Beyond performance and protocols: early responders' experiences of multiple accountability demands in the response to the 2015 Nepal earthquake

Critics have long questioned the push for professionalised and performance‐driven accountability in the humanitarian sector, yet the matter is largely treated as a ‘back office’ issue of standards, guidelines, and processes. Scant attention is paid to the accountability demands experienced by early responders to disasters. Set in the contested climate of the emergency response to the earthquake in Nepal on 25 April 2015, and drawing on interviews with 15 early responders, this paper reveals three forms of accountability demands: (i) accountability as compliance; (ii) accountability as the object of government regulation; and (iii) accountability as public opposition and interrogation. Beyond the performance‐centric, non‐governmental organisation‐driven understanding of accountability, early responders to the earthquake experienced multidirectional accountability demands, not only from donors and beneficiaries, but also from the national government and wider public. Engaging with public criticism is a significant feature of early responders' responsibility that warrants further consideration by the humanitarian community.     

贵阳市环境空气质量预报预警系统建立的探讨

分析了贵阳市空气质量预报中污染物、地形及下垫面、植被等关键影响因素。提出了贵阳市环境空气质量预报预警系统的整体架构,分别对排放源监测与管理系统、环境空气质量预报系统和污染预警与控制决策支持系统等三个核心部分进行阐述,进一步提出了贵阳市大气污染防控措施及防控机制。     

基于连续MODIS真彩图的霾监测预警新方法——以浙江省一次严重霾污染过程为例

采用NASA MODIS提供的全球影像浏览服务技术(GIBS)支持,并借助开源地理空间数据抽象库(GDAL)工具,实现了每日2次(上午和下午)用户自定义区域MODIS 250m分辨率真彩色图产品从互联网的近实时自动获取, 并基于该产品对2014年11月9日~14日浙江省一次大范围霾严重污染事件提前2d成功实现了预警.结果表明:连续的MODIS真彩图产品大幅改善并提高了传统可见光遥感监测灰霾的效果;MODIS 250m真彩色图3通道数据值与地面站点颗粒物浓度之间具有较好的相关性,前者与AQI,PM2.5和PM10之间的相关系数(R)分别为0.62,0.65和0.59.基于连续的 MODIS真彩图产品,并结合地面站点数据和天气形式进行综合分析能够及时提供相关预警服务;在业务流程上简单,高效,稳定,尤其对浙江省外源输入性霾识别有着良好的指示作用,具有较好的应用前景.     

Uterine cavity lavage: Adding fish to conventional cytogenetics for embryonic sexing and diagnosing common chromosomal aberrations

This study was undertaken to examine the efficacy for early prenatal diagnosis of uterine cavity lavage at the level of the internal os and to assess the rate of maternal contamination. In phase I, uterine cavity lavage was performed in 38 women scheduled for pregnancy termination between 6 and 12 weeks. In addition to short- and long-term cultures, one-colour FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) with Y and X probes was used for fetal sexing. Two-colour FISH was used in all known male fetuses for the assessment of maternal contamination. In phase II, lavage was performed on 16 women. Fetal sex was diagnosed with direct labelled X and Y probes and common numerical chromosomal aberration was attempted with 18 and 21 direct labelled probes. Fetal sexing was successful in all cases in phases I and II. Out of 34 patients in which tissue was obtained, only FISH was done in six. Long-term cell cultures were successful in the other 28 cases, but complete karyotyping in 19 (56 per cent). No chromosomal aberration was found with the direct labelled probes 18 and 21 in FISH. Maternal contamination was assessed to be 5–10 per cent. This simple and easy-to-master technique is very effective in obtaining fetal cells early in pregnancy for genetic diagnosis, especially by FISH. However, the safety of the procedure must be tested in ongoing pregnancies.     

