大鳄龟及其人工养殖技术

大鳄龟是世界著名鳄龟之一,产于北美洲的密西西比河流域,又称鳄鱼咬龟,鳄甲龟.浙江省海宁市袁花镇名贵动物养殖场已引进繁殖,为我国人工养龟增添了一个新家族. 大鳄龟是目前世界上最大,稀有的淡水肉用龟.由于长相奇伟、形体巨大、肉质鲜美、营养极为丰富,药用、观赏价值也很高,又是名宴上的佳肴之一,在濒于绝种的世界珍稀生物排名中,名列第六位,成为世界濒危野生动物保护的重要种类之一,因而,显得特别珍稀名贵,故有"水中大熊猫”之称.

家庭养蝎技术

蝎子是我国传统的名贵药材.具有抗癌、解毒、止痛等功能,此外,以全蝎烹调的菜肴为中国一大名菜.近几年野生资源缺少,人工养殖成为一项利国利民的家庭致富的好门路.

Rainwater harvesting in the challenge of droughts and climate change in semi-arid Brazil

Some successful experiences of rainwater harvesting in Brazil’s semi-arid region are shown how rural communities are living during the severe drought from 2011 to 2013 using technologies of rainwater harvesting for the household in agriculture livestock raising and the environment.Starting from the positive experiences principles of living in the challenge of droughts and climate change are elaborated and summarized into different guidelines for sustainable livelihood and production access to water and sufficient land area rainwater harvesting to provide water security to households and communities preservation recovering and management of drought-resistant vegetation emphases on raising of small and medium sized livestock and water and forage storage appropriate crop selection and sustainable extraction processing and marketing of crop products capacity building of the people. These principles contribute to preparing a national policy on living in harmony with the semi-arid climate. Rainwater harvesting is an important part of a package of measures which enables a sustainable livelihood in such a difficult environment.

Change in quality of life after transcatheter aortic valve implantation and aortic valve replacement surgery in Australian patients aged ≥ 75 years： the effects of EuroSCORE and patient operability

Objective To determine the extent to which differences in generic quality of life （QOL） between transcatheter aortic valve implanta- tion （TAVI） and surgical aortic valve replacement （AVR） patients explained by EuroSCORE and heart-team operability assessment. Methods A total of 146 high-risk patients with EuroSCORE 〉 6 and aged 〉 75 years underwent TAVI （n = 80） or aortic valve replacement （n = 66） between February 2010 and July 2013. A total of 75 patients also completed preoperative and six month SF-12 QOL measures. Analyses examined incident major morbidity, compared six month QOL between groups adjusted for EUroSCORE and operability, and quantified rates of clinically significant QOL improvement and deterioration. Results The AVR group required longer ventilation （〉 24 h） （TAVI 5.0% vs. AVR 20.6%, P = 0.004） and more units of red blood cells [TAVI 0 （0-1） vs. AVR 2 （0-3）, P = 0.01]. New renal failure was higher in TAVI （TAVI 5.0% vs. AVR 0%, P = 0.06）. TAVI patients reported significantly lower vitality （P = 0.01） by comparison to AVR patients, however these findings were no longer significant after adjustment for operability. In both procedures, clinically significant QOL improvement was common [range 25.0% （general health） - 62.9% （physical role）] whereas deterioration in QOL occurred less frequently [range 9.3% （physical role） - 33.3% （mental health）]. Conclusions Clinically significant improvement and deterioration in QOL was evident at six months in high risk elderly aortic valve replacement patients. Overall QOL did not differ between TAVI and AVR once operability was taken into consideration.

