Estimating abundance without recaptures of marked pallid sturgeon in the Mississippi River

Abundance estimates are essential for assessing the viability of populations and the risks posed by alternative management actions. An effort to estimate abundance via a repeated mark‐recapture experiment may fail to recapture marked individuals. We devised a method for obtaining lower bounds on abundance in the absence of recaptures for both panmictic and spatially structured populations. The method assumes few enough recaptures were expected to be missed by random chance. The upper Bayesian credible limit on expected recaptures allows probabilistic statements about the minimum number of individuals present in the population. We applied this method to data from a 12‐year survey of pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) in the lower and middle Mississippi River (U.S.A.). None of the 241 individuals marked was recaptured in the survey. After accounting for survival and movement, our model‐averaged estimate of the total abundance of pallid sturgeon ≥3 years old in the study area had a 1%, 5%, or 25% chance of being <4,600, 7,000, or 15,000, respectively. When we assumed fish were distributed in proportion to survey catch per unit effort, the farthest downstream reach in the survey hosted at least 4.5–15 fish per river kilometer (rkm), whereas the remainder of the reaches in the lower and middle Mississippi River hosted at least 2.6–8.5 fish/rkm for all model variations examined. The lower Mississippi River had an average density of pallid sturgeon ≥3 years old of at least 3.0–9.8 fish/rkm. The choice of Bayesian prior was the largest source of uncertainty we considered but did not alter the order of magnitude of lower bounds. Nil‐recapture estimates of abundance are highly uncertain and require careful communication but can deliver insights from experiments that might otherwise be considered a failure.     

Usage of polystyrene disposable food dishes in the lightweight concrete making

The increasing use and subsequent accumulation of polystyrene containers has triggered a substantial environmental problem. This study investigated using varied percentages of solid waste polystyrene disposable food dishes in the production of lightweight concrete samples with 350 kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m³) of cement and a density of 1,300 kg/m³. The polystyrene disposable dishes were ground into beads of 0–3 millimeters (mm) and 3–6 mm in size. First, the characteristics of Type II Portland cement, polystyrene, and aggregates were examined. The following characteristics of concrete using ASTM International and British Standards Institution standards were tested: slump, compressive strength, ability to resist chloride ion penetration, and resistance of concrete to rapid freezing and thawing cycles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy analytical techniques were also used. The slump of samples varied between 40 and 70 mm and was not dependent on either the polystyrene percentage or the size of the polystyrene beads in the concrete samples (p‐value > .05). The compressive strength of the concrete samples after 90 days of curing, and using different percentages of polystyrene, varied between 96 and 113 kilograms per square centimeter (kg/cm²). The resistance of the samples to the freezing and thawing cycle and chloride ion penetration were affected unfavorably by the presence of the polystyrene. The SEM technique indicated that concrete samples containing 15% and 25% polystyrene had denser crystals and less void than concrete samples with 40% and 55% polystyrene.     

Optimization of capture–recapture monitoring of elusive species illustrated with a threatened grasshopper

Information on population sizes and trends of threatened species is essential for their conservation, but obtaining reliable estimates can be challenging. We devised a method to improve the precision of estimates of population size obtained from capture–recapture studies for species with low capture and recapture probabilities and short seasonal activity, illustrated with population data of an elusive grasshopper (Prionotropis rhodanica). We used data from 5 capture–recapture studies to identify methodological and environmental factors affecting capture and recapture probabilities and estimates of population size. In a simulation, we used the population size and capture and recapture probability estimates obtained from the field studies to identify the minimum number of sampling occasions needed to obtain unbiased and robust estimates of population size. Based on these results we optimized the capture–recapture design, implemented it in 2 additional studies, and compared their precision with those of the nonoptimized studies. Additionally, we simulated scenarios based on thresholds of population size in criteria C and D of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List to investigate whether estimates of population size for elusive species can reliably inform red-list assessments. Identifying parameters that affect capture and recapture probabilities (for the grasshopper time since emergence of first adults) and optimizing field protocols based on this information reduced study effort (−6% to −27% sampling occasions) and provided more precise estimates of population size (reduced coefficient of variation) compared with nonoptimized studies. Estimates of population size from the scenarios based on the IUCN thresholds were mostly unbiased and robust (only the combination of very small populations and little study effort produced unreliable estimates), suggesting capture–recapture can be considered reliable for informing red-list assessments. Although capture–recapture remains difficult and costly for elusive species, our optimization procedure can help determine efficient protocols to increase data quality and minimize monitoring effort.     

