Generating sustainable towns from Chinese villages: a system modeling approach

The great majority of China's developing towns will be extensions of already existing villages. With the prospect of hundreds of millions of Chinese farmers projected to leave their villages to become industrial workers in new and expanded towns within the next few years, new challenges will be faced. As expansion and modernization progress, this development moves from the traditional village model that operates not far from resource sustainability to increasingly unsustainable patterns of commerce, urban development, and modern life. With such an unprecedented mass migration and transformation, how can Chinese culture survive? What is to become of the existing million plus agricultural villages? How can these massively unsustainable new industrial towns survive? In the European Commission sponsored research program SUCCESS, researchers worked from the scale of the Chinese village to find viable answers to these questions.     

Context and Systems: Thinking More Broadly About Effectiveness in Strategic Environmental Assessment in China

China is an illustrative—and extreme—case of the difficulties of balancing the pursuit of economic, social, and environmental objectives. In 2003 it adopted a form of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for its plans and programs (referred to here as PEIA) with the aim of moving towards greater environmental sustainability. The literature has explored primarily the issue of methods and legal procedures. This research contributes to the analysis of PEIA through a different set of interpretative lens. Drawing on recent developments in the theory and practice of SEA, I propose a conceptualization of SEA effectiveness that combines direct and incremental impacts, and a need for context-specific systems as a way to focus on the relationship between assessment, planning, and their context, and thus maximize effectiveness. This framework underpins the analysis of China’s experience, which I explore with the help of interview material and the literature. The result is an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of PEIA in terms of its purpose, assessment concept, process, and methods. The detailed analysis of six aspects of the context helps explain the origin of such shortcomings, and identify opportunities for its improvement. I conclude defining elements of a context-specific system for SEA that seeks to maximize the opportunity for incremental, as well as direct, effectiveness in China.     

基于GIS的广东省土壤资源信息系统构建研究

研究应用地理信息系统构建广东省土壤资源信息系统的总体模式,建立了土壤资源信息系统的基本功能构成;探索了土壤资源空间信息与文献资料的Internet网络化这一土壤研究新领域,并实现了土壤资源空间信息Internet网络化.     

Metals in biomass

Background, Aim and Scope

Metal ions generally share the ability/tendency of interacting with biological material by forming complexes, except possibly for the heavy alkali metals K, Rb and Cs. This is unrelated to the metals being either essential for sustaining life and its reproduction, apparently insignificant for biology, although perhaps undergoing bioconcentration or even being outright toxic, even at low admission levels. Yet, those different kinds of metal-biomass interactions should in some way depend on properties describing coordination chemistries of these very metals. Nevertheless, both ubiquitously essential metals and others sometimes used in biology should share these properties in numeric terms, since it can be anticipated that they will be distinguished from nonessential and/or toxic ones. These features noted above include bioconcentration, the involvement of metal ions such as Zn, Mg, Cu, Fe, etc. in biocatalysis as crucial components of metalloenzymes and the introduction of a certain set of essential metals common to (almost) all living beings (K, Mg, Mo, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn), which occurred probably very early in biological evolution by ‘natural selection of the chemical elements’ (more exactly speaking, of the metallomes).

Materials and Methods

The approach is semiempirical and consists of three consecutive steps: 1) derivation of a regression equation which links complex stability data of different complexes containing the same metal ion to electrochemical data pertinent to the (replaced) ligands, thus describing properties of metal ions in complexes, 2) a graphical representation of the properties-two typical numbers c and x for each metal ion-in some map across the c/x-space, which additionally contains information about biological functions of these metal ions, i.e. whether they are essential in general (e.g. Mg, Mn, Zn) or, for a few organisms of various kinds (e.g. Cd, V), not essential (e.g. rare earth element ions) or even generally highly toxic (Hg, U). It is hypothesized that, if coordination properties of metals control their biological ‘feasibility’ in some way, this should show up in the mappings (one each for mono and bidentate-bonding ligands). 3) eventually, the regression equation produced in step 1) is inverted to calculate complex stabilities pertinent to biological systems: 3a) complex stabilities are mapped for ligands delivered to soil (-water) by green plants (e.g. citrate, malate) and fungi and, compared to their unlike selectivities and demands of metal use (photosynthesis taking place or not), 3b) the evolution of the metallome during late chemical evolution is reconstructed.

Results

These maps show some ‘window of essentiality’, a small, contrived range/area of c and x parameters in which essential metal ions gather almost exclusively. c and x thus control the possibility of a metal ion becoming essential by their influencing details of metal-substrate or (in cases of catalytic activities) metal-product interactions. Exceptions are not known to be involved in biocatalysis anyhow.

Discussion

Effects of ligands secreted, e.g. from tree roots or agaric mycelia to the soil on the respective modes (selectivities) of metal bioconcentration can be calculated by the equation giving complex stability constants, with obvious ramifications for a thorough, systematic interpretation of biomonitoring data. Eventually, alterations of C, N and P-compounds during chemical evolution are investigated — which converted CH₄ or CO₂, N₂ and other non-ligands to amino acids, etc., for example, with the latter behaving as efficient chelating ligands: Did they cause metal ions to accumulate in what was going to become biological matter and was there a selectivity, a positive bias in favour of nowessential metals (see above) in this process? Though there was no complete selectivity of this kind, neither a RNA world in which early ribozymes effected most of biocatalysis, nor a paleoatmosphere containing substantial amounts of CO could have paved the way to the present biochemistry and metallomes.

Conclusions

This way of reasoning provides a causal account for abundance distributions described earlier in the Biological System of Elements (BSE; Markert 1994, Fränzle &; Markert 2000, 2002). There is a pronounced change from chemical evolution, where but few transformations depended on metal ion catalysis to biology.

