Scotch Pine Pollen under Conditions of Environmental Stress

Environmental conditions causing stress have a significant effect on the generative organs of Scotch pine. The parameters characterizing pine pollen are subject to significant interannual variations and are closely connected with weather and climatic conditions in the period of pollen formation. Airborne pollutants affect the quality of pine pollen, which is especially apparent in the years favorable for the formation of microspores. The ability of Scotch pine pollen to germinate and form pollen tubes in the regions with different technogenic loads proved to be significantly lower than in tree stands of the background areas.     

The idea of sustainable development

In this lecture, I demonstrate how very different macroeconomic history begins to look if Nature is included as a capital asset in production activities. The tentative conclusions I draw from the evidence are: (1) high population growth in the world’s poorest regions (South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa) has been an obstacle to the achievement of sustainable economic development there; relatedly, (2) when population growth is taken into account, the accumulation of manufactured capital, knowledge, and human capital (health and education) has not compensated for the degradation of natural capital in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa and, in all probability, even in the UK and the US; (3) China is possibly an exception to (1) and (2). This article is based on the Keynote Lecture delivered at the international symposium on “Sustainability in an Unequal World”, held in Tokyo on November 24, 2006. The exposition relies on my book, Economics: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2007. The author is the Frank Ramsey Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge.     

Influence of China''s Population Mobility on the Change of Regional Disparity since 1978

In this study, an econometric model about population mobility and economic growth is used to show the unbalanced distribution of population mobility in different region was remarkably related to that of regional economic growth and the large number of movers had a significant influence on regional economic growth and developing disparity. On the basis of this study, we conclude that China's population mobility also had a significant influence on the structure and tendency of regional disparity, and the population mobility enlarged the regional disparity of the whole nation, the East, and the West since the reform, besides the Midst during 1978 to 1987. Furthermore, the population mobility accelerated the increase of regional disparity in the whole nation, the Midst, and the West, but at the same time, retarded that in the East in the period of 1996–2003.     

Energy metabolism and growth of Monoporeia affinis Lindstr. in the Northern Lake Krivoe (Karelia)

The physiological method for estimating production based on the relationship between growth and energy metabolism has been used for calculating model growth curves for the amphipod Monoporeia affinis and comparing them with the results of field studies. Calculations demonstrated that the physiological growth curves fit the results of field observations best under certain conditions which have zoological sense: the growth curve should reflect the actual maximum body size of an animal in the given population, the duration of the life cycle, and the time required for reaching the reproductive size.     

MINIMIZING THE IMPACT OF URBANIZATION ON LONG TERM RUNOFF1

Increasing concern about the problems caused by urban sprawl has encouraged development and implementation of smart growth approaches to land use management. One of the goals of smart growth is water resources protection, in particular minimizing the runoff impact of urbanization. To investigate the magnitude of the potential benefits of land use planning for water resources protection, possible runoff impacts of historical and projected urbanization were estimated for two watersheds in Indiana and Michigan using a long term hydrological impact analysis model. An optimization component allowed selection of land use change placements that minimize runoff increase. Optimizing land use change placement would have reduced runoff increase by as much as 4.9 percent from 1973 to 1997 in the Indiana study watershed. For nonsprawl and sprawl scenarios in the Michigan watershed for 1978 to 2040, optimizing land use change placement would have reduced runoff increase by 12.3 percent and 20.5 percent, respectively. The work presented here illustrates both an approach to assessing the magnitude of the impact of smart growth and the significant potential scale of smart growth in moderating runoff changes that result from urbanization. The results of this study have significant implications for urban planning.     

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome in association with a balanced reciprocal translocation involving chromosomes 3 and 5

We present a case report on a fetus with multiple malformations, diagnosed by ultrasound at 20 weeks' gestation. From the combination of intrauterine growth retardation and limb abnormalities that were observed, the most likely diagnosis was considered to be Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS). Following counselling, the mother opted to terminate the pregnancy. Chromosome analysis of cultured amniotic fluid cells showed a karyotype of 46,XX,t(3;5)(q21;p13). Postmortem examination of the baby confirmed the presence of features consistent with a diagnosis of CdLS. This case provides a report of a definitive diagnosis of Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, suspected on the basis of ultrasound imaging and confirmed by amniocentesis findings. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cd/Sb/Pb复合污染对竺麻生长及吸收富集特征的影响

通过盆栽试验,分析了不同浓度Cd/Sb/Pb复合作用下苎麻的生长响应及重金属吸收、富集和迁移特征变化。结果表明,低浓度Cd/Sb/Pb复合处理对苎麻生长及生物量没有产生明显影响,而高浓度条件下则产生明显抑制效应,株高变矮,茎粗变细及生物量明显减少。苎麻体内Cd、Pb和Sb吸收量与污染土壤具有直接相关性,随复合处理浓度增加明显增大。至最高污染浓度处理时,苎麻体内重金属吸收量以Cd>Sb>Pb,地上部含量分别达335.74 mg/kg、157.55 mg/kg和92.31 mg/kg。复合处理下苎麻地上部对Cd、Sb和Pb的富集系数分别在0.67~0.88、0.13~0.17和0.05~0.06之间,均表现为随复合处理浓度增加而减少变化。苎麻Cd、Sb和Pb的转运系数分别为0.81~0.92、0.38~0.46和0.53~0.73,其中Cd、Sb的转运系数随复合处理浓度增加而增大,Pb则随复合处理浓度增加而减少。苎麻对重金属Cd/Sb/Pb复合污染具有较好吸收累积及转运能力,相比生物量小的植物而言,是目前修复重金属Cd/Sb/Pb复合污染的理想植物。     

开封城市土壤磷素组成特征及流失风险

为深入了解城市土壤磷素组成特征及其对受纳水体的影响,以开封城市表层土壤为研究对象,分析开封城市不同功能区土壤磷素的组成特征,并采用"突变点"法计算土壤磷素流失临界值,探讨开封城市不同功能区表层土壤磷素流失风险.结果表明,开封城市土壤总磷为400~1 427 mg·kg~(-1),其中无机磷占65%~99%;速效磷(Olsen-P)和易解吸磷分别为3.41~115.03 mg·kg~(-1)和0.01~9.40 mg·kg~(-1),与土壤磷素背景值相比,城市土壤磷素呈现明显集聚.开封城市土壤总磷和速效磷均呈现出东高西低,中心老城区高于新城区的空间分布格局;在不同功能区分布上,居民区土壤各形态磷素含量均最高.开封城市土壤磷素流失临界值对应的Olsen-P为22.18 mg·kg~(-1),超过临界值的土样占总土样数的33.64%,磷素流失风险最高的区域亦分布在中心老城区.