Assessment of energy balance against the nutritional status of women carriers in the brickfields of West Bengal

The Indian brick industry is an unorganized sector in which large numbers of migrant women workers are employed. A survey was conducted on 62 women workers working in different brickfields of West Bengal to assess their physiological workload, nutritional profile, total energy expenditure and energy balance. Energy intake was calculated using physiological fuel values of carbohydrate, fat and protein. From the results it is seen that 13% of the sample population falls under severe (grade III) chronic energy deficiency. The average daily consumption of the workers was comparatively lower than their daily energy expenditure, considering the nature of the job which falls under heavy to extremely heavy categories. This negative energy balance is effectively observed in the nutritional anthropometry data. Thus, an immediate ergonomics intervention with better nutrition should be implemented to improve the health status of the workers so they can safely continue to work for a longer period.     

Contrasts in Livelihoods and Protein Intake between Commercial and Subsistence Bushmeat Hunters in Two Villages on Bioko Island,Equatorial Guinea

Across West and Central Africa, wildlife provides a source of food and income. We investigated the relation between bushmeat hunting and household wealth and protein consumption in 2 rural communities in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. One village was dedicated to commercial hunting, the other trapped game primarily for food. We tested whether commercial‐hunter households were nutritionally advantaged over subsistence‐hunter households due to their higher income from the bushmeat trade and greater access to wild‐animal protein. We conducted bushmeat‐offtake surveys in both villages (captures by hunters and carcasses arriving to each village). Mammals (including threatened primates: black colobus [Colobus satanas], Preussi's guenon [Allochrocebus preussi], and russet‐eared guenon [Cercopithecus erythrotis]), birds, and reptiles were hunted. The blue duiker (Philantomba monticola), giant pouched rat (Cricetomys emini), and brush‐tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus) contributed almost all the animal biomass hunted, consumed, or sold in both villages. Monkeys and Ogilbyi's duikers (Cephalophus ogilbyi) were hunted only by commercial hunters. Commercial hunters generated a mean of US$2000/year from bushmeat sales. Households with commercial hunters were on average wealthier, generated more income, spent more money on nonessential goods, and bought more products they did not grow. By contrast, households with subsistence hunters spent less on market items, spent more on essential products, and grew more of their own food. Despite these differences, average consumption of vegetable protein and domestic meat and bushmeat protein did not differ between villages. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the socioeconomic and nutritional context of commercial and subsistence bushmeat hunting to correctly interpret ways of reducing their effects on threatened species and to enable the sustainable offtake of more productive taxa. Contrastes en el Sustento y la Ingesta de Proteínas entre Carne de Caza de Subsistencia y Comercial en Dos Aldeas en Isla Bioko, Guinea Ecuatorial     

Sydney tar ponds: some problems in quantifying toxic waste

Information on the type and amount of hazardous and toxic waste is required to develop a meaningful strategy and estimate a realistic cost for clean up of the Sydney Tar Pond site which is located on Cape Breton, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The site covers the area of the decommissioned Sysco (Sydney Steel Corporation) plant. The materials of concern include BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes), PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl), and particulates laden with toxic metals, such as arsenic, lead, and others. The originally nontoxic materials such as soil, blast furnace slag, and vegetation, as well as surface and ground waters, which were subsequently contaminated, must also be included if they fail tests prescribed by environmental regulations. An extensive sampling program must be undertaken to obtain data for an accurate estimate of the waste to be cleaned and disposed of. Apparently, 700,000 tons of toxic waste, which is believed to be present on the site, may represent only a fraction of the actual amount. The clean-up of the site is only part of the solution. Toxic waste has to be disposed of in accordance with environmental regulations.     

Prioritizing R&D for the U.S. Department of Energy's Weapons Complex Clean-Up

Prioritizing the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) targeted R&D program supporting weapons-complex clean-up has been problematic. Considering issues common to all R&D evaluation, linking R&D prioritization to clean-up project prioritization, the latter aligned with institutional goals, offers a pragmatic solution. This method is illustrated with results of a clean-up prioritization model of DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory site.     