Effect of the Biostimulant Foliar Addition of Marine Algae on cv, O＇Neal Blueberries Production

In the Retiro, ＂El Lucero＂ county, Maule, VII Region of Chile, an application of a marine algae extract known as Ascophilliurn nodosum, whose commercial name is Ekologik~, was evaluated by applying it to the whole foliage in order to evaluate the impact on total weight, average weight, equatorial diameter and soluble solids in cv. O＇Neal blueberries harvested in a three-year old orchard having a plantation density of 3,333 plants hal. The marine algae extract was applied in three phenologic phases： full bloom, fruit set and fruit color break. Four treatments were conducted： To, application of pure water （without the product）; T1, a 280 mL ha1 dose per application; T2, a 140 mL ha^-1 dose, equivalent to 50% of the treatment dose T1; and T3, a 420 mL ha^-1 dose, equivalent to a 50% extra than the treatment dose T1. The experimental design comprised sutb-sampling blocks with three repetitions of three uniform and healthy plants per treatment. Regarding the total and average fruit weight, they did not show significant statistical differences, but an increase in the average weight of fruits treated with the aforementioned product was observed. For parameters such as equatorial diameter, caliper and soluble solids of harvested fruit, the product caused a statistically significant increase. T3 was found to be the best treatment with a 15% weight, increasing taste, sugar amount, size and weight of the harvested fruits.

Impact of Urban Water Pricing on Future Water Demand： A ＇Socioeconomic＇ Study in Greece

The main aim of this study is to assess various aspects of the current water policy, investigate the perspectives of water saving, evaluate water price elasticity and explore new approaches toward sustainable water management in the water sector, through a questionnaire survey that has been performed in the city of Volos, Greece, concerning the residential sector. The appropriate design of water management measures presupposes the investigation of the influence of some selected variables to consumers＇ behavior. The price of water, the size of the dwelling, the indoor and outdoor uses, the educational level, the income of consumers as well as rainfall and temperature levels are examined, the residential water demand curve is estimated and projections of future water demand under different pricing policies are performed.

Effects of temperature,algae biomass and ambient nutrient on the absorption of dissolved nitrogen and phosphate by Rhodophyte Gracilaria asiatica

Gracilaria asiatica, being highly efficient in nutrient absorption, is cultivated in sea cucumber ponds to remove nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphate. It was cultured in a laboratory simulating field conditions, and its nutrient absorption was measured to evaluate effects of environmental conditions. Ammonia nitrogen （AN）, nitrate nitrogen （NN）, total inorganic nitrogen （TIN）, and soluble reactive phosphorus （SRP） uptake rate and removal efficiency were determined in a 4~2 factorial design experiment in water temperatures （T） at 15~C and 25~C, algae biomass （AB） at 0.5 g/L and 1.0 g/L, total inorganic nitrogen （TIN） at 30 ~tmol/L and 60 ~tmol/L, and soluble reactive phosphorus （SRP） at 3 and 6 ~tmol/L. AB and ambient TIN or SRP levels significantly affected uptake rate and removal efficiency of AN, NN, TIN, and SRP （P〈0.001）. G. asiatica in AB of 0.5 g/L showed higher uptake rate and lower removal efficiency relative to that with AB of 1.0 g/L. Nitrogen and phosphorus uptake rate rose with increasing ambient nutrient concentrations; nutrient removal efficiency decreased at higher environmental nutrient concentrations. The algae preferred to absorb AN to NN. Uptake rates of AN, NN, and SRP were significantly affected by temperature （P〈0.001）; uptake rate was higher for the 25~C group than for the 15~C group at the initial experiment stage. Only the removal efficiency of AN and SRP showed a significant difference between the two temperature groups （P〈0.01）. The four factors had significant interactive effects on absorption of N and P, implying that G. asiatica has great bioremedial potential in sea cucumber culture ponds.

Energy Flexibility in the Power System： Challenges and Opportunites in Philippines

Energy flexibility can address the challenges of large scale integration of renewable energy resources and thereby increasing imbalance in the power system. Flexible power system can provide reliable supply, low electricity cost and sustainability. Various situations and factors influence the adoption of the flexibility solutions, such as flexible electricity generation, demand-response, and electricity storage. This paper tries to analyze the current energy flexibility solutions and the factors that can influence the energy flexibility adoption. This paper takes Philippines as case study to provide an overview of the current condition of the Philippines＇ power system and discuss the energy flexibility in the Philippines＇ power system. A further discussion and recommendation is conducted in the end of the paper.

