On Methods for Analyzing Ecotones of Forest Margins

A simple method for the quantitative gradient analysis of a xerotermic forest-margin ecotone is described. In this method, the mean value of the coefficient of similarity between all plots of the transect is used for estimating the rate of changes in species composition. Changes in the phytosociological spectrum are analyzed. The method adequately reflects trends in the displacement of forest species by forest-margin, steppe, and meadow species.     

Rendering the world unsafe: 'vulnerability' as western discourse

Disasters seem destined to be major issues of academic enquiry in the new century if for no other reason than that they are inseparably linked to questions of environmental conservation, resource depletion and migration patterns in an increasingly globalised world. Unfortunately, inadequate attention has been directed at considering the historical roots of the discursive framework within which hazard is generally presented, and how that might reflect particular cultural values to do with the way in which certain regions or zones of the world are usually imagined. This paper argues that tropicality, development and vulnerability form part of one and the same essentialising and generalising cultural discourse that denigrates large regions of world as disease-ridden, poverty-stricken and disaster-prone.     

PROFILE: Tourism Contribution to Agro-Ecosystems Conservation: The Case of Lesbos Island, Greece

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of tourism activities on olive tree cultivation and the human population of the island of Lesbos. The presence or absence of tourism is related with the maintenance or abandonment of olive tree cultivation and population changes for each community. A spatial segregation of the island is evident, related to tourist development, olive tree cultivation, and population change. The results of the study demonstrate that in communities where tourism plays an important role olive tree cultivation is preserved and the population is stable. The preservation of the agro-ecosystem is assured while the olive groves remain productive. Simultaneously, the landscape, which provides specific attractions for tourism, is not altered.     

团花锦蛇、绿锦蛇和三索锦蛇的核型及Ag-NORs

报道了锦蛇属团花锦蛇（Ｅ．ｄａｖｉｄｉ）、绿锦蛇（Ｅ．ｐｒｖｓｉｎａ）和三索锦蛇（Ｅ．ｒａｄｉａｔａ）３个种的核型和Ａｇ－ＮＯＲｓ,团花锦蛇的型２ｎ＝３６（８Ｖ＋６ｓＶ＋２Ｉ＋２０Ｍ）,绿锦蛇的核型２ｎ＝３６（７Ｖ＋７ｓＶ＋２Ｉ＋２０ｍ）,三索锦蛇的核型２ｎ＝４０（６Ｖ＋３ｓＶ＋２ｓＩ＋５Ｉ＋２４ｍ）;①团花锦蛇和绿锦蛇的染色体数目和结构与此属大多数咱的相似,;②此种为雄性,未见染色体异型。③Ａｇ     

Morphophysiological Rearrangements in Fish in Response to Pollution (in the Light of S.S. Shvarts' Theory)

The results of a study on morphophysiological variation in fish inhabiting a subarctic lake exposed to chronic industrial pollution are described using an example of cisco, Coregonus lavaretus. It is shown that indices of the heart, liver, kidneys, gills, and fatness in these fish are increased significantly and have retained increased values for the past 20 years. The observed changes are analyzed on the basis of biochemical data. The results of studies on the dynamics of hematological parameters in fish are used for characterizing the development of toxicosis. Adaptive rearrangements associated with an increase in the metabolic rate and the activation of protective systems in the fish are explained in the context of S.S. Schvarts' concept. The idea is proposed that the additional energy cost of detoxification may be responsible for morphophysiological variation in fish under conditions of water pollution.     

人工神经网络方法在资源与环境预测方面的应用

用人工神经网络方法对不同水域、不同环境因子之间非线性和不确定性的复杂关系进行学习训练并预测检验。结果表明：人工神经网络方法在模拟和预测方面 优于传统的统计回归模型,在资源与环境方面的应用是可行的。具有较强的模拟预测能力。与传统的回归模型相比,人工神经网络方法不要求监测数据具有很强的规律性,就可用后的网络模型对其进行预报,燕且预测相对误差均比回归模型预测相对误差要小,具有一定的实用性。两个实例的应用     

Matching response to context in complex political emergencies: 'relief', 'development', 'peace-building' or something in-between?

