Using plants for health: Indigenous knowledge in health care in a tribal region of Bihar,India

While the potential of indigenous knowledge for health care is fully recognised in the literature and by many health professionals, the practices of so many indigenous peoples go unrecorded and untested. Indigenous knowledge remains essentially untapped, an unwritten resource involving information, language and skills in many groups, languages, cultures and environments. An attempt is made in this paper to identify selected indigenous health technologies in a tribal area of Bihar State, India; to describe the treatments, their application and preparation; and to link the traditional practice with the relevant scientific information to test or determine the validity of the practices. These practices were found to be effective in the treatment of a variety of health problems, and most were also scientifically confirmed. The paper argues, however, that other plant uses practised by tribal people still need to be explored: in order to popularise more widely the authenticated practices; to preserve indigenous knowledge; to integrate or blend it with scientific knowledge so that health professionals and healthcare users may benefit from a wider range of healthcare strategies which are environmentally unthreatening.     

聚苯乙烯基离子交换纤维去除铅离子的应用研究

聚苯乙烯其离子交换纤维是一种理想的离子交换材料。它的特殊的物理形态决定它对一些有害气体如铅烟、颗粒铅等具有很好的净化作用，铅烟净化效率可达８０％；对水溶液中毒性铅离子去除率可达８６％。该纤维可做为治理毒性铅离子的材料。     

Facilitating substance phase‐out through material information systems and improving environmental impacts in the recycling stage of a product

The amount of electrical and electronic products is increasing rapidly, and this inevitably leads to the generation of large quantities of waste from these goods. Some of the generated e‐waste ends up in regions with sub‐standard recycling systems and may be processed under poor conditions. During uncontrolled incineration, halogenated dioxins and furans can be generated from brominated and chlorinated compounds in the products. In order to reduce the health and environmental risks involved in the recycling stage of the life cycle of electronics, an effective design‐for‐environment process must be established during the product development phase. Knowledge of the chemical substances in the product is crucial to being able to make informed decisions. Through full knowledge of the material content of procured components, phase‐outs of unwanted substances, such as halogenated substances, can be performed in an effective manner. Therefore, information is the key to success in phasing‐out substances; facilitating compliance of legal provisions for manufacturers of electrical and electronic devices; and improving the environmental footprint of products as they reach the end of the life cycle. After an introduction to the challenges of electronics waste management, this paper describes supply chain information systems and how they are used to facilitate substance phase‐outs in the electronics industry. Sony Ericsson has been working with phase‐outs of unwanted substances since it was founded in 2001. Through the introduction of a material declaration system that keeps track of all substances in the components used in the company's products, Sony Ericsson has been able to replace unwanted substances to improve environmental impacts at the recycling stage of a product.     

Ecosystem restoration in fire-managed savanna woodlands: Effects on biodiversity,local livelihoods and fire intensity

Ethiopia aims to restore 15 million ha degraded forests and woodlands, but effects on the potentially contrasting goals of long-term carbon storage, biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods are unknown. To quantify the effects of grazing exclusion on vegetation and fire behaviour, we established six 30 × 30 m fenced exclosures with grazed controls, in a mesic wooded savanna. Experimental burns were done after 1.5 years. Tree seedlings were few but more common inside fences. Field layer cover and biomass increased inside fences, and grass species increased in numbers and cover. Fire intensity was higher inside fences, killing shrubs and saplings but not mature trees. Interviews confirmed that overgrazing has resulted in “cool fires”, causing shrub encroachment. High-intensity fires occurred in the 1980s after a zoonotic disease killed most livestock. Short-term increase in carbon storage through fire and grazing exclusion may lead to loss of pasture, and in the long-term increased wildfire risk.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01343-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Effects of simulated acid rain on cation release in soils of South China

This paper deals with the release of base cations and Al3+ at the treatment with simulated acid rain (SAR) in main soil types collected from South China. Results showed that the amounts of base cations increased obviously when the pH value of simulated acid rain was lower than 3.0 or 3.5. Compared with the leaching of K+ and Na+, the leaching of Ca2+ and Mg2+ was affected by the pH value of SAR. Only when the amounts of base cations leached from soils exceeded the cation exchange capacity, the pH value of leaching solutions decreased sharply and the amounts of released Al3+ increased. The H+ buffering mechanisms, which were affected notonly by the pH values of SAR, but also by the types and solid components of soils, were proposed for the main soils studied.     