300MW燃煤锅炉机组超细颗粒聚并器的实验研究

为了解决燃煤锅炉烟气中超细颗粒难以脱除的问题,基于流体动力学原理设计了一种超细颗粒聚并器,并在300 MW燃煤锅炉机组电除尘器的前置烟道中进行了实验研究。结果表明,聚并器内部存在超细颗粒之间以及超细颗粒与大颗粒之间的相互聚集行为,从而使超细颗粒数量显著减少。例如,对于粒径在2.65和10.48μm以下的颗粒,其体积比例在聚并器出口分别减少了56.7%和62.3%,在电除尘器出口的粉尘浓度减少了26.34 mg/Nm3,这表明,基于流体动力学原理的聚并器对超细颗粒的聚并作用明显,具有良好的应用前景。     

深部煤层钻屑粒度随钻进深度分布规律

为了研究煤层钻屑粒度随钻进深度分布规律，选取具有冲击危险性的平煤八矿己15煤作为研究对象，采取钻屑量测试和孔口瓦斯浓度监测，通过筛分实验煤样并应用Rosin Rammler分布模型，探究了钻屑粒度和钻屑量大小随孔深变化关系，分析不同点钻屑粒度分布特征。结果表明:小于0.075 mm钻屑粒度分布随孔深变化与钻屑量变化规律相吻合；不同钻孔随深度变化分别对应不同Rosin Rammler分布函数，随着应力过渡越平缓，粒径分布宽度系数n值越小，煤体应力越大粒径相关系数D越大；不同范围钻屑粒度占比大小也会影响钻屑量大小；在钻屑量较大时，孔口瓦斯体积分数会出现增高现象。通过对钻屑粒度分布规律分析，更好地了解深部煤体应力分布，有助于冲击危险的预警。     

活性污泥对四环素的吸附性能研究

通过批量平衡法研究了四环素在活性污泥上的吸附行为.结果表明,污泥混合液浓度和四环素初始浓度对吸附平衡时间、污泥吸附量和污泥吸附率均有较大影响.伪二级反应动力学模型较伪一级反应动力学模型更符合本吸附实验.在10、25℃条件下,四环素在活性污泥上的吸附行为较符合Langmuir模型,最大吸附量分别是31.14、70.95 mg.g-1;在40℃下,符合Henry模型.应用D-R模型判定吸附类型,10℃(平均吸附能为9.13 kJ.mol-1)下,化学吸附占主导;40℃(平均吸附能为7.07 kJ.mol-1)下,物理吸附占主导.温度升高,污泥对四环素的吸附能力增大.离子交换是四环素在活性污泥上吸附的一种机制.四环素的初始浓度为5、10、20 mg.L-1,钠离子浓度由0 mol.L-1增加到0.1 mol.L-1时,吸附量分别下降15.32%、15.00%、20.12%.当pH在5～10之间时,pH为6的条件下污泥对四环素的吸附量最大.     

