The real effect of legal institutions: Environmental courts and firm environmental protection expenditure

This paper evaluates the real effects of environmental justice reform on environmental governance at the firm level. Using the establishment of environmental courts in China as a quasi-natural experiment, our difference-in-differences estimation shows that: (1) environmental courts significantly enhance environmental investment by firms, and this relationship is robust to different specifications and alternative measures; (2) three possible channels are the improved levels of justice and enforcement of environmental protection, and the mitigation of local government intervention; (3) our findings are particularly pronounced in subsamples with severe local protectionism, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and non-SOEs with political connections; (4) at the city-level, environmental courts significantly increase air quality and promote cities to cross the inflection point of the environmental Kuznets curve earlier. Overall, this paper reveals the micro-mechanisms behind the real effects of environmental justice on firm environmental investment, thus providing timely implications for regulators concerned with environmental protection.     

Mechanisms enabling sperm economy in blenniid fishes

Sperm competition, cost of spermatogenesis and spawning frequency are known to influence ejaculate expenditure. Accordingly, males, particularly those with high reproductive costs, are expected to have evolved mechanisms enabling them to prudently allocate sperm, such as the fractioning of ejaculate expenditure or the semi-cystic type of spermatogenesis, hypothesised to favour the production of small ejaculates. In this study, we investigate sperm competition risk, ejaculate size and mode of ejaculate release in seven polygynous blenniid fish where males provide sole paternal care of eggs. In addition, we estimated the relative size of the two parts composing the male gonad, the strictly testicular (testicular lobules or testis) and the glandular (testicular gland), as the development of the latter is indicative of the level of semi-cystic spermatogenesis. In all the examined species, eggs were laid one by one, and the sperm expenditure at mating, evaluated as the total number of sperm released per mating, was parcelled out in several successive ejaculations, allowing males to adjust the release of sperm to the duration of egg deposition. In accordance with sperm competition theory, species experiencing higher sperm competition risk allocated more in sperm, both considering ejaculate size and ejaculate expenditure per mating. An increase in sperm expenditure was paralleled by the development of the testis at the expense of the testicular gland. Smaller species, whose males do not face sperm competition risk and fecundity is low, produced smaller ejaculates and exhibited a more developed testicular gland, supporting the hypothesis that a semi-cystic type of spermatogenesis is a mechanism allowing sperm economy.     

Evidence of equal maternal investment in the sexes in the polygynous and sexually dimorphic grey seal (Halichoerus grypus)

In polygynous and sexually dimorphic mammals, parents may be expected to bias their investment towards sons because variation in reproductive success is usually higher among males than among females. Moreover, male reproductive success often depends on adult body size, which, in turn, may depend on the level of parental investment. We therefore predicted that in the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus), a polygynous and sexually dimorphic phocid seal, females should invest more in individual sons than in individual daughters. We found that male pups were born heavier than female pups, but that the growth rates and suckling behaviour were similar for the two sexes. The growth rates and the birth weights were not correlated for the pups of either sex. Mothers did not behave differentially towards offspring of the two sexes, except that mothers of male pups spent more time in visual contact with their pups. Male and female pups had similar activity levels and begged at similar rates. We argue that reports of equal expenditure on the two sexes can be accepted as evidence of equal investment, provided that three assumptions are fulfilled. First, parental care must be costly to the parent. Second, energy expenditure must be the most important component of parental investment. Third, there must be no negative correlation between maternal body condition and the ratio of sons to daughters produced. We argue that these assumptions are met in our study, and that our results provide evidence of equal maternal investment in the sexes in grey seals.     

大气颗粒物和降水化学特征的相互关系

分别于2007年在泰安市郊区和深圳市郊区采集了大气颗粒物并同时对降水进行了分级采样,通过降水过程中降水化学特征的变化和降水前后颗粒物浓度和化学组成的改变,讨论了云下冲刷过程中大气颗粒物对降水化学组分的贡献和降水对颗粒物的去除作用.泰安降水雨量加权pH为5.97,总可溶解离子浓度为1 187.96μeq.L-1,PM10的质量浓度为131.76μg/m3,PM2.5为103.84μg/m3.深圳降水雨量加权pH为4.72,总可溶解成分离子浓度为175.89μeq.L-1,PM10的质量浓度为56.66μg/m3,PM2.5为41.52μg/m3.泰安和深圳降水过程中pH和离子浓度都逐渐降低,冲刷过程主要是中和作用.泰安和深圳降水中Na+和Ca2+的去除效率较高,NH4+和NO3-去除效率较低.两地降水化学性质的差别取决于云水酸度、大气颗粒物性质和大气中酸碱性气体差别的共同作用.降水对大气颗粒物质量浓度、离子组分和元素组分都有显著清除作用.     

