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。     

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-.     

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...     

新疆部分城市可吸入颗粒物的浓度及粒径分布

采用TH-β10大气颗粒物浓度监测仪,从2011年4-5月在乌鲁木齐、奎屯、阿克苏、库尔勒、喀什、和田市环境监测站采集大气可吸入颗粒物PM2.5、PM5和PM10样品,分析了不同采样点大气颗粒物的质量浓度变化范围及与TSP的相应比值。结果表明,不论是PM2.5、PM5还是PM10,阿克苏市可吸入颗粒物的质量浓度变化幅度较大,其次是库尔勒市,其余采样点在采样期间的浓度变化幅度不大,并且库尔勒、喀什、奎屯、阿克苏四个城市PM5/TSP和PM2.5/TSP的比例大,除喀什、阿克苏的PM10/TSP的比例接近于1之外,其余可吸入颗粒物的浓度均小于TSP;采用显微镜观测成像技术结合血球计数板方法,利用粒径分布函数分析对六个城市的PM10和5个城市的PM2.5颗粒物在不同粒径的分布进行了分析。结果表明,对于PM10而言,阿克苏在dp<0.5的粒径范围内分布函数高达79%、喀什在dp=0.5~0.6μm之间为44%、和田则在dp=1.2~2.2μm出现20%的最大粒径分布函数。就PM2.5而言,库尔勒在dp<0.5、dp=0.5~0.6、0.6~1.2μm区间内的分布函数均为最大值,其值分为79%、50%、50%,可以说明在采样期间,库尔勒市区的颗粒物在粒径小于1.2μm出现的几率更大些,即颗粒物以积聚模态为主。     

采用体积信息熵表征颗粒污泥系统稳定性及其稳定机制

SBR反应器中培养自养硝化颗粒污泥,在絮体转化为颗粒过程中,颗粒的体积信息熵从2.05(27 d,初见颗粒)降低为1.85(95 d),熵值降低的主要动力来自于松散的絮体在较快沉速选择压条件下被淘洗出系统.当絮体被淘洗出系统即完成颗粒化过程,在129 d时测得系统中颗粒沉速分布的中位数为6.27 m.h-1,因此颗粒体积熵值的变化不再受沉速选择压(6m.h-1)的控制.颗粒的粒径、沉速及体积熵值分布均呈现周期性变化,其中信息熵的均值为2.16,最小值为1.79,最大值为2.63.在这种周期性变化过程中,系统总是表现为粒径均值先增大后减小.熵值的波动的驱动力来自于颗粒的破碎与破碎体的成长,体积分布信息熵的大小可以很好地表征系统的稳定性及其稳定机制.     

不同粒径地表街尘中重金属在径流冲刷中的迁移转化

在我国快速城市化进程中,街尘及其径流冲刷引起的重金属污染日显突出.通过对北京市城乡道路街尘及其人工降雨模拟径流冲刷过程中不同粒径街尘中重金属的分析,探讨街尘与径流冲刷过程中的粒径效应及不同重金属赋存形态的动态变化规律.结果表明,同一粒径颗粒物从"静态"街尘到"动态"径流中的颗粒物,重金属浓度呈下降趋势.街尘中重金属在径流冲刷过程中,存在溶解与解析现象,颗粒物粒径越小,减少比率越大,5种重金属(Cr、Cu、Ni、Pb、Zn)的减少比率分别为24.3%、56.8%、34.3%、22.8%、27.3%.街尘中的弱酸可提取态比例要略大于径流颗粒物中弱酸可提取态比例,部分以水溶态进入水体中.在径流冲刷过程中,水相溶解态重金属变化不大,水相颗粒态重金属含量随降雨时间径流过程迅速降低.固相颗粒物的重金属浓度随降雨时间总体上呈下降趋势.粒径越小,冲刷率越大,最大为62.1%,最小为4.6%.地表街尘在径流冲刷过程中,小粒径颗粒物具有较强的迁移能力,较容易进入水体造成污染.