Optional strategies for reduced metabolism in gray mouse lemurs

Among the order of primates, torpor has been described only for the small Malagasy cheirogaleids Microcebus and Cheirogaleus. The nocturnal, gray mouse lemur, Microcebus murinus (approx. 60 g), is capable of entering into and spontaneously arousing from apparently daily torpor during the dry season in response to reduced temperatures and low food and water sources. Mark–recapture studies indicated that this primate species might also hibernate for several weeks, although physiological evidence is lacking. In the present study, we investigated patterns of body temperature in two free-ranging M. murinus during the austral winter using temperature-sensitive data loggers implanted subdermally. One lemur hibernated and remained inactive for 4 weeks. During this time, body temperature followed the ambient temperature passively with a minimum body temperature of 11.5°C, interrupted by irregular arousals to normothermic levels. Under the same conditions, the second individual displayed only short bouts of torpor in the early morning hours but maintained stable normothermic body temperatures throughout its nocturnal activity. Reduction of body temperature was less pronounced in the mouse lemur that utilized short bouts of torpor with a minimum value of 27°C. Despite the small sample size, our findings provide the first physiological confirmation that free-ranging individuals of M. murinus from the humid evergreen littoral rain forest have the option to utilize short torpor bouts or hibernation under the same conditions as two alternative energy-conserving physiological solutions to environmental constraints.     

Hibernation in Malagasy mouse lemurs as a strategy to counter environmental challenge

The spiny forest of southwestern Madagascar is the driest and most unpredictable region of the island. It is characterized by a pronounced seasonality with high fluctuations in ambient temperature, low availability of food, and a lack of water during the cool dry season and, additionally, by changes in environmental conditions between years. One of the few mammalian species that manages to inhabit this challenging habitat is the reddish-gray mouse lemur (Microcebus griseorufus). The aim of our study was to determine whether this small primate uses continuous hibernation as an energy saving strategy, and if so, to characterize its physiological properties. We measured skin temperature of 16 free-ranging individuals continuously over 3 months during the cool dry season using collar temperature data loggers. Prolonged hibernation was found in three mouse lemurs and was not sex dependent (one male, two females). Skin temperature of hibernating individuals tracked ambient temperature passively with a minimum skin temperature of 6.5°C and fluctuated strongly each day (up to 20°C), depending on the insulation capacity of the hibernacula. Individuals remained in continuous hibernation even at an ambient temperature of 37°C. The animals hibernated continuously during the dry season, and hibernation bouts were only interrupted by short spontaneous arousals. The study emphasizes that hibernation is an important measure to counter environmental challenge for more tropical species than previously thought, including primates. It furthermore provides evidence that tropical hibernation is functionally similar among tropical species.     

Torpor in the Patagonian opossum (Lestodelphys halli): implications for the evolution of daily torpor and hibernation

Hibernation and daily torpor are two distinct forms of torpor, and although they are related, it is not known how and in which sequence they evolved. As the pattern of torpor expressed by the oldest marsupial order the opossums (Didelphimorphia) may provide insights into the evolution of torpor, we aimed to provide the first quantitative data on the thermal biology and torpor expression of the rare Patagonian opossum (Lestodelphys halli). It is the opossum with the southernmost distribution, has a propensity of autumnal fattening, and therefore, is likely to hibernate. We captured two male Lestodelphys, which while in captivity displayed strong daily fluctuations of body temperatures (T_b) measured with implanted miniature data loggers even when they remained normothermic. In autumn and early winter, torpor was expressed occasionally when food was available, but cold exposure and food withdrawal increased torpor use. The mean T_b throughout the study was 32.2?±?1.4 °C, the minimum T_b measured in torpid Lestodelphys was 7.7 °C, average torpor bout duration was 10.3 h, and the maximum torpor bout duration was 42.5 h. Thus, the pattern of torpor expressed by Lestodelphys was intermediate between that of daily heterotherms and hibernators suggesting that it may represent an ancestral opportunistic torpor pattern from which the derived patterns of daily torpor and seasonal hibernation diverged.     

