Attributes of a hopper-predator community in a rice field

A hopper-predator community in an experimental rice field was observed weekly with regard to information content (H′), formation of a geometric series or the grade of orderly distribution of component taxa (R²), and clumping index (I). These community attributes changed with time in close association with one another, and attained the highest values around the heading time of the rice. Significant correlations were found between the density of prey and that of predators when a certain time-lag was assumed for the increase of predators.     

Removal and desorption of chromium in synthetic effluent by a mixed culture in a bioreactor with a magnetic field

Two chromium removal experiments were performed in bioreactors with and without a magnetic field under the same conditions.The release of the chromium present in the biomass was tested in two experiments one with the initial pH of the medium and one with pH 4.0.The objective was to remove Cr(Ⅵ) and total Cr from the effluent,this was carried out by placing biological treatments of synthetic effluent contaminated with 100 mg/L of Cr(Ⅵ) in a bioreactor with neodymium magnets that applied a magnetic field(intensity85.4 mT) to the mixed culture.The removal of Cr(Ⅵ) was approximately 100.0% for the bioreactor with a magnetic field and 93,3% for the bioreactor without a magnetic field for9 hr of recirculation of the synthetic effluent by the bioreactor.The removal of total Cr was61.6% and 48.4%,with and without a magnetic field,respectively;for 24 hr.The desorption of Cr(VI) in the synthetic effluent was 0.05 mg/L,which is below the limit established by Brazilian legislation(0.1 mg/L) for the discharge of effluent containing Cr(Ⅵ) into bodies of water.The results obtained for the removal of chromium in synthetic effluent suggested that there was no significant influence on the viable cell count of the mixed culture.The desorption of Cr(Ⅵ) in synthetic effluent after bioadsorption of chromium by the mixed culture in the process of removal of chromium in bioreactors with and without a magnetic field was not significant in either of the experiments with different initial pHs.     

Field survey of a sustainable sanitation system in a residential house

Sustainable sanitation is an approach for more ecological and sustainable water resources management. In this paper, we proposed one of the new integrated waste treatment systems： an ＂sustainable sanitation system＂ that includes separation of the black water from water system by a non-flushing toilet （bio-toilet）, and a gray water treatment based on a biological and ecological concept. Sustainable sanitation system also converts the domestic waste to soil conditioners and fertilizers, for farmland use. As one of the case studies, Environmentally Symbiotic Housing in which people actually live using the bio-toilet for the black water treatment and the household wastewater treatment facility for the gray water was introduced. The availability of this system was investigated by analyzing the sawdust used in the bio-toilet and the quality of the effluent in the household wastewater treatment facility. As the result, the water content of the sawdust did not exceed 60% in any of the sampling points and the BOD and COD of the effluent of the household wastewater treatment facility were below 10 and 20 mg/L respectively, due to the low loading. Compared to the pollution load on the water environment created by the conventional system, it was found that the effluent of the house has a lower load than the tertiary treatment and the volume of the water consumption is 75% of the conventional system.     

Gastral drumming: a nest-based food-recruitment signal in a social wasp

Many social insect species produce signals that either recruit foragers to a specific food source or simply activate more nestmates to become foragers. Both are means of enhancing resource exploitation by increasing the number of individuals devoted to gathering profitable resources. Gastral drumming (GD) has been documented in several species of yellowjackets and hornets (Vespidae: Vespinae). It has been hypothesized that it is a hunger signal, but there is little empirical evidence to support this claim. An alternative hypothesis is that GD recruits workers to forage for food. Here, we report the results of a test between the hunger-signal and food-recruitment hypotheses in the German yellowjacket wasp, Vespula germanica. We show that the rate of performance of GD decreased when colonies were deprived of food and increased when supplemental food was provided. Playback of GD caused increased rates of (1) movement in the nest, (2) trophallaxis, and (3) worker departures from the nest. Together, these results support the conclusion that GD is not a hunger signal as previously asserted but instead is a nest-based food-recruitment signal, the first to be reported for a social wasp.     

某石化企业粉体料仓爆燃事故原因分析

本文以某企业HDPE料仓的一次爆燃事故为案例,通过分析事故的成因,提供了调查料仓事故的思路及整改方案的确定方法.     

