Effects of ladder parameters on asymmetric patterns of force exertion during below-knee amputees climbing ladders

Different from walking, ladder climbing requires four-limb coordination and more energy exertion for below-knee amputees (BKAs). We hypothesized that functional deficiency of a disabled limb shall be compensated by the other three intact limbs, showing an asymmetry pattern among limbs. Hand and foot forces of six below-knee amputees and six able-bodied people were collected. Hand, foot and hand/foot sum force variances between groups (non-BKA, intact side and prosthetic side) were carefully examined. Our hypothesis was validated that there is asymmetry between prosthetic and intact side. Results further showed that the ipsilateral hand of the prosthetic leg is stronger than the hand on the intact side, compensating weakness of the prosthetic leg. Effects of ladder rung separations and ladder slant on asymmetric force distribution of BKAs were evaluated, indicating that rung separation has a more significant interactive effect on hand/foot force of BKAs than ladder slant.     

The case for free market environmentalism

Environmental Ethics is the ethics of how we humans are to relate to each other about the environment we live in. The best way to adjust inevitable differences among us in this respect is by private property. Each person takes the best care of what he owns, and ownership entails the free market, which enables people to make mutually advantageous trades with those who might use it even better. Public regulation, by contrast, becomes management in the interests of the regulators, or of special interests, such as lovers of rare species-not the people they're supposed to be serving.     

Ethical Considerations of the Human–Animal-Relationship Under Conditions of Asymmetry and Ambivalence

Ethical reflection deals not only with the moral standing and handling of animals, it should also include a critical analysis of the underlying relationship. Anthropological, psychological, and sociological aspects of the human–animal-relationship should be taken into account. Two conditions, asymmetry and ambivalence, are taken as the historical and empirical basis for reflections on the human–animal-relationship in late modern societies. These conditions explain the variety of moral practice, apart from paradoxes, and provide a framework to systematize animal ethical problems in a broader field. This allows the development of ideal relationships as moral orientation across anthropocentric or sentientistic ethical theories. These ideal relationships are called the patronage-model, the friendship-model and the partnership-model. The ethical problem of creating transgenic animals is discussed in the light of these ideal relationships.     

陕西关中地区水文气候状况对全球变暖的响应问题探讨

利用1953－1999年陕西关中地区年平均气温、年降永量和同期中国年平均气温距平资料，分析对比关中地区近50年气温变化与周期中国气温变化、气温与降水之间的关系，对关中地区日趋严重的水资源退化问题进行了探讨，揭示了全球变化的背景下关中地区气候变化的区域性特点及其气候干暖化趋势。关中地区未来气候将更趋干暖化，生态环境将更加脆弱。建议在西部大开发当中，把生态环境建设放在首要位置。     

浅析全球变暖的成因与人类健康

论述了全球变暖是当前人类所面临的一个最为严重的环境问题。这种日趋恶化的环境的产生与人类的各种活动是息息相关的, 环境的恶化必将给人类的健康带来最为严重的后果。     

Phenogenetic Analysis of Pygmy Wood Mouse (Apodemus uralensis Pall.) Populations in the Zone of the Eastern Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT)

Monitoring of A. uralensis populations in Kamenskii raion, Sverdlovsk oblast, in 1992–2002 and in Kaslinskii raion, Chelyabinsk oblast, in 2000–2001 revealed an increase in the proportion and diversity of minor morphogenetic aberrations and abnormalities in the structure of the cranium along the axis of the Eastern Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT). The samples from the southern and northern parts of the EURT (contaminated with ⁹⁰Sr to 500 and 4 Ci/km², respectively) were characterized by directed deviations from the control with respect to the frequencies of phenes of nonmetric cranial traits and an increase in the level of their fluctuating asymmetry in young females, which is indicative of epigenetic rearrangements in populations living in a radioactive environment.     

环境信息不对称对于循环经济的影响及其对策——兼谈环境信息服务业的发展与完善

指出循环经济背景下我国环境信息分布中的致命问题--环境信息的不对称分布,并指出不对称的表现,而后分析了环境信息对称对于循环经济的影响,在此基础上提出解决环境信息不对称的对策--发展环境信息服务业,并初步探讨了发展环境信息服务业的模式和步骤.     

