Pedogeochemical Environments and Peoples Health in China

It has long been recognized that pedogeochemistry is closely related with human health. Based on analytical data, the weathering or soil forming processes fall into four stages and China is divided into four geochemical regions: saline soil region, carbonate soil region, siallitic soil region and ferrallitic soil region. Moreover, some endemic diseases in relation to the deficit or excess of some elements are discussed in the viewpoint of pedogeochemistry.

The West and the Middle East： Liberal Nationalism, Instrumental Nationalism

This paper argues that there is no real nationalism in the Middle East and if is, then it is an instrumental. The historical process of the region which relates to nationalism has had three stages： （1） the European conquest that forced the indigenous people to battle both for freedom and confront a secular idea such as nationalism; （2） arbitrarily marked borders by the West disregarding ethnic religious and tribal lines and affinity; （3） the creation of Arab nation states with no solid infrastructure of shared national values. This perspective can help understand current political developments in light of the Arab spring upheavals, in Iraq, Syria and Libya.

Comparison of Artificial Neural Networks,Geographically Weighted Regression and Cokriging Methods for Predicting the Spatial Distribution of Soil Macronutrients(N,P,and K)

Soil macronutrients(i.e. nitrogen(N), phosphorus(P), and potassium(K)) are important soils components and knowing the spatial distribution of these parameters are necessary at precision agriculture. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of different methods such as artificial neural networks(ANN) and two geostatistical methods(geographically weighted regression(GWR) and cokriging(CK)) to estimate N, P and K contents. For this purpose, soil samples were taken from topsoil(0–30 cm) at 106 points and analyzed for their chemical and physical parameters. These data were divided into calibration(n = 84) and validation(n = 22). Chemical and physical variables including clay, p H and organic carbon(OC) were used as auxiliary soil variables to estimate the N, P and K contents. Results showed that the ANN model(with coefficient of determination R^2 = 0.922 and root mean square error RMSE = 0.0079%) was more accurate compared to the CK model(with R^2 = 0.612 and RMSE = 0.0094%), and the GWR model(with R^2 = 0.872 and RMSE = 0.0089%) to estimate the N variable. The ANN model estimated the P with the RMSE of 3.630 ppm, which was respectively 28.93% and 20.00% less than the RMSE of 4.680 ppm and 4.357 ppm from the CK and GWR models. The estimated K by CK, GWR and ANN models have the RMSE of 76.794 ppm, 75.790 ppm and 52.484 ppm. Results indicated that the performance of the CK model for estimation of macro nutrients(N, P and K) was slightly lower than the GWR model. Also, the accuracy of the ANN model was higher than CK and GWR models, which proved to be more effective and reliable methods for estimating macro nutrients.

Risk Assessment of Metal Contamination in Soil and Groundwater in Asia： A Review of Recent Trends as well as Existing Environmental Laws and Regulations

Asia is experiencing a more rapid economic growth compared to any other regions. The contamination of soil and groundwater with metals can mainly be attributed to human activities; therefore, risk assessments to characterize the nature and magnitude of risks to humans and ecological receptors from contaminants are important. Risk assessments are often iterative processes, which involve identification and filling data gap. Experimental samplings, geostatistical and multivariate statistical methods as well as multimedia risk assessment modeling are the three major methodologies used in the assessment of metal contamination in soil and groundwater.This review highlights a number of measurements for improving risk calculation methods and expounds scientific approaches that involve the identification of the major source of contamination, exposure pathways and bioavailability of metals. In general, risk assessments of metals in soil and groundwater worldwide are mainly focused on the levels of contamination, identification of exposure pathways, and prediction of the probability of contamination. To date, very limited studies have reported the development of relevant environmental laws and policies in the regulation of soil and groundwater contamination in Asia. The development, variations and limitations in the regulations of soil and groundwater contamination among developed countries may provide helpful guidance for the developing countries in Asia.

Vertebrate species introductions in the United States and its territories

At least 1,065 introduced vertebrate species have been introduced in the United States and its territories, including at least 86 mammalian, 127 avian, 179 reptilian/amphibian, and 673 fish species. Examples in each major taxonomic group include domestic cat, small Indian mongoose, red fox, goat, pig, rabbit, rats, house mouse, gray squirrel, nutria, starling, Indian common myna, red-vented bulbul, brown treesnake, red-eared slider, brown trout, tilapia, and grass carp. We briefly review some of these species and the types of damage they cause. We then review the basic types of methods used for control or eradication of each taxonomic group, including physical, chemical, biological, and cultural methods. We discuss some of the challenges in managing these species, including issues with the use of toxicants, land access, public attitudes, and monitoring difficulties. Finally, we list some ongoing research and future research needs, including improved detection methods, improved attractants, improved barriers, improved capture methods, fertility control, and risk assessment methods [Current Zoology 57 （5）： 559-567, 2011].