城市交通干道降雨径流中PAHs的污染特征

以上海、温州市典型交通干道地表径流为研究对象,分析了样品中16种溶解态和颗粒态PAHs浓度,了解了城市交通干道降雨径流中PAHs污染特征及其动态变化过程.结果表明,径流中∑PAHs(包括溶解相、颗粒相)浓度范围为919.8～16711.6ng·L-1,溶解相中PAHs浓度要远低于颗粒相(分别为4.9～1558.0ng·L-1,635.4～16624.0ng·L-1).通过对3场降雨事件中PAHs浓度随降雨过程变化的研究,可以发现并不是所有道路径流都有初期冲刷效应,初期冲刷的产生受雨前干期、降雨强度以及径流量等因素共同作用,因此简单拦截初期径流并不能十分有效地降低PAHs污染负荷.径流中PAHs在颗粒相-水相间的分配系数Kp值为2.3×104～2.5×106L·kg-1,随着悬浮颗粒物含量增加而减少,这可能跟径流过程中颗粒物粒径组成有关.     

Size distributions of aerosol and water-soluble ions in Nanjing during a crop residual burning event

To investigate the impact on urban air pollution by crop residual burning outside Nanjing, aerosol concentration, pollution gas concentration, mass concentration, and water-soluble ion size distribution were observed during one event of November 4-9, 2010. Results show that the size distribution of aerosol concentration is bimodal on pollution days and normal days, with peak values at 60-70 and 200-300 nm, respectively. Aerosol concentration is 10⁴ cm^-3. nm^-1 on pollution days. The peak value of spectrum distribution of aerosol concentration on pollution days is 1.5-3.3 times higher than that on a normal day. Crop residual burning has a great impact on the concentration of fine particles. Diurnal variation of aerosol concentration is trimodal on pollution days and normal days, with peak values at 03:00, 09:00 and 19:00 local standard time. The first peak is impacted by meteorological elements, while the second and third peaks are due to human activities, such as rush hour traffic. Crop residual burning has the greatest impact on SO₂ concentration, followed by NO₂, O₃ is hardly affected. The impact of crop residual burning on fine particles (< 2.1 μm) is larger than on coarse particles (> 2.1 μm), thus ion concentration in fine particles is higher than that in coarse particles. Crop residual burning leads to similar increase in all ion components, thus it has a small impact on the water-soluble ions order. Crop residual burning has a strong impact on the size distribution of K⁺, Cl^-, Na⁺, and F^- and has a weak impact on the size distributions of NH₄⁺, Ca²⁺, NO₃^- and SO₄^2-.     

Identification of rice cultivars with low brown rice mixed cadmium and lead contents and their interactions with the micronutrients iron, zinc, nickel and manganese

Paddy fields in mining areas are usually co-contaminated by a cocktail of mixed toxic heavy metals (e.g., Cd and Pb in Pb/Zn mines). However, previous studies on rice cultivars screened for effective metal exclusion have mostly focused on individual metals, and have been conducted under pot-trial or hydroponic solution conditions. This study identified rice cultivars with both low Cd and Pb accumulation under Cd-and Pb-contaminated field conditions, and the interactions of the toxic elements Cd and Pb with the micronutrient elements Fe, Zn, Mn and Ni were also studied. Among 32 rice cultivars tested, there were significant differences in Cd (0.06-0.59 mg/kg) and Pb (0.25-3.15 mg/kg) levels in their brown rice, and similar results were also found for the micronutrient elements. Significant decreases in concentrations of Fe and Mn were detected with increasing Cd concentrations and a significant elevation in Fe, Mn and Ni with increasing Pb concentrations. A similar result was also shown by Cd and Ni. Three cultivars were identified with a combination of low brown rice Cd and Pb, high micronutrient and grain yield (Wufengyou 2168, Tianyou 196 and Guinongzhan). Present results suggest that it is possible to breed rice cultivars with low mixed toxic element (Cd, Pb) and high micronutrient contents along with high grain yields, thus ensuring food safety and quality.     

Particle number size distribution and new particle formation: New characteristics during the special pollution control period in Beijing

New particle formation is a key process in shaping the size distribution of aerosols in the atmosphere.We present here the measurement results of number and size distribution of aerosol particles (10-1...