Beyond Substantial Equivalence: Ethical Equivalence

The concept of substantial equivalence,introduced for the risk assessment of geneticallymodified (GM) food, is a reducing concept because itignores the context in which these products have beenproduced and brought to the consumer at the end of thefood chain. Food quality cannot be restricted to meresubstance and food acts on human beings not only atthe level of nutrition but also through theirrelationship to environment and society. To make thiscontext explicit, I will introduce an ``equivalencescale' for the evaluation of food chains (GM or notGM). By contrast with substantial equivalence, whichinvolves mainly quantitative, analytical methods ofevaluation, ``qualitative equivalence' refers to ``less'or non-substantial factors that require new methodsof evaluation based on qualitative principles.``Ethical equivalence' refers to factors that show themoral value contained in food products. To analyze thedifferent levels at which ethics is needed in foodchains, I will use the French principles: ``Liberty,Equality, Fraternity,' or freedom, equality,solidarity, and add a fourth principle:sustainability. Sustainability, solidarity, andfreedom can be applied to the evaluation ofenvironmental, socio-economic, and socio-culturalethical equivalence, respectively. Equality refers tojustice and should operate so as to guarantee thatsustainability, solidarity, and freedom are satisfied.I suggest that ethics can provide a basis for arenewal of the food chain concept. Besides QualityAssurance, it is now essential to develop an ``EthicalAssurance' and this equivalence scale could provide abasis to set up ``Ethical Assurance Standards' (EAS)for food chains.     

Polymer Mineralization in Soils: Effects of Cold Storage on Microbial Populations and Biodegradation Potential

Soil retrieval, processing and storage procedures can have a profound effect on soil microorganisms. In particular, changes in soil microbial populations may adversely affect the biological activity of a soil and drastically alter the soil's potential to mineralize added substrates. The effects of cold storage on the biodegradation of a series of test polymers was investigated using two soils—a synthetic soil mix (SM-L8) and a field soil (Bridgehampton silt loam) from Rhode Island (RI-1). Biodegradation tests were conducted using freshly prepared/collected soil and again following storage at 4°C for 3 to 8 months. Prior to each biodegradation test, the soils were incubated at 60% water-holding capacity (WHC) and 25°C to rejuvenate the microbial populations; the soils were incubated for periods of 48 h (freshly collected soil) or 25 days (soils stored at 4°C). Soil microbial populations were assessed by enumerating different segments of the population on agar plates containing different selective media. Mineralization of the test polymers (cellulose, poly-3-hydroxybutyrate, and starch acetate, d.s. 1.5) was monitored using standard respirometric techniques. Our results demonstrated that cold storage had a generally negative effect on the soil microbial populations themselves but that its effect on the capacity of the soil microorganisms to degrade the test polymers varied between soils and polymer type. Whereas cold storage resulted in dramatic shifts in the community structure of the soil microbial populations, substantial restoration of these populations was possible by first conditioning the soils at 60% WHC and ambient temperatures for 25 days. Likewise, although the effects of cold storage on polymer mineralization varied with the test polymer and soil, these effects could be largely offset by including an initial 25-day stabilization period in the test.     

声发射技术在采矿工程中的应用

论述了岩体声发射技术的基本原理,介绍了其在采矿工程中的若干应用成果:地应力测量、高应力区圈定、冒顶预测预报、稳定性评价.     

邻苯二甲酸二乙基己酯对蚕豆根尖微核及幼苗超氧化物歧化酶的影响

为了初步探讨邻苯二甲酸二乙基己酯(Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate,DEHP)对植物的毒害作用,采用不同浓度的DEHP溶液对蚕豆根部进行处理(终含量0、0.2、2、20、200mg·kg-(1细沙)),检测根尖微核率和对幼苗茎、叶SOD活性的影响.结果表明:对蚕豆根尖进行短期(6h)处理后,各DEHP处理组微核率随DEHP含量的升高呈显著上升趋势(与对照比较,p<0.05或p<0.01).处理7d后,随DEHP含量的升高(0～20mg·kg-(1细沙)),蚕豆幼苗茎、叶SOD活性均呈逐渐升高趋势;DEHP含量在20～200mg·kg-(1细沙)时,SOD活性均略有下降.以上结果表明DEHP对蚕豆种子具有遗传毒性,且能够对蚕豆幼苗产生氧化损伤.     

