This study, conducted in China in November 2020, was aimed at exploring the variations in growth traits among different provenances and families as well as to select elite materials of Juglans ...mandshurica. Thus, seeds of 44 families from six J. mandshurica provenances in Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces were sown in the nursery and then transplanted out in the field. At the age of 5 years, seven growth traits were assessed, and a comprehensive analysis was conducted as well as selection of provenance and families. Analysis of variance revealed statistically significant (P 0.8) between tree height and ground diameter (r = 0.86), tree height and mean crown width (r = 0.82), and ground diameter and mean crown width (r = 0.83). This suggests that these relationships can be employed for more precise predictions of the growth and morphological characteristics of trees, as well as the selection of superior materials. There was a strong correlation between temperature factors and growth traits. Based on the comprehensive scores in this study, Sanchazi was selected as elite provenance. Using the top-percentile selection criteria, SC1, SC8, DJC15, and DQ18 were selected as elite families. These selected families exhibit genetic gains of over 10% in tree height, ground diameter and mean crown width, signifying their significant potential in forestry for enhancing timber production and reducing production cycles, thereby contributing to sustainable forest management. In this study, the growth traits of J. mandshurica were found to exhibit stable variation, and there were correlations between these traits. The selected elite provenance and families of J. mandshurica showed faster growth, which is advantageous for the subsequent breeding and promotion of improved J. mandshurica varieties.
A study was conducted to compare the delta(O2/N2) scales used by four laboratories engaged in atmospheric delta(O2/N2) measurements. These laboratories are the Research Institute for Environmental ...Management Technology, Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (EMRI/AIST); the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES); Tohoku University (TU); and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). Therefore, five high-precision standard mixtures for the O.sub.2 molar fraction gravimetrically prepared by the National Metrology Institute of Japan, AIST (NMIJ/AIST) with a standard uncertainty of less than 5 per meg (0.001 0/00) were used as round-robin standard mixtures. EMRI/AIST, NIES, TU, and SIO reported the analyzed values of the standard mixtures on their own delta(O2/N2) scales, and the values were compared with the delta(O2/N2) values gravimetrically determined by NMIJ/AIST (the NMIJ/AIST scale). The delta(O2/N2) temporal drift in the five standard mixtures during the intercomparison experiment from May 2017 to March 2020 was corrected based on the delta(O2/N2) values analyzed before and after the laboratory measurements by EMRI/AIST. The scales are compared based on offsets in zero and span. The relative span offsets of EMRI/AIST, TU, NIES, and SIO scales against the NMIJ/AIST scale were -0.11%±0.10%, -0.10%±0.13%, 3.39 %±0.13 %, and 0.93 %±0.10 %, respectively. The largest offset corresponded to a 0.30 Pg yr.sup.-1 decrease and increase in global estimates for land biospheric and oceanic CO.sub.2 uptakes based on trends in atmospheric CO.sub.2 and delta(O2/N2). The deviations in the measured delta(O2/N2) values on the laboratory scales from the NMIJ/AIST scale are 65.8±2.2, 425.7±3.1, 404.5±3.0, and 596.4±2.4 per meg for EMRI/AIST, TU, NIES, and SIO, respectively. The difference between atmospheric delta(O2/N2) values observed at Hateruma Island (HAT; 24.05.sup." N, 123.81.sup." E), Japan, by EMRI/AIST and NIES were reduced from -329.3±6.9 to -6.6±6.8 per meg by converting their scales to the NMIJ/AIST scale.
Since the 2017 discovery of established populations of the Asian longhorned tick, (Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann) in the United States, populations continue to be detected in new areas. For this ...exotic and invasive species, capable of transmitting a diverse repertoire of pathogens and blood feeding on a variety of host species, there remains a lack of targeted information on how to best prepare for this tick and understand when and where it occurs. To fill this gap, we conducted two years of weekly tick surveillance at four farms in Tennessee (three H. longicornis-infested and one without) to identify environmental factors associated with each questing life stage, to investigate predictors of abundance, and to determine the likelihood of not collecting ticks at different life stages. A total of 46,770 ticks were collected, of which 12,607 H. longicornis and five other tick species were identified. Overall, abundance of H. longicornis were associated with spring and summer seasons, forested environments, relative humidity and barometric pressure, sunny conditions, and in relation with other tick species. The likelihood of not collecting H. longicornis was associated with day length and barometric pressure. Additional associations for different life stages were also identified and included other tick species, climatic variables, and environmental conditions. Here, we demonstrated that environmental variables can be useful to predict the presence of questing H. longicornis and provide ideas on how to use this information to develop a surveillance plan for different southeastern areas with and without infestations.
