失误的发生是有效减少事故发生的重要措施.在对神火煤电股份有限公司新庄矿深入调查了解的基础上,初步探讨了煤矿人为失误的原因,提出了控制人为失误的有效途径.     

洪湖历史时期人类活动的湖泊沉积环境响应

以洪湖北部和南部两个短柱钻孔(HN和HS)研究湖泊沉积,采用137Cs定年,沉积速率为0.155 cm/a。沉积物的总有机碳、总氮、磷以及元素和磁化率等指标分析表明：1840年前洪湖地区人类活动较弱,在湖泊沉积物中基本没有早期的人类活动信号的记录;1840年以后由于人口大量增加,人类活动增强,湖泊的营养水平有所增加,尤其是1950年以来沉积物中营养元素急剧增加;近50年来的湖泊营养程度的加重主要与流域内大量营养物质进入湖泊,以及大面积的围垦造成湖泊面积减小、自我调节能力降低有关。洪湖两孔的对比研究表明,不同区域之间存在着差异,可能与洪湖湖流作用及人类活动的影响差异有关。     

2002~2009年兰州PM10人体健康经济损失评估

参考近年来公开发表的国内外流行病学文献,筛选出PM10的健康效应终点和适合于兰州地区的暴露-反应关系系数,对2002~2009年兰州地区PM10人体健康经济损失进行了计算.结果表明2002年以来兰州地区PM10人体健康经济损失并未明显升高,而是逐年波动;年损失值均在10亿元以上,其中2009年最高为16.6亿元; PM10人体健康经济损失与GDP的比值呈明显下降的趋势.     

Genotoxic effects of metals on human salivary gland tissue and lymphocytes as detected by the Comet assay

The etiology of salivary gland malignancies still remains unclear. Metal compounds are of special interest since they show ubiquitous presence in the environment, are present in many working places, and are accepted (co-)carcinogens in some other malignancies. Metals enter the body as xenobiotics by inhalation or ingestion. This study investigated the genotoxic potential of sodium dichromate (Na₂Cr₂O₇), nickel sulfate (NiSO₄), cadmium sulfate (CdSO₄) and zinc chloride (ZnCl₂) on human salivary gland cells and lymphocytes. Macroscopically healthy tissue of salivary glands was harvested from 46 patients during surgery and isolated to single cells by enzymatic digestion. The cells were incubated with Na₂Cr₂O₇, NiSO₄, CdSO₄ or ZnCl₂. Na₂Cr₂O₇ was also incubated in combination with the other metal compounds listed. Carcinogenic and co-carcinogenic effects of cadmium were tested by incubation with Na₂Cr₂O₇ and consecutive repair intervals. DNA damage and repair were evaluated by the Comet assay, determining DNA-strand breaks. The extent of damage was quantified using a digital analysis system. Na₂Cr₂O₇ produced significantly enhanced DNA-strand breaks in human salivary gland tissue and lymphocytes. All other metal compounds exerted no damaging effect on both cell types. Co-incubation of Na₂Cr₂O₇ with the other metals revealed a significant additive effect only for CdSO₄. Specific analysis of the influence of cadmium showed a reduction of DNA-repair after Na₂Cr₂O₇-induced strand breaks in salivary gland cells. This study provides evidence that exposure to distinct metals may significantly contribute to malignant salivary gland tumors. In consequence, further studies as epidemiological and toxicological data are warranted to determine the role of distinct metals as potential (co-) carcinogens.     

Mercury pollution in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh,India, and its health impacts

The Sonbhadra district in the Singrauli area of Uttar Pradesh, India, has many coal mines and thermal power plants and is a critically polluted area. Many residents of this area reported adverse health conditions which may be linked to metal pollution, especially of mercury investigated here.

In May 2012, samples of water (23), soil (7), blood, hair, and nails from persons showing adverse health conditions selected at random were collected and analyzed for total mercury by atomic absorption spectrometry.

Twenty percent drinking water samples contained mercury from 3 to 26 μg L^?1 (3–26 times the permissible limit). Soil samples had 0.5–10.1 mg kg^?1 Hg.

The average concentrations of mercury in human blood, hair, and nails were found to be 34 μg L^?1, 7.4 mg kg^?1, and 0.8 mg kg^?1, respectively. Mercury concentrations in the blood of these persons were 45 and 28 μg L^?1 on average in the case of men and women. This is much higher than the safe level of 5.8 μg L^?1 set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

It was concluded that all residents of Sonbhadra sampled could be suffering from mercury toxicity as the area is polluted by Hg released from the coal-fired thermal power plants.