Sustainability: a Dissent

Abstract:  Broadly conceived and considered in its many usages, sustainability has grave defects as a planning goal, particularly when used by conservationists: it confuses means and ends; it is vague about what is being sustained and who or what is doing the sustaining; it is uninspiring; it is little more than Pinchot-era conservation (and thus ignores the many lessons learned since then); it need not be linked to land, to the land's functioning, or to any ecological science; it need not include a moral component; it is consistent with the view of humans as all-powerful manipulators of the planet; and, in general, it is such a malleable term that its popularity provides only a facade of consensus. When sustainability is defined broadly to include the full range of economic and social aspirations, it poses the particular risk that ecological and biodiversity concerns will be cast aside in favor of more pressing human wants. Given these many defects, the conservation movement should discard the term in favor of a more alluring goal, attentive to nature and its ecological functioning. A sound goal would incorporate and distill the considerable ecological and moral wisdom accumulated since Pinchot's day while giving conservationists the rhetorical tools needed to defend the land against competing pressures. In our view, conservation would be well served by an updated variant of "land health," Aldo Leopold's ecologically grounded goal from the 1940s. Land health as an independent understanding should set the essential terms of how we live and enjoy the earth, providing the framework within which we pursue our many social and economic aims.     

高等工程教育与工程技术人员的安全文化素质的培养

从现代生产体系的特点以及产品设计缺陷对人的危害等方面阐述了提高工程技术人员安全文化素质的必要性。进而讨论了我国高等工程教育与安全文化素质培养相脱节的表现和原因。在此基础上，提出了改进高等工程教育，促进工程技术人员安全文化素质提高的一些设想     

饮用水生物处理中微生物量和活性的测定方法

微生物量和微生物活性是饮用水生物处理工艺设计与运行的重要参数。总结论述了适用于表示饮用水生物处理过程生物膜中微生物数量和活性的几种主要指标的测定方法。     

Information technologies and the sharing of disaster knowledge: the critical role of professional culture

A comparative survey of a diverse sample of 96 US and Italian emergency management agencies shows that the diffusion of new information technologies (IT) has transformed disaster communications. Although these technologies permit access to and the dissemination of massive amounts of disaster information with unprecedented speed and efficiency, barriers rooted in the various professional cultures still hinder the sharing of disaster knowledge. To be effective the available IT must be attuned to the unique settings and professional cultures of the local emergency management communities. Findings show that available technology, context, professional culture and interaction are key factors that affect the knowledge transfer process. Cultural filters appear to influence emergency managers' perceptions of their own professional roles, their vision of the applicability of technology to social issues, and their perspective on the transferability of disaster knowledge. Four cultural approaches to the application of IT to disaster communications are defined: technocentric; geographic,; anthropocentric; and ecocentric.     

影响土壤中微生物体氮的因子

综述了影响土壤微生物体氮的因子,以及微生物体氮与可矿化氮之间的关系。着重讨论了土壤有机质、有机物料、氮肥、作物根系、土壤温度和湿度对微生物体氮的影响及研究进展;评价了土壤微生物体氮与可矿化氮的关系的研究结果。     

Biofilm structure and its influence on clogging in drip irrigation emitters distributing reclaimed wastewater

Using reclaimed wastewater for crop irrigation is a practical alternative to discharge wastewater treatment plant effluents into surface waters.However,biofouling has been identified as a major contributor to emitter clogging in drip irrigation systems distributing reclaimed wastewater.Little is known about the biofilm structure and its influence on clogging in the drip emitter flow path.This study was first to investigate the microbial characteristics of mature biofilms present in the emitters and the effect of flow path structures on the biofilm microbial communities.The analysis of biofilm matrix structure using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that particles in the matrix of the biofilm coupled extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) and formed sediment in the emitter flow path.Analysis of biofilm mass including protein,polysaccharide and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) showed that emitter flow path style influenced biofilm community structure and diversity.The correlations of biofilm biomass and discharge reduction after 360 h irrigation were computed and suggest that PFLAs provide the best correlation coefficient.Comparatively,the emitter with the unsymmetrical dentate structure and shorter flow path (Emitter C) had the best anti-clogging capability.By optimizing the dentate structure,the internal flow pattern within the flow path could be enhanced as an important method to control the biofilm within emitter flow path.This study established electron microscope techniques and biochemical microbial analysis methods that may provide a framework for future emitter biofilm studies.     

