Bordering Ecosystems: The Rhetorical Function of Characterization in Gray Wolf Management

Decisions about iconic species such as the wolf provide a key index of human–nature relations. The gray wolf's reintroduction in the USA has been controversial, particularly at the interface of state versus federal management. This essay analyzes discourse surrounding this controversy, focusing on how wolves are characterized as ecological and social actors in official correspondence and management plans. I interpret this textual evidence by drawing from social theory regarding sovereignty, discipline, and population, including studies on bordering practices imposed on humans. As with humans, bordering practices in the case of the wolf may illuminate how political forces impose physical and discursive limits upon mobile bodies motivated to move across political borders by powerful exigencies of need. The essay seeks to amplify understanding about how regimes of power enact difference from “others” whose presence strongly influences the health of ecosystems and economies.     

Ecosystem services in infrastructure planning – a case study of the projected deepening of the Lower Weser river in Germany

We consider how ecosystem services can be incorporated into water infrastructure planning by studying the projected deepening of the Lower Weser river channel in Germany. We recalculate the project's benefit–cost ratio by integrating the monetary value of changes in different ecosystem services, as follows: (1) the restoration costs of a mitigation measure for a loss in fresh water supply for agricultural production in the estuary region, (2) the costs of a loss in habitat services, transferring the willingness to pay from a contingent valuation study to the area assessed in the environmental impact assessment, and (3) the benefits of emissions savings induced by more efficient shipping, taking a marginal abatement cost approach. We find that including monetary values for ecosystem service changes leads to a substantial drop in the benefit–cost ratio. On this basis, we argue for a reform of the standard cost–benefit analysis to facilitate more complete welfare assessments.     

Are all experiments created equal? A framework for analysis of the learning potential of policy experiments in environmental governance

Environmental changes are increasing the need to understand complex cross-scale feedbacks in social–ecological systems. However, consistent conceptualisation of learning associated with environmental governance is lacking, and research mainly centres on individual variables. This paper identifies a typology of such learning, and theorises about configurations of variables. Focusing on experimentation as an intervention geared towards learning, it proposes a definition of policy experiment. A theoretical framework is presented, summarising a typology of experiments based on learning-related variables embedded in design choices, and reflected in institutional rule aggregations. The framework facilitates systematic analysis of real-world cases and testing of hypotheses on the effects of different types of experiment on learning. A case study demonstrates application of the framework. Results suggest future research paths that include attention to additional relevant variables. The findings have relevance for scholars interested in experimentation and learning, and environmental policy-makers considering experimentation to assess policy innovations.     

三种供需关系论

本文提出在人与自然组成的环境－社会系统中存在着三种有决定性意义的供需关系,分析了这三者的异同与联系,剖析了它们在人类社会运行、发展中和及在人类社会可持续发展中的地位。     

纳滤膜对脂肪族及杂环有机物的截留特性

分别选用NF90、NF270和NF-型号的纳滤膜测定了20种脂肪族及杂环有机物的截留率®,并分析了纳滤膜截留效果的影响因素.结果表明,脂肪族及杂环有机物的R受到分子结构和膜特性的影响:对于同分异构体,分枝结构越多,R越高;环状有机物与分子量相近的直链有机物相比,R明显偏高;孔径越小的纳滤膜R越高.利用遗传算法(GA)结合偏最小二乘回归(PLS)和人工神经网络法(ANN)建立了脂肪族及杂环物质的R与其结构的定量关系模型,2种方法建立的模型相关系数可分别达到0.8809和0.9944,通过2种模型进一步分析了R的影响规律,并对几种物质的R进行了有效的预测.从预测结果来看,GA-ANN模型的预测精度要好于GA-PLS模型.     

QSAR计算中的分子连接性指数法

本文介绍了分子连接性指数法和原理及各阶指数的计算方法，以及在ＱＳＡＲ计算中的应用实例，并对特殊连接性指数的用法作了分析。     

Reduction–melting combined with a Na2CO3 flux recycling process for lead recovery from cathode ray tube funnel glass

With large quantity of flux (Na₂CO₃), lead can be recovered from the funnel glass of waste cathode-ray tubes via reduction–melting at 1000 °C. To reduce flux cost, a technique to recover added flux from the generated oxide phase is also important in order to recycle the flux recovered from the reduction–melting process. In this study, the phase separation of sodium and the crystallization of water-soluble sodium silicates were induced after the reduction–melting process to enhance the leachability of sodium in the oxide phase and to extract the sodium from the phase for the recovery of Na₂CO₃ as flux. A reductive atmosphere promoted the phase separation and crystallization, and the leachability of sodium from the oxide phase was enhanced. The optimum temperature and treatment time for increasing the leachability were 700 °C and 2 h, respectively. After treatment, more than 90% of the sodium in the oxide phase was extracted in water. NaHCO₃ can be recovered by carbonization of the solution containing sodium ions using carbon dioxide gas, decomposed to Na₂CO₃ at 50 °C and recycled for use in the reduction–melting process.     

Detection of trisomy 21 by quantitative fluorescent–polymerase chain reaction in uncultured amniocytes

Prenatal diagnosis of fetal trisomy 21 is usually performed by cytogenetic analysis. This requires lengthy laboratory procedures, high costs and is unsuitable for large-scale screening of pregnant women. Today, trisomy 21 can be rapidly diagnosed within 24 h by molecular analysis of uncultured fetal cells using the semi-quantification of fluorescent PCR products from short tandem repeat (STR) polymorphic markers. The aim of our study was to test a chromosome quantification method on the basis of the analysis of fluorescent PCR products derived from non-polymorphic target genes. Co-amplification of a portion of DSCR1 (Down syndrome Critical Region 1) and the reference gene, CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator) enabled molecular detection of trisomy 21. Our method was successfully tested on a total of 154 amniotic fluids in a blind prospective study. Calculation of the DSCR1/CFTR ratio allowed us to distinguish between 152 normal amniotic fluids (mean ratio 0.99) and 2 amniotic fluids presenting a trisomy 21 status (DSCR1/CFTR ratio of 1.53 and 1.61, respectively). The results obtained by conventional cytogenetic analysis and our quantitative PCR method were concordant in every case. Our gene-based fluorescent PCR approach represents an alternative molecular method for rapid and reliable detection of trisomy 21, which can be helpful in the prenatal diagnosis of women at high risk of fetal trisomy 21. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

自相关拓扑指数与有机物生物活性的定量关系

采用自相关拓扑指数作为分子描述符，研究有机污染物的遗传毒性和急性毒性与分子结构的定量关系，建立了良好的构效关系方程。     

应用量子化学参数预测多氯有机物的分配性质

应用量子化学AM1算法求得多氯有机物的量化参数，以此来构建定量结构－性质相关（QSPR）模型。该模型能较好地预测多氯有机物的正辛醇／水分配系数（Kow)和沉积物吸附系数（Koc).Kow和Koc平均误差分别为0．31和0．33个对数单位。模型的稳健性检验结果表明：模型中自变量不存在相关关系；残差呈正态分布；对Koc来说，PCB和PCDD／F在构建模型中起核心作用，剔除该类化合物导致模型相关系数明显下降，农药类及氯硝基苯类化合物的存在降低了模型的精度。