Ethical and legal implications in IVF and prenatal diagnosis in the U.K.

The natural desire for couples to be parents and the medical practitioner's inability to treat most genetic diseases have been responsible for some of the most exciting research into infertility and genetic disorders. This has led in the United Kingdom to the establishment of the Warnock Committee of Inquiry into Human Fertilization and its report in 1984, and to a Review of the guidance on Research Use of Fetuses and Fetal Material published in 1989 and known as the Polkinghorne Report. The Warnock Report, among other ethical issues, considers the most fundamental question which has been debated for thousands of years, namely, What is life and when does it begin? More recently, the report has been responsible for new legislation which imposes ethical and legal restrictions on the scientific and medical community. The Polkinghorne Report recommends a voluntary code of practice which is morally and ethically acceptable within our society. We are also fortunate in the U.K. to have a parliamentary structure which allows debate on such important human issues and is prepared to impose ethical restrictions.     

我国钢铁行业环境现状分析与对策研究

钢铁工业是我国国民经济的重要基础产业和实现新兴工业化的支柱产业,同时存在能源消耗和环境污染的一系列问题。通过对钢铁行业的能源消耗和环境保护的现状及特点进行总结,归纳了该行业突出存在的环境问题,提出相应的环境保护对策,并指导钢铁行业未来的发展;提出了提高生产装备水平、控制污染物排放总量和严格环评准入等方面的建议。     

铁岭市黄标车淘汰影响因素研究

通过对铁岭市近3年汽车和黄标车保有量变化及其氮氧化物排放量变化的研究,得出禁止转入是铁岭市黄标车淘汰的关键因素。     

关于城市河流水污染防治技术应用和研究

随着我国经济的不断发展,各种工厂也大量的成立,而这也使得很多废弃物及废水被过度排放到湖泊与河流之中,进而导致其出现了严重的污染问题。污染不仅对人们的生活质量产生了影响,同时也对生态的平衡发展产生了很大的阻碍,业已经成为社会各界高度关注和重视的问题。基于此,本文围绕城市河流水污染的现状进行了分析,对于污染产生的原因也进行了阐述,针对城市河流水污染防治技术的应用也进行了探讨和研究,以期可以有效解决我国出现的河流水污染问题,进而为人们及社会营造一个全新、绿色的河流环境。     

Challenges in radioecology

Today, radioecology covers a broad scientific field; from the source to long term environmental impact from ionizing radiation. To summarize key challenges within radioecology, the present paper focuses upon knowledge gaps related to processes, mechanisms and variables contributing most to the overall uncertainties in environmental impact assessments. A series of sources related to the nuclear weapon cycle and the civil nuclear cycle has contributed, is still contributing or can potentially contribute to release of radionuclides to the environment in the future. The speciation of most radionuclides depends on the source and release conditions, and will influence ecosystem transport, biological uptake, doses and effects in flora and fauna. Radionuclides may also co-occur in contaminant mixtures (e.g., metals, organics), which potentially could lead to synergisms or antagonisms. Thus, challenges associated with the links between the source or release term – radionuclide speciation – ecosystem transfer – exposure – response relationships are highlighted.     

Ecosystem services in coupled social–ecological systems: Closing the cycle of service provision and societal feedback

Both the ‘cascade model’ of ecosystem service provision and the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response framework individually contribute to the understanding of human–nature interactions in social–ecological systems (SES). Yet, as several points of criticism show, they are limited analytical tools when it comes to reproducing complex cause–effect relationships in such systems. However, in this paper, we point out that by merging the two models, they can mutually enhance their comprehensiveness and overcome their individual conceptual deficits. Therefore we closed a cycle of ecosystem service provision and societal feedback by rethinking and reassembling the core elements of both models. That way, we established a causal sequence apt to describe the causes of change to SES, their effects and their consequences. Finally, to illustrate its functioning we exemplified and discussed our approach based on a case study conducted in the Alpujarra de la Sierra in southern Spain.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-015-0651-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

分析大气环境中PM2.5的研究进展与治理

本文主要针对大气环境中PM2.5展开深入研究和论述,先介绍了大气环境中PM2.5的定义和危害,然后结合重量法、光散射法以及β射线吸收法等,对PM2.5的检测技术进行了深入分析,最后提出了几点治理措施,比如加大法治建设和政府监管力度、降低机动车尾气排放、控制工业废气排放、增加植被、加强区域联防联控机制的构建等,以对大气环境中PM2.5含量进行合理化控制,并将空气污染指数保持在可控范围内,避免大气环境污染问题的出现。     

固定源废气监测工作若干技术问题的探讨

从监测工况、测点位置、采样过程、结果计算等几方面出发，结合实际经验，对大气固定污染源的监测工作中存在的一些疑难问题进行探讨。     

Solving Problems in Social–Ecological Systems: Definition, Practice and Barriers of Transdisciplinary Research

Translating policies about sustainable development as a social process and sustainability outcomes into the real world of social–ecological systems involves several challenges. Hence, research policies advocate improved innovative problem-solving capacity. One approach is transdisciplinary research that integrates research disciplines, as well as researchers and practitioners. Drawing upon 14 experiences of problem-solving, we used group modeling to map perceived barriers and bridges for researchers’ and practitioners’ joint knowledge production and learning towards transdisciplinary research. The analysis indicated that the transdisciplinary research process is influenced by (1) the amount of traditional disciplinary formal and informal control, (2) adaptation of project applications to fill the transdisciplinary research agenda, (3) stakeholder participation, and (4) functional team building/development based on self-reflection and experienced leadership. Focusing on implementation of green infrastructure policy as a common denominator for the delivery of ecosystem services and human well-being, we discuss how to diagnose social–ecological systems, and use knowledge production and collaborative learning as treatments.