利用玉米浸泡液产电的微生物燃料电池研究

以玉米淀粉生产过程中的浸泡液（玉米浸泡液）作为接种液和基质,利用“三合一”膜电极的单室空气阴极微生物燃料电池进行试验,采用在线监测电压和废水分析方法对产电功率和化学需氧量（COD）、氨氮进行测定,探讨高COD、高氨氮有机废水产电及废水处理的可行性.结果表明,经过94 d（1个周期）的连续运行（固定外电阻为1 000 Ω）,17 d时输出电压达到最大（525.0 mV）,稳定期最大输出功率可达169.6 mW/m²,此时电池相应的电流密度为440.2 mA/m²,内阻约为350 Ω,开路电压619.5 mV;但燃料电池电子利用效率较低（库仑效率为1.6%）;1个周期结束时浸泡液的COD去除率达到51.6%,氨氮去除率25.8%.本试验利用玉米浸泡液成功获得电能,同时对浸泡液有效地进行了处理,为其资源化利用提供新途径.     

南海海域重要养殖水域牡蛎体中的腹泻性贝类毒素

对2006年和2007年南海海域23个重要养殖水域牡蛎体中腹泻性贝类毒素(DSP)进行了调查,结果表明:甲子港、唐家湾、镇海湾、安埔港、防城港、八所港和榆林港等7个水域牡蛎体DSP毒性呈阳性结果,占调查水域的30.4%,其DSP值均为0.05MU/g.2006年牡蛎体DSP检出率为8.7%(n=23),2007年为21.7%(n=23).调查期间,牡蛎体DSP检出值0.05MU/g已达到了FDA(美国食品药物管理局)、日本、加拿大、澳大利亚、新西兰、朝鲜等6个国家食用贝类标准警戒限量水平,和超出了我国<无公害食品水产品中有毒有害物质的限量>规定贝类DSP不得检出标准,表明了近期南海海域某些养殖水域的牡蛎已经受到了DSP毒化的威胁.     

Phosphorus utilization and microbial community in response to lead/iron addition to a waterlogged soil

Constructed wetlands have emerged as a viable option for helping to solve a wide range of water quality problems. However, heavy metals adsorbed by substrates would decrease the growth of plants, impair the functions of wetlands and eventually result in a failure of contaminant removal. Typha latifolia L., tolerant to heavy metals, has been widely used for phytoremediation of Pb/Zn mine tailings under waterlogged conditions. This study examined e ects of iron as ferrous sulfate (100 and 500 mg/kg) and lead as lead nitrate (0, 100, 500 and 1000 mg/kg) on phosphorus utilization and microbial community structure in a constructed wetland. Wetland plants (T. latifolia) were grown for 8 weeks in rhizobags filled with a paddy soil under waterlogged conditions. The results showed that both the amount of iron plaque on the roots and phosphorus adsorbed on the plaque decreased with the amount of lead addition. When the ratio of added iron to lead was 1:1, phosphorus utilized by plants was the maximum. Total amount of phospholipids fatty acids (PLFAs) was 23%–59% higher in the rhizosphere soil than in bulk soil. The relative abundance of Gram-negative bacteria, aerobic bacteria, and methane oxidizing bacteria was also higher in the rhizosphere soil than in bulk soil, but opposite was observed for other bacteria and fungi. Based on cluster analysis, microbial communities were mostly controlled by the addition of ferrous sulfate and lead nitrate in rhizosphere and bulk soil, respectively.     

空气阴极微生物燃料电池的构型优化及其快速测定BOD的性能评价

设计了一种新型双室空气阴极微生物燃料电池(MFC)并将其作为生物传感器,与传统双室空气阴极MFC进行对比,考察其电化学性能及用于快速检测BOD的性能。结果表明：新型空气阴极MFC可有效提高功率密度并降低内阻,其功率密度最高为897 mW·m⁻²,而内阻最低为92 Ω;该MFC可用于直接快速检测高浓度有机物的BOD,对醋酸钠底物的线性检测限为1 280 mg·L⁻¹,在此底物浓度下MFC的检测时间为31.2~66 h,线性可决系数R²为0.97~0.99;对于GGA底物的线性检测限为1 250 mg·L⁻¹,在此底物浓度下MFC的检测时间为33~67 h,线性可决系数R²为0.98。本研究可为MFC型BOD检测传感器的性能优化提供参考。