Examining adaptation and mitigation opportunities in the context of the integrated watershed management programme of the Government of India

India occupies 2.4% of the world’s geographical area with a large percentage of its land under agriculture. About 228 Million hectares (Mha) of its geographical area (nearly 69%) fall within the dryland (arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid) region. Of the total cultivated area of 142 Mha, major part of agriculture in the country is rainfed, extending to over 97 Mha and constituting nearly 68% of the net cultivated area, therefore making the agricultural sector vulnerable and exposed to the vagaries of weather conditions. Climate change adds to this dimension of stress. A strong need is felt for targeting programmes in these areas that address issues related to employing suitable soil and water conservation measures. In this context this paper seeks to examine the case for watershed development as an adaptive strategy. An examination of the possibility of fortifying the existing programme with a view to adapting to expected changes in climate in future is undertaken. Also, the possibility of watershed development integrating into a suitable mitigation strategy for the country is assessed.

Biomechanical model of the P-type ion pumps of the cell

The mechanisms of the Na/K pump and of the primary Ca pumps of the cell have not yet been clarified. A biomechanical model of these so-called p-type ion pumps is proposed here. It is based on the assumption that the Na ⁺ and Ca ²⁺ ions are occluded by a contracting protein chain cooperating with the ATPase section of the pump. After transfer of the chain into the region of high Na ⁺ or Ca ²⁺ concentration, the ions are released through stretching of the chain by the ATPase. In the backward transfer of the chain, a retrograde transport of Na ⁺ ions is prevented through occlusion of K ⁺ ions by another region of the same chain. In the case of Ca ²⁺ ions, a similar effect is expected from hydrated Mg ²⁺ ions. The two sections of the chain discriminate between the electrical field strength at the surface and the polarizability of the ions. The most likely mechanism for the transfer of the ion-binding chain is considered to involve a thermally induced transition of a pump dimer between two almost equivalent stable orientations in the membrane.     

Impact of biocide treatments on the bacterial communities of the Lascaux Cave

The Lascaux Cave contains a remarkable set of paintings from the Upper Palaeolithic. Shortly after discovery in 1940, the cave was modified for public viewing and, in 2001, was invaded by a Fusarium solani species complex. Benzalkonium chloride was used from 2001 to 2004 to eliminate the fungal outbreak. In this study, we carried out a sampling in most of the cave halls and galleries. Sequence analysis and isolation methods detected that the most abundant genera of bacteria were Ralstonia and Pseudomonas. We suggest that, as a result of years of benzalkonium chloride treatments, the indigenous microbial community has been replaced by microbial populations selected by biocide application.     

On the kinetics of acetylcholine at the synapse

Electrophysiologic, morphologic, and biochemical definitions of the synapse will be correlated spatially and temporally. Postsynaptic fatigue and facilitation follow oscillations of the free pool of acetylcholine, predicted by the kinetic theory and observed at the electric organ of Torpedo marmorata. The underlying thermodynamic instability exhibits properties of the Na⁺—K⁺-dependent hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate and represents a necessary condition for synaptic memory.     

赣江流域土地利用方式对无机氮的影响

赣江无机氮是鄱阳湖氮素输入的主要来源,查明流域土地利用方式对赣江无机氮的影响对鄱阳湖的富营养化防治具有重要意义.基于2013年1月和6月对赣江干流和主要支流NO-3-N和NH+4-N的浓度测定,通过不同空间尺度和土地类型等级划分,利用相关分析和冗余分析研究土地利用方式对赣江无机氮浓度的影响.结果表明,不同空间尺度的子流域划分方式对赣江流域土地利用类型与无机氮浓度的相关性有较大影响.与NO-3-N相比,选择更小的子流域划分尺度有助于分析土地利用方式对NH+4-N浓度的影响;在温度较高、微生物活动强烈的季节,也应选择更小的子流域划分尺度研究土地利用方式对无机氮浓度的影响.一级土地利用分类下,赣江流域水田、水域对NO-3-N起"源"作用,林地、草地起"汇"作用;居民建设用地对NH+4-N起"源"作用,林地起"汇"作用.二级土地利用分类下,水田中丘陵水田是赣江NO-3-N浓度的主要来源,其次为平原水田,山区水田最小.居民建设用地中的城镇用地和其它工矿建设用地是赣江NH+4-N的主要污染来源,农村用地是NO-3-N的主要污染来源.     