First direct evidence of hibernation in an eastern dwarf lemur species (Cheirogaleus crossleyi) from the high-altitude forest of Tsinjoarivo, central-eastern Madagascar

The nocturnal dwarf lemurs of Madagascar (genus Cheirogaleus) are the only primates known to be obligate hibernators. Although the physiology of hibernation has been studied widely in the western, small-bodied species, Cheirogaleus medius, no direct evidence of hibernation, i.e., body temperature recordings, has been reported for any of the three recognized eastern dwarf lemur species. We present skin temperature data collected by external collar transmitters from two eastern dwarf lemur individuals (Cheirogaleus crossleyi) captured in the high-altitude forest of Tsinjoarivo, central-eastern Madagascar. Our study species is larger in body size than western dwarf lemurs and inhabits much colder environments. We present the first evidence of hibernation in an eastern dwarf lemur species, and we compare the results with data available for the western species. Although the hibernation period is shorter in dwarf lemurs from Tsinjoarivo, minimum body temperatures are lower than those reported for C. medius. Both individuals at Tsinjoarivo showed limited passive and extended deep hibernation during which they did not track ambient temperature as observed in most western dwarf lemurs. Because ambient temperatures at Tsinjoarivo never exceed 30°C, dwarf lemurs have to experience arousals to maintain homeostasis during periods of hibernation. We show that large dwarf lemurs (>400 g) are capable of undergoing deep hibernation and suggest that cold, high-altitude forests may render hibernation highly advantageous during periods of food scarcity. This study has implications for understanding the physiology of hibernation in small-bodied lemurs.     

Heat and carbon dioxide generated by honeybees jointly act to kill hornets

We have found that giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia japonica) are killed in less than 10 min when they are trapped in a bee ball created by the Japanese honeybees Apis cerana japonica, but their death cannot be solely accounted for by the elevated temperature in the bee ball. In controlled experiments, hornets can survive for 10 min at the temperature up to 47°C, whereas the temperature inside the bee balls does not rise higher than 45.9°C. We have found here that the CO₂ concentration inside the bee ball also reaches a maximum (3.6 ± 0.2%) in the initial 0–5 min phase after bee ball formation. The lethal temperature of the hornet (45–46°C) under conditions of CO₂ concentration (3.7 ± 0.44%) produced using human expiratory air is almost the same as that in the bee ball. The lethal temperature of the honeybee is 50–51°C under the same air conditions. We concluded that CO₂ produced inside the bee ball by honeybees is a major factor together with the temperature involved in defense against giant hornets.     

Resistance of the grain mite Acarus siro L. (Acarina,Acaridae) to unfavourable physical conditions beyond the limits of its development

The resistance of the grain mite Acarus siro to unfavourable physical conditions was studied to determine how long some members of a population might survive so that development and increase could continue if conditions became favourable. Preliminary experiments showed that: (i) the eggs formed the most resistant stage, both to extreme temperatures and to desiccation; (ii) the most resistant eggs were those in an early stage of development, and that resistance declined with age; and (iii) environmental conditions prior to oviposition influenced resistance, resistance being greater in eggs from populations reared at near threshold conditions than in those reared at ecologically more favourable temperatures and humidities.Experiments with eggs exposed to lethal high and low temperatures and to both favourable and desiccating humidities show that above 30°C and below 0°C, relative humidity ceased to affect survival, the eggs being killed by heat or cold before the effects of desiccation became important. Eggs were fairly susceptible to high temperatures; none survived longer than 10 h at 35°C or 35 min at 40°C. They showed greater tolerance to low temperatures, surviving up to a maximum of 12–14 days at ?10°C and 24–26 days at ?5°C. At 0°C, the maximum survival period varied from 80 days at 20% RH to 180 days at 90% RH. For eggs exposed at temperatures within the developmental temperature range to relative humidities from 20 to 50%, survival appeared to be directly related to humidity and inversely to temperature, maximum survival periods ranging from 20 days (20% RH) to 45 days (50% RH) at 5°C, and from 1 day (20% RH) to 3 days (50% RH) at 30°C.     

