Научные подходы к диагностике социо-эколого-экономической устойчивости приморских регионов

На основе научных подходов предложена методика, позволяющая опреде-лить уровень социо-эколого-экономической устойчивости приморских ре-гионов. На основе использования системы показателей, характеризующих уровень социо-эколого-экономической устойчивости региона, сформули-рованы и предложены основные направления реализации методики опре-деления интегрального показателя уровня устойчивости приморской территории в социальном, экономическом и экологическом развитии.Based on the scientific approaches proposed technique allows to deter-mine the level of social, ecological and economic sustainability of coastal re-gions. On the basis of a system of indicators characterizing the level of social, ecological and economic sustainability of the region, formulate and propose guidelines implementation methodology for determining the integral indicator of the sustainability of the coastal territory in the social, economic and envi-ronmental development

Петрологічні дослідження в Україні: досягнення останніх десятиліть та нагальні проблеми

Викладено основні досягнення за останні 30–35 років українських геологів, в першу чергу — наукових працівників ІГМР ім. М. П. Семененка НАН України в області петрології. Висвітлені такі проблеми: 1 — метаморфізм, співвідношення грануліто-гнейсових і граніт-зеленокам’яних терейнів; 2 — чарнокіти; 3 — гранітоутворення та гранітоїдні формації; 4 — анортозит-рапаківігранітна формація; 5 — лужні породи; 6 — коматиїти; 7 — санукітоїди; 8 — метасоматоз; 9 — породоутворювальні та акцесорні мінерали; 10 — формаційний аналіз, петрологія та стратиграфія докембрію; 11 — фанерозойський магматизм; 12 — магматизм морського та океанічного дна; 13 — деякі нагальні проблеми.Изложены основные достижения за последние 30–35 лет украинских геологов, в первую очередь — научных сотрудников ИГМР им. Н. П. Семененко НАН Украины в области петрологии. Освещены такие проблемы: 1 — метаморфизм, соотношение гранулито-гнейсовых и гранит-зеленокаменных террейнов; 2 — чарнокиты; 3 — гранитообразование и гранитоидные формации; 4 — анортозит-рапакивигранитная формация; 5 — щелочные породы; 6 — коматииты; 7 — санукитоиды; 8 — метасоматоз; 9 — породообразующие и акцессорные минералы; 10 — формационный анализ, петрология и стратиграфия докембрия; 11 — фанерозойский магматизм; 12 — магматизм морского и океанического дна; 13 — некоторые насущные проблемы.Main achievements of Ukrainian geologists for the recent 30–35 years have been stated. In the first place the scientific results of petrologists of M. P. Semenenko Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Ore Formation of NAS of Ukraine. The following problems have been elucidated: 1 — metamorphism; interrelation of granulite-gneissic and granite-greenstone terrains; 2 — charnokites; 3 — granite formation and granitoid formations; 4 — anorthosite-rapakivi-granite formation; 5 — alkaline rocks; 6 — komatiites; 7 — sanukitoids; 8 — metasomatosis; 9 — rock-forming and accessory minerals; 10 — formation analysis, petrology and Precambrian stratigraphy; 11 — Phanerozoic magmatism; 12 — magmatism of the sea and ocean bottom; 13 — some current problems

Synchrotron-based speciation of chromium in an Oxisol from New Caledonia: Importance of secondary Fe-oxyhydroxides

abstract In New Caledonia, the weathering of ultamafic rocks under a tropical climate has led to the residual accumulation of trace elements in lateritic soils widely dominated by Fe-oxyhydroxides. The speciation of trace elements, such as Cr, Ni, and Co, in these Oxisols remains a major subject of interest regarding mining and environmental issues. We have assessed the speciation of chromium in the upper part of an Oxisol, by combining bulk and spatially resolved chemical analyses (EPMA and SEM-EDS) with synchrotron-based spectroscopic data (EXAFS and XANES). EPMA indicates that the main hosts for chromium in the bedrock sample are the silicates forsterite, enstatite, and lizardite. Hosting of chromium in these easily weatherable mineral species could lead to a significant loss of this element upon weathering. However, total analyses of major elements indicate only a slight depletion of Cr, together with an immobility of Fe and Al and drastic losses of Si and Mg, after the weathering of the bedrock. Such a low mobility of chromium is likely related to its significant incorporation in goethite and hematite formed after the weathering of Fe 2+ -bearing primary silicates. This efficiency of secondary Fe-oxyhydroxides at immobilizing chromium is demonstrated by quantitative analysis of EXAFS data that indicates that these mineral species host between 67 and 75 wt% of total Cr (compared to the 18 to 22 wt% of total Cr hosted by chromite). In addition, SEM observation and SEM-EDS analyses performed on the Oxisol samples also show some evidence for chemical weathering of chromite. Chromite could then represent a past and/or present source of chromium upon extended tropical weathering of the studied Oxisol, rather than a stable host. These results emphasize the importance of secondary Fe-oxyhydroxides, compared to Cr-spinels, on chromium hosting in Oxisols developed upon tropical weathering of ultramafic rocks. Although the trapping mechanism of chromium mainly corresponds to incorporation within the structural network of goethite and hematite, sorption reactions at the surface of these mineral species could also be involved in such a process. In addition, considering their potential oxidative reactivity that can generate Cr 6+ or enhance the chemical weathering of chromite, the occurrence of Mn oxides could significantly modify the behavior of chromium upon weathering. These considerations indicate that further studies are needed to assess the actual potential of chromium release from Oxisols developed upon weathering of ultramafic rocks under a tropical climate