Effects of Surfactant on Solubility and Microbial Conversion of Steroid

Enhancing the dispersion and dissolution of substrate particles in substrate water suspension is a feasible way to improve steroid bioconversion. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of applying surfactant to microbial conversion system on the dispersion, solubilization and in turn bioconversion of steroid substrate. The model system is hydroxylation of substrate 19α- 17α-epoxy- 4-pregnene- 3.2It-dine by microbial enzymes from Rhizopus nigricanl. The results show that the presence of substrate leads to an increase in critical micelle concentration （ CMC） of surfactant PSE compared with the normal CMC of PSE in aqueous solution. The grinding time during substrate suspension preparation affects the substrate aqueous solubility differently with the varied surfactant concentrations while barely making any difference in substrate solubility in the absence of surfactant. The properly prolonged grinding time can make up for the loss in substrate solubility arising from the reduction in surfactant concentration. The surfactant complexes composed of surfactants PSE and MGE at appropriate ratios are screened out with orthodoxy experiment method. the interaction between PSE and MGE exerts the most prominent effects on substrate bioconversion, and the surfactant complexes show more beneficial effects on steroid bioconversion than the surfactant PSE used alone.

Agrobiodiversity for Livelihood Security： A Case Study of Agroforestry Technologies in Mexico

The present article examines the livelihood benefits associated with agrobiodiversity in Veracruz, Mexico. Citrus-based agriculture is the principal economic activity in the agricultural sector of the state of Veracruz. It is practiced in mono-crop plantations by the majority of farmers, who are rendered vulnerable to price depreciation resulting from simultaneous harvest and over-supply of a single commodity. Some farmers have associated multiple crops in citrus farms （agroforestry techniques） as a strategy to improve their livelihoods. Farmers who increased agrobiodiversity in their farms have significantly improved their livelihoods compared to mono-crop plantation owners. The research shows that increased agro-biodiversity can be a strategy to improve the livelihoods of citrus producers in the state of Veracruz, with significant economic benefits depending on the crop combination： maize-citrus is the least economically profitable combination （providing 21% in terms of internal rate of return）, while pineapple-citrus, banana-citrus and vanilla-citrus give higher returns （41%, 44% and 221% respectively）. The citrus-vanilla crop combination also has the highest benefit-cost ratio, relative to citrus monocrop （1.91） as well as the highest net present value （MX$579,635.73）. The choice of crop ultimately depends on the farmer＇s priorities. The associated benefits can be classified in three ways which correspond to the tripartite goal of sustainable development： （i） ecological sustainability （through increased ecosystem resilience）, （ii） economic stability （through diversified, less risk-prone sources of income）, and （iii） social well-being （through lower）.

Variation of Phosphorus Bioavailability in the Re-suspended Sediments

The variation of phosphorus （P） bioavailability in terms of water soluble P （WSP ）, readily desorbable P （RDP）, algal available P （AAP）, and NaHCo3 extracting P （Olsen-P） in the re-suspended sediments was investigated in laboratory experiments, in which the waters and sediments were taken from campus canal. The results indicate that sediment re-suspension can promote the migration, of soluble reactive P （SRP） from overlying water to sediments. The contents of AAP and Olsen-P in re-suspended sediments reduced obviously, whereas the values of the sediments in the control increased slightly, compared with the initial state, indicating that the P bioavailability in the sediments could be rcduced evidently due to sediment re-suspension. The content and characteristics of iron-bound P （BD-P） significantly affect the formation of AAP. The formation of OlservP has close relationship with the contents of BD-P, almninium-botmd P （AI-P）, and organic P （NaOH-nrP）.

Celebration’s Urban Environment, Sustainable by the Joy of Living

Besides arguments like fighting against dispersed urbanization, improving economies of infrastructure and preserving natural resources, another measure to sustainability is the delight of people in staying together with others sharing a well-designed urban landscape. Analyzing the Celebration’s urban setting is highlighted how some design firms are turning to reclaim the types of urbanism and traditional American architecture, representing the wish for reinforcing the daily vicinity relationships. As a matter of sustainability, it mentioned aspects of vehicular accessibility and the population density which is higher in Celebration than that in other suburban towns in USA. Attention is given both to the management of natural landscape and the role of the entrepreneur to construct a town in a so fragile soil. The relationship between community and sustainability is highlighted, leading to the idea of building spaces to become places, capable to convey the feeling of joy of living.

