Spatial and Seasonal Response of Municipal Water Use to Weather across the Contiguous U.S.

Weather variability has the potential to influence municipal water use, particularly in dry regions such as the western United States (U.S.). Outdoor water use can account for more than half of annual household water use and may be particularly responsive to weather, but little is known about how the expected magnitude of these responses varies across the U.S. This nationwide study identified the response of municipal water use to monthly weather (i.e., temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration [ET]) using monthly water deliveries for 229 cities in the contiguous U.S. Using city‐specific multiple regression and region‐specific models with city fixed effects, we investigated what portion of the variability in municipal water use was explained by weather across cities, and also estimated responses to weather across seasons and climate regions. Our findings indicated municipal water use was generally well‐explained by weather, with median adjusted R² ranging from 63% to 95% across climate regions. Weather was more predictive of water use in dry climates compared to wet, and temperature had more explanatory power than precipitation or ET. In response to a 1°C increase in monthly maximum temperature, municipal water use was shown to increase by 3.2% and 3.9% in dry cities in winter and summer, respectively, with smaller changes in wet cities. Quantifying these responses allows urban water managers to plan for weather‐driven variability in water use.     

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。     

Health and environmental assessment of mercury exposure in a gold mining community in Western Mindanao, Philippines

The small-scale gold mining activities using mercury began in the late 1980s in Sibutad, Western Mindanao. It is located very near the Murcielagos Bay with tailing ponds directly discharging into bodies of water. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the health and environmental effects of gold mining activities on the community. Residents were randomly selected and classified into two groups, namely, the directly exposed and indirectly exposed populations using a set inclusion criteria. Complete medical and laboratory examinations were performed. Environmental and biologic samples were collected for total mercury and methylmercury determinations. The results showed that the directly exposed group had significantly higher mean blood total mercury and methylmercury levels in comparison with the indirectly exposed population. Although there were no significant differences between hair total mercury and methylmercury levels, there was a trend for higher levels of these biomarkers among the directly exposed residents as compared with the unexposed group. The absence of statistically significant differences may be attributable to the small sample size. Ambient air quality monitoring for mercury exceeded the allowable levels. However, levels of mercury in drinking water and sediments were within allowable limits. Frequency of gastrointestinal complaints was significantly associated with elevated hair methylmercury levels (p=0.02). Also, there appears to be a trend towards higher blood total mercury levels and frequency of gastrointestinal complaints (p=0.09). An interesting finding in this study was the increasing incidence of elevated diastolic blood pressure with elevated hair total mercury levels (p=0.07). Mercury storage at home is a risk factor.     

The aggregation pheromone ofIps duplicatus and its role in competitive interactions withI. typographus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Summary Ips duplicatus withI. typographus co-inhabiting Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) would benefit from a pheromone blend distinct from that of the larger competitorI. typographus. GC-MS analysis showed thatI. duplicatus males feeding in the host produced ipsdienol (Id),cis-verbenol (cV),trans-verbenol (tV), myrtenol (Mt), andE-myrcenol (EM) and traces of 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MB).I. duplicatus produced Id in approximately racemic form (48.9-54.5% (+)-(S)-isomer). The amounts of Id and EM released over a 9 day period had a maximum of 250 and 5 ng/h/male, respectively, on day 2. Exposure ofI. duplicatus males to myrcene and -pinene resulted in the production of small amounts of Id, cV, tV, Mt, andtrans-pinocarveol, but not of EM. In laboratory bioassays with walking beetles, the pheromone component Id alone was weakly attractive while EM was inactive, but in binary combination with Id strongly synergized attraction. A combination of EM and Id at a release rate equivalent to 100–200 males was more attractive in the field than 70 unmated males in a spruce log. The addition of myrcene ( a suggested pheromone precursor of Id) to Id did not enhance trap caches, while addition of EM increased catches > 10-fold. Subtracting EM from a blend of Id, EM, cV and MB drastically reduced trap catches while subtraction of cV or MB or both had no significant effect. Addition of EM over a wide concentration range to the synthetic pheromone ofI. typographus did not reduce the attraction of females of this species in the laboratory. A two-species pheromone interaction field test releasingI. typographus pheromone components (MB + cV) at 10–1000 male equivalents (ME) andI. duplicatus pheromone (Id + EM) at 0, 10–1000 ME in all possible combinations showed both positive intraspecific dose-response effects and an interspecific inhibition. Higher release rates of EM appeared to inhibitI. typographus, especially males. In a tree colonization model, the response of the two competing species to their respective pheromones show a good separation during the mass-attack with a small initial cross-attraction. It remains to be shown whether either of the two pheromone systems have in fact evolved in the present sympatry, or if they are an incidental effect of ancestry of these phylogenetically distantIps.     

我国能源资源税改革对城乡居民的收入分配效应——基于CGE模型的分析

通过构建包含7个城镇居民组和5个农村居民组的多收入阶层CGE模型,并将劳动力要素分为农业劳动力、技术工人和生产工人3类,在低税率、实际税率和高税率三种情景下模拟了煤炭、石油和天然气资源税改革单独实施和同时实施对城镇和农村居民的收入分配效应,并对税收补偿措施的效果进行分析.结果表明：单独实施煤炭资源税或天然气资源税改革对城镇居民组收入差距有正向的缩小作用,有利于收入分配公平,但对农村居民组收入差距起到负向的扩大作用,不利于收入分配公平;单独实施石油资源税改革则同时缩小了城镇和居民组的收入差距,有利于收入分配公平;同时实施三类能源资源税改革的收入分配效应与税率组合方式有关;将能源资源税收入以补贴的方式返还给农村居民可以缩小其收入差距,有利于收入分配公平.     

