Relationship of urinary arsenic metabolites to intake estimates in residents of the Red River Delta, Vietnam

This study investigated the status of arsenic (As) exposure from groundwater and rice, and its methylation capacity in residents from the Red River Delta, Vietnam. Arsenic levels in groundwater ranged from <1.8 to 486 μg/L. Remarkably, 86% of groundwater samples exceeded WHO drinking water guideline of 10 μg/L. Also, estimated inorganic As intake from groundwater and rice were over Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (15 μg/week/kg body wt.) by FAO/WHO for 92% of the residents examined. Inorganic As and its metabolite (monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid) concentrations in human urine were positively correlated with estimated inorganic As intake. These results suggest that residents in these areas are exposed to As through consumption of groundwater and rice, and potential health risk of As is of great concern for these people. Urinary concentration ratios of dimethylarsinic acid to monomethylarsonic acid in children were higher than those in adults, especially among men, indicating greater As methylation capacity in children.     

China＇s Land Carrying Capacity Based on Man-grain Relationships

With population growth and increasing pressure on land resources, land carrying capacity （LCC） and food safety have been attracting great attention worldwide. From the point of man-grain relationship and by establishing LCC and land carrying capacity index （LCCI） models, this article firstly analyzes the spatial-temporal dynamics of LCC of China from 1949 to 2005 at county, provincial and national levels. Choosing 2005 as a representative year, this article then evaluates the LCC of 264 pastoral regions （semipastoral regions）, 663 urban regions and 592 poverty stricken regions of the country. The results show that： （1） from 1949 to 2005, with the increase of grain production, the LCC of China has been improved conspicuously, but due to the rapid population growth, the production can only maintain a low level grain consumption; （2） over the past 25 years （1980-2005）, the number of population overloading provinces decreased from 23 to 15 and the mangrain relationship has been improved gradually, but there were more overloading provinces than surplus provinces in China; （3） at county level, there were 1572 overloading counties in 1980 accounting for 68.26% of the total counties of the country and where were 649 million people lived, while in 1990, 2000 and 2005, the number of overloading counties were 1066, 1133 and 1087 respectively, which shows that the man-grain relationship has been improved obviously during the past 25 years; as for spatial distribution, the surplus counties were mainly concentrated in agriculture developed regions, such as Northeast Plain, North China Plain, middle and lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Plain, and overloading counties were mainly located in regions with poor natural environment and low grain production capacity, such as Northwest China, Tibetan Plateau and Loess Plateau and economically developed urban regions, such as Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai; （4） animal husbandry improved greatly the LCC of pastoral and semi-pastoral regions, while urban regions were overloading for increasing population pressure and more than half of poverty stricken regions were overloading due to critical natural environment and poor economic conditions.     

Quantitative Evaluation on Urban Ecosystem Carrying Capacity in Tianjin Binhai New Area

Based on the concept of ecosystem carrying capacity, the indicator system of quantitative assessment was set up, which consisted of support indicator system and pressure indicator system. And the factor analysis method was used to screen the indicator system. Different from the traditional indicator weight determination based on the absolute values of the coefficients of regression equation, the squares of factor loadings in the rotated component matrix were attempted to determine the weights of 40 assessment indicators. The result shows that ecological support system and pressure system in Binhai New Area are relatively balanced among six years, and the developing level of urban ecosystem is basically healthy on the whole. However, due to continuously increasing pressure of the resources consumption caused by the rapid growth of the second industry, which is the Leading Industry of Binhai New Area, the ecosystem carrying capacity reached the minimum in 2005.     

Conceptualizing Discourses on Ecological City and Its Planning

Ecological city （eco-city） and its planning approach are emerging concepts in urban study, urban planning, ecological economics, environmental policy and corporate environmental management. However, opinions remain divided over the connotation and denotation of the term ＂ecological city＂, what key issues eco-city planning can solve, and its specific contents. In this study, we present 10 basic propositions that define the eco-city and clarify its key parameters, thereby providing the basis for discussing the assumptions and principles underlying different approaches to sus- tainable urban development. We then summarize the concept and principles of an eco-city, and define the main requirements for eco- city planning. We conclude that an eco-city is a city in which the urban population, scale of land use and intensity of human activities are limited to the regional resource and environmental carrying capacity, which does not cause increasing or irreversible damage to the regional ecosystem＇s structure, functions and processes.     

