两种DSA电极的制备及其对有机废水降解的电催化性能

采用热分解法,以优化比例的SnCl4·5H2O,Sb2O3,Ce(NO3)2·6H2O,RuCl3为前躯体,制备了Ce掺杂的Ti基RuO2电极(RuO2/Ti)和Ti基PbO2电极(β-PbO2/Ti),并对两种DSA电极的电催化性能进行测试.结果表明,两种DSA电极均显示出良好的稳定性和抗腐蚀性,β-PbO2/Ti电极比RuO2/Ti电极具有更高的有机物氧化降解活性,但若以NaCl类作支持电解质时,RuO2/Ti电极也是一种可选电极.     

Nd-Er/ZnO-TiO_2光催化剂制备及对酸性品红的光催化降解效应

本研究采用溶胶凝胶法,以钛酸丁酯[Ti(OC_4H_9)_4]和六水合硝酸锌[Zn(NO_3)_2·6H_2O]为前躯体,六水合硝酸钕[Nd(NO_3)_3·6H_2O]与五水合硝酸铒[Er(NO_3)_3·5H_2O]为掺杂改性材料制备出稀土共掺杂的Nd-Er/ZnO-TiO_2光催化剂。以有机染料酸性品红为目标降解物,分别比较加入助催剂H_2O_2与未加助催剂H_2O_2在可见光下同Nd-Er/ZnO-TiO_2光催化剂一起对光催化活性的影响。降解实验表明,在可见光照射下,样品1%Nd-1%Er/5%ZnO-TiO_2具有较高的催化活性,其最佳煅烧时间和煅烧温度分别为2 h和550℃;H_2O_2在整个光催化反应体系中充当助催剂,与光催化剂产生协同效应,提高光催化降解酸性品红反应速度。本研究还利用X射线衍射仪(XRD)、比表面积分析仪(BET)、红外光谱仪(ATI-IR)对所制得的光催化材料进行表征。结果表明经稀土共掺杂改性后的ZnO-TiO_2光催化剂不仅粒径更小,比表面积也更大。     

碘铈共掺杂纳米TiO_2的制备及可见光光催化性能

采用溶胶凝胶法制备了不同原料比例碘铈共掺杂纳米TiO2催化剂,运用X射线光电子能谱（XPS）,X射线衍射（XRD）,透射电镜（TEM）等检测手段对催化剂进行了初步表征.结果表明,经过450℃煅烧处理得到的TiO2、铈掺杂TiO2以及碘铈共掺杂TiO2催化剂均为锐钛矿相,掺杂的Ce和I原子可能以I—Ce—O及O—Ti—I等键合方式进入TiO2晶格内部,此外,I-Ce离子共掺杂能有效降低TiO2表面的电子-空穴对的复合.以染料罗丹明B（Rhodamine B,RhB）和无色小分子水杨酸（Salicylic acid,SA）为降解的目标化合物,发现碘铈共掺杂的最佳物质的量之比为nCe∶nI∶nTi=0.04∶0.05∶1,即I0.05Ce0.04TiO2催化剂在可见光照射下（λ〉420 nm）降解目标化合物其光化学活性明显优于单掺铈的TiO2催化剂和未掺杂的TiO2.该催化反应涉及到空穴氧化,并伴有羟基自由基（.OH）、超氧自由基（O2.-）及H2O2等氧化物种的产生.     

掺铅TiO2薄膜的光催化活性及电化学性能

采用溶胶凝胶烧结工艺在玻璃表面制备铅离子多层掺杂的光催化复合TiO2薄膜,用XRD技术表征了该薄膜的晶型,并用电化学方法测定了该薄膜电极的伏安特性及交流阻抗性能．以光催化降解甲基橙溶液为模型反应,采用两种不同方式制备的铅离子多层掺杂TiO2薄膜具有很好的光催化活性,最佳掺杂浓度均为0．5％(Pb／Ti原子百分比),PbD0.5掺铅薄膜的最佳光催化降解甲基橙表观速率常数约是纯TiO2的2．52倍．铅离子掺杂TiO2薄膜表现出近表面处捕获光生电子或空穴,随后被捕获的电子或空穴迁移到TiO2薄膜表向参与光催化反应。     

制备钙钛矿催化剂LaNiO3用于染料废水的降解脱色

为改善普通石墨电极的电催化性能,将以溶胶-凝胶法合成的钙钛矿氧化物LaNiO3混合其它原料做成气体扩散电极,用于电化学降解活性艳红X-3B,以脱色率来考核催化剂的氧还原活性.采用星点设计-效应面曲线法对催化剂制备工艺进行了优化,得出最佳工艺参数为:柠檬酸含量为金属离子物质的量的1.54倍,pH值为9.94,焙烧温度为824.39℃.采用X射线衍射(XRD)、动电位扫描等检测分析方法对所制备的催化剂进行表征和分析.结果表明,制备的催化剂晶相纯净、晶型完整、衍射峰强度较高,是较完整的钙钛矿结构;相比于普通石墨电极,掺杂催化剂的气体扩散电极极化阻力高,氧还原性能良好,有利于有机物的降解.     