Because of the high catalytic activities and substrate specificity, natural enzymes have been widely used in industrial, medical, and biological fields, etc. Although promising, they often suffer ...from intrinsic shortcomings such as high cost, low operational stability, and difficulties of recycling. To overcome these shortcomings, researchers have been devoted to the exploration of artificial enzyme mimics for a long time. Since the discovery of ferromagnetic nanoparticles with intrinsic horseradish peroxidase-like activity in 2007, a large amount of studies on nanozymes have been constantly emerging in the next decade. Nanozymes are one kind of nanomaterials with enzymatic catalytic properties. Compared with natural enzymes, nanozymes have the advantages such as low cost, high stability and durability, which have been widely used in industrial, medical, and biological fields. A thorough understanding of the possible catalytic mechanisms will contribute to the development of novel and high-efficient nanozymes, and the rational regulations of the activities of nanozymes are of great significance. In this review, we systematically introduce the classification, catalytic mechanism, activity regulation as well as recent research progress of nanozymes in the field of biosensing, environmental protection, and disease treatments, etc. in the past years. We also propose the current challenges of nanozymes as well as their future research focus. We anticipate this review may be of significance for the field to understand the properties of nanozymes and the development of novel nanomaterials with enzyme mimicking activities.
Investments in environmental protection are crucial for achieving the goals of building green economy. The purpose of the study is, firstly, to assess the state and trends of Ukrainian companies ...investments for environmental purposes; secondly, to identify the determinants of the impact on the volume of environmental protection investments; finally, to determine presence /absence of a link between environmental investments and financial performance of companies. The initial data for the study were obtained from published statistical reports for the period from 2010 till 2019. Methods of analysis for testing hypotheses are descriptive and correlation-regression ones. It was found out that the selected independent variables (belonging to environmentally damaging activities and revenue of the companies) are positively correlated with the volume of costs and investments in environmental protection of Ukrainian companies. However, for the independent variable “financial results” a negative correlation was obtained. The hypothesis of environmental investments positive impact on the financial profitability of companies has not been confirmed. Environmental policy in Ukraine concerning implementation of “green” growth strategy is defined as a reflective one due to a number of economic and political factors.
The past decade has witnessed remarkable economic development, marked by rapid industrialization and urbanization across Asian regions. This surge in economic activity has led to significant ...emissions, resulting in alarming levels of air pollution. Our study comprehensively assessed the spatial and temporal trends of key pollutants, namely nitrogen dioxide (NOsub.2), sulfur dioxide (SOsub.2), and aerosol (using aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550 nm as an indicator), from 2011 to 2021. The data sources utilized include OMI onboard the Aura satellite for NOsub.2 and SOsub.2, as well as MODIS onboard Terra and Aqua satellites for AOD. The results from spatial and temporal trend analyses of the three parameters show that there is a clear declining trend over China and Republic of Korea (e.g., NOsub.2 is declining with an overall rate of −7.8 × 10sup.12 molecules/cmsup.2/year over China) due to the strict implementation of air pollution control policies. However, it is essential to note that both countries still grapple with substantial pollution levels, with proportions exceeding 0.5, indicating that air quality is improving but has not yet reached a safe threshold. In contrast, South Asian regions, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, are experiencing an increasing trend (e.g., NOsub.2 is increasing with an overall rate of 1.2 × 10sup.12 molecules/cmsup.2/year in Bangladesh), primarily due to the lack of rigorous air pollution control policies. The average emissions of NOsub.2 and SOsub.2 were remarkably higher in winter than in summer. Notably, the identified hotspots are statistically significant and predominantly coincide with densely populated areas, such as the North China Plain (NCP). Furthermore, this study underscores the pivotal role of sector-wise emissions in air quality monitoring and improvement. Different cities are primarily influenced by emissions from specific sectors, emphasizing the need for targeted pollution control measures. The findings presented in this research contribute valuable insights to the air quality monitoring and improvement efforts in East and South Asian regions.
