Radionuclide transfer to animal products: revised recommended transfer coefficient values

A compilation has been undertaken of data which can be used to derive animal product transfer coefficients for radionuclides, including an extensive review of Russian language information. The resultant database has been used to provide recommended transfer coefficient values for a range of radionuclides to (i) cow, sheep and goat milk, (ii) meat (muscle) of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry and (iii) eggs. The values are used in a new IAEA handbook on transfer parameters which replaces that referred to as ‘TRS 364’. The paper outlines the approaches and procedures used to identify and collate data, and assumptions used. There are notable differences between the TRS 364 ‘expected’ values and the recommended values in the revised Handbook from the new database. Of the recommended values, three milk values are at least an order of magnitude higher than the TRS 364 values (Cr, Pu (cow) Pu (sheep)) and one milk value is lower (Ni (cow)). For meat, four values (Am, Cd, Sb (beef) I (pork)) are at least an order of magnitude higher than the TRS 364 values and eight values are at least an order of magnitude lower (Ru, Pu (beef), Ru, Sr, Zn (sheep), Ru, Sr (pork), Mn (poultry)). Many data gaps remain.     

Fundamental Moral Attitudes to Animals and Their Role in Judgment: An Empirical Model to Describe Fundamental Moral Attitudes to Animals and Their Role in Judgment on the Culling of Healthy Animals During an Animal Disease Epidemic

In this paper, we present and defend the theoretical framework of an empirical model to describe people’s fundamental moral attitudes (FMAs) to animals, the stratification of FMAs in society and the role of FMAs in judgment on the culling of healthy animals in an animal disease epidemic. We used philosophical animal ethics theories to understand the moral basis of FMA convictions. Moreover, these theories provide us with a moral language for communication between animal ethics, FMAs, and public debates. We defend that FMA is a two-layered concept. The first layer consists of deeply felt convictions about animals. The second layer consists of convictions derived from the first layer to serve as arguments in a debate on animal issues. In a debate, the latter convictions are variable, depending on the animal issue in a specific context, time, and place. This variability facilitates finding common ground in an animal issue between actors with opposing convictions.     

Another avenue of action: an examination of climate change countermovement industries’ use of PAC donations and their relationship to Congressional voting over time

The political mobilization of American business elites in the 1970s and 1980s has been well studied by political scientists. Environmental sociologists have explored how industries in this elite countermovement have organized to prevent environmental legislation. The literature often focuses on the efforts of this movement to shape public opinion on climate change. However, political scientists argue business elites are running several parallel strategies simultaneously in order to protect their interests. FEC data are utilized in multilevel logit models to examine how donations from industrial Political Action Committees (PACs) relate to Congressional representative’s environmental voting behavior over a 20-year period. Industries associated with the environmental countermovement have increasingly used PAC donations over time, and every additional $10,000 a representative received from countermovement industries significantly decreased odds of their taking the pro-environmental stance even when controlling for representatives’ demographics, districts, Congressional polarization and time-period.     

Free market ideology and deregulation in Colorado’s oil fields: Evidence for triple movement activism?

Unconventional oil and gas extraction (UOGE) has spurred an unprecedented boom in onshore production in the US. Despite a surge in related research, a void exists regarding inquiries into policy outcomes and perceptions. To address this, support for federal regulatory exemptions for UOGE is examined using survey data collected in 2015 from two Northern Colorado communities. Current regulatory exemptions for UOGE can be understood as components of broader societal processes of neoliberalization. Free market ideology increases public support for federal regulatory exemptions for UOGE. Perceived negative impacts do not necessarily drive people to support increased federal regulation. Utilizing neo-Polanyian theory, interaction between free market ideology and perceived negative impacts is explored. Free market ideology appears to moderate people’s views of regulation: increasing the effect of perceived negative impacts while simultaneously increasing support for deregulation. To conclude, the ways in which free market ideology might normalize the impacts of UOGE activity are discussed.     

Why does the United States lack a global warming policy? The corporate inner circle versus public interest sector elites

Why has the United States not adopted global warming policies? Because the inner circle of the corporate elite has opposed these policies despite some corporate support for cap-and-trade and other policies. Pro- and anti-positions taken by think tanks that have led the policy debate in the post-Kyoto period are analyzed in order to demonstrate this. The corporate and upper class social ties of the directors of these pro- and anti-think tanks are examined, revealing a corporate elite split between the inner circle opposing these policies, and a ‘public interest sector’ of corporate law and media corporations along with top executives from higher education and other nonprofits that is supportive of policies addressing global warming. To enable adoption of major global warming policies, the corporate inner circle will need to become supportive and forge a class-wide corporate consensus on the need to address global warming.     