电催化氧化阳极制备及其降酚特性

以自制Ti基SnO2/Sb2O3/IrO2镀层形稳电极(Dimensionless Stable Anode)为阳极,采用电催化氧化法处理模拟含酚废水.通过涂层分析和电化学性能测试表征了自制电极特性,考察了电解质类型和浓度、电流密度、苯酚初始浓度及体系初始pH值等因素对苯酚氧化过程的影响,并探讨其降解动力学规律.结果表明,自制电极是以SnO2为基础的纳米级固熔体氧化物电极且具有较好的表面结构,运行稳定性较好.苯酚的降解主要依赖于以NaCl为电解质时产生的氯系活性物质的间接氧化作用.随着电解质浓度及电流密度的增加,苯酚降解速率随之增大;而苯酚的初始浓度越大,降解速率越慢.体系初始pH对过程影响不明显.苯酚的降解过程符合一级反应动力学。     

ZnO薄膜光电催化降解乙酰甲胺磷

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了ZnO薄膜,并通过光电流响应、EIS、SEM、XRD等分析方法对其光电化学性能、表面形貌和结构进行表征.以制备的ZnO薄膜为工作电极对乙酰甲胺磷进行光电催化降解.实验表明,ZnO薄膜电极在UV照射下能够有效地光电催化降解乙酰甲胺磷,加入适量H2O2后具有一定的协同作用.在H2O2浓度为9.908 mmol.L-1,外加电压为1.2 V,支持电解液Na2SO4浓度为0.01 mol.L-1,溶液pH值为5.4的条件下,对0.1 mmol.L-1的乙酰甲胺磷180 min的降解率可达到89.6%.     

Sm3+/TiO2催化剂对光催化还原CO2和H2O合成CH3OH的影响

采用溶胶-凝胶法和溶胶-乳化-燃烧法制备了Sm3+/TiO2光催化剂,并用X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电镜(TEM)、紫外可见吸收光谱(UV-Vis)、红外光谱(IR)等分析技术表征了催化剂,考察了制备方法、离子掺杂量等对催化剂光催化还原CO2和H2O合成CH3OH实验的影响.实验结果表明,掺杂后的催化剂颗粒更均匀,比表面相应增加,溶胶-乳化-燃烧法制备的催化剂晶粒更小,比表面积更大,光催化活性更高.     

Fenton法降解水中布洛芬

采用Fenton法降解水中布洛芬,考察了H2O2投加量、FeSO.47H2O与H2O2的比值、初始pH、反应时间等因素对布洛芬去除率的影响,通过正交实验确定影响作用大小依次为:[Fe2+]∶[H2O2]的物质的量之比>H2O2的投加量>pH值,最佳的反应工艺条件为:H2O2的投加量为3 mL.L-1,[Fe2+]∶[H2O2]的物质的量之比为1∶10,反应初始pH值为3,反应时间为40 min.在最佳条件下布洛芬的去除率达到86%以上.同时对布洛芬降解反应动力学进行了研究,发现Fenton降解布洛芬符合二级反应动力学规律.     

溶胶制备工艺对TiO2光催化剂活性的影响

考察了不同酸、溶剂以及不同比例水制备的溶胶对TiO2光催化剂活性的影响进行了分析.结果表明,在盐酸、醋酸、草酸和甲基丙烯酸中,采用醋酸所得催化剂活性最好;在乙醇、正丙醇、异丙醇、正丁醇4种溶剂中,采用正丁醇作溶剂所得催化剂活性最好;最佳溶胶制备条件为钛酸丁酯∶水∶冰醋酸:正丁醇=1∶3∶8∶10(摩尔比);最优条件下制备的TiO2催化剂平均粒径为15·19nm,晶型为锐钛矿,对小于320nm的紫外光有良好的吸收;利用研制的TiO2光催化剂降解多菌灵废水,反应1h,COD去除率在35%左右;对9·606mg·l-1的苯酚溶液光降解半衰期为4·6min.     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.