Is love of nature in the US becoming love of electronic media? 16-year downtrend in national park visits explained by watching movies,playing video games,internet use,and oil prices

After 50 years of steady increase, per capita visits to US national parks have declined since 1988. This decline, coincident with the rise in electronic entertainment media, may represent a shift in recreation choices with broader implications for the value placed on biodiversity conservation and environmentally responsible behavior. We compared the decline in per capita visits with a set of indicators representing alternate recreation choices and constraints. The Spearman correlation analyses found this decline in NPV to be significantly negatively correlated with several electronic entertainment indicators: hours of television, (rs=-0.743, P<0.001), video games (rs=-0.773, P<0.001), home movies (rs=-0.788, P<0.001), theatre attendance (rs=-0.587, P<0.025) and internet use (rs=-0.783, P<0.001). There were also significant negative correlations with oil prices (rs=-0.547, P<0.025), foreign travel (rs=-0.452, P<0.05), and Appalachian Trail hikers (rs=-0.785, P<0.001). Income was significantly positively correlated with foreign travel (rs=0.621, P<0.005) but negatively correlated with national park visits (rs=-0.697, P<0.005). There was no significant correlation of mean number of vacation days, indicating available vacation time is probably not a factor. Federal funding actually increased during this period, and so was rejected as a probable factor. Park capacity was rejected as limiting since both total overnight stays and visits at the seven most popular parks rose well into the mid-1990s. Aging of baby boomers was also rejected as they are only now reaching retirement age, and thus during the period of visitation decline were still of prime family vacation age. Multiple linear regression of four of the entertainment media variables as well as oil prices explains 97.5% of this recent decline (r=0.975, multiple r2=0.950, adjusted multiple r2=0.925, SE=0.015, F=37.800, P<0.0001). We may be seeing evidence of a fundamental shift away from people's appreciation of nature (biophilia, Wilson 1984) to 'videophilia,' which we here define as "the new human tendency to focus on sedentary activities involving electronic media." Such a shift would not bode well for the future of biodiversity conservation.     

Examining the spatial incongruity between mining sector and beekeeping activities

The seminal work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on pollinators, pollination, and food production, informed scientific studies on the understudied impacts of mining on agriculture sub-sectors. This paper assesses the potential impacts of mining activities on beekeeping as an agricultural sub-sector, and the flow-on effects on associated economic values and enterprises to enhance sustainable development. A case study is conducted in the emerging northwest gold mining region of Ghana. The Location Quotient (LQ) and Location Association (La) models are used to explore the economic significance of beekeeping, its spatial links with tree habitats, and mining activities. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used to analyze the spatial interactions between concessions, trees, and beekeeping. The paper finds that districts with LQ < 1 in beekeeping also record LQ > 1 in mining, and La < 50 between beekeeping and mining. The findings are useful for stakeholder decision-making toward harnessing and leveraging the prospects of mining on integrated rural and sustainable development.     

西藏芒康滇金丝猴国家级自然保护区变化监测

以第一次全国地理国情普查与基础性地理国情监测数据为数据源,开展西藏芒康滇金丝猴国家级自然保护区内2015、2016、2017、2018年自然保护区建设与管理情况监测,分别从人工地物、林草资源、露天采掘场等方面进行统计,分析人类活动对自然保护区内的生态系统胁迫以及区内生态恢复情况等。     

Radiometric and environmental impacts of mill tailings at experimental plant processing unit,Allouga, Egypt

Abstract

Uranium mining and ore processing are known to be harmful to the environment and human health if the waste generated is not managed properly. The aim of the present study is to determine the radiological indices in the mill tailings and review the possible attempts to utilize and minimize its hazardous effect. The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides, ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra, and ⁴⁰K have been measured by gamma spectrometry using HP-Ge detector. The average activity concentrations of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra, and ⁴⁰K in the tailings wastes were 2071.8, 59.92, 6921.262, and 445. 57?Bq/kg respectively which are higher than the international average limit. The ranges of hazard indices such as Radium equivalent activity (Ra_eq), external hazard index (H_ex), internal hazard index (H_in), γ-radiation hazard index I_γ, Dose rate (nGy/h) and annual effective dose equivalent (AED), were estimated. Uraniumm isotopic ratios in the ore –material and mill tailing samples indicate migration out of radionuclides to the surrounding environment causing contamination and many dangerous diseases. Fairly, all investigated tailing waste samples do not satisfy the universal standards, the studied wastes relatively still have high uranium contents and need reprocessing.     

Experimental research of the dynamic behavior of the natural gas suspension pipeline aerial crossing during pigging process

Suspension pipeline aerial crossings (SPAC) are mainly used to carry pipeline segments over large obstacles that are not suitable for trenchless technologies. It may suffer great vibrations and displacements during the pigging process due to the dynamic pigging loads and insufficient constraints from cables. Based on similarity criteria, an experimental scale model based on the Nujiang natural gas SPAC was designed and established. The vibration and displacement of the scale model were measured under different pigging velocities and liquid deposit volumes. The experimental results reveal that the natural gas SPAC vibrates during the pigging process, but the displacement versus time forms a U curve instead of a sinusoidal like curve. The extremum of the displacement is positively related to the pigging velocity and liquid deposit volume. In particular, the extremum increases by 0.37% with a 1% increase in the pigging velocity, while the displacement increases by 0.62% with a 1% increase in the liquid deposit volume. Under certain pigging conditions, or with damaged constraint components, the displacement extremum could be unacceptable. A low pigging velocity and a short time interval between two pigging operations are suggested to guarantee the safety of the natural gas SPACs. Besides, based on the experimental data, an empirical formula is developed to obtain the SPAC displacement-time curve with consideration of the span length, the pipeline diameter, the pigging velocity, the length and holdup of the liquid column. This formula can help to determine a suspicious displacement overrun, and to develop a data basis for choosing a safe pigging scheme of SPACs. This research provides insightful information to understand the mechanism of the SPAC's dynamic response as well as a practical tool to calculate the SPAC's displacement during the pigging process.     

