Chemical investigations of defensive steroid sequestration by the Asian snake Rhabdophis tigrinus

Rhabdophis tigrinus is an Asian natricine snake that possesses unusual defensive glands on the dorsal surface of its neck. These nuchal glands typically contain cardiotonic steroidal toxins known as bufadienolides, which are also abundant in the skin of toads. Feeding experiments demonstrated that toads consumed as prey are the ultimate sources of the bufadienolides in nuchal glands of R. tigrinus. Indeed, snakes on a toad-free Japanese island (Kinkasan, Miyagi Prefecture) lack these compounds in their nuchal glands, confirming that these snakes are unable to synthesize defensive bufadienolides. However, when snakes from Kinkasan are fed toads in the laboratory, they accumulate bufadienolides in their nuchal glands, indicating that they have not lost the ability to sequester defensive compounds from prey. In contrast, R. tigrinus from a toad-rich island (Ishima, Tokushima Prefecture) possess large quantities of bufadienolides, reflecting the abundance of toads from which these compounds can be sequestered. Feeding experiments involving gravid R. tigrinus demonstrated that bufadienolides can be provisioned to offspring so that hatchlings are chemically defended before their first toad meal. Maternal provisioning of bufadienolides can take place through two routes: by deposition in yolk and by diffusion in utero, even late in gestation. We applied bufadienolides to the surface of eggs from Kinkasan and found that the embryos are able to take up these compounds into their nuchal glands, demonstrating the feasibility of uptake across the eggshell. Female R. tigrinus provision bufadienolides to their offspring in direct proportion to their own level of chemical defense. By feeding toad-derived bufotoxins to R. tigrinus hatchlings, we determined that the sequestration of these compounds involves at least three types of modification: hydrolytic cleavage of suberylarginine side chains, hydroxylation, and epimerization.     

区域危险品道路运输网络双层反馈规划模型及算法

为通过运输网络规划方式降低区域路网危险品运输风险,根据危险品道路运输网络规划中存在监管者路网规划和运输者路线选择的双层约束特征,在假设监管者网络规划目的为总运输风险最小,运输者选线目的为总运输成本最小的基础上,建立区域危险品道路运输网络双层规划模型。进一步提出能求解得到稳定运输网络的双层反馈式算法,即在传统模型算法中增加稳定性检验和反馈调整算法,进而保证运输者在监管者规划路网中所选路线运输成本最小的同时运输风险也尽可能小。最后,通过实例分析检验模型和算法的有效性。计算结果显示,反馈式算法求得的运输网络更稳定,总运输风险值也比传统模式和算法的低。     

泥石流源地土壤团聚体抗蚀特征研究--以蒋家沟为例

土壤团聚体的抗蚀性特征对土壤侵蚀的影响已经受到国内外学者的广泛关注,但还未见有泥石流源地土壤团聚体与抗蚀性研究的报道。本文通过对蒋家沟泥石流源地典型剖面土壤团聚体抗蚀性研究,发现由于受山地垂直性气候的影响,该区土壤团聚体抗蚀性与海拔呈协同性变化规律,随着海拔的增加,年降雨量增加,植被覆盖增加,土壤持水量、有机质等胶结物质相对增加,土壤结构相对较好,稳定性好,土壤抗蚀能力增强,水土流失相对变弱。     

Fenton氧化+气浮+厌氧+好氧工艺处理仲丁灵农药生产废水

采用Fenton氧化+气浮对仲丁灵农药生产废水进行预处理后,ρ(COD)<6 000 mg/L,色度<1 500倍,废水的可生化性大大提高。经过预处理后的生产废水与厂区生活污水混合后进入水解酸化+曝气生物滤池进行生化处理,处理后出水各项水质指标可达GB8978-1996《国家污水综合排放标准》一级标准。     

Reconciling multiple counterfactuals when evaluating biodiversity conservation impact in social-ecological systems

When evaluating the impact of a biodiversity conservation intervention, a counterfactual is typically needed. Counterfactuals are possible alternative system trajectories in the absence of an intervention. Comparing observed outcomes against the chosen counterfactual allows the impact (change attributable to the intervention) to be determined. Because counterfactuals by definition never occur, they must be estimated. Sometimes, there may be many plausible counterfactuals, including various drivers of biodiversity change and defined on a range of spatial or temporal scales. Here, we posit that, by definition, conservation interventions always take place in social-ecological systems (SES) (i.e., ecological systems integrated with human actors). Evaluating the impact of an intervention in an SES, therefore, means taking into account the counterfactuals assumed by different human actors. Use of different counterfactuals by different actors will give rise to perceived differences in the impacts of interventions, which may lead to disagreement about its success or the effectiveness of the underlying approach. Despite that there are biophysical biodiversity trends, it is often true that no single counterfactual is definitively the right one for conservation assessment, so multiple evaluations of intervention efficacy could be considered justifiable. Therefore, we propose calculating the sum of perceived differences, which captures the range of impact estimates associated with different actors in a given SES. The sum of perceived differences gives some indication of how closely actors in an SES agree on the impacts of an intervention. We applied the concept of perceived differences to a set of global, national, and regional case studies (e.g., global realization of Aichi Target 11 for marine protected areas, effect of biodiversity offsetting on vegetation condition in Australia, and influence of conservation measures on an endangered ungulate in Central Asia). We explored approaches for minimizing the sum, including a combination of negotiation and structured decision making, careful alignment of expectations on scope and measurement, and explicit recognition of any intractable differences between stakeholders.     