Pleural Mesothelioma in New Caledonia: Associations with Environmental Risk Factors

International audienceBackground: High incidences of malignant mesothelioma (MM) have been observed in New Caledonia. Previous work has shown an association between MM and soil containing serpentinite. Objectives: We studied the spatial and temporal variation of MM and its association with environmental factors. Methods: We investigated the 109 MM cases recorded in the Cancer Registry of New Caledonia between 1984 and 2008 and performed spatial, temporal, and space-time cluster analyses. We conducted an ecological analysis involving 100 tribes over a large area including those with the highest incidence rates. Associations with environmental factors were assessed using logistic and Poisson regression analyses. Results: The highest incidence was observed in the Houaïlou area with a world age-standardized rate of 128.7 per 100,000 person-years [95% confidence interval (CI), 70.41-137.84]. A significant spatial cluster grouped 18 tribes (31 observed cases vs. 8 expected cases; p = 0.001), but no significant temporal clusters were identified. The ecological analyses identified serpentinite on roads as the greatest environmental risk factor (odds ratio = 495.0; 95% CI, 46.2-4679.7; multivariate incidence rate ratio = 13.0; 95% CI, 10.2-16.6). The risk increased with serpentinite surface, proximity to serpentinite quarries and distance to the peridotite massif. The association with serpentines was stronger than with amphiboles. Living on a slope and close to dense vegetation appeared protective. The use of whitewash, previously suggested to be a risk factor, was not associated with MM incidence. Conclusions: Presence of serpentinite on roads is a major environmental risk factor for mesothelioma in New Caledonia

Search for Charginos with a Small Mass Difference with the Lightest Supersymmetric Particle at \sqrt{s} = 189 GeV

A search for charginos nearly mass-degenerate with the lightest supersymmetric particle is performed using the 176 pb^-1 of data collected at 189 GeV in 1998 with the L3 detector. Mass differences between the chargino and the lightest supersymmetric particle below 4 GeV are considered. The presence of a high transverse momentum photon is required to single out the signal from the photon-photon interaction background. No evidence for charginos is found and upper limits on the cross section for chargino pair production are set. For the first time, in the case of heavy scalar leptons, chargino mass limits are obtained for any \tilde{\chi}^{+-}_1 - \tilde{\chi}^0_1 mass difference

Search for Low Scale Gravity Effects in e+e- Collisions at LEP

Recent theories propose that quantum gravity effects may be observable at LEP energies via gravitons that couple to Standard Model particles and propagate into extra spatial dimensions. The associated production of a graviton and a photon is searched for as well as the effects of virtual graviton exchange in the processes: e+e- -> gamma gamma, ZZ, WW, mu mu, tau tau, qq and ee No evidence for this new interaction is found in the data sample collected by the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies up to 183 GeV. Limits close to 1 TeV on the scale of this new scenario of quantum gravity are set

Accounting for Extreme Events in the Economic Assessment of Climate Change

Extreme events are one of the main channels through which climate and socio- economic systems interact. It is likely that climate change will modify their probability distributions and their consequences. The long-term growth models used in climate change assessments, however, cannot capture the effects of short-term shocks; they thus model extreme events in a very crude manner. To assess the importance of this limitation, a non-equilibrium dynamic model (NEDyM) is used to model the macroeconomic consequences of extreme events. Its conclusions are the following: (i) Dynamic processes multiply the extreme event direct costs by a factor 20; half of this increase comes from short-term processes; (ii) A possible modication of the extreme event distribution due to climate change can be responsible for significant GDP losses; (iii) The production losses caused by extreme events depend, with strong non-linearity, both on the changes in the extreme distribution and on the ability to fund the rehabilitation after each disaster. These conclusions illustrate that the economic assessment of climate change does not only depend on beliefs on climate change but also on beliefs on the economy. Moreover, they suggest that averaging short-term processes like extreme events over the five- or ten-year time step of a classical long-term growth model can lead to inaccurately low assessments of the climate change damages