GCM-based analysis of water availability along the Tone River and Tokyo Metropolitan Area under climatic changes

Tone River supplies most of the water requirements of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area (TMA). Lowering of Tone flow and yearly fluctuation, however, is causing water shortage along TMA nowadays. This study investigated the future water availability scenarios under climatic changes. A state-of-the-art approach to utilize the output of several GCM has been demonstrated to investigate the future water availability scenarios for TMA from the Tone River. An integrated modeling approach for water balance considering several hydrological risk indices was adopted to quantify the future changes in this case. It is observed that the future summer precipitation along the Tone basin is going to be increased considerably, while an almost constant or decreasing trend is observed for winter season. Natural flow availability for winter or spring seasons thus can be crucial under future scenarios. After reservoir routing, the hydrological risk indices estimated, however, were not found to be changed significantly due to the presence of a robust reservoir system at the upstream.     

Volunteer Macroinvertebrate Monitoring: Tensions Among Group Goals,Data Quality,and Outcomes

Volunteer monitoring of natural resources is promoted for its ability to increase public awareness, to provide valuable knowledge, and to encourage policy change that promotes ecosystem health. We used the case of volunteer macroinvertebrate monitoring (VMM) in streams to investigate whether the quality of data collected is correlated with data use and organizers' perception of whether they have achieved these outcomes. We examined the relation between site and group characteristics, data quality, data use, and perceived outcomes (education, social capital, and policy change). We found that group size and the degree to which citizen groups perform tasks on their own (rather than aided by professionals) positively correlated with the quality of data collected. Group size and number of years monitoring positively influenced whether a group used their data. While one might expect that groups committed to collecting good-quality data would be more likely to use it, there was no relation between data quality and data use, and no relation between data quality and perceived outcomes. More data use was, however, correlated with a group's feeling of connection to a network of engaged citizens and professionals. While VMM may hold promise for bringing citizens and scientists together to work on joint conservation agendas, our data illustrate that data quality does not correlate with a volunteer group's desire to use their data to promote regulatory change. Therefore, we encourage scientists and citizens alike to recognize this potential disconnect and strive to be explicit about the role of data in conservation efforts.     

Making Capacity Building Meaningful: A Framework for Strategic Action

This paper aims to give practical meaning to ‘capacity building’ through (a) identifying a suite of practical measures, such as mentoring or best practice guidelines, that have been shown to or are considered to build human, social, institutional, and economic capital; (b) placing these measures within a broader systems framework; and (c) exploring stakeholder feedback on specific measures to inform framework implementation. The 29 measures described provide actors, whether government or nongovernment, with a suite of practical investment choices for building capacity. These measures are then clustered into eight groups according to their primary purpose and placed within a systems framework. The framework provides a tool for actors with responsibilities for or an interest in capacity building to inform more holistic and strategic targeting of effort and investment. Stakeholder feedback gathered through surveys and workshops is subsequently reported to further inform implementation of specific measures within the framework’s eight groupings. The framework presented may be built upon through the identification and inclusion of further capacity building measures. The research is conducted within the context of decentralized governance arrangements for natural resource management (NRM), with specific focus on Australia’s recently formalized 56 NRM regions and their community-based governing boards as an informative arena of learning. Application of the framework is explored in the Australian setting through the identification and comparison of measures supported and most preferred by four major stakeholder groups, namely board members, regional NRM organization staff, policy/research interests, and Indigenous interests. The research also examines stakeholder perceptions of capacity issues, and whether these issues are likely to be addressed through implementing their preferred measures.

Modification of ferrite–manganese oxide sorbent by doping with cerium oxide

Fe–Mn oxide and Ce-doped Fe–Mn oxide sorbents were studied on the structural and desulfurization behavior in COS removal from syngas. The effects of cerium oxide on the Fe–Mn oxides have been investigated by XRD, BET, TPR, XPS and TEM methods. Analysis data show that the Ce-doped sorbent has larger specific surface area and better particles’ dispersion compared with non-modified Fe–Mn sorbent. The addition of Ce improves the reduction performance of Fe–Mn species. The desulfurization experiments show that the desulfurization activity of sorbent can be increased because of the promotion of the structural and redox properties by ceria doped. The Ce-doped sorbent can reduce COS from 15,000 ppmv to less than 0.1 ppmv at 325 °C and a space velocity of 1000 h⁻¹.     

Lysimeter Experiments to Investigate the Fate of Chemicals in Soils – Comparison of Five Different Lysimeter Systems

Several lysimeter scenarios and approaches exist to study the fate of agro-chemicals or contaminants from deposition in soil columns. In many systems just transport and leaching of the parent compound is followed, in some systems the leaching and transport of the metabolites is investigated as well. In more sophisticated lysimeter systems the volatilization and also the mineralization of the applied chemicals can be additionally monitored. Depending on the lysimeter system used and on the fact whether the applied chemicals are ¹⁴C-labeled or not, different results and various interpretations of the results might be achieved. Different lysimeter systems are described in this paper and a real dataset of a specific lysimeter experiment was transferred and evaluated in a virtual approach in the different lysimeter systems in order to show the advantages and disadvantages of the various systems.     