低温硝基苯降解菌的筛选及降解特性研究

从被硝基苯污染的某河流底泥中分离到能在低温下生长并能以硝基苯为唯一碳源的7株细菌,其中菌株NB1在温度从2.5～35 ℃范围内时都可以生长并矿化20 mg/L的硝基苯,最适宜的生长温度为25 ℃左右;当培养温度为5 ℃时,该菌株在pH为6～9范围内可以快速降解20 mg/L硝基苯,偏碱性的条件比酸性条件更适合其生长;不超过100 mg/L的硝基苯可以被该细菌完全降解.通过生理生化反应特性、菌体形态以及16S rDNA序列测定结果,确定NB1为恶臭假单胞菌(Pseudomonas putida).不同温度条件,特别是低温下该菌株对硝基苯的快速降解特性为低温环境硝基苯污染的生物修复提供了可能.     

The key to winter survival: daily torpor in a small arid-zone marsupial

Mammalian hibernation, which lasts on average for about 6 months, can reduce energy expenditure by >90% in comparison to active individuals. In contrast, the widely held view is that daily torpor reduces energy expenditure usually by about 30%, is employed for a few hours every few days, and often occurs only under acute energetic stress. This interpretation is largely based on laboratory studies, whereas knowledge on daily torpor in the field is scant. We used temperature telemetry to quantify thermal biology and activity patterns of a small arid-zone marsupial, the stripe-faced dunnart Sminthopsis macroura (16.9 g), in the wild and to test the hypothesis that daily torpor is a crucial survival strategy of this species in winter. All individuals entered torpor daily with the exception of a single male that remained normothermic for a single day (torpor on 212 of 213 observation days, 99.5%). Torpor was employed at air temperatures (T _a) ranging from approximately −1°C to 36°C. Dunnarts usually entered torpor during the night and aroused at midday with the daily increase of T _a. Torpor was on average about twice as long (mean 11.0 ± 4.7 h, n = 8) than in captivity. Animals employed sun basking during rewarming, reduced foraging time significantly, and occasionally omitted activity for several days in sequence. Consequently, we estimate that daily torpor in this species can reduce daily energy expenditure by up to 90%. Our study shows that for wild stripe-faced dunnarts daily torpor is an essential mechanism for overcoming energetic challenges during winter and that torpor data obtained in the laboratory can substantially underestimate the ecological significance of daily torpor in the wild.     

Bird species migration ratio in East Asia, Australia, and surrounding islands

Bird migration and its relationship with the contemporary environment have attracted long-term discussion. We calculated the avian migration ratio (the proportion of breeding species that migrate) in the areas from 70°E to 180°E and examined its relationship with the annual ranges of ambient temperature, primary productivity (estimated by the Enhanced Vegetation Index), and precipitation, along with island isolation and elevational range. The avian migration ratio increased with increasing latitude in general but varied greatly between the two hemispheres. Additionally, it showed minimal differences between continents and islands. Our analyses revealed that the seasonality of ambient temperature, which represents the energy expenditure of birds, is the dominant factor in determining bird species migration. Seasonality in primary productivity and other environmental factors play an indirect or limited role in bird species migration. The lower avian migration ratio in the Southern Hemisphere can be attributed to its paleogeographical isolation, stable paleoclimate, and warm contemporary environment. Under current trends of global warming, our findings should lead to further studies of the impact of warming on bird migration.     

最高气温对呼吸系统疾病急诊人次的影响研究

采用基于时间序列的半参数的广义相加模型,在控制星期几效应、长期趋势、气象要素等混杂因素后,分析2009~2012年北京市日最高气温与四类呼吸系统疾病急诊人次的暴露-反应关系,探讨日最高气温对人群健康的影响,并考虑了不同年龄和性别人群分层以及0~6d的滞后效应.结果表明：日最高气温对呼吸系统疾病急诊存在0~1d滞后效应,男性急诊人次均要高于女性;日最高气温每上升1℃,男性上呼吸道感染和支气管炎急诊人次分别增加2.10%和2.14%,女性肺炎、哮喘和支气管炎急诊人次分别增加2.00%、4.21%和2.95%.对性别而言,日最高气温每上升1℃,小于15岁人群支气管炎急诊人次增加3.60%;15~59岁人群支气管炎急诊人次增加2.16%;对60~74岁年龄段急诊人次无显著统计学意义;≥75岁人群肺炎和哮喘急诊人次分别增加2.69%和8.05%.     