Insights from complete-incomplete brood sex-ratio disparity

An assertion deeply rooted in the ornithological literature holds that sex-specific mortality causes a sex ratio disparity (SRD) between complete and incomplete broods. Complete broods are thought to reflect the primary sex ratio before any bias introduced by developmental mortality. Contrary to this view, however, complete and incomplete broods should exhibit identical sex ratio distributions even when the sexes experience differential mortality, as shown in the classic paper of Fiala (Am Nat 115: 442–444, 1980). Therefore, in partially unsexed samples, primary sex ratio biases cannot be distinguished from biases caused by differential mortality. In addition, complete broods do not represent primary sex ratio more accurately than incomplete ones and might even be misleading. Despite Fiala’s prediction, SRD does occur in some empirical studies. We show that this pattern could arise if (1) primary sex ratio affects chick mortality rates independently of sex (direct effect), (2) primary sex ratio covaries with a variable that also affects mortality rate, or (3) sex differential mortality covaries with overall mortality rate (indirect effects). Direct effects may cause stronger SRD than indirect ones with a smaller and opposite bias in the overall sex ratio and could also lead to highly inconsistent covariate effects on brood sex ratios. These features may help differentiate direct from indirect effects. Most interestingly, differences in covariate effects between complete and incomplete broods imply that influential variables are missing from the analysis.     

EDSS及其在EIA中的应用

区域环境系统是由人-地相互作用而形成的开放的和复杂的社会、经济与环境的复合巨系统,由此产生的复杂环境问题给环境决策带来了诸多的不确定性,而环境决策支持系统(EDSS)可以辅助环境保护决策工作者提高决策的科学性和有效性.叙述了EDSS的概念,全面回顾了30多年来国内外环境决策支持系统在水环境规划与管理、大气环境质量管理、城市固体废物管理等研究领域的应用进展,并举例重点分析了其在环境影响评价(EIA)中的应用.同时具备强大数据更新能力和环境质量分析预测功能的EDSS,是解决EIA工作中复杂问题的有力工具.基于近年来新技术的发展,EDSS将在智能化,3S技术及多媒体技术应用等方面得到进一步发展,并在环境规划与管理和EIA等工作中发挥更加重要的作用.      

SBR用于焦化废水生物处理的试验研究

采用SBR工艺对焦化废水的有机物降解和生物脱氮进行了研究。试验结果表明,焦化废水的生物脱氮是以短程硝化/反硝化的途径存在的,而且在好氧阶段存在同时硝化/反硝化(SND)过程。好氧阶段的反硝化效率约占整个反应周期脱氮效率的37.0%。SBR反应器对NH3N的去除效率在95.8%～99.2%,COD的去除率在85.3%～92.6%。由于出水中NO2N的积累,NO2N对COD浓度贡献值得关注。     

聚糖菌颗粒污泥的有机物吸收及胞内储存特性

采用特殊运行方式的厌氧-好氧SBR系统(厌氧后排水),在乙酸钠、葡萄糖及葡萄糖-乙酸钠混合基质条件下均培养出了稳定的聚糖菌颗粒污泥.通过对典型周期有机物、磷酸盐、胞内糖原及聚β-羟基丁酸(PHB)变化的测定分析,证明有机基质的种类对于聚糖菌能量利用模式、有机物吸收速率及胞内储存物质种类具有显著的影响.污泥初始胞内糖原水平是有机物吸收数量及吸收速率的关键影响因素,当糖原水平低于0.05g/gSS时,厌氧有机物去除率与糖原水平直接相关:而糖原水平高于0.05g/gSS时,厌氧有机物去除率趋于稳定.不同糖原水平污泥厌氧吸收有机物的速率具有明显差异,在厌氧初期有机物快速吸收阶段,有机物厌氧吸收速率随胞内糖原水平升高而增加.     

pH值对好氧颗粒污泥同步硝化反硝化过程的影响

从反应器脱氮性能和好氧颗粒污泥理化性状方面研究了pH值对好氧颗粒污泥同步硝化反硝化脱氮过程的影响.结果表明,好氧颗粒污泥微生态环境的形成,大大增强其耐酸碱冲击负荷能力,在pH值8～9范围内氨氮去除率均达到95%以上.在pH值6～9范围内,好氧颗粒污泥理化性状稳定,没有发生解体现象.     

循环流生物膜反应器同时硝化反硝化实验研究

研究了循环流软性填料生物膜反应器的同时硝化反硝化。实验结果表明,反应器中确实存在着同时硝化反硝化现象。考察了碳氮比(C/N)和溶解氧(DO)对同时硝化反硝化的影响。在进水COD和NH4+—N浓度为500mg/L、15mg/L时,出水COD、NH4+—N和TN浓度<50mg/L、3.0mg/L、4.5mg/L,COD去除率、硝化率和反硝化率分别达到90%、80%和70%。