There is an ongoing debate over the value and pitfalls of the policy and practice of 'linking relief and development' or 'developmental relief' in aid responses to complex political emergencies (CPEs). Driven by concerns about relief creating dependence, sometimes doing harm and failing to address root causes of emergencies despite its high cost, pursuit of both relief and development has become a dominant paradigm among international aid agencies in CPEs as in 'natural' disasters. In CPEs a third objective of 'peace-building' has emerged, along with the logic that development can itself help prevent or resolve conflict and sustain peace. However, this broadening of relief objectives in ongoing CPEs has recently been criticised on a number of counts, central concerns being that it leads to a dilution of commitment to core humanitarian principles and is overly optimistic. This paper addresses these issues in the light of two of the CPEs studied by the COPE project: Eritrea and Somalia/Somaliland. It is argued that the debate has so far suffered from lack of clarity about what we mean by 'relief', 'development' and, for that matter, 'rehabilitation' and 'peace-building'. The wide spectrum of possible aid outcomes does not divide neatly into these categories. The relief-development divide is not always as clear-cut, technically or politically, as the critics claim. Moreover such distinctions, constructed from the point of view of aid programmers, are often of little relevance to the concerns of intended beneficiaries. Second, there has been insufficient attention to context: rather than attempting to generalise within and across CPE cases, a more productive approach would be to examine more closely the conditions under which forms of aid other than basic life support can fruitfully be pursued. This leads to consideration of collective agency capacity to respond effectively to diverse needs in different and changing circumstances.     

What happens to the state in conflict?: political analysis as a tool for planning humanitarian assistance

It is now part of received wisdom that humanitarian assistance in conflict and post-conflict situations may be ineffective or even counterproductive in the absence of an informed understanding of the broader political context in which so-called 'complex political emergencies' (CPEs) occur. Though recognising that specific cases have to be understood in their own terms, this article offers a framework for incorporating political analysis in policy design. It is based on a programme of research on a number of countries in Africa and Asia over the last four years. It argues that the starting-point should be an analysis of crises of authority within contemporary nation-states which convert conflict (a feature of all political systems) into violent conflict; of how such conflict may in turn generate more problems for, or even destroy, the state; of the deep-rooted political, institutional and developmental legacies of political violence; and of the difficulties that complicate the restoration of legitimate and effective systems of governance after the 'termination' of conflict. It then lists a series of questions which such an analysis would need to ask--less in order to provide a comprehensive check-list than to uncover underlying political processes and links. It is hoped these may be used not only to understand the political dynamics of emergencies, but also to identify what kinds of policy action should and should not be given priority by practitioners.     

The urban poor in Dhaka City: their struggles and coping strategies during the floods of 1998

Bangladesh experienced one of the worst floods in recorded history in 1998. This paper focuses on the needs and coping strategies of the urban poor in Dhaka City, which had been very badly affected. The city's roads were completely under water, and most areas were water-logged with drainage and sewage systems blocked. Rising water levels compelled many slum dwellers to move to temporary shelters and relief camps. Women and children were the worst affected. The lack of sanitation facilities and privacy forced women and children to defecate in their own homes. There was an acute scarcity of safe drinking-water, and food prices rose dramatically. Diarrhoea, fever and colds were the most common illnesses affecting the poor. The floods left many of them unemployed, and in some families, the result was increased tension and incidents of domestic violence. In some areas, members felt pressured to repay micro-credit loans. Most NGOs, however, suspended loan repayments. During this period, a committee was set up to co-ordinate and work towards addressing some of the main post-flood problems.     

氯离子选择性电极法测定钻井废水氯离子含量

利用氯离子选择性电极测定钻井废水中的氯离子含量，分别用两种方法对钻井废水进行了预处理，氯离子在0-250mg/L的范围内线形关系良好，相关系数为0.9968,并且重现性和选择性良好、精密度与准确度较理想。