The living environment and children's fears following the Indonesian tsunami

The tsunami that struck South-east Asia on 26 December 2004 left more than 500,000 people in Aceh, Indonesia, homeless and displaced to temporary barracks and other communities. This study examines the associations between prolonged habitation in barracks and the nature of fears reported by school-age children and adolescents. In mid-2007, 30 months after the tsunami, the authors interviewed 155 child and parent dyads. Logistic regression analysis was used to compare the fears reported by children and adolescents living in barracks with those reported by their peers who were living in villages. After adjusting for demographic factors and tsunami exposure, the data reveals that children and adolescents living in barracks were three times more likely than those living in villages to report tsunami-related fears. The study demonstrates that continued residence in barracks 30 months after the tsunami is associated with higher rates of reporting tsunami-related fears, suggesting that barracks habitation has had a significant impact on the psychological experience of children and adolescents since the tsunami.     

基于DEM的山区旱灾风险评价模型——以西南地区为例

旱灾研究中,地形导致的水热再分配容易造成地域间旱灾灾情的明显差异,因此地形因子对于旱灾风险的准确评价及灾情的客观评估至关重要。采用气象站点观测数据和DEM数据,通过模拟复杂地形影响下的下垫面真实水分情况,加入地形因子的影响,建立了以干旱致灾因子(水分条件)、孕灾环境(地形)、承灾体(农作物脆弱性曲线)综合的旱灾风险评价三度模型;并以地形复杂、旱灾多发的西南地区为例,编制了旱灾风险等级图,以期为客观评估旱灾灾情,有效开展区域旱灾风险防范提供科学依据。     

广西春旱的时空分布特征及成因分析

利用广西具有气候代表性的32个站点1961-2007年逐日降水量资料,引入季节无雨日作为划分干旱的标准,采用EOF分析等方法,分析了广西春旱的时空分布特征;并用NCEP再分析资料、NOAA海温资料、国家气候中心的74项环流特征量资料等,对广西春旱的成因进行了分析。结果表明:从时间变化看,广西春旱的趋势变化不明显,主要以年际、年代际变化为主,从空间分布看,广西春旱以全区一致性型为主要空间分布型;在春旱年,广西上空对流层低层出现偏南-西南气流距平强辐散异常,伴随有明显的水汽通量辐散异常,同时东亚大槽偏弱,阿留申低压明显减弱,中纬度大陆高压减弱,中高纬环流平直,不利于冷空气南下华南;广西春旱年前冬阿留申低压明显增强,大陆高压也增强,冷空气活动频繁,当前冬印缅槽偏弱时,广西春季发生干旱的可能性较大。     

辽西北地区农业干旱灾害风险评价与风险区划研究

以辽西北29个农业县(市、区)为研究区域,选取辽西北最主要的玉米作物作为研究对象,从造成农业干旱灾害的致灾因子危险性、承灾体暴露性、脆弱性和抗旱减灾能力4个方面着手,利用自然灾害风险指数法、加权综合评价法和层次分析法,建立了农业干旱灾害风险指数(ADRI),用以表征农业干旱灾害风险程度;借助GIS技术,绘制辽西北农业干旱灾害风险评价区划图,将风险评价区划图与2006年辽西北受干旱影响粮食减产系数区划图对比,发现两者可以较好的匹配。研究结果可为当地农业干旱灾害预警、保险,以及有关部门的旱灾管理、减灾决策制定提供理论依据和指导。     

西南山区某气井井场地基稳定性模拟分析

中国西南山区蕴藏着丰富的天然气资源,但随着开发规模的日益扩大,天然气井逐步转向山区这类地质环境恶劣的地区。本文以西南山区某气井为原型,在详细阐明井场区地质环境背景特征的基础上,首先对井场出现的典型地质问题——地下采空区进行定性判断和分析;之后选用F lac-2D有限差分软件,对井场加载前/后地下采空区可能造成的井场地基应力和变形特征,采用双洞和采空区这2种计算模型,进行数值模拟分析。模拟结果表明,井场加载前/后地基最大位移量为2 mm,地基局部地段出现拉应力区,但总体上地基稳定。研究结论将为后期建设中井场建筑物的优化布局及基础的选型提供依据。     

断裂构造对斜坡应力场影响的数值模拟及成灾机理研究

断裂构造及活动强度对斜坡体的应力场分布具有重要的影响。采用基于强度折减法的有限元法,分别以正断层和逆断层与斜坡体的组合关系为例,剖析了断裂构造对斜坡体应力场的影响及成灾机理,揭示了含有断层的斜坡体塑性区的贯通过程。研究表明,包含断层的斜坡体在应力分布特征及斜坡变形破坏机理方面与无断层的斜坡体有较大差别:含断层的斜坡体在坡面和断层面附近的最大主应力迹线与坡面或断层面相平行,在天然状态下,塑性区同时出现在坡脚和断层面后方,随着折减系数的增大,塑性区分别从坡脚和断层面后方向坡体深部和上部发展,直至断层面前后两个塑性区相贯通,坡体发生破坏,并且对坡体变形破坏的影响程度以逆断层最强,其次为正断层,断层不活动时较弱。     

Biochemical biomarkers in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) after short-term exposure to diesel oil, pure biodiesel and biodiesel blends