Reflections on 40 years of Disasters, 1977–2017

This reflection, based on a keynote address to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Disasters on 14 September 2017, begins by considering some of the prevailing assumptions that existed at the time of the journal's creation. Next is a summary of significant milestones during the past 40 years, covering major global trends, changing disaster impacts, and key developments in disaster risk management. Contrasting approaches in the first and fourth decade of the journal's history are then followed by examples of changes in terminology in the disaster field as an indication of shifting values. The paper goes on to explore the context of 2017, with observations of problem areas such as the loss of knowledge, failures to tackle the root causes of disasters, shortfalls in international assistance, and some negative attitudes. It closes by evaluating some current positive occurrences, including a reduction in casualties, sharing of experience, technological advances, and dramatic improvements in disaster warning.     

Observations on the workshop as a means of improving communication between holders of traditional and scientific knowledge

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and the information and insights it offers to natural resource research and management have been given much attention in recent years. On the practical question of how TEK is accessed and used together with scientific knowledge, most work to date has examined documentation and methods of recording and disseminating information. Relatively little has been done regarding exchanges between scientific and traditional knowledge. This paper examines three workshop settings in which such exchanges were intended outcomes. The Barrow Symposium on Sea Ice, the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Program Synthesis/Information Workshops, and the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee illuminate certain features of the preparation, format, and context of workshops or series of workshops and their eventual outcomes and influence. The examples show the importance of long-term relationships among participants and thorough preparation before the actual workshop. Further research should look more systematically at the factors that influence the success of a given workshop and the various ways in which participants perceive success.     

Hydrograph Separation by Incorporating Climatological Factors: Application to Small Experimental Watersheds 1

Abstract: Evaluating the relative amounts of water moving through the different components of the hydrological cycle is required for precise management and planning of water resources. An important aspect of this evaluation is the partitioning of streamflow into surface (quick flow) and base‐flow components. A prior study evaluated 40 different approaches for hydrograph‐partitioning on a field scale watershed in the Coastal Plain of the Southeastern United States and concluded that the Boughton’s method produced the most consistent and accurate results. However, its accuracy depends upon the proper estimation of: (1) the end of surface runoff, and (2) the fraction factor (α) that is function of many physical and hydrologic characteristics of a watershed. Proper identification of the end of surface runoff was accomplished by using a second derivative approach. Applying this approach to 12 years of separately measured surface and subsurface flow data from a field scale watershed (study area) proved to be accurate for 87% of the time. Estimation of the α value was accomplished in this study using two steps: (1) alpha was fitted to individual hydrographs: and, (2) a regression equation that determines these alpha values based on climatological factors (e.g., rainfall, evapotranspiration) was developed. Using these strategies improved the streamflow partitioning method’s performance significantly.     

考虑齐口裂腹鱼产卵需求的山区河流生态基流过程确定

在原型观测的基础上,应用生态水力学法与生境模拟法,建立对考虑齐口裂腹鱼产卵需求的山区河流水电工程生态基流过程的确定方法,并以四川中型山区河流杂谷脑河薛城电站为背景,对所构建方法进行应用分析。通过原型观测,对生态水力学的齐口裂腹鱼生境水力参数标准在杂谷脑河应用的适宜性进行分析;应用生态水力学方法,对不同河道流量下薛城电站减水河段的齐口裂腹鱼生境水力参数进行数值模拟,根据模拟结果,结合齐口裂腹鱼生境水力参数标准,分析得到薛城电站满足其生存的最小下泄流量;应用生境模拟法,对齐口裂腹鱼产卵期不同河道流量下薛城电站减水河段集中产卵场的可利用生境面积进行计算,得到最大可利用生境面积对应的下泄流量。综合最小下泄流量值与最大可利用生境面积所对应的下泄流量值,考虑齐口裂腹鱼产卵对水文情势的要求,建立薛城电站考虑齐口裂腹鱼产卵需求的生态基流过程。采用所构建方法得到的考虑鱼类产卵需求的水电工程生态基流过程,由于考虑了鱼类生存对最低流量以及产卵对水文情势的要求,能更好地满足鱼类产卵需求,可作为电站运行调度的约束。