基于度-时法的哈尔滨冬季采暖强度评价

采用度时法比度日法更能细致地反映采暖和制冷强度时间分布特征。论文应用度时法分析了哈尔滨采暖期内采暖强度的时间变化特征,获得如下结论：1）哈尔滨集中供暖时间为183 d,近10 a采暖期平均气温-7.7 ℃,平均气温距平最高值2.6 ℃（2007、2008年）、最低值 -2.0 ℃（2013年）。采暖期小时平均气温最高在14：00（-3.6 ℃）,最低在06：00（-11.3 ℃）。 2）2005-2014年,哈尔滨年平均采暖强度1.1×10⁵ ℃·h,最大1.2×10⁵ ℃·h（2013年）,最小1.0×10⁵ ℃·h（2007年）。3）哈尔滨采暖期小时平均采暖强度为25.7 ℃·h,日内呈单峰分布,06：00采暖强度最大,为29.3 ℃·h,14：00采暖强度最小,为21.6 ℃·h。晚上21：00到次日上午9：00,采暖强度大于日平均值,而上午9：00到晚上21：00采暖强度则明显低于日平均水平。4）采暖期各月平均的小时采暖强度1月最大,为35.4 ℃·h,从大到小依次减少顺序是1、12、2、11、3、10、4,4月小时采暖强度仅为12.0 ℃·h。5）日内小时采暖强度最小值3、4月出现在15：00,其余月份在14：00;最大值1、2、12月出现在07：00,3、10、11月在06：00,4月在05：00。在每年1月中旬06：00~08：00,出现整个采暖期采暖强度极大值。     

回转窑热解气化炉处理生活垃圾特性

基于目前固定床热解气化法在常温下进行存在燃气热值和气化效率较低、燃料适用范围小和预处理复杂等问题,采用控制变量法设计探究了不同预热空气温度和过量空气系数对小型回转窑式热解气化炉处理村镇生活垃圾的影响.结果表明:预热空气温度升高有利于垃圾热解气化产气,但有一定的局限性,当温度超过600 ℃时垃圾的气化产气明显下降;当过量空气系数为0.4时,垃圾的热解气化效率达到最大值,并且焦油产量最小.垃圾原样在过量空气系数为0.4、空气预热温度为500 ℃下对底渣、飞灰进行重金属含量的分析测试结果显示,飞灰中的铅含量远高于GB 18598—2001《危险废物填埋污染控制标准》相关标准限值,需要经过处理才能排放,二英采样分析结果显示其含量均低于GB 18485—2014《生活垃圾焚烧污染控制标准》限值.研究显示,该回转窑式热解气化工艺处理生活垃圾的最佳过量空气系数为0.4,最佳空气预热温度为500 ℃,在此最佳工况条件下焦油产量小,飞灰及焦渣中重金属含量小,ρ(二英)低于0.10 ng/m3.      

廊坊市近50年气温的时空变化特征

采用1964—2013年廊坊市9个气象站的气温观测资料,分析廊坊市日平均气温、日最高气温、日最低气温的时空变化特征,并利用Morlet小波变化和Mann—Kendall突变检验等方法对廊坊市日平均、日最高、日最低气温进行周期分析和突变检验。结果表明:(1)平均气温、平均最高气温、平均最低气温和高温极值变暖趋势显著,年际增长率分别为0.38℃/10a、0.28℃/10a、0.38℃/10a、0.36℃/10a;(2)平均气温、平均最高气温、平均最低气温、高温极值、低温极值和高温日数均具有4~6a的短周期、9a的较长周期和一个年代际的长周期;(3)20世纪80年代中期到90年代中期平均气温、平均最高气温、平均最低气温、高温极值、低温极值和高温日数均存在一个显著突变;(4)平均气温、平均最高气温、平均最低气温、高温极值、低温极值和高温日数在空间分布上均呈现南高北低趋势。     

