Critical engagement,activist/academic subjectivities and organic agri-food research in Uganda

This paper provides a reflexive account of engagement in activist/academic organic agri-food research in Uganda. I argue that critical engagement across the third space – between and across activist and academic subjectivities – enables a re-thinking of the subjectivities of activist/academics and research participants and the place of research in social change and theory building. I demonstrate some of the multiple ways of enacting activism within the academy by reflecting on my critical engagement with the Katuulo Organic Pineapple Cooperative in Uganda, whose members grow certified organic pineapples for sale on the international market. While there is a growing interest in critical activist research, its agenda is also constrained by the corporatist turn in universities. As such, the subjectivities, methods and theory building of activist/academics in agri-food (and other) research represents part of the resistance to normalised ways of doing and being in contemporary neo-liberal universities.     

土壤有机质含量测定方法的改进研究

通过研究改进了土壤有机质含量的测定方法。首先称取适量土壤置于长管消解系统中进行消解,然后采用全自动电位滴定仪进行滴定,直接获得土壤的有机质含量。使用该方法测定的土壤标准样品的有机质含量均在保证值以内,同时对实际样品进行精密度测试,得到相对标准偏差为1．03％。该方法降低了土壤有机质含量检测的实验成本,减少了环境污染,同时提高了实验数据的准确度与精密度,值得推广。     

捕集阱顶空-气相色谱/质谱法检测地表水中25种挥发性有机物

建立了捕集阱顶空-气相色谱/质谱法检测地表水中25种挥发性有机物的分析方法。采用正交实验设计对捕集阱顶空条件进行了优化,该方法相关系数0.995,加标回收率为90%~110%,方法检出限为0.08~0.39μg/L,相对标准偏差(n=7)为0.7%~4.8%,仪器检出限低于0.04μg/L。方法准确度和灵敏度较好,可以满足对地表水中25种挥发性有机物的检测要求。     

Benthic Response to Mucilaginous Aggregates in the Northern Adriatic Sea: Biochemical Indicators of Eutrophication

Abstract

In summer 1997, gelatinous aggregates appeared in the Adriatic Sea, covering large areas of the northern basin. This study deals with the comparison between the biochemical composition of the sedimentary organic matter in summer, 1996 (when no aggregates appeared), and in summer, 1997 (during the appearance of aggregates). the biochemical composition of organic matter in surface sediments (determined in terms of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, phytopigments and nucleic acids) has been investigated in two areas along the coast of the NW-Adriatic Sea in order to characterize benthic processes during aggregate deposition on the sea floor. During mucilage accumulation, a significant increase of biochemical compounds was observed, and chlorophyll-a and carbohydrate concentrations doubled their concentrations. in contrast, protein concentrations decreased, so that overall biopolymeric carbon content (expressed as the sum of lipid, protein and carbohydrate carbon equivalents) did not display significant differences between sampling periods (1579.3 in June, 1996 1678.8 μgCg^?1 and June, 1997). the protein to carbohydrate ratio decreased from 4.9 in June, 1996 to 1.8 in June, 1997. Mucilage production in June, 1997, modified significantly the biochemical composition of the sedimentary OM, thus affecting the potential availability of OM to benthic consumers. We hypothesise that the production of highly refractory composition of the sedimentary OM during mucilage accumulation might have an important biogeochemical implications.     

芳香类有机物氯化生成消毒副产物的特性研究

选择有代表性的芳香类有机物,在含有腐殖酸的水溶液中进行氯化试验.测定三卤甲烷和卤乙酸的生成特性.并分析有机物的化学结构对生成消毒副产物的影响.结果表明.各受试物氯化生成消毒副产物的活性和反应速率排序为间苯二酚>对苯二酚>邻苯二酚>苯酚>苯胺>苯甲酸>硝基苯;芳香类有机物苯环上官能团的性质、数量和位置等影响消毒副产物的生成;间苯二酚的氯化反应可分为快速反应阶段和慢速反应阶段.     

Leaching of mecoprop and dichlorprop in calcareous soil. Effect of the exogen organic matter addition in this process

Abstract

Leaching studies of mecorprop (R,S)‐2‐(4‐chloro‐2‐methylphenoxy)propanoic acid, and dichlorprop, (R,S)‐2‐(4‐chloro‐2,4‐dichlorophenoxy) propanoic acid, under saturated conditions were conducted in unamended and amended soil columns. The purpose of the study was to investigate the leaching of these herbicides in three type of soils and the exogen organic matter effect on this process. The leaching patterns could be related to variation in the soil texture and diffusion processes of the herbicides into micropores within the walls of conducting pore. The leaching rate in the amended soil columns decreased with the addition of organic matter. The breakthrough curves (BTC) of these herbicides in the leachates of the amended soil columns were wider and more diffused than the BTC obtained for the corresponding unamended soil. The theoretical BTC overestimated the pore volume required for the displacement of these pesticides from the soil column. This may be due to the differences in the adsorption process between the bacth and soil columns methods     