Fossil fuels such as diesel are being gradually replaced by biodiesel, a renewable energy source, cheaper and less polluting. However, little is known about the toxic effects of this new energy source on aquatic organisms. Thus, we evaluated biochemical biomarkers related to oxidative stress in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) after two and seven exposure days to diesel and pure biodiesel (B100) and blends B5 and B20 at concentrations of 0.01 and 0.1 mL L⁻¹. The hepatic ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity was highly induced in all groups, except for those animals exposed to B100. There was an increase in lipid peroxidation in liver and gills in the group exposed to the higher concentration of B5. All treatments caused a significant increase in the levels of 1-hydroxypyrene excreted in the bile after 2 and 7 d, except for those fish exposed to B100. The hepatic glutathione-S-transferase increased after 7 d in animals exposed to the higher concentration of diesel and in the gill of fish exposed to the higher concentration of pure diesel and B5, but decreased for the two tested concentrations of B100. Superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase also presented significant changes according to the treatments for all groups, including B100. Biodiesel B20 in the conditions tested had fewer adverse effects than diesel and B5 for the Nile tilapia, and can be suggested as a less harmful fuel in substitution to diesel. However, even B100 could activate biochemical responses in fish, at the experimental conditions tested, indicating that this fuel can also represent a risk to the aquatic biota.     

Cobalt-induced oxidative stress in brain, liver and kidney of goldfish Carassius auratus

Cobalt is an essential element, but at high concentrations it is toxic. In addition to its well-known function as an integral part of cobalamin (vitamin B₁₂), cobalt has recently been shown to be a mimetic of hypoxia and a stimulator of the production of reactive oxygen species. The present study investigated the responses of goldfish, Carassius auratus, to 96 h exposure to 50, 100 or 150 mg L⁻¹ Co²⁺ in aquarium water (administered as CoCl₂). The concentrations of cobalt in aquaria did not change during fish exposure. Exposure to cobalt resulted in increased levels of lipid peroxides in brain (a 111% increase after exposure to 150 mg L⁻¹ Co²⁺) and liver (30-66% increases after exposure to 50-150 mg L⁻¹ Co²⁺), whereas the content of protein carbonyls rose only in kidney (by 112%) after exposure to 150 mg L⁻¹ cobalt. Low molecular mass thiols were depleted by 24-41% in brain in response to cobalt treatment. The activities of primary antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, were substantially suppressed in brain and liver as a result of Co²⁺ exposure, whereas in kidney catalase activity was unchanged and SOD activity increased. The activities of glutathione-related enzymes, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase, did not change as a result of cobalt exposure, but glutathione reductase activity increased by ∼40% and ∼70% in brain and kidney, respectively. Taken together, these data show that exposure of fish to Co²⁺ ions results in the development of oxidative stress and the activation of defense systems in different goldfish tissues.     

Plant communities in relation to flooding and soil contamination in a lowland Rhine River floodplain

Using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), relationships were investigated between plant species composition and flooding characteristics, heavy metal contamination and soil properties in a lowland floodplain of the Rhine River. Floodplain elevation and yearly average flooding duration turned out to be more important for explaining variation in plant species composition than soil heavy metal contamination. Nevertheless, plant species richness and diversity showed a significant decrease with the level of contamination. As single heavy metal concentrations seemed mostly too low for causing phytotoxic effects in plants, this trend is possibly explained by additive effects of multiple contaminants or by the concomitant influences of contamination and non-chemical stressors like flooding. These results suggest that impacts of soil contamination on plants in floodplains could be larger than expected from mere soil concentrations. In general, these findings emphasize the relevance of analyzing effects of toxic substances in concert with the effects of other relevant stressors.     

A hybrid method for quasi-three-dimensional slope stability analysis in a municipal solid waste landfill

Limited space for accommodating the ever increasing mounds of municipal solid waste (MSW) demands the capacity of MSW landfill be maximized by building landfills to greater heights with steeper slopes. This situation has raised concerns regarding the stability of high MSW landfills. A hybrid method for quasi-three-dimensional slope stability analysis based on the finite element stress analysis was applied in a case study at a MSW landfill in north-east Spain. Potential slides can be assumed to be located within the waste mass due to the lack of weak foundation soils and geosynthetic membranes at the landfill base. The only triggering factor of deep-seated slope failure is the higher leachate level and the relatively high and steep slope in the front. The valley-shaped geometry and layered construction procedure at the site make three-dimensional slope stability analyses necessary for this landfill. In the finite element stress analysis, variations of leachate level during construction and continuous settlement of the landfill were taken into account. The "equivalent" three-dimensional factor of safety (FoS) was computed from the individual result of the two-dimensional analysis for a series of evenly spaced cross sections within the potential sliding body. Results indicate that the hybrid method for quasi-three-dimensional slope stability analysis adopted in this paper is capable of locating roughly the spatial position of the potential sliding mass. This easy to manipulate method can serve as an engineering tool in the preliminary estimate of the FoS as well as the approximate position and extent of the potential sliding mass. The result that FoS obtained from three-dimensional analysis increases as much as 50% compared to that from two-dimensional analysis implies the significance of the three-dimensional effect for this study-case. Influences of shear parameters, time elapse after landfill closure, leachate level as well as unit weight of waste on FoS were also investigated in this paper. These sensitivity analyses serve as the guidelines of construction practices and operating procedures for the MSW landfill under study.