基于机器视觉的鱼类行为特征提取与分析

近年来,水污染问题备受关注。生物式水质监测成为目前国家环境保护工作的重要任务之一。为准确监测水质污染情况,本文以青鳉鱼(Oryzias latipes)为研究对象,采用非接触式的机器视觉监测技术,提取青鳉鱼的生理特征(呼吸频率)和运动特征(胸鳍和尾鳍的摆动频率),并分析这些特征与水质之间的关系。本文采用支持向量机(Support Vector Machine,SVM)准确提取鱼鳃,并根据鱼鳃呼吸面积大小变化计算出鱼的呼吸频率。基于形态学细化算法提取青鳉鱼骨架,求出胸鳍和尾鳍的摆动频率。结果显示:不同浓度铜离子暴露实验测得的青鳉鱼生理特征和运动特征与实际情况一致;通过对不同铜离子浓度下的毒性实验数据对比,发现了青鳉鱼的生理特征和运动特征会随不同的铜离子浓度发生相应变化,可以作为水质监测的评价标准。     

Biomass and nutrient concentration of sweet corn roots and shoots under organic amendments application

Two field experiments were conducted at the Waimanalo research station on the island of O'ahu, Hawaii to study the effect of chicken (CM) and dairy (DM) manures on biomass and nutrient concentration in sweet corn roots and shoots. Sweet corn (super sweet 10, Zea Mays L. subsp. mays) was grown for two consecutive growing seasons under four rates of application (0, 168, 337, and 672 kg ha^{? 1} total N equivalent) and one time (OTA) or two time (TTA) applications of organic manure types and rates. There were significant effects of types, rates, and number of manure applications on dry biomass and macro- and micro-nutrient concentration in roots and shoots tissues. Results of root tissue indicated a significant accumulation of N and C under CM and DM treatments compared with the control treatment. Manure application rates significantly increased the accumulation of N and C in root tissue. Dry weight of roots and shoots and both macro- and micro-nutrient contents in the plant tissues significantly increased under TTA treatment compared with OTA treatment. There was a significant correlation (r² = 0.46 to 0.81) between root biomass, macro-, and micro-nutrient contents during both growing seasons. The results of the study indicates that amending soils with CM at the highest application rate provided the best crop performance in terms of root and shoot biomass, crop N, C, and other macro- and micro-nutrients.     

内抽外压式集尘器实验、数值模拟与分析

根据内抽外压式集烟尘器专利研制了一个内抽外压式集尘器,并在井下进行实验。经过3种方法测试均收到预期的的效果,司机工作区达到了国家卫生要求,由于采用外筒压风,防止了瓦斯积聚避免瓦斯爆炸。应用离散颗粒模型模拟了内抽外压式集尘器内气相流场和粉尘颗粒的运动,该集尘器不仅把矿井巷道中细微可呼吸粉尘吸收到除尘器中,又能防止了瓦斯积聚。数值模拟与实验结果的一致性表明:把内抽外压式集尘器放置在掘进机前方,由于粉尘在气流的携带下运动使掘进机司机在矿井巷道中的工作环境得到改善,减少矿工患尘肺病的概率,开发了井下集尘的新工艺、新设备。     

出口角度对防烟空气幕防烟效果影响的数值模拟

利用火灾动力学模拟软件FDS,以四川消防研究所高层实验塔二层为原型,模拟在不同防烟空气幕出口角度情况下高层建筑前室烟气运动情况,获得在其他条件不变情况下,空气幕运行时的最佳出口角度。试验结果表明:空气幕角度为5°及20°时,模拟试验后期烟气基本突破了空气幕蔓延至前室内,而当出口角度为10°和15°时防烟效果较好,且15°时防烟效果优于10°,故推荐空气幕运行时的最佳出口角度为15°。     

论近年来畜禽疫病的特点及其预防对策

随着畜牧业的快速发展,大规模、高密度、集约化的饲养和频繁的调运等,使畜禽更易发生流行性、群发性的疫病.畜禽疫病造成的损失影响了人类的生活需要,而且某些人畜共患的疫病还给人类健康带来了严重的威胁.要保证畜牧业可持续发展和保护人类健康,控制畜禽疫病就是关健措施.由于近年畜禽疫病的变化,我们的防治对策应发生相应变化.