Indigenous Systems of Forest Classification: Understanding Land Use Patterns and the Role of NTFPs in Shifting Cultivators’ Subsistence Economies

This article discusses the system of classification of forest types used by the Pwo Karen in Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in western Thailand and the role of nontimber forest products (NTFPs), focusing on wild food plants, in Karen livelihoods. The article argues that the Pwo Karen have two methods of forest classification, closely related to their swidden farming practices. The first is used for forest land that has been, or can be, swiddened, and classifies forest types according to growth conditions. The second system is used for land that is not suitable for cultivation and looks at soil properties and slope. The article estimates the relative importance of each forest type in what concerns the collection of wild food plants. A total of 134 wild food plant species were recorded in December 2004. They account for some 80–90% of the amount of edible plants consumed by the Pwo Karen, and have a base value of Baht 11,505 per year, comparable to the cash incomes of many households. The article argues that the Pwo Karen reliance on NTFPs has influenced their land-use and forest management practices. However, by restricting the length of the fallow period, the Thai government has caused ecological changes that are challenging the ability of the Karen to remain subsistence oriented. By ignoring shifting cultivators’ dependence on such products, the involvement of governments in forest management, especially through restrictions imposed on swidden farming practices, is likely to have a considerable impact on the livelihood strategies of these communities.     

矿物材料对餐厨垃圾厌氧消化的影响研究

在试验的基础上研究了3种矿物材料膨润土、斜发沸石、粉煤灰对富含钠离子的餐厨垃圾厌氧消化过程的影响.结果表明,在发酵温度为35℃、底物固含量(TS)为10%、添加物用量为1%(质量分数,以消化底物计)时,膨润土、沸石粉、粉煤灰对含盐餐厨垃圾的厌氧发酵消化液中的钠离子具有良好的吸附性能,吸附率分别为13.75%、10.11%、7.99%.在未使用无机矿物的情况下,当钠离子浓度为3000～4000mg·L-1时,含盐餐厨垃圾的的厌氧消化过程受到Na 离子的明显抑制.从产气量分析,3种矿物材料均能明显促进餐厨垃圾的厌氧消化过程,与空白对照试组相比,膨润土、斜发沸石、粉煤灰分别使产气量提高了131%、82%和45%.三者对甲烷气产量的促进影响强弱顺序是,膨润土＞斜发沸石＞粉煤灰.初步讨论了这3种矿物材料提高餐厨垃圾厌氧消化甲烷产量的作用机理.     

Validation of Bacteroidales-based microbial source tracking markers for pig fecal pollution and their application in two rivers of North China

• Pig feces is the predominant excrement produced by animal husbandry in China. • The PF, Pig-1-Bac^TaqMan, and Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan MST assays showed better performance. • The pig-specific MST assays can contribute to managing the pig fecal pollution. In China, pig feces is the predominant source of excrement produced by animal husbandry. Improper use or direct discharge of pig feces can result in contamination of natural water systems. Microbial source tracking (MST) technology can identify the sources of fecal pollution in environmental water, and contribute to the management of pig fecal pollution by local environmental protection agencies. However, the accuracy of such assays can be context-dependent, and they have not been comprehensively evaluated under Chinese conditions. We aimed to compare the performance of five previously reported pig-specific MST assays (PF, Pig-Bac1^SYBR, Pig-Bac2^SYBR, Pig-1-Bac^TaqMan, and Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan, which are based on Bacteroidales 16S rRNA gene markers) and apply them in two rivers of North China. We collected a total of 173 fecal samples from pigs, cows, goats, chickens, humans, and horses across China. The PF assay optimized in this study showed outstanding qualitative performance and achieved 100% specificity and sensitivity. However, the two SYBR green qPCR assays (Pig-Bac1^SYBR and Pig-Bac2^SYBR) cross-reacted with most non-pig fecal samples. In contrast, both the Pig-1-Bac^TaqMan and Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan assays gave 100% specificity and sensitivity. Of these, the Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan assay showed higher reproducibility. Our results regarding the specificity of these pig-specific MST assays differ from those reported in Thailand, Japan, and America. Using the PF and Pig-2-Bac^TaqMan assays, a field test comparing the levels of pig fecal pollution in rivers near a pig farm before and after comprehensive environmental pollution governance indicated that pig fecal pollution was effectively controlled at this location.     

油脂对污泥和餐厨垃圾厌氧消化的影响

探究了油脂对污泥和餐厨垃圾厌氧消化性能的影响。结果表明,油脂对污泥和餐厨垃圾厌氧消化的影响与油脂的含量相关。当油脂质量分数由0提高至30%时,生物气的产量(以挥发性悬浮固体VSS计)也由385 m L/g提高至489 m L/g,然而继续升高油脂含量会抑制生物产气。机理分析表明,适当提高油脂含量能够提高有机物的溶出、VSS的减量以及挥发性脂肪酸(VFA)的积累,从而为微生物提供了良好的条件。过高含量的油脂会抑制有机物溶出和VFA的积累。     

Factors affecting the quantitative uncertainty of the estimated short-term intake. Part I—Calculation methods

ABSTRACT

The calculation of the combined uncertainty of the international estimated short-term intake (IESTI) of ethephon residues in apples is shown as an example. The ethephon residues in apples were reported by the Joint FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)/WHO (World Health Organization) Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR). The apple consumption data were taken from the IESTI (international short-term intake) calculation template used by the JMPR. The IESTI was calculated with the currently used method (case 2a) and a proposed one recommended by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)/RIVM (Dutch National Institute for Public Health) Scientific Workshop co-sponsored by FAO and WHO. In this example, the ratio of IESTI_proposed/IESTI_current and their combined relative uncertainty are about 2.8, and 1.7, respectively. The larger IESTI and uncertainty obtained with the proposed equation are the consequence of calculation only with the large portion (LP) instead of its combination with unit mass, and the MRL instead of the highest residue (HR). The LP is the major contributor to the combined uncertainty. Both the calculated IESTI and its combined uncertainty depend on the actual food – pesticide residue combination, and should be calculated for each case.     

