The bubbles or the boiling pot? An ecosystemic approach to culture,environment and quality of life

For the diagnosis and prognosis of the problems of quality of life, a multidisciplinary ecosystemic approach encompasses four dimensions of being-in-the-world, as donors and recipients: intimate, interactive, social and biophysical. Social, cultural and environmental vulnerabilities are understood and dealt with, in different circumstances of space and time, as the conjugated effect of all dimensions of being-in-the-world, as they induce the events (deficits and assets), cope with consequences (desired or undesired) and contribute for change. Instead of fragmented and reduced representations of reality, diagnosis and prognosis of cultural, educational, environmental and health problems considers the connections (assets) and ruptures (deficits) between the different dimensions, providing a planning model to develop and evaluate research, teaching programmes, public policies and field projects. The methodology is participatory, experiential and reflexive; heuristic-hermeneutic processes unveil cultural and epistemic paradigms that orient subject-object relationships; giving people the opportunity to reflect on their own realities, engage in new experiences and find new ways to live better in a better world. The proposal is a creative model for thought and practice, providing many opportunities for discussion, debate and development of holistic projects integrating different scientific domains (social sciences, psychology, education, philosophy, etc.). Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

环境蠕变对农业病虫草鼠害的潜在影响

重点讨论了在全球气候变暖的大背景下,农业病虫草鼠害加重和新的病虫草鼠出现也作为一种蠕变现象正在遭受气候变化的影响和冲击。其主要表现在农业有害生物(病、虫、草、鼠)地理分布范围扩大、越冬界限北移、农田害虫害鼠发育时间缩短、繁殖代数增加、种群增长率加快、发生提早、危害加重、病毒病增加、新病虫草鼠出现等等。     

Hydrologic and sedimentologic aspects of mining aggregate from the shipsk bank (Baltic sea)

Abstract

Investigations aimed at obtaining knowledge about the environmental effects of mining aggregate from the sea bottom were carried out on the Stupsk Bank. Special attention was given to the magnitude and reach of changes of hydrologic conditions, in that to changes in concentration of matter suspended in sea water, and to dynamics of the sea bottom—change of bottom relief, resulting from both natural causes and from mining of the aggregate.     

Marine protected areas in Australia: Towards a coordinated rock lobster industry position

Plans by government to accelerate the establishment of a national representative system of marine protected areas (NRSMPAs) in Australia have caused increasing disquiet within the fishing industry. Rock lobster fishers have raised concerns regarding plans to establish large “multiple‐use” MPAs that may or may not contain a substantial no‐take component in the continental shelf waters adjacent to the coast. Key industry concerns including the potential impacts on present and future harvest rates are examined. The industry response to government MPA policy in each of the major jurisdictions is outlined. An industry position developed at the National Rock Lobster Congress in Perth, Western Australia (September 2003) is put forward. The position advocates the need for an adjustment scheme to account for displaced effort, the need for government commitment to the development of management plans that include the long‐term monitoring of all MPAs, and the need for a thorough risk assessment process to be conducted before the establishment of an MPA. The issues raised in this paper should be relevant to the establishment of MPAs in an international context.     

Levee effects upon flood levels: an empirical assessment

This study used stream gauge records to assess the impact of levees on flood levels, providing an empirical test of theoretical and model predictions of the effects on local flood response. Focusing upon a study area in Illinois and Iowa for which levee records were available, we identified 203 gauges with ≥ 50 years hydrological record, including 15 gauges where a levee was constructed during the period of record. At these sites, step‐change analysis utilizing regression residuals tested levee‐related stage changes and levels of significance and quantified the magnitudes of stage changes. Despite large differences in stream sizes, levee alignments, and degree of floodplain constriction, the post‐levee rating‐curve adjustments showed consistent signatures. For all the study sites, stages for below bankfull (non‐flood) conditions were unaffected by levee construction. For above bankfull (flood) conditions, stages at sites downstream of their associated levees also were statistically indistinguishable before versus after levee construction. However, at all sites upstream of levees or within leveed reaches, stages increased for above bankfull conditions. These increases were abrupt, statistically significant, and generally large in magnitude – ranging up to 2.3 m (Wabash River at Mt. Carmel, IL). Stage increases began when discharge increased above bankfull flow and generally increased in magnitude with discharge until the associated levee(s) were overtopped. Detailed site assessments and supplementary data available from some sites helped document the dominant mechanisms by which levees can increase flood levels. Levee construction reduces the area of the floodplain open to storage of flood waters and reduces the width of the floodplain open to conveyance of flood flow. Floodplain conveyance often is underestimated or ignored, but Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) measurements analysed here confirm previous studies that up to 70% or more of the total discharge during large floods (~3% chance flood) can move over the floodplain. Upstream of levees and levee‐related floodplain constriction, backwater effects reduce flow velocities relative to pre‐levee conditions and, thus, increase stages for a given discharge. The empirical results here confirm a variety of theoretical predictions of levee effects but suggest that many one‐dimensional model‐based predictions of levee‐related stage changes may underestimate actual levee impacts. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surveillance of Invasive Bacterial Pathogens and Human Enteric Viruses in Wastewater Final Effluents and Receiving Water Bodies – a Case Study from Durban,South Africa