Hot bats: extreme thermal tolerance in a desert heat wave

Climate change is predicted to increase temperature extremes and thus thermal stress on organisms. Animals living in hot deserts are already exposed to high ambient temperatures (T _a) making them especially vulnerable to further warming. However, little is known about the effect of extreme heat events on small desert mammals, especially tree-roosting microbats that are not strongly protected from environmental temperature fluctuations. During a heat wave with record T _as at Sturt National Park, we quantified the thermal physiology and behaviour of a single free-ranging little broad-nosed (Scotorepens greyii, henceforth Scotorepens) and two inland freetail bats (Mormopterus species 3, henceforth Mormopterus) using temperature telemetry over 3 days. On 11 and 13 January, maximum T _a was ～45.0 °C, and all monitored bats were thermoconforming. On 12 January 2013, when T _a exceeded 48.0 °C, Scotorepens abandoned its poorly insulated roost during the daytime, whereas both Mormopterus remained in their better insulated roosts and were mostly thermoconforming. Maximum skin temperatures (T _skin) ranged from 44.0 to 44.3 °C in Scotorepens and from 40.0 to 45.8 °C in Mormopterus, and these are the highest T _skin values reported for any free-ranging bat. Our study provides the first evidence of extensive heat tolerance in free-ranging desert microbats. It shows that these bats can tolerate the most extreme T _skin range known for mammals (3.3 to 45.8 °C) and delay regulation of T _skin by thermoconforming over a wide temperature range and thus decrease the risks of dehydration and consequently death.     

Preparation and characterization of boron-doped corn straw biochar: Fe (Ⅱ) removal equilibrium and kinetics

Nowadays, iron ions as a ubiquitous heavy metal pollutant are gradually concerned and the convenient and quick removal of excessive iron ions in groundwater has become a major challenge for the safety of drinking water. In this study, boron-doped biochar (B-BC) was successfully prepared at various preparation conditions with the addition of boric acid. The as-prepared material has a more developed pore structure and a larger specific surface area (up to 897.97 m²/g). A series of characterization results shows that boric acid effectively activates biochar, and boron atoms are successfully doped on biochar. Compared with the ratio of raw materials, the pyrolysis temperature has a greater influence on the amount of boron doping. Based on Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacity of 800B-BC_1:2 at 25 °C, 40 °C, 55 °C are 50.02 mg/g, 95.09 mg/g, 132.78 mg/g, respectively. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model can better describe the adsorption process, the adsorption process is mainly chemical adsorption. Chemical complexation, ions exchange, and co-precipitation may be the main mechanisms for Fe²⁺ removal.     

Climate change and sandy land development in Qinghai Lake Watershed, China

The Qinghai Lake Watershed, containing the largest saline lake in northwest of China, has suffered from severe sandy land development in recent years. This paper analyzes its daily precipitation, temperature, and wind from 1958 to 2001, and the spatial and temporal distributions of sandy land through the interpretation of remote sensing images covering four years (1977, 1987, 2000, and 2004). Results showed that since the middle of the 1960s, the daily precipitation (P) of 0<P⩽5 mm decreased, while the P>20 mm increased significantly (S<0.05) in their annual total amounts and days. The maximum daily precipitation also increased significantly. Both the maximum dry spell and the total dry spell of more than ten days had a significant upward trend. Since the beginning of the 1960s, all the extremely high, extremely low and mean temperatures increased significantly (S<0.01), at a rate of 0.1°C/10a, 0.2°C/10a, and 0.2°C/10a, respectively. The days with extremely high temperature had a significant upward trend, while the days with extremely low temperature had a significant downward trend. The Qinghai Lake was significantly shrinking (S<0.01) and provided abundant sediments for Aeolian erosion. The NNW wind prevailed in the watershed, and the largest scale wind was from the west and concentrated on the dry months. As a result, the sandy land was mainly born on the east bank of Qinghai Lake. The total sandy land area in the watershed had grown from 587.4 km², 660.7 km², 697.6 km² to 805.8 km², accordingly, its area percentage growing from 2.0%, 2.2%, 2.4% to 2.7%, respectively.     