Preliminary assessment of surface soil lead concentrations in Melbourne,Australia

Urban soils in many cities have been found to be contaminated with lead from past usage of leaded petrol, deteriorating lead-based exterior paints and industrial sources. Currently, the spatial distribution of soil lead concentrations in the Melbourne metropolitan area is unknown. The objective of this study was to perform a preliminary assessment of the spatial distributions of the surface soil lead (Pb) concentrations in the Melbourne metropolitan area, Australia. Fifty-eight surface soil samples were collected at a depth of 0–2 cm along three linear transects oriented across the Melbourne metropolitan area. Surface soil samples were also collected at a higher density in five Melbourne suburbs. Soil cores (0–50 cm) were collected in four locations, soil transects were collected at intervals with distance away from the roadway (0–50 m) in two inner city parks, and one control soil sample was collected in a rural setting. The median soil Pb concentration of the soil transect samples was 173 mg/kg (range 32–710 mg/kg), and the median soil Pb concentration of the five suburbs was 69 mg/kg (range 9–1750 mg/kg). The suburb of Footscray had the highest soil Pb concentration with a median soil Pb concentration of 192 mg/kg (range 40–1750 mg/kg). Soil Pb concentrations were generally higher nearest the centre of the Melbourne metropolitan area and in the west of Melbourne and lower in the outer suburbs to the east and north of the city centre. Soil Pb concentrations decreased with distance from roadways in the two transects taken from urban parks, and soil lead decreased with depth in the four soil cores. The soil Pb concentrations in the Melbourne metropolitan area appear to be lower than soil lead concentrations observed in inner city areas of Sydney New South Wales (NSW) and Newcastle NSW. The spatial extent of the soil Pb hazard remains undefined in portions of the Melbourne metropolitan area.     

750kV同塔双回输电线路下电场效应影响因素分析

750 kV同塔双回输电线路下方农田、葡萄田经常发生“电击”现象。通过电场仿真计算、现场实测工频电场强度、工频磁场强度,研究分析750 kV同塔双回输电线路下方地面1.5 m高处电场强度、工频磁场强度的分布及影响因素。电场仿真计算与现场实测电场效应的分布及影响因素基本一致。通过研究输电线路下方电场效应影响因素,为电场效应的抑制措施提供参考。     

Removing phosphorus from aqueous solutions by using iron-modified corn straw biochar

Iron-modified corn straw biochar was used as an adsorbent to remove phosphorus from agricultural runoff. When agricultural runoffs with a total phosphorus (TP) concentration of 1.86 mg·L⁻¹ to 2.47 mg·L⁻¹ were filtered at a hydraulic retention time of 2 h through a filtration column packed with the modified biochar, a TP removal efficiency of over 99% and an effluent TP concentration of less than 0.02 mg·L⁻¹ were achieved. The isotherms of the phosphorus adsorption by the modified biochar fitted the Freundlich equation better than the Langmuir equation. The mechanism of the phosphorus adsorbed by the modified biochar was analyzed by using various technologies, i.e. scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results indicated that the surface of the modified biochar was covered by small iron granules, which were identified as Fe₃O₄. The results also showed that new iron oxides were formed on the surface of the modified biochar after the adsorption of phosphorus. Moreover, new bonds of Fe-O-P and P-C were found, which suggested that the new iron oxides tend to be Fe₅(PO₄)₄(OH)₃. Aside from removing phosphorus, adding the modified biochar into soil also improved soil productivity. When the modified biochar-to-soil rate was 5%, the stem, root, and bean of broad bean plants demonstrated increased growth rates of 91%, 64%, and 165%, respectively.     

Photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy for conducting gas tracer tests and measuring water saturations in landfills

Gas tracer tests can be used to determine gas flow patterns within landfills, quantify volatile contaminant residence time, and measure water within refuse. While gas chromatography (GC) has been traditionally used to analyze gas tracers in refuse, photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) might allow real-time measurements with reduced personnel costs and greater mobility and ease of use. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of PAS for conducting gas tracer tests in landfills. Two tracer gases, difluoromethane (DFM) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆), were measured with a commercial PAS instrument. Relative measurement errors were invariant with tracer concentration but influenced by background gas: errors were 1-3% in landfill gas but 4-5% in air. Two partitioning gas tracer tests were conducted in an aerobic landfill, and limits of detection (LODs) were 3-4 times larger for DFM with PAS versus GC due to temporal changes in background signals. While higher LODs can be compensated by injecting larger tracer mass, changes in background signals increased the uncertainty in measured water saturations by up to 25% over comparable GC methods. PAS has distinct advantages over GC with respect to personnel costs and ease of use, although for field applications GC analyses of select samples are recommended to quantify instrument interferences.