Sacred sites as habitats of culturally important plant species in an Indian megacity

Cultural ecosystem services related to urban green spaces contribute significantly to liveable cities. While previous studies highlight the intersection of cultural ecosystem services with societal values, spiritual or religious values associated with urban nature have received less attention. In India, as in other parts of the world, sacred sites are known for their biological richness, but analyses from urban sacred sites are largely missing. Based on a stratified random sampling approach, we analysed the cultivated and wild plant species assemblages of 69 sacred sites in the megacity of Bengaluru, India, in relation to biological and cultural features, and parameters related to the urban matrix and type of sacred sites (temple vs. katte). Unlike other urban studies, we found a dominance of native species in the cultivated and spontaneous species pools (121 species in total), with Ficus religiosa and Azadirachta indica as most frequently planted species. Culturally relevant species prevailed in the species pool (89%), with overlaps between religious (36%), medicinal (50%) and ornamental (62%) plants; only 11% of species were weeds. Urban matrix parameters (age of development, housing density) and size and type of sacred sites were related to differences in species assemblages. We identified key species for different classes of age and housing density, and for types of sacred sites. Our study demonstrates that urban sacred sites have an important potential in harbouring both native and culturally significant species that can support urban livelihoods in developing countries by a range of cultural and provisioning ecosystem services, including medicinal uses. As such sites are conserved by communities for spiritual or cultural beliefs, local biodiversity can be enhanced, e.g. by adapting management practices through community participation. This would strengthen the important contribution of sacred sites within the green infrastructure of rapidly growing megacities.     

Memory and resilience: A two-pronged approach to natural spaces in Colombia’s transition to a peaceful society

The analysis of spontaneous environmental initiatives undertaken by individuals and communities in cases of conflicts has led to a growing research field in social science, according to which the community-based stewardship of nature seems to conduce to the resilience of co-evolved social-ecological systems. In Colombia, where no such research exists so far, the conflict which officially ended in November 2016 has led to massive internal migration due to forced displacement, as well as to widespread degradation of the environment. Based on evidence provided by case studies of top-down and bottom-up living memorials and urban agriculture initiatives, the article explores the potential of urban greening in the process of memorialisation and in generating new social cohesion, as well as better living conditions in urban areas. It analyses cases both where the conflict has taken place and in the cities where refugees have settled, in order to explore avenues for public policies in post conflict Colombia. The author concludes that greening initiatives offer manifold, so far overlooked, opportunities to restoring social and ecological resilience in urban areas and thus contribute to a lasting peace in Colombia.     

Soil quality assessments in integrated crop–livestock–forest systems: A review

Integrated crop–livestock–forest is a promising strategy to improve soil quality. It comprises four different integrated farming systems: crop–livestock, crop–forest, forest–livestock and crop–livestock–forest. This work systematically reviewed studies about integrated crop–livestock–forest systems and soil quality. A total of 92 papers were retrieved from the Web of Science—Clarivate Analytics platform, and the following information was analysed: publication year, institution, region of the studied site, type of integrated system, soil type, tillage system, maximum soil depth and the soil quality indicators assessed. Most studies were published in the second half of the 2010s. Brazil is a prominent focus of research about soil quality and integrated crop–livestock–forest systems, with significant contribution from its central and southern regions. The Embrapa was the main publishing institution, present in over one‐third of the studies. Crop–livestock was the most common integrated system, Ferralsols was the most common soil group, and most of the studied soils were clayey. No tillage was the main tillage system. Most studies focused on the topsoil, assessing physical and/or chemical soil quality indicators. More emphasis on biological indicators of soil quality is required, as well as assessments integrating biological, physical and chemical indicators of soil quality. Future works should compare different integrated systems, including assessments deeper in the soil profile, especially in systems with the forest component, and also in sandy and silty soils. Soil quality indicators that have been rarely used should be further tested. Novel indicators should be added to better understand the promotion of soil quality by integrated crop–livestock–forest systems.     

中药对肉仔鸡脂质代谢及肉品质的影响

将120只1周龄肉仔鸡随机分成4组,每组30只,前3组(试验Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ组)分别喂以含1%的3种不同中药组方的饲粮,第Ⅳ组为对照组,只喂基础日粮.试验期6周.结果(1)与对照组相比,Ⅰ组血清TC、LDL-C极显著下降(P＜0.01);Ⅱ组血清TC、LDL-C极显著下降(P＜0.01),TG也下降(P＜0.05),HDL-C显著升高(P＜0.01);Ⅲ组血清LDL-C极显著下降(P＜0.01),HDL-C则显著升高(P＜0.01);试验Ⅰ～Ⅲ组血清总脂都极显著下降(P＜0.01);与Ⅱ组相比,Ⅰ组血清LDL-C、Ⅲ组TC存在显著差异(P＜0.01).(2)与对照组相比,胸肌组织中,各试验组TG极显著下降(P＜0.01),Ⅱ组TC显著下降(P＜0.05);腿肌中,各组TC显著下降(P＜0.05),TG下降极显著(P＜0.01);肝脏中各组TC、TG均极显著下降(P＜0.01);与Ⅱ组相比,Ⅰ组肝TG差异极显著(P＜0.01);Ⅲ组胸肌TG、肝TG有显著差异性(P＜0.05).(3)7周龄末鸡体重与对照组相比,Ⅱ组差异极显著(P＜0.01),Ⅲ组差异显著(P＜0.05);Ⅱ组料肉比比对照组极显著下降(P＜0.01).(4)肌肉中的营养成分,Ⅰ、Ⅱ组腿肌中粗脂肪比对照组极显著下降(P＜0.01),Ⅱ组腿肌中粗蛋白含量显著升高(P＜0.01).结论中药组方能不同程度地调整鸡脂质代谢,提高生产性能和改善鸡肉品质.在3个不同中药组方中,综合效果Ⅱ方最优.     

古籍咨询工作中的新视角

本文讨论古籍咨询的服务创新问题,提出了内容咨询这一新概念。认为根据个人自身条件,有些咨询人员不妨可以对古籍的内容进行研究,这有利于与读者进行深入的交流,可以提高咨询水平的深度。     

复合图书馆的信息服务探讨

复合图书馆作为图书馆的一种发展形态，有其自身的特点和要求，有许多值得研究的内容。复合图书馆的读者服务工作是图书馆工作的出发点和各项业务工作的最终价值体现。文章分析了目前图书馆读者服务工作面临的形势，探讨了我们应采取的措施。     

网络环境下的传统图书馆

现代信息技术的迅猛发展对传统图书馆的生存产生了冲击和挑战。本文从传统图书馆与数字图书馆的关系及影响等方面 ,论证了传统图书馆不但不会消亡 ,而且还会继续生存、完善和发展。     

深化馆系资料室共建-扬馆系所长

本文分析了系部资料室在服务教学科研工作中的特殊地位与优势，同时分析了系部资料室建设存在的一些问题，提出系部资料室信息深化服务的建议。     

哈尼族传统人居环境体系中森林要素之作用评述

从不同角度评述了森林在哈尼族传统人居环境体系中的作用和地位，阐述了未来山区村镇发展中保留周边森林的重要性。     

中草药饲料添加剂中黄芪甲甙的定性和定量研究

用薄层层析法和双波长薄层扫描法分别定性和定量了中草药饲料添加剂中的有效成分黄芪甲甙，建立了该制剂中黄芪甲甙的色谱质控方法。该方法灵敏度高，重现性好，结果可靠，可作为该制剂的质量控制标准．