Immunity in a Social Insect

 Although pathogens appear to have exerted significant selective pressure on various aspects of sociality, mechanisms of disease resistance in the social insects are poorly understood. We report here on an immune response to infection by the dampwood termite, Zootermopsis angusticollis. Nymphs immunized with an injection of 7.6×10⁷, 7.6×10⁵, or 7.6×10⁴ cells/ml glutaraldehyde-killed solution of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa had significantly higher survivorship than controls following a challenge with a lethal concentration of active bacteria. Similarly, nymphs exposed to a 9×10^–1 spores/ml suspension of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae had higher survivorship than controls after a challenge with a lethal concentration of spores. Prior exposure to a pathogen thus conferred upon termites a degree of protection during a subsequent encounter with the same pathogen. This represents the first demonstration of immune function in vivo in a social insect. Received: 18 May 1999 / Accepted in revised form: 26 August 1999     

When a year takes 18 months: evidence for a strong circannual clock in a shorebird

During the last three of 20 years kept as a pet, a red knot (Calidris canutus) went through two complete 'circannual' cycles of body mass and plumage. With a record cycle length of 18 months, this individual shorebird provides evidence for an exceptionally strong circannual clock system. The absence of synchronisation to outdoor but visible periodic cues suggests that the constant, socially-induced, day-night environment was of overriding importance. So far, only for songbirds is there firm experimental evidence that annual cycles are orchestrated by an endogenous circannual clock system. In constant environments the circannual cycles of these passerines tend to have periods that are shorter, rather than longer, than a year.     

高原湖泊溶解甲烷浓度空间异质性研究—以阳宗海秋季为例

以西南典型高原湖泊阳宗海为研究对象,于2020年11月应用新型快速水-气平衡装置(FaRAGE)及便携式温室气体分析仪,开展了表层水体和垂向剖面溶解CH4浓度的高分辨率监测,揭示了溶解CH4浓度空间分布特征及影响因素.结果表明,阳宗海表层水体溶解CH4浓度为0.02～0.97μmol/L,表现为大气甲烷的源.空间上呈现...     

Bioaugmentation with a pyridine-degrading bacterium in a membrane bioreactor treating pharmaceutical wastewater

The bacterial strain Paracoccus denitrificans W12, which could utilize pyridine as its sole source of carbon and nitrogen, was added into a membrane bioreactor （MBR） to enhance the treatment of a pharmaceutical wastewater. The treatment efliciencies investigated showed that the removal of chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus were similar between bioaugmented and non-bioaugmented MBRs, however, significant removal of pyridine was obtained in the bioaugmented reactor. When the hydraulic retention time was 60 hr and the influent concentration of pyridine was 250-500 mg/L, the mean effluent concentration of pyridine without adding W12 was 57.2 mg/L, while the pyridine was degraded to an average of 10.2 mg/L with addition of W12. The bacterial community structure of activated sludge during the bioaugmented treatment was analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （PCR-DGGE）. The results showed that the W12 inoculum reversed the decline of microbial community diversity, however, the similarity between bacterial community structure of the original sludge and that of the sludge after bioaugmentation decreased steadily during the wastewater treatment. Sequencing of the DNA recovered from DGGE gel indicated that sp., Sphingobium sp., Comamonas sp., and Hyphomicrobium sp. were the dominant organisms in time sequence in the bacterial community in the bioaugmented MBR. This implied that the bioaugmentation was affected by the adjustment of whole bacterial community structure in the inhospitable environment, rather than being due solely to the degradation performance of the bacterium added.     

Selfing in a malacostracan crustacean: why a tanaidacean but not decapods

The crustacean class Malacostraca, with over 22,000 species, includes commercially important members, such as crabs, shrimps, and lobsters. A few simultaneous hermaphrodites are known in this group, but self-fertilization was unknown. Here we show, through microscopy and breeding experiments, that the simultaneously hermaphroditic malacostracan Apseudes sp. (order Tanaidacea) can self-fertilize; individuals reared in isolation become hermaphroditic via a male-like phase and produce eggs that develop into fertile adults. Although selfing occurs in crustaceans like the Branchiopoda, in which simultaneous hermaphrodites have the sex ducts united, in decapods the separation of gonadal ducts and gonopores, specialized mating organs, and complex mating behavior appear to have constrained the evolution of selfing. In contrast, in most tanaidaceans, sperm is released externally by a male and reaches the eggs in the female brood pouch, where fertilization occurs. This mode of fertilization permitted Apseudes sp. to achieve selfing without large modifications in morphology or behavior.

     

B模式:拯救地球延续文明

今天，全世界可能有上千个会议在召开，但我想没有任何一次会议会比我们这个会议更重要，所以我非常荣幸能够来到这里，与各位来自中国和其它国家的著名环境专家坐在一起。同时，我也非常高兴能够见到曲格平先生，他在环境领域一直扮演着领袖的角色，而且我很高兴能够在潘岳局长演讲之后进行我的发言。     

Response to displaced neighbours in a territorial songbird with a large repertoire

Neighbour recognition allows territory owners to modulate their territorial response according to the threat posed by each neighbour and thus to reduce the costs associated with territorial defence. Individual acoustic recognition of neighbours has been shown in numerous bird species, but few of them had a large repertoire. Here, we tested individual vocal recognition in a songbird with a large repertoire, the skylark Alauda arvensis. We first examined the physical basis for recognition in the song, and we then experimentally tested recognition by playing back songs of adjacent neighbours and strangers. Males showed a lower territorial response to adjacent neighbours than to strangers when we broadcast songs from the shared boundary. However, when we broadcast songs from the opposite boundary, males showed a similar response to neighbours and strangers, indicating a spatial categorisation of adjacent neighbours’ songs. Acoustic analyses revealed that males could potentially use the syntactical arrangement of syllables in sequences to identify the songs of their neighbours. Neighbour interactions in skylarks are thus subtle relationships that can be modulated according to the spatial position of each neighbour.     