Effect of environmental forcing on the fate of nutrients, dissolved organic matter and heavy metals released by a coastal wastewater pipeline

Discharges of nutrients, urea, dissolved organic matter and heavy metals by a sewage underwater pipeline are analysed in comparison to environmental conditions in a shallow coastal zone. Variable thermo-haline stratifications of the water column and currents in upper (2.62-34.97 cm s^-1) and deeper (0.83-10.91 cm s^-1) layers drive vertical diffusion and lateral transport of wastewaters. Loads of reactive phosphorus (0.13 tons d^-1) and ammonium (1.62 tons d^-1) by the pipeline are not negligible compared to the major river loads in the gulf. High concentrations of urea (≤11.51 μmol N dm^-3) were found in the area of wastewater release. Ammonium uptake (6.14-534 nmol N dm^-3 h^-1) strongly exceeded nitrate uptake (0.19-138 nmol N dm^-3 h^-1), indicating that discharges of ammonium by the pipeline are actively assimilated by plankton community even at low levels of light. Distribution of Zn (≤27.7 ppb), Cu (≤25.6 ppb), Cd (≤0.80 ppb) and Pb (≤13.5 ppb) in the water column and the measurement of their complex-forming capacity in seawater did not indicate a persistent perturbation of the pelagic environment due to heavy metals.     

飞灰螯合剂中挥发性污染物的释放

采集了4个市售飞灰螯合剂样品，分析其在20，40℃下挥发性污染物的释放规律.结果表明，释放的挥发性污染物主要有甲醛、乙醛、苯、异戊醛/异丙醇、甲硫醇、乙硫醇等；其中3个螯合剂样品甲醛的释放浓度在20℃为748~1325 μg/L-螯合剂，占释放的易挥发污染物的68%~96%（质量比），在40℃为4282~6822 μg/L-螯合剂，占释放的易挥发污染物的87%~95%（质量比）.随着温度升高，释放的挥发性污染物种类变多，部分污染物浓度增加，40℃时，4个螯合剂样品释放的易挥发污染物浓度比20℃时增加了142%~444%.元素分析、拉曼光谱和热重分析结果表明，4个螯合剂的主要有效成分相似，为二硫代氨基甲酸盐类物质.因此，推测这种飞灰螯合剂在稀释和飞灰稳定化过程中，对工作人员的健康可能有潜在的危害风险，应收集释放的气体并进行处理；且在飞灰填埋过程中，可能会导致渗滤液中NH₄⁺-N等物质的浓度升高，增加渗滤液的处理难度.     

有机物辛醇／水分配系数的计算方法：分子碎片常数法

辛醇／水分配系数是表征有机污染物环境行为的重要参数之一，本文应用于碎片常数计算了１３０余个有机化合物的辛醇／水分配系数对数值，通过计算值与实测值的比较发现，两者之间表现出相当好的一致性，其平均绝对误差为０．１３５，此外，还探讨了该方法应用于不同类型有机污染物时需要注意的问题。     

Differences in nitrous oxide fluxes from red soil under different land uses in mid-subtropical China

Red soil may play an important role in nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions due to its recent land use change pattern. To predict the land use change effect on N₂O emissions, we examined the relationship between soil N₂O flux and environmental determinants in four different types of land uses in subtropical red soil. During two years of study (January 2005-January 2007), biweekly N₂O fluxes were measured from 09:00 to 11:00 a.m. using static closed chamber method. Objectives were to estimate the seasonal and annual N₂O flux differences from land use change and, reveal the controlling factors of soil N₂O emission by studying the relationship of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), water filled pore space (WFPS) and soil temperature with soil N₂O flux. Nitrous oxide fluxes were significantly higher in hot-humid season than in the cool-dry season. Significant differences in soil N₂O fluxes were observed among four land uses; 2.9, 1.9 and 1.7 times increased N₂O emissions were observed after conventional land use conversion from woodland to paddy, orchard and upland, respectively. The mean annual budgets of N₂O emission were 0.71-2.21 kg N₂O-N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ from four land use types. The differences were partly attributed to increased fertilizer use in agriculture land uses. In all land uses, N₂O fluxes were positively related to soil temperature and DOC accounting for 22-48% and 30-46% of the seasonal N₂O flux variability, respectively. Nitrous oxide fluxes did significantly correlate with WFPS in orchard and upland only. Nitrous oxide fluxes responded positively to MBC in all land use types except orchard which had the lowest WFPS. We conclude that (1) land use conversion from woodland to agriculture land uses leads to increased soil N₂O fluxes, partly due increased fertilizer use, and (2) irrespective of land use, soil N₂O fluxes are under environmental controls, the main variables being soil temperature and DOC, both of which control the supply of nitrification and denitrification substrates.