未来气候变化对武夷山自然保护区毛竹异戊二烯排放速率的影响

采用全球气候模式Nor ESM1-M产生的RCP2.6、RCP4.5、RCP6.0和RCP8.5气候变化情景数据和植物异戊二烯排放计算模型,模拟分析了未来气候变化对武夷山自然保护区毛竹(Phyllostachys pubescens)异戊二烯排放速率的影响.结果显示,气候变化下武夷山自然保护区气温上升,年降水量和辐射强度波动较大,呈增加或下降趋势.毛竹异戊二烯平均日排放速率在未来气候变化情景下比基准情景下高约30μg·g~(-1)·d~(-1),在RCP8.5情景下比基准情景下高约48μg·g~(-1)·d~(-1);毛竹异戊二烯日排放速率在未来气候变化情景与基准情景下的差异在1~90 d和301~365 d较小,在91~300 d差异较大;相比基准情景,未来气候变化情景下毛竹异戊二烯日排放速率在1~190 d(平均增加15%以上)和271~365 d(平均增加20%)增幅较大,在191~270 d增幅较小,在RCP8.5情景下增幅最大(平均增加17%).另外,毛竹异戊二烯年排放速率在未来气候变化情景下比基准情景下约高10000μg·g~(-1)·a~(-1)以上,在RCP8.5情景下比基准情景下约高13%.研究表明,未来气候变化将使毛竹异戊二烯排放速率增加.     

南海浮游植物对沙尘和灰霾添加的响应

通过2016年5月~6月在南海3个站位开展的船基围隔培养实验,研究了沙尘和灰霾添加对南海浮游植物生长和群落结构变化的影响.结果发现,沙尘和灰霾添加由于提供了N、P等营养盐,整体上促进了浮游植物的生长,且促进程度与添加量密切相关.通过定量计算营养盐指数和叶绿素a累积浓度,发现培养期间叶绿素a累积浓度与沙尘添加浓度呈显著正相关关系（R²=0.87,P<0.01）;低浓度灰霾添加的作用与沙尘添加类似（R²=0.91,P<0.01）,但当灰霾浓度增大时,叶绿素a累积浓度的增加受到一定程度的抑制,这可能与灰霾中含有较高含量的毒性物质有关.各粒级浮游植物叶绿素a浓度的变化表明,沙尘和低浓度灰霾添加使浮游植物优势种群由超微型向小型和微型转变;在高浓度灰霾添加组,由于营养盐与毒性物质的综合作用,浮游植物粒级结构变化不明显.超微型浮游植物细胞丰度测定结果表明,沙尘对聚球藻、原绿球藻和超微型真核浮游植物均表现出促进作用,高浓度灰霾添加能够抑制聚球藻和超微型真核浮游植物的生长.     

Effects of Na+ on Cu/SAPO-34 for ammonia selective catalytic reduction

Copper-exchanged chabazite (Cu/CHA) catalysts have been found to be affected by alkali metal and alkaline earth ions. However, the effects of Na⁺ ions on Cu/SAPO-34 for ammonia selective catalytic reduction (NH₃-SCR) are still unclear. In order to investigate the mechanism, five samples with various Na contents were synthesized and characterized. It was observed that the introduced Na⁺ ion-exchanges with H⁺ and Cu^2 + of Cu/SAPO-34. The exchange of H⁺ is easier than that of isolated Cu^2 +. The exchanged Cu^2 + ions aggregate and form “CuAl₂O₄-like” species. The NH₃-SCR activity of Cu/SAPO-34 decreases with increasing Na content, and the loss of isolated Cu^2 + and acid sites is responsible for the activity loss.     

Cumulative effect assessment in Canada: a regional framework for aquatic ecosystems

Sustainable development of the aquatic environment depends upon routine and defensible cumulative effects assessment (CEA). CEA is the process of predicting the consequences of development relative to an assessment of existing environmental quality. Theoretically, it provides an on-going mechanism to evaluate if levels of development exceed the environment's assimilative capacity; i.e., its ability to sustain itself. In practice, the link between CEA and sustainable development has not been realized because CEA concepts and methods have developed along two dichotomous tracks. One track views CEA as an extension of the environmental assessment (EA) process for project developments. Under this track, stressor-based (S-B) methods have been developed where the emphasis is on local, project-related stressors, their link with aquatic indicators, and the potential for environmental effects through stressor-indicator interactions. S-B methods focus on the proposed development and prediction of project-related effects. They lack a mechanism to quantify existing aquatic quality especially at scales broader than an isolated development. This limitation results in the prediction of potential effects relative to a poorly defined baseline state. The other track views CEA as a broader, regional assessment tool where effects-based (E-B) methods specialize in quantification of existing aquatic effects over broad spatial scales. However, the predictive capabilities of E-B methods are limited because they are retrospective, i.e., the stressor causing the effect is identified after the effect has been measured. When used in isolation, S-B and E-B methods do not address CEA in the context necessary for sustainable development. However, if the strengths of these approaches were integrated into a holistic framework for CEA, an operational mechanism would exist to better monitor and assess sustainable development of our aquatic resources. This paper reviews the existing conceptual basis of CEA in Canada including existing methodologies, limitations and strengths. A conceptual framework for integrating project-based and regional-based CEA is presented.     

测定电镀废水中铬(Ⅵ)的新光度法

在硝酸介质中,二甲基黄先显色而后在加热条件下褪色,铬( )能显著阻抑此褪色反应,且阻抑程度与铬( )含量相关,据此建立了测定痕量铬( )的新方法。方法检出限是1.55×10-10g/ml,线性范围0.1～1.2μg/10ml,用于电镀废水中铬( )的测定,结果满意。