In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity Study of Some New Arginine-based Biodegradable Poly （Ester Urethane）s and Poly （Ester Urea）s

Bactericidal activity of some arginine based biodegradable polymers-PEURs （poly （ester urethane）s） and PEUs （poly （ester urea）s） with low cytotoxicity was studied in in vitro experiments. Various bacterial strains both Gram-positive and Gram-negative were used to explore the bactericidal activity of the cationic polymers. As the test objects, the following microorganisms were used： Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium album, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Escherichia coli, Actinomyces griseus and Aspergillus niger. The obtained results showed that the new cationic polymers suppressed the growth of the studied microorganisms and the bactericidal activity of the tested cationic polymers strongly depending on their chemical structure.

Effects of Dust on Male and Female Floral Organs and the Pollination of the Walnut

The Tarim Basin,Xinjiang,China,a region important to the walnut industry,is affected by frequent heavy dust storms.Dust,including micro-particles(diameter<10μm),covers the surface of the walnut tree,thereby changing the surface-atmosphere interface microenvironment,which,in turn,influences the exterior and interior structure of the tree.Dust storms occur in spring and summer,during the flowering period of walnut,which is the key developmental stage leading to fruit formation.This study investigated the effects of dust on female flowers,male flowers,and the pollination of walnut.The morphological changes in the stigma during pollination were recorded.Stigma receptivity was studied via the benzidine–H2O2 method.Morphological features of the female floral organs and pollen were investigated using scanning electron microscopy.Pollen germination and pollen tube growth were examined by fluorescence microscopy.The results showed that dust had a significant inhibitory effect on male and female flowers,resulting in decreased catkin growth,reduced pollen viability(pollen viability was 20.13%),blocked pollen apertures,a reduced pollen germination rate on the stigma,and increased time needed for pollen tube appearance.Dust also had an inhibitory effect on stigma length and receptivity of female walnut flowers,with the length of the walnut stigma being reduced by 0.25~0.80 mm during the flowering process.In addition,there was decreased stigma mucus,resulting in stigma atrophy,decreased amount of pollen on the stigma,weakened stigma receptivity,and accelerated drying of female flowers.In the Tarim Basin,walnut flowering occurd at the same time as dust storms do,which had a negative impact on the floral organ,flowering and pollination of walnut.

Urban Mobility： Method of Analysis of the Adequacy of Public Policies in Cities Based on the Principles Proposed by the UN

Addressing urban mobility is a priority for government agencies due to increasing problems of travel and lack of accessibility, generated by increasing rates of population growth and motorization. The general objective of this study is to propose a method of analysis of the adequacy of policies, aimed at sustainable mobility and its impacts on urbanism. Methodologically, the analysis is based on the parameters proposed by the UN （United Nations）, namely, sectorial planning, mobility funding, management efficiency of urban mobility systems; and mobility system and support for green technology. The object of study is the public policies expressed in urban mobility plans, master plans and regional development plans. Through the applicability of this method, the results show the possibility of verifying the adequacy of public policies as a mechanism that induces improvements in urban mobility with greater levels of sustainability and the possibility of universalized access to users.

Availability and Potability of Alternative Domestic Water in an African City： The Case of Harare, Zimbabwe

A study was carried out between November 2010 and April 2011 to assess the availability and potability of water from alternative water sources in Harare, Zimbabwe＇s capital city. A survey of 256 households from a total of 10 high, medium and low income suburbs and informal settlements was undertaken to assess types and amount of water consumed. This was complemented by a water quality study that assessed a selection of physical, chemical and bacteriological parameters. Quality of the water was compared to World Health Organisation and Zimbabwean standards. All households were found to rely on water sources other than municipal water. Per capita water consumption across settlements was found to be below the recommended upper limit of 50 litres per person per day except in one high income suburb, but above the recommended lower limit of 15 litres. All samples were within the acceptable limit for color but above the acceptable limit for turbidity. Chemical parameters were found to be within the acceptable range except for total hardness, where 35% of the samples were above the acceptable range. About a third of the samples from low income suburbs and informal settlements were above the acceptable limit for faecal and total coliforms.