Inferring chemical effects on carbon flows in aquatic food webs: Methodology and case study

The majority of ecotoxicological enclosure experiments monitor species abundances at different chemical concentrations. Here, we present a new modelling approach that estimates changes in food web flows from such data and show that population- and food web level effects are revealed that are not apparent from abundance data alone. For the case of cypermethrin in freshwater enclosures, photosynthesis and excretion (d⁻¹) of phytoplankton at 3.643 μg L⁻¹ cypermethrin were 30% lower and 100% higher than in the control, respectively. The ingestion rate of mesozooplankton (d⁻¹) was 6 times higher in the treated enclosures than in the control as food concentration increased with insecticide exposure. With increasing cypermethrin concentrations, nanoflagellates progressively relied on phytoplankton as their main food source, which rendered the food web less stable. We conclude that this tool has excellent potential to analyse the wealth of enclosure data as it only needs species abundance and general constraints.     

The Grain-population Relationship and the Effect of Main Food Producing Areas in China

With the increase of global population, grain-popula- tion relationship has attracted great attention worldwide. In China, grain-population relationship has become an increasingly impor- tant economic ...     

极端气候事件的灾后适应能力研究——以水稻为例

本研究以水稻种植业为例,基于1985-2008年中国水稻主产区的面板数据,实证分析了中国极端气候事件灾后适应能力的机制及绩效。结论表明:西南、华中、华东地区在极端气候事件灾后,并没有将农业产业结构向养殖业调整,相反,种植业在政府扶持与创新激励下反而恢复生产甚至进一步扩张。特别对于西南等经济相对欠发达地区而言,较强的灾后适应能力,往往是农业生产机会成本较低的作用结果,同样由于此原因,华东地区在水灾之后却出现了劳动力转移现象。现阶段,灾后适应能力较多的表现为微观层面的农户响应行为,此种民间调控机制必然有其局限性,政府部门应加大投入力度,通过水利工程建设、气象灾害预警体系构建、标准化农田建设、良种补贴等方式引领粮食主产区应对气象灾害。     

Estimation of the environmental risk posed by landfills using chemical, microbiological and ecotoxicological testing of leachates

The leachates from 22 municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sites in Southern Poland were characterized by evaluation of chemical, microbiological and ecotoxicological parameters. Chemical analyses were mainly focused on the identification of the priority hazardous substances according to Directive on Priority Substances, 2008/105/EC (a daughter directive of the WFD) in leachates. As showed, only five substances (Cd, Hg, hexachlorobutadiene, pentachlorobenzene and PAHs) were detected in the leachates. The compounds tested were absent or present at very low concentrations. Among them, only PAHs were found in all samples in the range from 0.057 to 77.2 μg L⁻¹. The leachates were contaminated with bacteria, including aerobic, psychrophilic and mesophilic bacteria, coliform and fecal coliforms, and spore-forming-bacteria, including Clostridium perfringens, and with filamentous fungi. From the analysis of specific microorganism groups (indicators of environmental pollution by pathogenic or opportunistic pathogenic organisms) it can be concluded that the landfill leachates showed sanitary and epidemiological hazard. In the ecotoxicological study, a battery of tests comprised of 5 bioassays, i.e. Microtox®, Spirotox, Rotoxkit F™, Thamnotoxkit F™ and Daphtoxkit F™ magna was applied. The leachate samples were classified as toxic in 13.6%, highly toxic in 54.6% and very highly toxic in 31.8%. The Spirotox test was the most sensitive bioassay used. The percentage of class weight score was very high - above 60%; these samples could definitely be considered seriously hazardous and acutely toxic to the fauna and microflora.No correlations were found between the toxicity values and chemical parameters. The toxicity of leachate samples cannot be explained by low levels of the priority pollutants. It seems that other kinds of xenobiotics present in the samples at subacute levels gave the high aggregate toxic effect.The chemical, ecotoxicological and microbiological parameters of the landfill leachates should be analyzed together to assess the environmental risk posed by landfill emissions.     

食物安全:基于食品系统理论的探讨

在经济发展、消费升级、资源短缺和环境问题凸显的新的外部环境背景下,本文引入了国外新兴的食品系统理论,探讨并提出了可持续的食物安全保障的新观念.食物安全始终是中国经济发展、社会稳定和国家自立的基础.国内多数学者仍然用30年前食物匮乏时期的思路来研究现代的食物安全问题,其结果导致研究结论与现实情况不符.如何在节约资源、减少浪费的同时又能够满足人们不断升级的食物消费需求,是对未来食物安全保障的新要求.本文首先分析了我国食物安全研究的现状,指出了不足和问题,然后引入国外新兴的食品系统理论,在探讨其概念内涵的基础上,剖析了食品系统与食物安全的关系,影响食物安全的因素和研究视角,并进一步提炼出基于食品系统理论的新的食物安全保障观念,为我国研究食物安全提供借鉴.