Animal Consciousness and Ethics in Asia and the Pacific

The interactions between humans, animals and the environment have shaped human values and ethics, not only the genes that we are made of. The animal rights movement challenges human beings to reconsider interactions between humans and other animals, and maybe connected to the environmental movement that begs us to recognize the fact that there are symbiotic relationships between humans and all other organisms. The first part of this paper looks at types of bioethics, the implications of autonomy and the value of being alive. Then the level of consciousness of these relationships are explored in survey results from Asia and the Pacific, especially in the 1993 International Bioethics Survey conducted in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, The Philippines, Russia, Singapore and Thailand. Very few mentioned animal consciousness in the survey, but there were more biocentric comments in Australia and Japan; and more comments with the idea of harmony including humans in Thailand. Comparisons between questions and surveys will also be made, in an attempt to describe what people imagine animal consciousness to be, and whether this relates to human ethics of the relationships. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

基于BEPS生态模型对亚洲东部地区蒸散量的模拟

气候变化和人类活动的加剧导致亚洲东部地区陆地生态系统的碳水循环过程发生显著的变化,成为全球变化研究最关注的对象之一。实际蒸散(ET)是陆地生态系统碳水循环的重要组成部分,但对该地区ET特征的研究尚不够深入。论文利用遥感、气象和土壤等资料驱动生态过程模型BEPS对亚洲东部地区1982—2006年间的ET进行了模拟分析。利用6个站的通量实测数据验证表明,BEPS模型能够解释ET的81.23%的年变化和86.4%的10 d变化。模拟结果表明:亚洲东部的ET呈现出从东南向西北和西南沙漠地区逐渐减少的分布特征,最小值位于中国的西北沙漠地区;ET与降水量之比从东南和东北地区向西北内陆和西南沙漠地区逐渐增加,其中在中国长江以南的亚洲东部地区,平均值为0.4,而在沙漠地区接近1.0。在1982至2006年期间,研究区年ET总量的平均值为12 045×109m3/a,其中,中国、泛东南亚和印度的ET总量占整个研究区的62.4%;研究区的单位面积ET均值为401 mm/a,在泛东南亚地区最大(1100 mm/a),在蒙古最小(134 mm/a)。在所有的地表覆盖类型中,常绿阔叶林的ET总量和平均值都为最大,城镇地区的ET总量和平均值都为最小。研究区的ET总量呈增加趋势,草地、稀树草原、裸地和城镇的ET明显上升,其它地表覆盖类型的ET变化不明显。     

The 2004 tsunami and mental health in Thailand: a longitudinal analysis of one‐and two‐year post‐disaster data

Some 280,000 people died in the Indian Ocean tsunami on 26 December 2004. This cohort study examined its impact on mental health one and two years later. It did so by investigating the association between six consequent variables (personal injury, loss of home, loss of business, death of a family member, injury to a family member, or loss of a family member's business) and mental health, as measured by the 36‐item Short Form Health Survey (SF‐36), among residents in four provinces of Thailand. One year later, participants who suffered a personal injury, the loss of a business, or the loss of a family member reported poorer mental health than those who were unaffected. Two years later, participants who experienced the loss of a family member reported poorer mental health than those who were unaffected. This research shows that such a disaster may have long‐lasting ramifications for mental health, and that diverse losses may influence mental health differently.     

树轮氢同位素气候学:现状与方向

树木年轮硝化纤维素的氢同位素组成被广泛地用于重建过去气候变化。文章介绍了树轮氢同位素气候学在技术、理论以及应用于重建气候变化等方面的进展以及存在的问题,着重阐述了用树木年轮硝化纤维素氢同位素组成来研究东亚季风的进展和今后需要解决的问题。     

Salt-induced land and water degradation in the Aral Sea basin: A challenge to sustainable agriculture in Central Asia

Expansion of irrigated agriculture in the Aral Sea Basin in the second half of the twentieth century led to the conversion of vast tracks of virgin land into productive agricultural systems resulting in significant increases in employment opportunities and income generation. The positive effects of the development of irrigated agriculture were replete with serious environmental implications. Excessive use of irrigation water coupled with inadequate drainage systems has caused large‐scale land degradation and water quality deterioration in downstream parts of the basin, which is fed by two main rivers, the Amu‐Darya and Syr‐Darya. Recent estimates suggest that more than 50% of irrigated soils are salt‐affected and/or waterlogged in Central Asia. Considering the availability of natural and human resources in the Aral Sea Basin as well as the recent research addressing soil and water management, there is cause for cautious optimism. Research‐based interventions that have shown significant promise in addressing this impasse include: (1) rehabilitation of abandoned salt‐affected lands through halophytic plant species; (2) introduction of 35‐day‐old early maturing rice varieties to withstand ambient soil and irrigation water salinity; (3) productivity enhancement of high‐magnesium soils and water resources through calcium‐based soil amendments; (4) use of certain tree species as biological pumps to lower elevated groundwater levels in waterlogged areas; (5) optimal use of fertilizers, particularly those supplying nitrogen, to mitigate the adverse effects of soil and irrigation water salinity; (6) mulching of furrows under saline conditions to reduce evaporation and salinity buildup in the root zone; and (7) establishment of multipurpose tree and shrub species for biomass and renewable energy production. Because of water withdrawals for agriculture from two main transboundary rivers in the Aral Sea Basin, there would be a need for policy level interventions conducive for enhancing interstate cooperation to transform salt‐affected soil and saline water resources from an environmental and productivity constraint into an economic asset.     