Electricity demand in a changing climate

Our interest is in electricity demand and the temperature aspects of climate change. Electricity consumption is of interest both from the perspectives of adaptation to climate change and emission reductions. We study the relationship between European electricity consumption and outdoor temperature and other variables, using a panel data set of 31 countries. Apart from providing a rare quantitative window into adaptation, the study contributes demand system parameters with respect to price and income. The results suggest that weather has a statistically significant effect on electricity demand, with effects that are of plausible magnitude. In a simulation of climate change for the next 100 years—other factors held constant—we find that the demand for heating will decrease in Northern Europe while the demand for cooling will increase in Southern Europe. In countries like Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain, and Turkey the net effect of increased cooling outweighs decreased heating consumption whereas in most of Europe the opposite holds. The largest estimated partial impact is 20%, which predicted increase in adaptive consumption for Turkey and decrease in adaptive consumption for Latvia. Estimated elasticities with respect to income and price are 0.8 and minus 0.2 respectively: plausible in the light of the literature. As a discussion item, we add that electricity consumption changes due to temperature change likely will be small compared to those due to other factors, such as changes in income, demography and technology. The study does not include effects of climate change other than through electricity consumption.     

Environmental reporting in a developing country: a case study on status and implementation in Malaysia

With the increase in awareness of environmental issues, the level of environmental disclosure and stakeholder demands for environmental information is increasing. New developments in the ISO 14000 standards also make it more evident that a company's environmental performance as well as its environmental reporting should be considered as strategic issues in business strategy. Especially for a developing country like Malaysia, many companies are under external pressures to improve their environmental performance.In this study, a review on the image and environmental disclosure, together with the challenges in environmental information management and a short case study are presented. Subsequently, the paper explores some of the strategic implications of environmental reporting as an important tool for improved environmental management.     

非平衡等离子体联合技术降解甲苯气体

采用了自制的纳米钛酸钡基介电材料作为催化剂,以电工陶瓷拉西环作为载体,利用介质阻挡放电产生的非平衡态等离子体对常压下流动态含甲苯的空气进行处理,研究了电场强度、流速、初始浓度及不同填料情况下甲苯的降解及臭氧产生情况,初步探讨了等离子体催化降解甲苯的机理,并进行了产物分析.实验结果表明,电场强度小于13kV·cm-1时,甲苯降解率和臭氧产生浓度随电场强度的提高而上升,随气速和初始浓度的增加而降低;不同填料下降解率及臭氧浓度由大到小排序为有催化剂填料、普通填料、无填料,有催化剂存在时(电场强度为14kV·cm-1,流速为0.3 m3·h-1,甲苯浓度为600 mg·L-1),甲苯降解率最高可达95%.当电场强度>13kV·cm-1时,臭氧浓度因受到过量的高能电子攻击而发生分解.表现为臭氧浓度随电场强度的继续增加而降低.因此,电场强度为13kV·cm-1时,产生的臭氧浓度最高.     

Bio-energy policies in a global context

Against the background of an increasing global demand for bio-energy, the need for sustainability standards and a certification system ensuring sustainable production and trade has grown rapidly. Nevertheless, there is currently no specific forum for discussions on how to deal with biomass trade at the multilateral level. Distortions in agricultural and energy trade regimes, the myriad of standards and the lack of a clear biomass classification in the multilateral trade regime suggest that bio-energy products may not deliver sustainable development gains for all trading partners. This paper analyses then the global impact of bio-energy policies on biomass production and trade, paying particular attention to sustainable development in the bio-energy sector. It examines how a possible reduction and elimination of trade barriers as well as a phasing out of trade distorting support measures would contribute to the development of a global sustainable bio-energy market.     

Trisomy 20 mosaicism in a foetus

A widespread distrust in the significance of the observation of trisomy 20 mosaicism in amniotic fluid cultures has led to an increasing belief that this particular type of aneuploidy is of extra foetal origin and is clinically incosequential. The report presents an example of amnoitic fluid cell mosaicism for trisomy 20 which was ultimately confirmed in the foetus, and proposes that, in spite of the absence of obvious congenital malformation from the foetus, trisomy 20 mosaicism in amnoitic fluid cultures should be regarded with the same deference as mosaicism for any other autosome of unknown effect.     

船厂通风设计的特点分析与方案选择

分析工业有害物(有害气体、粉尘)对船舶工人健康的影响,提出通风是排除有害物,减少职业病的有效措施。着重对船厂通风设计的特点与具体方案进行了分析和讨论。船厂通风包括全面通风、局部通风、特殊通风三大类,文章分别对其理论与实践作了论述。