Attitudes towards sex selection for non-medical reasons: a review

Early non-invasive fetal sexing is widely available over the Internet, leading to concerns about its possible use for sex selection. The aim of this review is to summarise the results of surveys describing lay attitudes towards sex selection for non-medical reasons to help address or inform such concerns. A search of electronic databases and key journals was supplemented by an Internet search and citation-tracking. Twenty-one quantitative studies were identified. Most were conducted in the US, with five recent studies in the UK and Germany. Most studies found that, overall, people were not in favour of sex selection. However, this varied from 94 to 18%. People may hold more negative attitudes when the method of sex selection is specified, particularly if this involves termination of pregnancy (TOP). Attitudes towards the general availability of sex selection are less negative than those towards personal use. Attitudes were consistently negative in German surveys. Little is known of such attitudes outside the US, the UK and Germany, and how such attitudes may change as new sex selection technologies become available. Studies of use of early non-invasive fetal sexing for sex selection for non-medical reasons are needed to assess the extent to which concerns about usage are justified and to assist in debates on how these might be most appropriately addressed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

云南喀斯特山区国土空间优化分区与管控

国土空间的协调发展是区域可持续发展的前提,如何优化国土空间结构并构建合理的管控模式成为亟需解决的重要问题之一。以云南喀斯特典型山区文山市为例,探讨基于“双评价”的国土空间优化方法及冲突区的修正规则,对喀斯特山区国土空间进行优化分区,并提出国土空间分区及石漠化分区的管控模式。研究发现：（1）云南喀斯特山区国土空间优化后可划分为城镇开发边界区、城镇预留区、永久基本农田区、一般农业区、生态保护红线区和一般生态区六种类型,其中,生态保护红线区面积最大,城镇开发边界区面积最小;（2）城镇开发边界区和城镇预留区主要分布于东部和东南部,永久基本农田区和一般农业区主要分布于北部和南部,一般生态区主要分布于西北部和西南部,生态保护红线区主要分布于西部、南部、东部和东北部,其中东部和东北部主要为石漠化区;（3）从各国土空间类型的发展潜力和趋势对国土空间分区提出了管控措施和模式;从轻度石漠化区、中度石漠化区以及重度石漠化区角度对城镇、农业和生态三类空间,提出了石漠化区开发和保护的路径和方法。研究结果可为云南喀斯特山区国土空间的合理发展和石漠化的治理提供决策支持,研究方法和思路为国土空间优化和管控提供参考。     

一种模拟动力学边界条件的环境振动试验方法研究

目的提高环境振动试验的可靠性。方法以某典型钛合金蜂窝夹芯壁板试验件为例,提出一种模拟试验件动力学边界条件的试验方法,在试验件周围引入弹性连接件,再通过刚性转接工装与振动台台面连接,以试验件在试验安装状态下的共振频率及振型节线位置为优化目标,以弹性连接件的外形尺寸及厚度为优化变量,对弹性连接件进行优化设计,从而模拟试验件真实的动力学边界条件。结果弹性连接件的优化设计使得试验件在试验安装状态下前两阶共振频率与试验要求相差小于8%,而且振型节线位置与试验要求基本重合,达到了模拟试验件真实动力学边界条件的设计目标。结论对于壁板类试验件,在传统刚性夹具的基础上引入弹性连接件的试验方法,可以较好地模拟试验件真实动力学边界条件,提高环境振动试验的可靠性,并且这种方法对试验费用及试验周期影响较小,具有良好的工程应用前景。     

Optimal Timing to Adopt an Environmental Policy in a Strategic Framework

In this paper, the problem of optimal timing, when to adopt an environmental policy in a strategic framework is considered. Using real options theory and some basic tools of game theory, we show that, under certain assumptions, a country behaving strategically should wait longer before adopting such a policy than if it behaves unstrategically or within a larger entity. Such a postponed decision is sub-optimal as regards to the environment protection.     

Optimal charges on river effluent from lumped and distributed sources

We propose a modelling framework for the design of a Pigouvian effluent tax, in an environmental management problem implicating several economic agents located in a river basin. The proposed charging system allows for the agents' geographical position relative to the river's sections, at which environmental standards are to be enforced, and takes into account the possible different market structures within which the agents are operating. In particular, we consider industrial agents competing on an oligopolistic market, and a set of farmers acting as price takers on a large market. A regional authority's goal is to induce agents to some sort of cooperation which would result in the satisfaction of the common environmental constraints. The economic process on one side, and the pollution transport and accumulation on the other, constitute two dynamic processes in two different time scales. As the economic process is much slower than the other process we can neglect the latter's transients and concentrate on the time invariant steady state solutions to the transportation equation. The model thus constructed has some noncooperative game and optimal control problem's features with space being the ‘running’ variable. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

密切值法在污染源治理方案优选中的应用

本文采用密切值法进行污染源多个治理方案的优化决策研究，并通过实例分析获得了与实际状况相符合的优化结果。     

高温嗜粪菌的选育和猪粪发酵研究

筛选得到了８株嗜高温（５５℃）嗜粪细菌，均具有较强的发酵猪粪能力。加入所选育菌株进行的猪粪高温（５５℃）固体好氧发酵实验发明，２４ｈ内可将猪粪发酵成无臭味、深褐色的稳定和无害化产物，常温下长时间放置也不会产生腐败和臭味。此发酵产物的氮试验法结果显示，猪粪已发酵至表观成熟和稳定化，可作为进一步制取优质有机复合肥料的良好前体物。     

Optimization of C/N ratio for preparation of protein-rich and multi-enzymes feed thallus through synergic fermentation of mixed distillers'grains

A new procedure of determining optimal C/N (the rate of carbon source to nitrogen source) of mixed distillers' grains for combined bacteria synergic fermentation is established. At the same time an improved method evaluating bacteria growth, called method of dry cell weighing by filtering is developed. For each combination of C and N , their initial and residual contents before and after fermentation respectively are determined. Then followed the calculation of utilization of C and N sources by the compound bacteria. The optimal C/N is finally located from among the utilization of C and N of several combinations and the weight of produced mass of oven-dried thallus The conditions of fermentation are: inoculum size 10%, temperature 30.0℃, rotational speed 170 r/min, shake culture time 48h. The best results obtained from orthogonal experiments are: maximum mass of oven dried thallus is 14.693g in a liter liquid medium, maximum utilization rate of carbon source is 98.13% and maximum utilization rate of nitrogen is 78.14%. Optimal C/N is 5.1.     

赋权相关分析与环境设施优化选择

在环境质量评价及环境设施优化选择过程中，客观地设计分析模型，并合理地选择权系数是问题的关键和难点。如果处理不当，将会得出与客观实际完全相反的结果。从而影响决策的准确性，造成不应有的损失。本文以灰色系统理论和层次分析法为基础，提出利用二步层次分析法确定权系数的多指标相关分析方法，并将其应用于烟气处理设施的综合性能评价之中。实例分析表明，该方法具有赋权合理、计算简便、一致性程度高、受决策者主观臆断影响小，评价结果可靠等特点。因此，该方法用于环境设施优化选择过程是可行的。     

袋式除尘器在立窑烟气除尘中的应用

对立窑烟尘排放特点与立窑除尘工艺中的问题及对策进行了讨论。分析了立窑烟尘排放特征,对几种常见的立窑除尘的设备和工艺进行了比较,指出袋式除尘器可成功地用于立窑烟气除尘。并且从滤料选择、清灰方式、烟温控制、灰斗的气密性等方面详细地完善了袋式除尘器在立窑烟气除尘中的应用。