黑河下游重要生态功能区植被防风固沙功能及其价值初步评估

在遥感和地理信息系统支持下,利用风蚀输沙率模型,对1986-2006年期间黑河下游重要生态功能区植被的防风固沙功能及其价值进行了估算。结果表明: 1986、1996和2006年研究区植被防风固沙量分别为9 056×10⁴ t、4 972×10⁴ t和6 296×10⁴ t;不同植被覆盖的土地类型中,有林地防风固沙能力最强,其次为灌木林,低覆盖度草地最小;1986-2006年,区域植被生态系统的防风固沙功能呈现出先减弱后增强的趋势;植被防风固沙功能的空间分布差异性明显,防风固沙能力较高的区域主要零散分布在河流、湖泊沿岸等植被覆盖状况较好的区域;研究区域植被生态系统的防风固沙功能价值较大,2006年达到53.1×10⁸元,明显高于当年研究区的GDP。     

二甲基硫醚光解及二甲基二硫醚生成速率研究

用低压汞灯照射二甲基硫醚（ＤＭＳ）,在２０ｍ的长光池中用富里叶红外光谱仪测量其光解产物,结果表明二甲基硫醚光解生成二甲基二硫醚（ＤＭＤＳ）和乙烷。测量其不同光照时间的光解产物,结果表明Ｉｎ＾ｃ０／ｃｔ在直解坐标上是一条直线,说明了二甲基二硫醚生成按生一极反应进行,其生成的速率常数为８．７０×１０＾－５ｓ＾－１用低压汞灯照射ＤＭＳ＋Ｈ２Ｏ２体系,富里叶红外光谱检测其产物,在有足够的Ｈ２Ｏ２情况下,生     

Emissions corridors for reducing the risk of a collapse of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation

In this paper, we present the integrated assessment model dimrise (dynamic integrated model of regular climate change impacts and singular events). This model is designed to investigate the stability of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC) and to derive related climate policy recommendations. It is written in GAMS and comprises a dynamic model of the THC coupled to a climate model and a global economy model for assessing the monetary cost of climate protection. The THC model is a dynamic four-box interhemispheric extension of the classic Stommel model calibrated against results obtained using the CLIMBER-2 climate model. The reduced-form climate model used to drive the THC model is the ICLIPS multi-gas climate model, which is a computationally efficient, globally aggregated model able to mimic the response of more sophisticated carbon cycle and atmosphere-ocean general circulation models. The THC and climate modules are coupled to a globally aggregated Ramsey-type optimal growth model of the world economy derived from the Nordhaus DICE model. Together, these components create a novel dynamic fully coupled computationally efficient integrated assessment model. Illustrative applications demonstrate that dimrise is able to derive (constrained) economically optimal emissions paths that comply with prescribed bounds on admissible THC weakening imposed in order to avoid an irrevocable breakdown. In addition, emissions corridors are presented which contain all possible emissions paths that do not endanger the stability of the THC and that simultaneously obey restrictions on welfare loss arising from mitigation efforts. The presented results show that, under worst-case conditions, the stability of the THC may be threatened within two decades if global emissions would not deviate from the business-as-usual trajectory.

Restoration of Some Parameters in the Development of Benthos After Reduction of Anthropogenous Loading in the Ecosystem of the Sevastopol Bay in the Black Sea

Research on benthic communities have been carried out in the Sevastopol Bay of the Black Sea for a hundred years. The anthropogenous influence began to have an effect already in the 20–30^th. In this period, all oyster-banks were lost and the mussel-silt and mellina-silt communities have begun to degrade and were not found during almost seventy years in the Bay. The worst state of benthic communities was observed in the 60–90^th, when species of bottom animals were not found over some parts of the sea. In this period, only 10 macrozoobenthic species were registered in the Bay. Mollusks: Nassarius reticulatus, Bittium reticulatum, Cerastoderma glaucum and polychaetes: Nephtys hombergii, Neanthes succinea have proved the most enduring at high anthropogenous loadings The faunistic complex of benthic species registered in 1913 had the greatest similarity to the benthic species complex of 2002. Return of mussel, Melinna palmata polychaete and Ascidiella aspersa sea squirt in benthic communities of the Sevastopol Bay are responsible for the similarity between these faunistic complexes. The restoration of local populations of these benthic species has followed the significant decrease of the anthropogenous loading on the sea ecosystems as a result of the significant reduction of the military naval base in the Bay during the last five to ten years.     