The physico‐chemical characteristics and microbial composition of the final effluents of two municipal wastewater treatment plants in South Africa were assessed between July and September 2009. The impact of the treated final effluents on the receiving water bodies was also evaluated. The temperature across all sampling points ranged between 14 and 22°C, while pH varied from 6.9 to 7.6. High levels of turbidity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and orthophosphate (PO₄) were observed in many cases. Turbidity of the samples was in the range of 2.2–288.6 NTU. The concentrations (mg/L) of other physico‐chemical parameters are as follows: COD (9.33–289); ammonia (0.000340–45.4); nitrate (0.062–539); nitrite (0.021–22.6); PO₄ (5.3–33.2). The microbial quality of the effluents discharged from the plants did not comply with the limits set by the South African guidelines with respect to pathogens such as Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia coli, total coliform, faecal coliform, enterococci, faecal streptococci, and viral particles for effluents intended for discharge into receiving watersheds. This study revealed an undesirable impact on the physico‐chemical and microbial qualities of the receiving water bodies as a result of the discharge of inadequately treated effluents from the wastewater treatment facilities. This poses a health risk to several rural communities which rely on the receiving water bodies primarily as their sources of domestic water and recreational purposes. There is therefore a need for the intervention of appropriate regulatory agencies in South Africa to ensure compliance of treatment facilities with wastewater effluent quality standards.     

Geochemical and Spatial Appraisal of Fluoride in the Soils of Indo‐Gangetic Plains of India Using Multivariate Analysis

The geochemical characteristics and the spatial distribution of the fluoride were studied in the soils of Indo‐Gangetic plains using multivariate analysis. The fluoride (F) distribution in soil profiles and surface soil (0–15 cm) samples were studied. It was found that total fluoride (TF) in the profiles ranged from 248 to 786 mg kg^?1 with a mean of 515.1 mg kg^?1 whereas CaCl₂ extractable soluble fluoride (F_Ca) was found to be in the range of 1.68 to 99.1 mg F kg^?1 soil. On the other hand, in surface soils, the TF and F_Ca ranged from 118 to 436 mg kg^?1 with a mean of 251.2 mg kg^?1 and 1.01 to 5.05 mg kg^?1 with a mean of 2.12 mg kg^?1, respectively, in the study area. The principal component analysis revealed that the natural weathering of fluoride bearing rock and minerals, various ion‐exchange and dissolution processes in the soil, alkalinity, sodium adsorption ratio, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and clay contents of the soil are responsible for high fluoride occurrence in the area. The fluoride contamination index developed by using these factors could explain more than 76% variance of F contamination due to F_Ca in soils. The interpolated kriged map of F_Ca in surface soil indicated a distinct loop of 1.0–2.0, 2.0–3.0, 3.0–4.0, and >4.0 mg kg^?1.     

Methods of social assessment in Marine Protected Area planning: Is public participation enough?

Addressing social and economic considerations is crucial to the success of Marine Protected Area (MPA) planning and management. Ineffective social assessment can alienate local communities and undermine the success of existing and future MPAs. It is rare to critique the success of methods used currently to incorporate social and economic considerations into MPA planning. Three Australian MPA planning processes covering three states and incorporating federal and state jurisdictions are reviewed in order to determine how potential social impacts were assessed and considered. These case studies indicate that Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is under-developed in Australian MPA planning. Assessments rely heavily on public participation and economic modelling as surrogates for dedicated SIA and are followed commonly by attitudinal surveys to gauge public opinion on the MPA after its establishment. The emergence of issues around public perception of the value of MPAs indicates the failure of some of these proposals to adequately consider social factors in planning and management. This perception may have potential implications for the long term success of individual MPAs. It may also compromise Australia's ability to meet international commitments for MPA targets to gazette at least 10% of all its marine habitats as MPAs. Indeed, this is demonstrated in two of the three case studies where social and economic arguments against MPAs have been used to delay or block the future expansion of the MPA network.     

高新区科技金融发展过程及其空间效应——以无锡新区为例

科技金融是伴随着中国科技体制改革和金融发展不断深化、服务于自主创新和创新型国家建设战略而逐渐产生的新生事物。以中国科技金融创新的主要发源地之一的无锡国家级高新区为例,通过实地调查,对科技金融体系的产生、发展及其空间效应进行实证研究。研究发现,无锡新区的科技金融服务已基本形成一个完整的体系;政策、市场和社会因素是科技金融发展的主要推动力;科技金融体系的建立推动了产业转型,专门的科技金融空间出现,同时在科技金融支持下新的产业空间出现,并引发人口空间转移和社会空间转型等。本文可丰富科技金融和高新区转型的理论,并为其他地区的科技金融实践提供借鉴。