Sustainability of Local Food Supply Chain in the New Theory Agriculture

World food production and its economic have rapidly grown over a decade; and number of supply chain management research has also increased in this field. However, this development relates to natural resources depletion and deterioration of quality of life in rural population, especially in smallholder farmers. Thailand has practiced the New Theory Agriculture （NTA）, one application aligned with sufficient economy. This theory not only remedies damaged natural resources but also helps smallholder farmers to improve quality of life; and it is analogous to local food supply chain theory, that is well-known in western countries. However, NTA has not been measured its sustainability. Following sustainable food criteria and sustainable agriculture criteria, this paper uses an Indicator of Sustainable Agricultural Practice （ISAP） to measure sustainability at farm level of small rural community＇s network called Inpaeng, a case study that has practiced NTA. The result of assessment in this case implies that NTA yields sustainability to local food supply chain more than monocrop system.

Status and Prospects of Certification Procedure of Novel Pesticides against Major Cocoa Pests Sahlbergella Sngularis and Phytophthora Megakarya in Nigeria

Sahlbergella singularis （brown cocoa mirid） is responsible for over 30% yield loss of cocoa, while Phytophthora megakarya （causal organism of black pod disease） causes between 70-100% yield loss of cocoa in Nigeria. In all the Nigerian cocoa agroecological zones, the use of pesticides still remains an important component among the strategies for effective control of major insect pests and diseases of cocoa. The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria （CRIN）, has the national mandate to evaluate and recommend novel pesticides from various groups that fall within the European-Union standards for use on cocoa farms in Nigeria. Such pesticides usually undergo rigorous testing spanning over 3 years to determine correct dose necessary to produce toxic reactions to the targeted pests without any adverse effects on the environment, man and non-target organisms. The screening exercise for candidate pesticides starts with confirmatory test of the constituent active ingredient, laboratory bioassay, phytotoxicity test, first, second and third year field evaluation and residue analysis of beans harvested from the treated plots. This paper critically examines these standard procedures, which must be followed judiciously for novel pesticides certification and recommendation for use in Nigeria.

Access to Reproductive Health Services for Adolescents in the Educational System, Phetchaburi Province

This study was based on a descriptive research design. The population comprised of males and females aged between 15 and 19 years studying at the high school, college, and university levels in Phetchaburi, Thailand. The sample group size was calculated by using Taro Yamane＇s formula at a reliability level of .95. The instrument used was the questionnaire of College of Public Health as modified by Chulalongkorn University for use in research. Instrument quality was calculated by using the Kuder-Richardson 20 formula; an internal consistency value of.86 was obtained. According to the findings, the comparison of access to reproductive health services by adolescents at each level of education, the educational levels of the adolescents were similar to one another in that they were found to have received instruction about sexuality and reproductive health. The instruction most frequently received was on reproductive health and the least frequent subject was life skills, ability to adjust to daily lifestyles. The findings suggested that the capacity of medical and academic personnel should be developed in order to gain knowledge, attitudes to provide reproductive health services, especially on subjects concerning life skills and ability to adjust to daily life and interacting with the people surrounding adolescents, including skills on how to refuse sexual activity with partners.

BIOHOME： An Accessible House Designed for Assisted Living

This project describes an integral solution to implement a module-based platform for the control of all the automated systems inside a house and a remote control of the entrance access to this house. A biometrical access based on the hand veins has been used with a complete local and remote access control system. A technologically ergonomic way to control the house, as well as some biological signal monitoring has also been developed. This has been done by knowing the physical restrictions of the collective who will live in the house. A set of different sensors will control this operation. In order to control all the home automated systems coordinate the whole platform using the TV remote. This project will implement the OSGI standard. This implementation should ensure the system scalability in terms of including new hardware. In addition, a ZibBee networking system has been developed to enable communication between all the sensors, systems and the central processor.