国家公园领域财政事权划分改革研究

随着自然保护地的整合优化和财政体制改革的深入推进,对国家公园领域财政事权和支出责任进行明确划分、界定,对于建立健全国家公园领域资金保障机制具有重要意义,有助于建立政府间权责明晰、协同有序的国家公园治理体系。本文在梳理我国国家公园领域财政事权清单、分析财政支出责任划分现状及存在问题的基础上,根据中央有关国家公园事权的文件以及部门机构职责、中央和地方财政关系的制度特点,提出我国国家公园领域政府间财政事权和支出责任划分的总体思路与政策建议,为建立以国家公园为主体的自然保护地体系提供决策参考。     

Physiological and behavioral aspects of Calanus euxinus females (Copepoda: Calanoida) during vertical migration across temperature and oxygen gradients

 In the Black Sea, during summer stratification, Calanus euxinus (Hulsemann) undertakes diel vertical migrations with an amplitude of about 117 m from oxygenated, warm (18 °C) surface layers to hypoxic (∼0.8 mg O₂ l⁻¹) zones with lower temperature (7.9 °C). When such changes in temperature and oxygen concentration are reproduced in the laboratory, total metabolism, basal metabolism and scope of activity of copepods decrease 7.2, 7.8 and 6.7 times, respectively, while the frequency of locomotory acts and mechanical power decline 3.4- and 9.5-fold, respectively. These changes allowed the copepods to conserve a significant portion of food consumed near the surface for transformation to lipid reserves. Diel respiratory oxygen consumption of migrating individuals, calculated so as to include actual duration of residence in layers with different temperature and oxygen concentrations, is estimated at 17.87 μg O₂ ind⁻¹. The net energy cost of vertical migration made up only 11.6% of the total. Copepods expend 78.6% of diel energy losses during approximately 10 h in the surface layers, while about 5.4% is required during about 9 h at depth. Hypoxia is shown to have a significant metabolic advantage during diel vertical migrations of C. euxinus in the Black Sea. Received: 1 October 1999 / Accepted: 11 July 2000     

Improved source,improved quality? Demand for drinking water quality in rural India

This paper tests the hypothesis that the expansion of improved drinking water supplies in rural India reduced household expenditure on water quality, offsetting some of the quality benefits from source protection. I estimate demand for in-home treatment using geological characteristics to predict a household's drinking water source. The probability of treatment and in particular boiling reduces by 18–27 percentage points in response to source protection, offsetting 4% of the water quality gains and saving households 0.5–1% in monthly expenditure. Behavioral choices partly counteract the water quality gains from source protection.     

A Heart Rate Evaluation Approach to Determine Cost-Effectiveness an Ergonomics Intervention

This paper describes a hear-rate methodology to determine the cost-effectiveness of an ergonomics intervention to reduce workload and improve working conditions. This is a practical approach as opposed to the energy expenditure technique that is difficult to implement in natural settings. This was a laboratory study using a large excavator cabin with devices to simulate excavation operations. Mean heart rate was used to calculate the required rest time during a shift with or without air-conditioning. The criterion for evaluation was differences in required rest time during a shift under these 2 conditions. The simplicity and objectivity of this approach invites use to solve the problem of the economic evaluation of ergonomics interventions.     

加强建筑工人安全培训的构想

分析国内建筑工人安全培训的现状,指出导致建筑工人安全意识和技能差是接受安全培训少。为了减少事故率,必须加强建筑工人的安全培训。借鉴并发展了香港特区实行的建筑工人"绿卡制度",提出在我国内地实施建筑工人注册绿卡制度,及实施构想,即以注册绿卡为核心,现有的安全培训机构承担该培训任务,安监部门对其监管与工作指导,建设安全机构检查与督促建筑施工单位雇用有绿卡的建筑工人,对建筑公司实行规范安全培训及违者重罚的构想。对具体培训措施,如建筑工人的工地属地化管理,考培分离,建立全国建筑工人绿卡管理信息系统,培训经费来源等也进行了探讨。     

The impact of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme in Sangzhi County,Hunan Province

In August 2011,the Sangzhi County government,Hunan Province,adopted a series of new health care policies as a national pilot of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme(referred to as 2011 NCMS).These policies were designed to further resolve illness-led poverty and the poor state of health care in the local area.The program had a positive impact and spread to other regions in Hunan Province.This paper will discuss the progress made as a result of the policies and several issues that challenge the scheme in practice.A total sample of 1212 individuals and 303 households were included in the analysis,and98 interviews were conducted with people related to the scheme.Our major findings indicate that the 201!NCMS has significantly reduced the out-of-pocket medical payment of rural residents,and also increased the township hospitals’patient flow.However,the medical scheme still faces many challenging issues during the implementation.With the increasing interest among the Chinese policy makers in strengthening and promoting the Sangzhi Model,the impacts of the scheme deserve greater attention in practice so as to further improve NCMS in rural China.