黄孢原毛平革菌处理染料废水过程中细胞结构损伤效应研究

利用透射电子显微镜观察分析白腐真菌(黄孢原毛平革菌)在处理染料废水活性艳红X-3B过程中,染料和盐度对黄孢原毛平革菌的细胞结构产生的毒性作用.结果表明:活性艳红X-3B染料对黄孢原毛平革菌产生生物毒性作用,且随着染料浓度的增加,细胞受损伤程度不断加深.加入100 mg/L的染料活性艳红X-3B后,黄孢原毛平革菌菌丝细胞形态发生变化,出现质壁分离现象;染料浓度进一步加大,菌丝细胞超微结构受到损伤逐渐严重.染料废水中的盐度对黄孢原毛平革菌细胞也会造成损伤,且损伤程度随盐度增大而增大.NaCl浓度为3 g/L时,菌丝细胞发生质壁分离;而当NaCl加入量高于8 g/L时,细胞膜受损,线粒体、细胞核呈现空泡化,表现为受到不可逆的损伤.染料和盐双因子对黄孢原毛平革菌细胞的损伤效应表现为其损伤程度与单因子作用一致,且染料的影响作用占主导.     

Determinants of Farmers’ Adoption of Improved Soil Conservation Technology in a Middle Mountain Watershed of Central Nepal

This study explores different socio-economic and institutional factors influencing the adoption of improved soil conservation technology (ISCT) on Bari land (Rainfed outward sloping terraces) in the Middle Mountain region of Central Nepal. Structured questionnaire survey and focus group discussion methods were applied to collect the necessary information from farm households. The logistic regression model predicted seven factors influencing the adoption of improved soil conservation technology in the study area including years of schooling of the household head, caste of the respondent, land holding size of the Bari land, cash crop vegetable farming, family member occupation in off farm sector, membership of the Conservation and Development Groups, and use of credit. The study showed that technology dissemination through multi-sectoral type community based local groups is a good option to enhance the adoption of improved soil conservation technology in the Middle Mountain farming systems in Nepal. Planners and policy makers should formulate appropriate policies and programs considering the farmers' interest, capacity, and limitation in promoting improved soil conservation technology for greater acceptance and adoption by the farmers.     

自催化法合成聚天冬氨酸

以马来酸酐和乙酸铵为原料，在微波条件下用自催化法合成了聚天冬氨酸（PASP）。通过正交实验确定了最佳合成条件：n（乙酸铵）：n（马来酸酐）=1．2，微波功率为1200W，反应时间为10min。在最佳合成条件下，PASP的收率为91．6％，PASP的黏均相对分子质量约为1．5×10^4。经红外光谱表征和核磁共振氢谱测试结果表明，PASP的各种主要官能团表现明显。当Ca^2＋质量浓度为250mg／L、PASP加入量为3mg／L时，PASP的阻垢率达到95％，表明PASP具有较好的阻垢性能。     

Acute toxic hazard evaluations of glyphosate herbicide on terrestrial vertebrates of the oregon coast range

GOAL, SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: The degree to which dose responses of model organisms (lab rodents) can adequately predict dose responses of free-ranging wild mammals or amphibians is unknown, and the relative sensitivity of such species to body loading of a toxicant such as glyphosate is seldom reported. For relative effects of dosage, we compare sensitivity of nine wild vertebrate species to effects of high doses of glyphosate in Swiss-Webster laboratory mice both by gavage and by intraperitoneal injection. We also evaluate sublethal effects of herbicide exposure on behavior and reproductive success of one mammal and one amphibian species. METHODS: Comparisons of acute toxicity of glyphosate were made with intraperitoneal dosings of technical glyphosate isopropylamine salt to nine species of terrestrial vertebrates (five amphibians, four mammals) and compared with responses in Swiss-Webster laboratory mice. Animals collected from sites that had no recent herbicide application were allowed 7-14 days to equilibrate in captivity before treatment. RESULTS: Median lethal dose ranged from 800 to 1,340 mg kg(-1) in mammals, and 1,170 to >2,000 mg kg(-1) in amphibians, with Oregon vole being the most sensitive. White lab mice were in the middle of the mammalian range. Tailed frog, at >2,000 mg kg(-1) was the least sensitive. Calibration of IP sensitivity to oral administration by gavage indicated that roughly four times as much glyphosate must be administered to obtain a comparable estimate of lethality. Administration by gavage in highly concentrated solutions tended to cause physical injury, hence may prove less useful as a relative indicator of toxicity. When sublethal dosages were given to roughskin newts or chipmunks, mobility and use of cover appeared largely unaffected. DISCUSSION: Direct toxic effects of spraying glyphosate under normal forest management seem unlikely for the nine species examined. Nor could we detect significant indirect effects of exposure on behavior and use of cover features in two species. There may be effects on other aspects of the field biology of these animals, such as reproductive rates, which we did not investigate. Recent field data indicate that changes in habitat quality following herbicide application can result in high reproductive activity in species associated with the grasses and forbs that proliferate following field applications. CONCLUSIONS: When compared to field data on body burdens of wild mammals exposed after aerial application of glyphosate at maximum rates in forests, there seems to be a large margin of safety between dosages encountered and those causing either death or limitation of movement, foraging or shelter. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: Margins of safety for small mammals and amphibians appear to be large under any probable exposure scenarios, however our results indicate high variability in responses among species. Uncertainty introduced into field studies from unknown sources of mortality (e.g, likely predation) must be considered when interpreting our results.