夏季黄渤海表层海水中二甲亚砜(DMSO)的浓度分布

根据2011年6月对黄渤海进行的大面调查,分析研究了夏季表层海水中颗粒态和溶解态二甲亚砜(DMSOp、DMSOd)的水平分布及其周日变化特征.海水中DMSO首先采用NaBH4将其还原为二甲基硫(DMS),再利用冷阱吹扫-捕集气相色谱法进行间接测定.结果表明,表层海水中DMSOp浓度的变化范围是5.43～18.35 nmol·L-1,平均值为(11.47±0.25)nmol·L-1;DMSOd浓度的变化范围是4.75～43.80 nmol·L-1,平均值为(13.42±0.58)nmol·L-1.相关性分析显示:DMSOp与叶绿素a(Chl-a)、温度、盐度等不存在相关性,而DMSOp/Chl-a比值与盐度存在一定的正相关,表明DMSO在藻细胞内具有渗透压调节功能;DMSOd与细菌、DMSOp浓度不存在相关性,而与DMS浓度存在一定的正相关,表明表层海水中DMSOd的主要来源是DMS的光化学氧化.另外,DMSOp与DMSOd均呈现出明显的周日变化规律,白天时段浓度明显高于夜间时段.     

Experimental study on the control of black smoke pollution from the ceramic kilns based on the mechanism of the surfactant and coagulant

Aiming at the characteristics of carbon black, a new method of controlling the black smoke from the industrial coal-burning ceramic kilns by wetting was brought forward. The carbon black in the flue of coal-burning ceramic kiln was collected for the experiments, and its physical and chemical properties were studied in detail. In order to change the sedimentation and wettability state of the carbon black, the complex solution of the coagulant and surfactant was applied. After a series of orthogonal experiments, the complex solutions with better effects were chosen. Then, the sedimentation percentage of carbon black treated by the selected complex solutions was measured. The optimized complex solutions included Na₂SO₄ (100 mmol/L), sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS) (1.2 mmol/L) and polyacrylamide (PAM) (40 mg/L). After carbon black was absorbed, the complex solutions were clear and colorless. The complex solutions can be recycled, and the sedimentation percentage of carbon black is 94%. __________ Translated from Research of Environmental Sciences, 2006, 19(4), 80–85 [译自: 环境科学研究]     

有机粘土疏水性吸附过程的分子模拟:烷基碳原子数和有机物logK_(ow)的影响

基于从分子尺度上解析改性剂烷基碳原子数和有机物疏水性对有机粘土吸附能力的影响机制,以从头算的量子化学计算方法(MP2/6-31g(d))模拟了有机粘土在水溶液中的吸附过程.通过计算吸附前后几何构型、能量、化学键和电荷分布等参数的变化,分析了影响有机粘土疏水性吸附的关键因素,并对疏水性吸附作用力的化学本质进行了初步探讨.计算结果表明,烷基碳原子数增加对提高有机物吸附能的作用并不显著,长链烷基提高有机粘土吸附容量的真正原因在于其可提供更多的有机物吸附位.有机物的疏水性(以正辛醇-水分配系数logKow表征)是影响疏水性吸附过程的关键因子,水分子的引力作用对疏水性吸附具有决定性影响,理论上解释了普遍存在的有机物吸附量与logKow呈正相关的实验现象.疏水性吸附力的作用前提是有机物为疏水性,即当水分子的引力作用较弱时疏水性作用力才可以表现出来;而对于亲水性有机物,疏水性吸附力会被水分子的引力所抵消,吸附强度减弱.模拟红外光谱和电荷分布结果表明,吸附前后无化学键断裂和电子得失的发生,只有原子电荷密度的微小变化,据此推测疏水性吸附力以分子间弱相互作用力——London色散力为主.     