Influence of season,ventilation strategy,and slurry removal on methane emissions from pig houses

About 60% of the global methane emission is related to anthropogenic activities such as agriculture, fossil fuel use, and waste disposal. A significant part of agricultural methane emissions originates from pig husbandry, with indoor stored pig slurry as the main source. In general, the release of methane from indoor slurry storage can be influenced by availability of oxygen and volatile solids, pH value, substrate temperature, retention time, and presence of inhibiting compounds. Investigations on methane release from a pig house with indoor slurry storage were carried out from October 1999 until February 2001 and from February 2003 until July 2004, respectively. The season, in which the fattening period was accomplished, had a significant influence on the level of the methane emission rate, with increased emissions during summer. However, a clear influence of the indoor temperature – and therefore of the ventilation strategy – on the level of the methane emission rate was only found for mean daily temperatures above 25 °C. Methane emissions were reduced significantly due to complete slurry removal between the fattening periods and subsequent cleaning of the slurry pits.     

Temperature-Dependent Persistence of Human Norovirus Within Oysters (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Crassostrea virginica</Emphasis>)

This study characterizes the persistence of human norovirus in Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) held at different seawater temperatures. Oysters were contaminated with human norovirus GI.1 (Norwalk strain 8FIIa) by exposing them to virus-contaminated water at 15 °C, and subsequently holding them at 7, 15, and 25 °C for up to 6 weeks. Viral RNA was extracted from oyster tissue and hemocytes and quantitated by RT-qPCR. Norovirus was detected in hemocytes and oysters held at 7 and 15 °C for 6 weeks and in hemocytes and oysters held at 25 °C for up to 2 and 4 weeks, respectively. Results confirm that NoV is quite persistent within oysters and demonstrate that cooler water temperatures extend norovirus clearance times. This study suggests a need for substantial relay times to remove norovirus from contaminated shellfish and suggests that regulatory authorities should consider the effects of water temperature after a suspected episodic norovirus-contamination event.     

Complete catalytic oxidation of o-xylene over CeO2 nanocubes

The activities of CeO2 nanocubes calcined at di erent temperatures were tested for catalytic oxidation of o-xylene. Using CeO2 nanocubes as catalysts, complete catalytic oxidation of o-xylene was achieved below 210°C. The CeO2 nanomaterials were characterized by means of BET, X-ray di raction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). From the TEM images, all CeO2 nanocubes displayed cubic morphology irrespective of calcination temperature. The HRTEM images revealed that these nanocubes were enclosed by reactive f001g planes, which may contribute to the intrinsically catalytic property of o-xylene oxidation. The higher activity of CeO2 nanocubes calcined at 550°C than those calcined at above 550°C was attributed to their smaller crystallite size and larger surface area. The influences of reaction conditions were also studied, which found that a higher reaction temperature was necessary for complete catalytic oxidation of o-xylene at higher weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) and o-xylene concentration.     

Experimentally-derived upper thermal tolerances for redhorse suckers: revised 316(A) variance conditions at two generating facilities in Ohio

American Electric Power’s Conseville Station and Muskingum River Plant, located on the Muskingum River in southeastern Ohio, utilize once-through cooling for seven (combined) generating units. Both facilities had approved 316(a) variances that required maintenance of a baseline fully-mixed downstream temperature of 31.6°C (88.9°F). Fish sampling conducted during critical conditions in Summer 1993 indicated the presence of thermally-sensitive redhorse suckers (Moxostoma sp.) at river temperatures >32.2°C (90.0°F). Because the assumed upper tolerance limit for redhorse suckers (31.6°C) was extrapolated from field observations, we determined the actual thermal tolerance of suckers using fish collected locally. During September 1996 golden and shorthead redhorses were collected from the nearby Walhonding River. The short-term upper thermal tolerances were determined by the ultimate upper incipient lethal temperature (UUILT) and the critical thermal maximum (CTM) endpoints. For shorthead redhorse the calculated UUILT was 33.3°C (91.9°F), and the CTM was 35.1°C (95.2°F). For golden redhorse a similar CTM was obtained; however, a reliable UUILT could not be extrapolated due to procedural problems. The results of these tests played a role in Ohio EPA approving a higher fully-mixed downstream limit. This study demonstrates the value of obtaining thermal tolerances experimentally when assumed tolerance values are considered suspect.