Long-range transport of acidifying substances in East Asia—Part II: Source–receptor relationships

Region-to-grid source–receptor (S/R) relationships are established for sulfur and reactive nitrogen deposition in East Asia, using the Eulerian-type Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model with emission and meteorology data for 2001. We proposed a source region attribution methodology by analyzing the non-linear responses of the CMAQ model to emission changes. Sensitivity simulations were conducted where emissions of SO₂, NO_x, and primary particles from a source region were reduced by 25%. The difference between the base and sensitivity simulations was multiplied by a factor of four, and then defined as the contribution from that source region. The transboundary influence exhibits strong seasonal variation and generally peaks during the dry seasons. Long-range transport from eastern China contributes a significant percentage (>20%) of anthropogenic reactive nitrogen as well as sulfur deposition in East Asia. At the same time, northwestern China receives approximately 35% of its sulfur load and 45% of its nitrogen load from foreign emissions. Sulfur emissions from Miyakejima and other volcanoes contribute approximately 50% of the sulfur load in Japan in 2001. Sulfur inflows from regions outside the study domain, which is attributed by using boundary conditions derived from the MOZART global atmospheric chemistry model, are pronounced (10–40%) over most parts of Asia. Compared with previous studies using simple Lagrangian models, our results indicate higher influence from long-range transport. The estimated S/R relationships are believed to be more realistic since they include global influence as well as internal interactions among different parts of China.     

闽东南土壤岩石中天然放射性核素水平调查研究

报道了闽东南地区土壤岩石中天然放射性核素含量调查的结果。调查布点基本与环境陆地γ辐射剂量率调查布点同位。该调查结果表明 :闽东南地区由花岗岩、混合岩和中酸性火山岩就地分化残留物沉积而成的酸性红壤土中的2 38U、2 32 Th、2 2 6 Ra、4 0 K放射性核素平均含量分别为 62 .3Bq/kg、73 .2Bq/kg、1 1 5Bq/kg和 872Bq/kg ;2 38U、2 2 6 Ra含量 ,花岗岩类 >中酸性火山岩类 变质岩类 >基性岩类 ;2 32 Th、4 0 K含量 ,中酸性火山岩类 >花岗岩类 变质岩类 >基性岩类 ,与不同岩石所在地区原野γ辐射剂量率、室外空气中2 2 2 Rn及其子体浓度的测定结果基本一致。     

东亚地区大气整层臭氧浓度的时空变化

从TOMS臭氧全球网格资料截取主要包含中国大陆的东亚地区 (6 9 375°E— 1 39 375°E ;1 4 5°N— 5 4 5°N)的数据 ,分析大气整层臭氧浓度的变化特征 .结果表明 ,区域多年平均臭氧浓度约为 30 7DU(多卜森单位 :DobsonUnit) ;一年中 ,平均臭氧浓度有明显的季节变化 ,春季 (3月 )达最大值 ,秋季 (1 0月 )最小 ,变化幅度约 5 0DU .区域内臭氧浓度具有很强的空间 (纬向 )变化 ,低纬度地区臭氧浓度低 ,较高纬度地区臭氧浓度高 .各地臭氧浓度变化的概率分布基本为单峰型 ,低纬度地区分布较窄而高纬度地区宽 .从 1 978至 1 994年的十多年中 ,区域平均浓度呈明显的下降趋势 ,下降幅度约 1 0DU .对应于此 ,区域内各等级的臭氧浓度值以大致均匀的速率变化 ,低值的出现概率增加 ,而高值的出现概率减小 .     

中亚跨境流域生态脆弱性评价及其时空特征分析——以阿姆河流域为例

生态脆弱性（EVI）的定量评估和长期分析,对于了解区域生态环境动态变化与指导生态环境保护与修复极为重要。但以往研究很少对跨境流域这一特殊单元进行生态脆弱性评价。以阿姆河流域为例,选择反映研究区植被、水文、气候、地形、土壤以及人类活动等方面的11个指标,通过共线性诊断分析,构建了阿姆河流域生态脆弱性评价体系,利用主观权重与客观权重相结合的方法确定指标权重,对1990-2015年研究区EVI进行了定量评价及时空特征分析。结果表明：（1）研究区生态环境呈恶化趋势,大部分区域处于重度脆弱状态,研究时段内重度脆弱性比例的平均值为46.40%;极度脆弱性占比在过去25年内呈增加趋势,从1990年的2.58%增加至2015年的16.97%,增幅为14.39%。（2）生态脆弱性在不同土地覆被类型之间差异巨大,其中草地的EVI值变化最大,裸地的生态环境最为脆弱,林地的生态脆弱性最小;研究区生态脆弱程度整体表现为裸地>灌丛>草地>耕地>城市用地>林地的规律。（3）EVI与地形因子的关系表明生态环境最为脆弱的区域主要位于低海拔地势平坦与高海拔坡度大的地区,而低脆弱性主要分布在海拔2500~3500 m或坡度15~25°的区间上。     

An evaluation of occupational accidents in the wooden furniture industry - A regional study in South East Asia

Studies on the rate of occupational accidents among workers in the wooden furniture industry is sparse, although the industry is deemed to be highly accident prone. Therefore, the rate of occupational accidents among workers in the wooden furniture industry in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam were studied, in 240 furniture manufacturing factories, using a structured questionnaire. The findings of the study suggest that contract workers are less prone to occupational accidents compared to their permanent counterparts, and hence, are more productive. Further, the results also revealed that the contract workers have a more positive attitude towards the work, and hence, pick up the essentials of safe working practices quickly. It must therefore be recognized that the “production oriented mentality” prevalent in the wooden furniture industry, which has been argued to compromise occupational safety and health standards in the industry may be debatable. In this context, it is essential for the policy makers to re-examine the employment of contract workers for the furniture manufacturing industry, as changing the psycho-economic parameters of the industry may be warranted before the industry is deemed attractive to a permanent workforce.