Evaluation of biological water purification functions of inland lakes using an aquatic ecosystem model

An effective measure to cope with eutrophication of lakes is to remove nutrients that can cause algal blooming by taking advantage of natural water purification processes. Here the term “purification” is defined, in a wide sense, as the potential role of a water body to contribute to the reduction of pollutants and thus controlling eutrophication. Also regarded as a kind of ecological regulating services, biological purification involves various processes concerning seasonal nutrient fixation, such as uptake by aquatic macrophytes, biofouling onto foliage substrates, feeding by organisms in higher trophic level, and eternal loss or removal of substance from the water. In order to evaluate the water purification ability, a numerical lake ecosystem model highlighting the role of macrophyte colonies in the shore zone was developed and applied to Lakes Suwa, Kasumi and Biwa, as well as five small lakes attached to Lake Biwa.     

Nation‐building policies in Timor‐Leste: disaster risk reduction,including climate change adaptation

Few studies have explored the relationships between nation‐building, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Focusing on small island developing states, this paper examines nation‐building in Timor‐Leste, a small island developing state that recently achieved independence. Nation‐building in Timor‐Leste is explored in the context of disaster risk reduction, which necessarily includes climate change adaptation. The study presents a synopsis of Timor‐Leste's history and its nation‐building efforts as well as an overview of the state of knowledge of disaster risk reduction including climate change adaptation. It also offers an analysis of significant gaps and challenges in terms of vertical and horizontal governance, large donor presence, data availability and the integration of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation for nation‐building in Timor‐Leste. Relevant and applicable lessons are provided from other small island developing states to assist Timor‐Leste in identifying its own trajectory out of underdevelopment while it builds on existing strengths.     

南帕斯凝析油存储挥发与安全影响分析

南帕斯凝析油产自于伊朗,在炼制过程几乎不残留油渣,因而倍受炼油企业青睐。南帕斯凝析油中硫化氢及硫醇硫等有毒气体的浓度较高,在储存过程中由于储罐呼吸现象的存在,有毒气体挥发量较大。一旦有毒气体挥发量超出《工作场所有害因素职业接触限值》中规定的限值,极容易引发安全事故。南帕斯凝析油的这一特性给企业安全工作带来了很大挑战。以分析南帕斯凝析油理化性质以及存储设备设施现状为基础,运用储罐大小呼吸计算公式定量计算出有毒气体的挥发量及在空气中的含量;并且以呼吸阀口为连续性点源建立气体扩散模型,根据高斯定律推算出下风向各点有毒气体浓度值,从而划分防护等级区域并制定相应的安全操作要求,为企业存储安全提供有效的防护方案。     

基于DEA的中小型工矿企业安全管理能力评价研究

对中小型工矿企业安全管理能力的内涵进行界定,从现实能力和潜在能力两个层面建立中小型工矿企业安全管理能力的评估指标体系,并运用DEA模型进行评价。研究结果表明:该评价方法有效地反映中小型工矿企业安全管理能力,并且说明具体的改进方向,为企业提升安全管理水平提供一种思路和方法。     

小流域地下水与地表水微生物组成结构差异及其成因分析

对中山大学滨海水循环综合试验基地的河道水和地下水进行采样,运用16S rRNA基因分析方法,研究微生物的群落组成、结构,同时,通过Mothur软件分析不同采样点的系统发育多样性和文库稀释曲线.结果表明,上下游河道水和地下水均以变形菌(Proteobacteria),厚壁菌(Firmicutes),古菌(Archaea)为优势种群,变形菌在上游堰、下游堰、R1、R2、R3分别占各自总数的29.7%、30.3%、28.1%、20.9%、14.2%;厚壁菌在上游堰、下游堰、R1、R2、R3分别占各自总数的9.7%、20.3%、19.8%、8.6%、39.6%;古菌(不可培养的泉古菌和广古菌)在上游堰、下游堰、R1、R2、R3分别占各自总数的14.2%、12.3%、11.7%、12.1%、3.5%.表明地下水、地表水微生物组成结构有一定的趋同性.另一方面,酸杆菌(Acidobacteria)、硝化螺旋菌(Nitrospira)、拟杆菌(Bacteroidetes) 和Candidate division OPx等在不同采样点的丰度各异,不同埋藏条件下的地下水和地表水多样性指数与稀释曲线有所不同,揭示小流域的微生物组成、结构具有空间差异.研究显示,受周围水文地质条件、补给差异等影响,微生物种群随之演化,微生物特征与水文地质、化学离子密切相关.     