Recommendations and Perspectives

The application of this numerical approach can be used for modified, weighted evaluation of biomonitoring analytical data, likewise for the prediction of bioconcentration hazards due to a manifold of metal ions, including organometallic ones. This is relevant in ecotoxicology and biomonitoring. In combining apoproteins or peptides synthesized from scratch for purposes of catalysing certain transformations, the map and numerical approaches might prove useful for the selection of central ions which are even more efficient than the ‘natural’ ones, like for Co²⁺ in many Zn enzymes.

     

Water protection against pollution

Science-policy integration is one of the many complex challenges that scientific and policy-making communities are facing. It involves knowledge sharing and exchanges among a wide range of disciplines and actors. In many instances, the lack of proper communication and of a coordination mechanism leads to research outputs not being used or simply known by policy-makers, and to policy research needs not being communicated to the scientific communities in a timely fashion. This paper discusses the integration of scientific and technological progress into the policy-making and implementation process, with emphasis on water policies. It highlights the need and complexity of developing a knowledge-based approach which would enable to lead to an operational science-policy interface linked to WISE (Water Information System for Europe), including the newly developed WISERTD webportal (). The views expressed in this paper are purely those of the author and do not in any circumstances reflect an official position of the European Commission.     

The use of respirometric measurements to determine the toxicity of textile dyes in aqueous solution and after oxidative decolourisation processes

Selected results from the degradation of reactive-dye hydrolysates after UV irradiation, ozonation and sodium peroxodisulphate (NaPS) treatment are presented. Reactive dyes with representative chromophores and anchor groups were chosen for the research project. Different stages of oxidative decolourisation were examined and determined by water parameters for biological degradation (BOD). The paper focuses on toxicity tests with Pseudomonas putida to consider whether the oxidative treatments result in products with a risk for the environment. Tests were performed with the AQUALYTIC^® Sensomat System, which measures biological oxygen demand (BOD). It was determined that the chosen oxidative treatments had as a rule no bearing on respiration of P. putida. Experiments with hydrolysates after short-term UV irradiation resulted in a slightly increased but not long-lasting toxicity in comparison with treatments with ozone or NaPS. Toxic effects were found in tests with hydrolysates of metalliferous dyes. During oxidative treatment, metals were liberated from the chromophores. This did cause complete inhibition of respiration of P. putida. Dye Blue E, a member of a dye class with chlorotriazine anchor groups, was itself found to be toxic, caused by the reactivity of the anchor group. The hydrolysate is only of minor toxicity.     

港口石油化工码头及其库区灾害事故应急系统研究

通过对石油化工码头及其库区危险因素的分析,提出编制应急预案重点要考虑的问题是:明确重大危险源性质与布局;灾害事故的类型及规模;灾害事故等级的划分;一旦发生灾害事故,谁来指挥,谁来救灾,拿什么救灾,怎么救灾的应急反应机制和整个应急过程的通讯联络。为使应急预案具有可操作性,提出了预案编制要点。石油化工码头及库区灾害事故应急系统除编制灾害事故应急预案外,还应实施由重大危险源电子地图信息管理,油品(化学品)的理化特性、应急处理方法及防护措施基本信息查询,可燃有毒气体泄漏扩散模拟预测和池火热辐射强度模拟预测等组成的危险源管理地理信息系统和灾害事故灾情快速预测系统。     

Work domain analysis for air traffic controller weather displays

INTRODUCTION: Adverse weather conditions have a major impact on National Airspace System (NAS) operations. They create safety hazards for pilots, constrain the usable airspace for air traffic control (ATC), and reduce the overall capacity of the NAS. A system-wide dissemination of weather information to controllers could theoretically improve safety and efficiency. PROBLEM: However, it is currently unclear what weather information would be beneficial for tactical operations. Furthermore, no previous research has empirically evaluated optimal presentation designs for ATC weather displays. Ill-designed weather displays can cause safety hazards by presenting redundant information (i.e., by increasing the cognitive load) and display clutter (e.g., by interfering with the visual extraction of traffic data). METHOD: In the present paper, we outline our use of cognitive work analysis (CWA) techniques for the assessment of weather information needs for terminal controllers. RESULTS: Specifically, we describe how the CWA modeling tools helped us reveal instances in the terminal domain where weather information is lacking or insufficiently disseminated. We used our CWA results to drive the development of weather display concepts and to set up a high-fidelity simulation capability. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: By means of high-fidelity simulations, we can empirically evaluate controller weather information needs in order to propose weather displays for increased aircraft safety and efficiency of terminal operations.     

大空间建筑消防系统故障风险定量分析的新方法

在对CO2自动灭火系统的故障模式、影响及危害度定性分析的基础上,采用模糊数学方法,以系统故障影响严重度、故障模式发生概率及其可检测性为关键指标,给出了故障风险定量评价指标的建立方法,提出了一种消防系统故障风险定量分析的新方法———模糊推理法。该方法可直接输入语言变量,利用模糊定性和不确定信息或数据定量评价系统的故障风险,并以CO2自动灭火系统为例,详细阐述了该方法定量评价故障风险的全过程。该方法和推理过程可为其他建筑防火设备的同类分析所借鉴,为城市火灾风险定量评价系统的构建提供理论基础和一种新方法。     

深埋地铁岛式站点火灾模型实验研究(2)--列车火灾

列车停靠站台时一旦发生火灾,火灾烟气将向站台和区间隧道空间蔓延.尤其对于深埋地铁车站,如何控制车站列车火灾是地铁设计过程中必需解决的科学问题之一.这里,笔者利用深埋地铁车站模型实验台研究了列车停靠在站台时发生火灾情况下,火灾烟气蔓延规律,分析了火灾烟气有效控制方案,研究结果有利于火灾时深埋车站排烟模式的选择.