New Multi-Scale Hybrid System Based on Maple Wood Flour and Nano Crystalline Cellulose: Morphological,Mechanical and Physical Study

In the first part of this work, composites based on polypropylene (PP) and maple wood flour (MF) were prepared by melt compounding using twin-screw extrusion followed by compression molding. The morphological and mechanical properties of the composites were analyzed for three samples: PP, MF/PP and MF/PP containing maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) as coupling agent. The results showed that MF/PP composites have improved mechanical properties, especially tensile modulus (+33 %), with only 8 % increase in density. The addition of MAPP further improved the mechanical properties, in particular tensile modulus (up to 51 %), which could be related to better fiber/matrix adhesion. In the second step, nano crystalline cellulose (NCC) was added to all samples to produce NCC-MF/PP hybrid composites. From the mechanical analysis performed, the hybrid composites with MAPP have improved properties, especially tensile (+53 %) and flexural (+40 %) moduli. These results confirmed that multi-scale hybrid NCC-MF composites can substantially improve the mechanical properties of polyolefins with limited increase in density (14 %) leading to high specific properties.     

Reduced costs of mixed-species pairings in flycatchers: by-product or female strategy?

Heterospecific matings are generally assumed to be unconditionally disadvantageous due to reduced viability or fertility of hybrid offspring. For female collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) mated to male pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), the cost of heterospecific pair formation is reduced due to high levels of conspecific extra-pair paternity and a male-biased offspring sex ratio. In order to investigate whether these cost-reducing mechanisms are the result of female mating strategies, rather than being a by-product of species incompatibilities, we manipulated the plumage of male collared flycatchers before pair formation to make them resemble male pied flycatchers. Since species incompatibilities are absent in this design, any systematic effect of manipulation on sex ratio or paternity would indicate a role of female mating strategy. Paternity was determined by means of a likelihood approach that controls the errors made in assigning a chick to be ‘within-pair’ or ‘extra-pair’. Neither the sex ratio nor the male share of paternity was affected by the manipulation in a systematic manner. We therefore conclude that our experimental data provide no support for the suggestion that female behavioural strategies are markedly adjusted in response to formation of mixed-species pairs. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Development of competitive immunoassays to hydroxyl containing fungicide metabolites

This paper describes the isolation of monoclonal antibodies and the development of competitive immunoassays to pesticide metabolites of the fungicides imazalil, carbendazim and thiabendazole. The metabolite specific hydroxyl residues were used as the reactive group with which to link the metabolite to the carrier proteins Keyhole Limpet Haemocyanin (KLH) and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA). In each case immune responses in mice were raised and monoclonal antibodies were produced. Antibodies were developed into competitive ELISAs to the appropriate metabolite. The antibody raised to a metabolite of imazalil was optimised into a competitive ELISA format which had an assay IC50 of 7.5 μg/L and a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.1 μg/L. A single antibody isolated against the metabolite of carbendazim had assay IC50s of 3.2 and 2.7 μg/L for the metabolites of carbendazim and thiabendazole respectively with an LOD of 0.38 μg/L for both. These sensitive immunoassays may have application in the monitoring of human exposure to these fungicide residues either by occupational or non-occupational routes.     

A Review of Personal/Portable Monitors and Samplers for Airborne Particles

A review of personal and portable particulate monitors and samplers for measuring and sampling airborne particulate matter is presented. These monitors and samplers are proving to be valuable tools for assessing individual exposure to environmental and occupationally generated particulates. The devices are characterized in terms of their sampling characteristics, their monitoring or measurement technique, their particle size separation (50% cut point) capabilities, their sampling flow rate, and their sampling duration per one battery charging cycle. All of the monitors and some of the samplers are commercially available. Commercial sources and originators (in the case of research devices) are made available.     

中国长江三角洲地区电力行业SO2排放控制的经济分析

总结了中国SO2排放总量控制与排放权交易政策研究与实施3个阶段的主要内容与成果。使用YRDEGS线性规划优化模型对在长江三角洲地区电力行业实施SO2排放权交易所能产生的SO2控制费用的节省、安装FGD装机容量的变化、可引起的脱硫变动成本的节约、SO2排放许可的市场需求、不同交易方式所引起的脱硫费用变化进行分析,得到以下主要结论：若发电量保持在2000年的水平,实现SO2减排20％的目标,采用排污交易脱硫费用将会节省38％,可以少安装FGD的机组装机容量达6．3GW;随着发电量的增加,对SO2排放许可指标的市场需求呈增长趋势,发电量的改变比逐步严格的SO2减排要求更会增加区域SO2减排的负担;当SO2排放削减率为20％时,在不实施排污交易时脱硫费用约为30亿～45亿元;实施跨省排污交易以电厂为交易单位时费用最低,约为6亿～28．5亿元,脱硫费用可以节省16．5亿～24亿元。     

Factors Affecting Take-up of and Drop-out from Home Composting Schemes

This paper reports survey results from Scotland and north-west England into home composting attitudes and behaviours. The results concentrate on: the take-up of home composting through promotional campaigns; and the reasons for drop-out. Motivations for take-up were balanced between environmental and gardening reasons, although capital cost was an important issue for some. Drop-outs occurred mainly through participants moving house or because of lack of success in producing compost. Few of those experiencing problems sought help. Those that did favoured official or professional sources. Neighbourhood social pressures to compost were relatively weak. The results are discussed in terms of the sustainability of home composting behaviour and the manage ment interventions that might be required in sustaining that behaviour.     

Attribute-based analysis of hunters’ lease preferences

Understanding of hunter preferences for hunting lease attributes is important to landowners because such knowledge provides key information for managing and marketing fee-hunting in order to maximize revenues. Premised on this insight, we used attribute based modeling to investigate how hunter preferences for potential leases were influenced by lease and hunter-specific attributes. A mail survey of Mississippi licensed hunters provided the necessary data. Estimation results based on McFadden conditional logit regression suggested that lease attributes including game diversity, lease location relative to hunter residence, lease size, lease duration and lease rate influenced willingness to pay for additional units of lease attributes. Depending on the specific levels of these attributes, WTP could vary as much as $5.70 per acre. Of the hunter-specific attributes, age and income significantly influenced hunter decision to buy a lease or opt for status quo. Results of this study should assist landowners in increasing financial returns from fee-hunting endeavors through appropriate changes to their hunting access policies and wildlife management activities in response to hunter preferences regarding lease attributes.     

Cyber first aid: proactive risk management and decision-making

Public and private organizations need a robust approach to prepare, respond, and recover from cyber-attacks. This perspective article will refer to such an approach as Cyber First AID—adaptable, integrated, and deliberate. Adaptable describes that one size does not fit all; Integrated means the effort is throughout the organization; and Deliberate describes plans that are reviewed periodically and practiced, in which all members of the organization know their respective roles and responsibilities. The article outlines a decision-making process for how to minimize the impacts of cyber threats, maintain stakeholder and customer confidence, and help organizations to adaptively manage and respond to cyber threats in rapidly changing cyber environments.