电化学方法研究小分子与核酸相互作用的进展(Recent Electrochemical Investigation on the Interaction of Small Molecules with Nucleic Acids)

研究小分子与核酸的相互作用,对了解分子对DNA体内复制和转录的影响、探索疾病的发病机理和寻找新型药物设计等具有重要意义.电化学方法是一种重要的研究小分子与核酸相互作用的方法,而这方面的综述较少.论文首先论述了小分子与核酸相互作用的结合方式,并对采用电化学方法考察无机金属离子、金属配合物、有机药物分子、有机环境污染物与DNA相互作用的研究进展进行了归纳和评述,其中对有机小分子与核酸的相互作用进行了较详细介绍.最后,对该领域研究趋势进行了讨论.     

PROMOTING GROUND WATER POLLUTION PREVENTION IN SMALL BUSINESSES1

ABSTRACT: Although they have not been the focus of major regulations, small businesses can contribute pollutants to ground water through routine practices. Because strict regulation of millions of micro firms is not likely, water resource professionals face a challenge of how to reach small business operators with effective pollution prevention messages. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence a small business operator to adopt measures that reduce potential ground water pollution. We looked at how information delivery, internal business characteristics, and external relationships are associated with voluntary preventive measures. Mail surveys from small businesses in New Jersey municipalities and interviews with business owners provided data about business characteristics and current pollution prevention activities. Findings suggested that businesses doing the most to prevent ground water pollution were generally more connected to external organizations and had more financial and technical resources. The study also discovered that small business owners fear government involvement in their affairs. The study concludes with recommendations to encourage more voluntary adoption of prevention measures by businesses. These center on separating assistance programs from enforcement and involving industry peer groups in an effort to make information available in a non-threatening manner.     

Coping with seismic vulnerability: small manufacturing firms in western Athens

This paper attempts to contribute to international discourse on the responsibility of macro structures (economic and political) and private agencies for the production and distribution of vulnerability. It does so by focusing on an individual economic entity, small manufacturing firms (SMFs), in a specific location, western Athens, Greece. By evaluating the losses that SMFs sustained in the earthquake of 7 September 1999, the paper points to variations in vulnerability levels among such firms and highlights the 'sources' of vulnerability they confront. Furthermore, the SMF recovery cycle is systematically monitored in parallel with relevant public policies and state reactions to private recovery methods. The analysis illustrates processes that externalise recovery costs, alter the relationship between physical and socio-economic vulnerability and shift the vulnerability load from macro structures to individual agencies or vice versa. It is based on two methodological approaches: the division of vulnerability into three constituent components (exposure, resistance and resilience); and the conceptual split between producers and carriers of vulnerability.     

Structure of the communities of small mammals (micromammalia) in forests on western slopes of the Northern Urals

Long-term data on the species composition and ratio of insectivores and rodents in forest ecosystems of the western macroslope of the Northern Urals are considered. It is shown that the micromammalian communities of mountain forests are characterized by higher total abundance and polydominance and comprise greater numbers of common species than the communities of taiga forests in neighboring regions of the Russian Plain. Hence, the mountain-forest communities of small mammals have high indices of species diversity and uniformity.Translated from Ekologiya, No. 2, 2005, pp. 138–145.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Bobretsov, Lukyanova, Poroshin.     

SOIL-MOISTURE EFFECTS OF CONVERSION OF SAGEBRUSH COVER TO BUNCHGRASS COVER1

Precipitation, soil moisture, runoff, and vegetation were measured on two, 5- to 10-acre, big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) watersheds and two, equally small, beardless bluebunch wheatgrass (Agrophron inerme) watersheds that were converted from big sagebrush in 1967. The watersheds are located near Wolcott, Colorado, at an elevation of 7,200 feet, and are mantled with 2 to 3 feet of silty clay soils. Annual precipitation was about 13.5 inches; about 9 inches occurred as rain or snow from April through October and about 4.5 inches accumulated as a snowpack from November through March. Evapotranspiration was about 2 inches greater in 1968 and 1 inch greater in 1969 from the sagebrush watersheds than from the grass watersheds. With a mature stand of grass in 1970 and 1971 the differences in evapotranspiration were within the range of differences measured during the 3-year calibration period when all four watersheds were sagebrush. Water use was similar in the top 1 foot of soil but slightly more water was used by the grass in the 1- to 2-foot zone and more water being used by the sagebrush below 2 feet. Soil-water potential data indicated that only the big sagebrush used a small amount of water from the fractured shale at depths below 40 inches. Sagebrush used more water in August and September than the grass.