The importance of physico-chemical parameters on the speciation of natural radionuclides in riverine ecosystems

External gamma radiation levels were measured in the catchment areas of the Sharavathi River and the dose rates in air were found to be in the range 26.0-61.0 nGy h⁻¹. Soil and sediment samples of the riverine environment were analysed for natural radionuclides such as ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K using a NaI(Tl) gamma spectrometer. The activity concentration of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po in soil and sediment samples was determined by radiochemical separation techniques. Evaluation of the activity concentration of radionuclides with grain size revealed an increase in the activity of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K towards fine grain size. The activity concentrations for all isotopes in all samples were not significantly correlated with pH. However, the activity of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb in sediment showed a moderate positive correlation with organic matter content and a good correlation with clay content of sediment.     

Fractionation of natural radionuclides in soils from the vicinity of a former uranium mine ?irovski vrh, Slovenia

As a result of former uranium mining and milling activities at ?irovski vrh, Slovenia, 0.6 million tons of uranium mill tailings (UMT) were deposited onto a nearby waste pile Boršt. Resulting enhanced levels of natural radionuclides in UMT could pose threat for the surrounding environment. Therefore, sequential extraction protocol was performed to assess mobility and bioavailability of ²³⁸U, ²³⁴U, ²³⁰Th and ²²⁶Ra in soils from the waste pile and its surrounding. The radionuclides associated with exchangeable, organic, carbonate, Fe/Mn oxides and residual fraction, respectively, were determined. Results showed that the highest activity concentrations for the studied radionuclides were on the bottom of the waste pile. In non-contaminated locations, about 80% of all radionuclides were in the residual fraction. Considering activity concentrations in the UMT, ²³⁸U and ²³⁴U are the most mobile. Mobility of ²²⁶Ra is suppressed by high sulphate concentrations and is similar to mobility of ²³⁰Th.     

天然气管道工程风险对策研究

风险管理对策包括风险规避、风险控制与消减、风险自留和风险转移四个方面,风险管理的目标即是通过科学的风险管理策略使风险降到可以接受的水平。企业对风险的容忍程度除与风险控制的期望成本相关外,还与企业的风险偏好,以及政治、经济等外部环境因素相关。管道建设工程面临的风险因素复杂,可以从人的因素、物的因素、环境的因素和管理的因素四个方面进行识别和归类。各风险事件发生的町能性以及后果严重性各不相同,在管道建设工程风险管理中过程中要综合采用各种风险对策,使每一风险因素降低到企业所能够承受的水平,甚至可以采用改线绕过特定风险地域或保险转移的策略,使项日业主不再承担特定的风险责任。     

Electrospray Ionization Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (ESI FT-ICR MS): Characterization of Complex Environmental Mixtures

Structural and chemical characterization of compounds within complex environmental mixtures provides unique insights into the roles of these compounds in different environmental processes. Here, an emerging technique in environmental chemistry, electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI FT-ICR MS), is described and its applications to the molecular characterization of humic acids and petroleum products are reviewed and examined. ESI is a low-fragmentation ionization technique that preferentially ionizes polar functional groups prior to mass spectrometric analysis. This technique allows the characterization of intact polar macromolecules that are inaccessible to standard chromatographic techniques. ICR MS is an ultrahigh resolution and mass accuracy MS technique based on the detection of ion cyclotron motion within a magnetic field. The combination of ESI FT-ICR MS with other structural techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) allows the unprecedented identification and characterization of polar macromolecules in environmental mixtures and will find numerous applications within environmental chemistry and forensics.     

Heavy metal accumulation by recombinant mammalian metallothionein within Escherichia coli protects against elevated metal exposure

In an effort to minimize the impact on the environment or improve the properties of choice, most engineered nanoparticles used for commercial applications are surface functionalized. The release of these functionalized engineered nanoparticles (FENPs) into the environment can be either deliberate or accidental. Scientific research to date has tended to focus on evaluating the toxicity of FENPs, with less attention being given to exposure assessments or to the study of their general behavior in natural environments. We have therefore investigated the effects of environmental parameters such as pH, NaCl concentration, and natural organic matter concentration on the aggregation kinetics of FENPs with time resolved dynamic light scattering, using functionalized gold nanoparticles (FAuNPs) as a representative of these particles. We also investigated the effects of average particle size, the type of surface capping agent, and particle concentration on FAuNP aggregation kinetics. Our results show that the physico-chemical properties of the capping agent have a greater influence on the aggregation behavior of FAuNPs than either their core composition or their particle size.