汉江上游金水河流域氮湿沉降

汉江上游金水河流域是南水北调工程的重要水源涵养区,但是氮污染已成为该流域水质的主要威胁因素.该研究对汉江的金水河流域开展了为期1 a(2012-02~2013-02)的氮湿沉降观测,并利用氮输出模型估算了氮湿沉降对河流氮负荷的贡献量.结果表明雨水中总氮(DTN)的浓度在0.24~2.89 mg·L-1之间,铵态氮(NH+4-N)、硝态氮(NO-3N)及有机氮(DON)分别占42.8%、13.3%和43.9%;雨水氮浓度随降雨量增大而变小,明显受到降雨的稀释作用.流域内氮湿沉降主要来自人类活动,沉降负荷在4.97~7.00 kg·(hm2·a)-1之间,受降雨量的主要影响,上游地区的氮湿沉降负荷>下游地区>中游地区,春夏两季约占全年氮湿沉降的81%.流域氮湿沉降对河流氮负荷贡献量约为34 000~46 000 kg,只占流域氮肥贡献量的5.05%~6.78%,远小于流域内农业活动化肥氮的贡献量,不是河流氮的主要来源.     

The armoured dissorophid Cacops from the Early Permian of Oklahoma and the exploitation of the terrestrial realm by amphibians

Cacops, one of the most distinctive Paleozoic amphibians, is part of a clade of dissorophoid temnospondyls that diversified in the equatorial region of Pangea during the Late Carboniferous and Early Permian, persisting into the Late Permian in Central Russia and China. Dissorophids were a successful group of fully terrestrial, often spectacularly armoured predators, the only amphibians apparently able to coexist with amniotes when the latter started to dominate terrestrial ecosystems. In this paper, we describe excellent new skulls from the Early Permian of Oklahoma attributed to Cacops, Cacops morrisi sp. nov. and provide for the first time detailed information about this iconic dissorophid. These specimens show anatomical and ontogenetic features that will impact on future studies on the evolution of terrestriality in tetrapods. For example, the large, posteriorly closed tympanic embayment has fine striations on an otherwise smooth surface, documenting the oldest known clear evidence for the presence of a tympanic membrane in the fossil record, a structure that is used for hearing airborne sound in extant tetrapods. The skull of C. morrisi also has several features associated with predatory behaviour, indicating that this dissorophid may have been one of the top terrestrial predators of its time.     

旺格维利采矿法矿柱合理尺寸数值模拟

为回收瓦厂坪铝土矿边角矿体并提高矿井资源回收率,本文基于简支梁、固定梁及两区约束理论,结合FLAC~(3D)数值模拟软件,对瓦厂坪铝土矿采用旺格维利采矿法回收边角矿体时刀间矿柱的合理尺寸进行模拟分析,得出刀间矿柱随采硐数目增加所受垂直应力和塑性区的变化规律。结果表明:较合理的刀间矿柱尺寸为1.0 m,1.0 m刀间矿柱能够保护当前回采采硐,且靠近工作面的三到四对刀间矿柱部分发生塑性破坏,能起到临时支撑顶板作用。     

Profile of the culturable microbiome capable of producing acyl-homoserine lactone in the tobacco phyllosphere

Bacterial populations coexisting in the phyllosphere niche have important effects on plant health. Quorum sensing (QS) allows bacteria to communicate via diffusible signal molecules, but QS-dependent behaviors in phyllosphere bacterial populations are poorly understood. We investigate the dense and diverse N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL)-producing phyllosphere bacteria living on tobacco leaf surfaces via a culture-dependent method and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Our results indicated that approximately 7.9%-11.7% of the culturable leaf-associated bacteria have the ability to produce AHL based on the assays using whole-cell biosensors. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene assigned the AHL-producing strains to two phylogenetic groups, with Gammaproteobacteria (93%) as the predominant group, followed by Alphaproteobacteria. All of the AHL-producing Alphaproteobacteria were affiliated with the genus Rhizobium, whereas the AHL-producing bacteria belonging to the Gammaproteobacteria mainly fell within the genera Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Pantoea and Serratia. The bioassays of supernatant extracts revealed that a portion of the strains have a remarkable AHL profile for AHL induction activity using the two different biosensors, and one compound in the active extract of a representative isolate, NTL223, corresponded to 3-oxo-hexanoyl-homoserine lactone. A large population size and diversity of bacteria capable of AHL-driven QS were found to cohabit on leaves, implying that cross-communication based AHL-type QS may be common in the phyllosphere. Furthermore, this study provides a general snapshot of a potential valuable application of AHL-producing bacteria inhabiting leaves for their presumable ecological roles in the phyllosphere.     