Effects of arsenic on seed germination and physiological activities in wheat seedlings

The effects of arsenic(As)were investigated on seed germination,root and shoot length and their biomass and some other factors to elucidate the toxicity of As.The results showed low concentrations of As(O-1 mg/kg)stimulated seed germination and the growth of root and shoot,however,these factors all decreased gradually at high concentrations of As(5-20 mg/kg).The contents Of O2-,MDA,soluble protein and peroxidase(POD)activity all increased with increasing As concentrations.Soluble sugar content,ascorbate peroxidase(APX),and superoxide dismutase(SOD)activities decreased at low concentrations of As,and increased at high concentrations of As.While acetylsalicylic acid(ASA)and chlorophyll contents,catalase(CAT)activity displayed increasing trend when the concentrations of As was lower than 1 mg/kg,and then decreasing trend.By polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(PAGE).As induced the expression of POD isozymes of wheat seedlings.As induced the expression of CAT isozymes but inhibited the expression of SOD isozymes of wheat seedlings at concentrations lower than 1 mg/kg.However,As inhibited the expression of CAT isozymes but induced the expression of SOD isozymes at concentrations higher than 5 mg/kg.The results indicated As could exert harmfulness in the early development stage of wheat at inappropriate concentrations.     

面向流域水质安全预警的土地开发压力源评估方法及其应用

为适应水环境风险管理中压力源风险的快速识别需求,构建了土地开发压力源评估方法,并以三峡库区为案例区进行应用研究. 土地开发压力源评估方法首先是基于不同土地利用类型的排污参数来确定敏感土地利用类型和不利转移方向,再采用状态和趋势兼顾的原则筛选流域内敏感单元,然后根据各单元的实际特征逐一确定预警指标,以进行压力源评估和预警级别划分. 案例研究结果表明:重庆市辖区控制单元、涪陵区万州区控制单元和澎溪河开县控制单元是库区水质安全预警的3个敏感单元;其中,重庆市辖区控制单元和涪陵区万州区控制单元的预警指标均为敏感土地类型面积比例和发生不利转移的土地面积比例,其中重庆市辖区控制单元的2个预警指标值分别为42.17%、3.43%;涪陵区万州区控制单元分别为32.86%、1.74%;而澎溪河开县控制单元的预警指标仅为敏感土地类型面积比例,其值为32.31%. ③重庆市辖区控制单元、涪陵区万州区控制单元和澎溪河开县控制单元的预警指标最大超标率分别为163%、33%和19%,相应各单元土地开发压力分别为红色预警(重警)、橙色预警(中警)和黄色预警(轻警)级别. 从管理意义上,重庆市辖区控制单元和涪陵区万州区控制单元未来需要从优化当前土地利用方式、合理控制未来土地开发的双重角度来降低压力;澎溪河开县控制单元未来应重点关注和降低当前土地利用状况对水质安全的压力. 研究认为,所提出的面向流域水质安全预警的土地开发压力源评估方法具有可操作性,其案例研究结果可为三峡库区案例区水环境风险管理提供决策支撑.      

沿江化工园突发水污染事故预警指标体系研究

以南京化学工业园区为研究对象,通过指标集建立、指标筛选、指标体系构建3个步 骤,建立由事故类型、受影响人口数量、事故影响范围、受影响水体大小规模、事故影响地 区类别、事故影响时间、事故排毒指数、水环境质量退化程度和水生生物受影响程度共9个 指标组成的突发性水污染事故预警指标体系,以层次分析法确定各个指标的权重,并提出轻...     

海南地区新型雷电预警系统预警效率的评估与分析

基于2017年5-8月全国雷电监测定位系统ADTD探测到的闪电定位数据,根据标准IEC-62793中对雷电预警系统预警效率评估的定义,对海南地区部分雷电预警站点的预警效率进行了统计分析。海南地区新型雷电预警系统的平均有效预警率(MPOD)约为85%,高于大部分雷电预警系统的有效预警率;对闪电事件的预警率平均可达到95%,表明可以对发生在预警站点有效覆盖范围内95>的闪电提供有效预警;平均错误预警率(MFAR)约为73%,与各类预警系统相比,错误预警率偏高;预警提前期的平均值和中值分别为13.9min和9.6min。