砂泥岩地基大直径灌注桩竖向承载力试验研究

以某电厂桩基础为工程依托,进行了两试桩竖向静载荷试验,探讨了砂泥岩地基大直径灌注桩的荷载传递机理和竖向承载特性。试验结果表明,砂泥岩地基大直径灌注桩在极限荷载作用达到稳定的情况下,荷载由桩侧阻力与桩端阻力共同承担,但表现出很强的摩擦桩特征,桩侧阻力的发挥取决于桩土相对位移,对于不同的土层,桩侧摩阻力达到极限时所对应的桩土之间相对位移不尽相同。针对试验结果,根据上部结构对基础沉降的要求,以桩顶沉降量来控制桩的竖向承载力,并提出了简化的计算公式,该公式考虑了桩土相对位移对桩侧阻力发挥的影响。     

C2–C8 NMHCs over the Eastern Mediterranean: Seasonal variation and impact on regional oxidation chemistry

More than 2500 measurements of C₂–C₈ non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) have been conducted at Finokalia sampling station on the island of Crete over a thirty-month period (September 2003–February 2006), to investigate the factors controlling NMHC levels and estimate their role in the oxidizing capacity of the Eastern Mediterranean atmosphere. Atmospheric concentrations of NMHCs range from below the detection limit (5 pptv) to a few ppbv and present a hydroxyl radical (OH) driven seasonal pattern with lower values during summer. The diel variability was also influenced by the reaction of the NMHC with the OH radical, exhibiting a nighttime maximum and a midday or early afternoon minimum. Long-lived compounds demonstrate higher concentrations under the influence of the northern sector (European continent), indicating that besides chemistry, transport significantly contributes to NMHCs levels in the area. Based on the observed NMHCs diurnal cycles, mean OH radical levels of 3.5 × 10⁶ molecules cm⁻³ have been derived for May–October period.     

Evaluation of aquifer vulnerability and the protective capacity in some oil producing communities of western Niger Delta

Oil spills have become a major environmental hazard constituting serious social problems in Nigeria, especially in the oil producing communities. The spills contaminate the aquifer if the subsurface layers are not protected. Geoelectric technique of geophysical investigation has been used to evaluate the protective capacity of six oil producing communities: Oleh, Olomoro, Uzere, Afiesere, Ekakpamre and Uvwiamuge in the western Niger Delta. A total of 139 vertical electrical sounding (VES) using the Schlumberger electrode configuration were occupied in these communities. The longitudinal conductance maps delineated areas with poor (<0.1 mho), weak (0.1–0.19 mho), moderate (0.2–0.69 mho) and good protective capacity (0.7–4.9 mho). The study has shown that the protective capacity of most parts of the communities studied is poor with Uvwiamuge and Ekakpamre communities not protected hence the aquifer in these oil producing communities are vulnerable to contamination by hydrocarbon in the event of pollution. Hence proper environmental protection measures have been suggested to safeguard the aquifer from pollution by hydrocarbon in the event of spillage.     

Understanding Social Complexity Within the Wildland–Urban Interface: A New Species of Human Habitation?

The lack of knowledge regarding social diversity in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) or an in-depth understanding of the ways people living there interact to address common problems is concerning, perhaps even dangerous, given that community action is necessary for successful wildland fire preparedness and natural resource management activities. In this article, we lay out the knowledge and preliminary case study evidence needed to begin systematically documenting the differing levels and types of adaptive capacity WUI communities have for addressing collective problems such as wildland fire hazard. In order to achieve this end, we draw from two theoretical perspectives encompassing humans' interactions with their environment, including (1) Kenneth Wilkinson's interactional approach to community, (2) and certain elements of place literature. We also present case study research on wildfire protection planning in two drastically different California communities to illustrate how social diversity influences adaptive capacity to deal with hazards such as wildland fire. These perspectives promote an image of the WUI not as a monolithic entity but a complex mosaic of communities with different needs and existing capacities for wildland fire and natural resource management.     

基于多层次灰色关联分析模型的陕西各市可持续发展能力比较

通过建立评价指标体系,利用多层次灰色关联分析模型对陕西各市2005年经济发展、生态环境保护、社会进步以及综合可持续发展能力分别进行比较。结果表明：西安、汉中、咸阳分别为经济发展、生态环境保护和社会进步可持续发展能力最高城市,渭南市处最低水平;综合可持续发展能力,西安、宝鸡和汉中排名最前,综合指数分别为0．6643、0．6622和0．6579,渭南市最低,仅为0．4451,其余各市综合指数在0．5115～0．6323之间。最后,结合部分城市现状,对其综合可持续发展能力建设提出建议措施。     

吉林市江北化工区环境容量研究

本文通过对吉林市江北化工区内、外的大气污染物SO2排放调查,以及环境空气中SO2浓度调查,并应用多源模型（ISC3）,结合B值削减分配法计算江北化工区环境空气中SO2的环境容量,计算出该区域的剩余环境容量为16732．04t／a。