Integration of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell in a sugar-ethanol factory: analysis of the efficiency and the environmental profile of the products

The effect of the integration of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology in a sugar-ethanol factory on the environmental profile/footprint of the products (sugar, ethanol, electricity) is evaluated. The sugarcane is the primary feedstock and sugar, ethanol and electricity are the main products of the system, where the functional unit is defined as 9.86 ton/h of sugar, 2.195 ton/h of hydrated ethanol (96% w/w) and 847 kWh of electricity. A detailed set of material and energy inputs and outputs was obtained from a local factory and was completed using simulation data by Aspen Plus^®.The environmental impacts (greenhouse gases and air pollution), exergy efficiency and a renewability parameter have been considered as indicators for the comparative assessment with conventional sugar, ethanol and electricity production technologies. The results show that the use of a SOFC technology involves a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (52-55%) and non-renewable resources (60-64%) when compared with the conventional integrated sugar and ethanol plant. The higher renewability index (0.93) and exergy efficiency (38%) are noticed for the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell technology integrated in the sugar-ethanol factory than conventional sugar-ethanol plant.     

复合式厌氧氨氧化反应器脱氮性能研究

采用低速机械搅拌装置,以无纺布作为固定床的填料,把搅拌床与固定床的优点有机结合起来,设计一种复合式厌氧氨氧化反应器.在反应器中,生物滞留量相对较高,微生物的性状由接种时的碎絮状很快转变成颗粒状,短期内反应器系统的脱氮性能迅速提高,启动时间大为缩短.仅用38d,反应器中总氮去除速率稳定增长至1.9kg·m·-3d-1.随...     

进水C/P对SNEDPR系统脱氮除磷性能的影响

为了解不同进水C/P条件下同步硝化内源反硝化除磷(SNEDPR)的脱氮除磷特性.以实际城市污水为处理对象,采用延时厌氧(180 min)/低氧(溶解氧0.5~1.0 mg·L~(-1))运行的序批式反应器(SBR),考察了进水C/P(分别为60、30、20、15、10)对系统C、N、P去除特性的影响.结果表明:适当降低进水C/P(由60降至30)有利于提高系统内PAOs竞争优势.当C/P为30时系统除磷性能最高,厌氧段释磷速率(PRR)和好氧段吸磷速率(PUR,以P/MLSS计,下同)分别高达3.5mg·(g·h)-1和4.2 mg·(g·h)-1,出水PO3-4-P浓度均低于0.3 mg·L~(-1),且PPAO,An高达88.1%;但进一步降低进水C/P至10时,PO3-4-P去除率和PPAO,An分别由38.1%和82.4%降低至3.1%和5.3%,PRR和PUR分别仅为0.2 mg·(g·h)-1和0.24mg·(g·h)-1,系统表现出较差的除磷性能.降低C/P对系统COD去除性能没有影响,COD去除率稳定在85%左右.此外,当C/P由60降低至20时,系统硝化性能变差,表现为出水NH+4-N和NO-2-N浓度分别由0和6.9 mg·L~(-1)升高至5.1 mg·L~(-1)和16.2 mg·L~(-1);而当C/P进一步降低至10时,系统硝化性能得以恢复,但亚硝积累特性遭到破坏,表现为出水NH+4-N和NO-2-N浓度逐渐降低为0,但出水NO-3-N浓度由0.08 mg·L~(-1)升高至14.1 mg·L~(-1).SNED率先由62.1%降低为36.4%后又逐渐提高至56.4%.C/P低于15时,有利于提高GAOs的竞争优势,且C/P由20降至10时系统脱氮性能得以恢复,原因在于GAOs内源反硝化作用的增强.