El reconocimiento de los graves daños ambientales como crímenes internacionales en el Estatuto de Roma de la Corte Penal Internacional (CPI) no solo expande la justicia penal internacional y refuerza ...la protección del medio ambiente a nivel global, sino también se constituye como un mecanismo para acabar con la gran impunidad que gozan actualmente las empresas. Por ello, a partir de un análisis descriptivo y comparativo de la práctica actual y de la bibliografía relacionada con el tema, el presente artículo, por un lado, evalúa el reconocimiento de los graves y extensos daños ambientales como crímenes que activan la competencia de la CPI, como respuesta a la actual crisis ambiental, y, por otro lado, explora los cambios sustantivos que implica la inclusión de los crímenes ambientales en el Estatuto de Roma, particularmente la extensión de las competencias personales de la CPI para la investigación y el enjuiciamiento de empresas. Palabras Clave: Estatuto de Roma. Corte Penal Internacional. Medio Ambiente. Empresas. The recognition of new environmental crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) not only expands the international criminal justice and strengthens the global environmental protection, but also constitutes a mechanism to end to the corporate impunity. Therefore, based on a descriptive and comparative analysis of current practice and related literature, this article, on the one hand, evaluates the recognition of serious environmental damages as crime that activate the competence of the ICC, as a response to the current environmental crisis, and, on the other hand, it explores the substantive changes that entails the recognition of environmental crimes under the Rome Statute, particularly the extension of the jurisdiction personae of the ICC for the prosecution of corporations. Keywords: Rome Statue. International Criminal Court. Environment. Businesses.
New Earth Politics Nicholson, Simon; Jinnah, Sikina; Conca, Ken ...
03/2016
eBook
Humanity's collective impact on the Earth is vast. The rate and scale of human-driven environmental destruction is quickly outstripping our political and social capacities for managing it. We are in ...effect creating an Earth 2.0 on which the human signature is everywhere, a "new earth" in desperate need of humane and insightful guidance. In this volume, prominent scholars and practitioners in the field of global environmental politics consider the ecological and political realities of life on the new earth, and probe the field's deepest and most enduring questions at a time of increasing environmental stress. Arranged in complementary pairs, the essays in this volume include reflections on environmental pedagogy, analysis of new geopolitical realities, reflections on the power of social movements and international institutions, and calls for more compelling narratives to promote environmental action. At the heart of the volume is sustained attention to the role of traditional scholarly activities in a world confronting environmental disaster. Some contributors make the case that it is the scholar's role to provide activists with the necessary knowledge and tools; others argue for more direct engagement and political action. All the contributors confront the overriding question: What is the best use of their individual and combined energies, given the dire environmental reality?ContributorsErik Assadourian, Frank Biermann, Wil Burns, Ken Conca, Peter Dauvergne, Daniel Deudney, Navroz Dubash, Richard Falk, Joyeeta Gupta, Maria Ivanova, Peter Jacques, Sikina Jinnah, Karen T. Litfin, Michael F. Maniates, Elizabeth Mendenhall, Simon Nicholson, Kate O'Neill, Judith Shapiro, Paul Wapner, Oran R. Young
Who speaks for the trees, the water, the soil, and the air in
American government today? Which agencies confront environmental
problems, and how do they set priorities? How are the opposing
claims of ...interest groups evaluated? Why do certain issues capture
the public's attention? In Making Environmental Policy ,
Daniel Fiorino combines the hands-on experience of an insider with
the analytic rigor of a scholar to provide the fullest, most
readable introduction to federal environmental policymaking yet
published. A committed environmental advocate, he takes readers
from theory to practice, demonstrating how laws and institutions
address environmental needs and balance them against other
political pressures. Drawing on the academic literature and his own
familiarity with current trends and controversies, Fiorino offers a
lucid view of the institutional and analytic aspects of
environmental policymaking. A chapter on analytic methods describes
policymakers' attempts to apply objective standards to complex
environmental decisions. The book also examines how the law, the
courts, political tensions, and international environmental
agencies have shaped environmental issues. Fiorino grounds his
discussion with references to numerous specific cases, including
radon, global warming, lead, and hazardous wastes. Timely and
necessary, this is an invaluable handbook for students, activists,
and anyone wanting to unravel contemporary American environmental
politics.