The key to winter survival: daily torpor in a small arid-zone marsupial

Mammalian hibernation, which lasts on average for about 6 months, can reduce energy expenditure by >90% in comparison to active individuals. In contrast, the widely held view is that daily torpor reduces energy expenditure usually by about 30%, is employed for a few hours every few days, and often occurs only under acute energetic stress. This interpretation is largely based on laboratory studies, whereas knowledge on daily torpor in the field is scant. We used temperature telemetry to quantify thermal biology and activity patterns of a small arid-zone marsupial, the stripe-faced dunnart Sminthopsis macroura (16.9 g), in the wild and to test the hypothesis that daily torpor is a crucial survival strategy of this species in winter. All individuals entered torpor daily with the exception of a single male that remained normothermic for a single day (torpor on 212 of 213 observation days, 99.5%). Torpor was employed at air temperatures (T _a) ranging from approximately −1°C to 36°C. Dunnarts usually entered torpor during the night and aroused at midday with the daily increase of T _a. Torpor was on average about twice as long (mean 11.0 ± 4.7 h, n = 8) than in captivity. Animals employed sun basking during rewarming, reduced foraging time significantly, and occasionally omitted activity for several days in sequence. Consequently, we estimate that daily torpor in this species can reduce daily energy expenditure by up to 90%. Our study shows that for wild stripe-faced dunnarts daily torpor is an essential mechanism for overcoming energetic challenges during winter and that torpor data obtained in the laboratory can substantially underestimate the ecological significance of daily torpor in the wild.     

No evidence for sperm priming responses under varying sperm competition risk or intensity in guppies

Sperm competition theory predicts that males should tailor their investment in ejaculates according to the number of rival males competing to fertilize a female’s eggs. Research spanning several taxa supports this prediction by showing that males are often sensitive to the level of sperm competition and adjust their investment in sperm numbers accordingly. More recent work has revealed that males may also tailor the quality of sperm according to the number of males competing for fertilization. Here I test for both effects in guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in an experiment that simultaneously evaluates the risk and intensity models of sperm competition. The experiment determined whether male guppies adjust the number (stripped ejaculate size) and quality (sperm velocity and viability) of sperm that are primed over a 3-day period according to experimental changes in the perceived level of sperm competition. A total of 136 focal males were initially stripped of all retrievable sperm and assayed for these sperm traits before being allocated at random to one of four treatments simulating different levels of sperm competition risk and intensity. During the 3-day treatment phase, focal males had visual and olfactory access to a sexually receptive (initially virgin) female maintained with different numbers of stimulus males to simulate variation in the risk and intensity of sperm competition. Following this, males were assayed again for the sperm traits. Contrary to predictions, there was no significant change in any of the measured variables among treatments, although qualitatively the patterns for sperm velocity and viability did conform to expectation. The lack of any trend for the number of sperm primed was unequivocal and future work examining the effects of sperm competition on sperm production should focus on whether males differentially allocate sperm numbers among matings that differ in the level of sperm competition.     

凝胶渗透色谱净化在土样有机氯测定中的应用

建立凝胶渗透色谱自动净化土壤萃取样品的方法,去除萃取样品中的干扰组分,提高气相色谱检测有机氯农药残留的效率。将该净化方法应用于实际土样的净化,并和佛罗里硅土净化方法相比较,经凝胶渗透色谱净化的20种有机氯农药空白加标的平均回收率为79.0%,比佛罗里硅土净化的空白加标平均回收率高14.9%,且凝胶渗透色谱的净化效率较好。     

我国生态保护与建设支出账户框架构建研究

生态保护与建设是我国生态文明建设的重要任务,生态保护与建设支出账户核算是环境经济核算的重要内容,但我国目前尚未开展系统的生态保护与建设支出核算。本文首先梳理了生态保护与建设支出核算的国际经验,指出我国生态保护与建设支出账户核算面临统计口径不完善、统计体系尚未建立、统计主体和对象仍不完整、统计数据呈部门化和分散化等问题。在此基础上,本文从生态保护与建设支出主体、支出分类、支出资金来源等方面初步构建了支出账户核算体系,并以2013年为例进行了初步估算。结果表明,我国财政资金用于生态保护与建设的支出总量不足,仅占当年GDP的0.25%。为推动生态保护与建设支出账户核算工作,建议应从预算科目、统计口径、统计主体、统计对象等方面不断完善生态保护与建设统计体系,加快推进生态保护与建设支出账户的构建与核算,并争取尽快纳入国民经济核算体系,以推进生态文明体制改革与制度建设的进程,促进我国生态保护与经济社会的协调发展。     

Re-examining the water affordability: A comparison of alternative measures

Water affordability is determined by the percentage of income households that must allocate to municipal water services, while factoring in essential or basic needs water use. With the rise in water prices reported in most areas of the country along with somewhat stagnant income growth—a combination that suggests ceteris paribus—more of a household's disposable income is being spent on water services. This paper adds to the discussion in three ways. First, given the lack of a consistent definition for “affordability” and the subjective connotation associated with such a term, we develop and compare five different water expenditure ratios, including two different measures of water for essential needs, as well as measures for indoor, efficient, and actual water use. Second, because of the granularity of our data, we illustrate how such “affordability” measures can vary significantly within a water district and thus highlight how using district- or county-level income measures can mask the degree to which affordability is an issue for households living in low-income block groups. Our results indicate that the choice of income measure and type of water service use can influence affordability measures substantially.     

应用凝胶渗透色谱净化土壤样品

本文报道应用凝胶渗透色谱(GPC)净化环境样品的研究结果。选择Bio-Beads SX-3凝胶树脂作柱填料。根据US EPA对GC和GC/MS方法分忻环境样品质量控制的要求,配制两种标样:定量测定用的内标物和代用柞品的混合溶液以及由71种目标化合物组成的试验溶。应用精制玉米油、五氯酚和双(2-乙基己基)邻苯二酸酯标定GPC柱。对6种同位素标记的内标物,回收率在95％左右。严重污染的环境土壤样品,净化后清澈透明。生物大分子、植物色素以及聚合物能净化掉,但蜡状烃类(Wax)不能完全净化掉。