Light absorption enhancement of particulate matters and their source apportionment over the Asian continental outflow site and South Yellow Sea

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Light absorption enhancement of black carbon due to the aerosol mixing states is an important parameterization for climate modeling, while emission...     

Environmental implications of adopting a dominant factor approach to salinity management

Additive or multiplicative models of crop response on which salinity management theory have been developed may lead to an erroneous perception regarding compensative interaction among salinity and other growth factors. We present results from studies of biomass production and transpiration of corn (Zea mays L. cv. Jubilee), melon (Cucumis melo L. subsp. melo cv. Galia), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. 5656), onion (Allium cepa L. cv. HA 944), and date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L. cv. Medjool) under salinity combined with water or nitrate (growth promoters) or with boron (growth inhibitor). The measured crop responses were to the more severe stress rather than to combinations of the individual effects of the various stresses. Consequences of shifting management of saline water to a dominant factor approach include reduction of environmental contamination and conservation of water resources.     

Economic aspects of the rehabilitation of the Hiriya landfill

The Hiriya landfill, Israel's largest, operated from 1952 to 1998. The landfill, located in the heart of the Dan Region, developed over the years into a major landscape nuisance and environmental hazard. In 1998, the Israeli government decided to close the landfill, and in 2001 rehabilitation activities began at the site, including site investigations, engineering and scientific evaluations, and end-use planning. The purpose of the present research is to perform a cost-benefit analysis of engineering and architectural-landscape rehabilitation projects considered for the site. An engineering rehabilitation project is required for the reduction of environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions, slope instability and leachate formation. An architectural-landscape rehabilitation project would consider improvements to the site to make it suitable for future end uses such as a public park. The findings reveal that reclamation is worthwhile only in the case of architectural-landscape rehabilitation of the landfill, converting it into a public park. Engineering rehabilitation alone was found to be unjustified, but is essential to enable the development of a public park.     

Kin composition effects on reproductive competition among queenless honeybee workers

Kin selection and inclusive fitness theories predict that, in hopeless queenless (QL) groups, competition or cooperation will occur over male production among workers of different patrilines. Competition is expected to involve mutual inhibition of reproduction and to affect fertility advertisement. To examine kin effect on these phenomena, we studied QL groups of honeybee workers comprising three types of kin structure: groups composed of pure single patrilines, groups composed of three mixed patrilines (all originating from colonies headed by single-drone-inseminated queens), and control groups composed of bees originating from naturally mated queens. Global assessment of ovarian development, irrespective of patriline composition, revealed no differences among group types. In contrast, the performance of specific patrilines revealed that, in the three-mixed-patriline groups, some patrilines were reproductively suppressed compared to their performance when reared as a pure single patriline, resulting in an uneven share of reproduction. Analysis of the fertility signal produced by Dufour's gland revealed kin composition effects, which may reflect the bees' competitive efforts. Although patriline effects on worker reproductive superiority have been shown in QL colonies, we were able to investigate specific patriline performance both in competitive and noncompetitive situations here for the first time. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that reproductive and pheromonal competitions in QL groups are affected by the number of subfamilies populating a colony and that these act as coalitions. The results also emphasize that within-colony heterogeneity, in the form of multiple patrilines, has far-reaching consequences on social evolution.     

襄阳市秋冬季PM2.5污染特征及潜在源区分析

为了解襄阳市秋冬季PM_2.5的污染特征及来源，基于2020年11月至2021年1月在线监测数据，对PM_2.5质量浓度、气象因素、化学组分、来源及潜在源区进行了分析。结果表明，襄阳市秋冬季污染天首要污染物均为PM_2.5,且随污染程度加重，PM_2.5与PM₁₀质量浓度比呈上升趋势，二次颗粒物的形成对PM_2.5的贡献更高。在PM_2.5化学组分中，水溶性离子占比最大，随着污染程度加重，二次离子(SNA)快速增长，二次离子的生成转化是污染的重要成因。轻度、中度污染时，湿度高、风速小、气温低，有利于污染的积累，重度污染时湿度大、风速回升，有利于上游污染的输送与二次转化。PMF模型解析出襄阳市PM_2.5主要来源及贡献率为二次源58.0%、工业企业源22.6%、机动车源10.7%、扬尘源8.7%。襄阳市潜在源区主要分布在河南省中北部、河北省南部、山东省西部、安徽省北部、江汉平原东部及南部区域，极少量分布在襄阳区域，长距离区域传输...