The Effect of Local Biomass Projects on Energy Balance and GHG Emission: A Life Cycle Approach

Emerging attention has been given to the use of biomass in local areas for its contribution to reducing fossil fuel dependence and mitigating global warming. The objective of the present study is to develop a method that quantitatively assesses the effects of local biomass projects on fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. A practical method based on a life cycle approach is proposed and applied to a case of bioethanol project in Miyako Islands of Japan. The project is aiming to produce bioethanol from molasses within the islands, and to replace the entire gasoline consumed in the islands to E3 fuel (i.e., a mixture of 3% ethanol and 97% gasoline by volume). The assessment using the developed method revealed that, first, the complete shift from gasoline to E3 fuel allows for decreases in fossil fuel consumption and GHG emission. Second, the performance of the project is improved by the integration of the ethanol plant and the sugar factory. Moreover, the assessment found that, in small-scale bioethanol projects, the contribution of capital goods to life cycle fuel consumption and GHG emission is not negligible.     

不同施肥措施对热带地区稻菜轮作体系土壤CH4和N2O排放的影响

研究稻菜轮作模式下土壤甲烷（CH₄）和氧化亚氮（N₂ O）排放对不同施肥措施的响应,对补充我国热带地区CH₄和N₂ O排放研究的不足具有重要的指导意义.在辣椒季设置4种施肥处理：磷钾肥（PK）、氮磷钾肥（NPK）、等氮条件下50%有机肥替代化肥（NPK+M）和100%有机肥替代（M）,水稻种植季未设置施肥处理,研究辣椒季不同施肥条件下CH₄和N₂ O的排放规律以及对早稻生长季水稻产量、CH₄和N₂ O排放的后续影响.采用密闭静态箱-气相色谱法测定稻菜轮作土壤CH₄和N₂ O,同时测定作物产量,并估算全球增温潜势（GWP）和温室气体排放强度（GHGI）.结果表明：①辣椒季和早稻季4种施肥处理下土壤CH₄的累积排放量分别为0.9~2.7 kg ·hm^-2和5.5~8.4 kg ·hm^-2,与NPK处理相比,辣椒季NPK+M和M处理CH₄累积排放量分别减少35.3%和7.6%;而早稻季NPK+M和M处理CH₄累积排放量均增加37.5%和55.1%,其中早稻季M处理达到显著水平.②辣椒季和早稻季4种施肥处理下N₂ O的累积排放量分别为0.5~3.0 kg ·hm^-2和0.3~0.5 kg ·hm^-2,相对NPK处理,辣椒季NPK+M和M处理降低33.7%和16.0%的N₂ O累积排放量,其中NPK+M处理达到显著差异,早稻季NPK+M处理N₂ O累积排放量降低23.5%,M处理却增加9.1%,但均未达到显著水平.③ 4种施肥处理下辣椒和早稻的产量分别为3055.6~37722.5 kg ·hm^-2和5850.9~6994.4 kg ·hm^-2,与NPK处理相比,NPK+M和M处理显著增加辣椒产量.各施肥处理GWP为508.0~1864.4 kg ·hm^-2,NPK+M和M处理相对NPK处理分别下降25.7%和5.7%,其中NPK+M处理达到显著差异.辣椒季各处理的GWP对总GWP的贡献率为69.2%~78.1%,N₂ O对总GWP的贡献率为77.3%~85.3%.辣椒季和早稻季GHGI分别为0.03~0.09 kg ·kg^-1和0.04~0.24 kg ·kg^-1,与NPK处理相比,辣椒季M和NPK+M处理使GHGI显著下降71.5%和54.7%,早稻季NPK+M和M处理GHGI值分别下降44.0%和20.8%,其中NPK+M处理达到显著差异.综合作物产量及温室气体减排效果考虑,化肥和有机肥配施（NPK+M）可推荐为海南稻菜轮作模式下一种最优的减排稳产的施肥措施.     

Bringing the Heat Home: Television Spots about Local Impacts Reduce Global Warming Denialism

ABSTRACT

Efforts to educate the general public about global warming and the potential policy solutions that could mitigate its effects have relied on the diffusion of facts. But, cognitive scientists have documented that psychologically distant events like global warming elicit less concern and motivation to act relative to immediate, proximal and certain events. This paper documents a quasi-experiment that tested the effect on attitudes of a television campaign that emphasized the temporally, geographically and socially proximal impacts of global warming on the ecosystems and business activity of a historically conservative area of the United States. The campaign aired on one cable provider. Subscribers of that and of competing providers in the same zip-codes were polled after the campaign. Respondents exposed to the campaign were more likely to believe that global warming is happening, to accept the scientific consensus, to be more concerned about impacts and more supportive of policy solutions.