Predicting the conservation status of data‐deficient species

There is little appreciation of the level of extinction risk faced by one‐sixth of the over 65,000 species assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Determining the status of these data‐deficient (DD) species is essential to developing an accurate picture of global biodiversity and identifying potentially threatened DD species. To address this knowledge gap, we used predictive models incorporating species’ life history, geography, and threat information to predict the conservation status of DD terrestrial mammals. We constructed the models with 7 machine learning (ML) tools trained on species of known status. The resultant models showed very high species classification accuracy (up to 92%) and ability to correctly identify centers of threatened species richness. Applying the best model to DD species, we predicted 313 of 493 DD species (64%) to be at risk of extinction, which increases the estimated proportion of threatened terrestrial mammals from 22% to 27%. Regions predicted to contain large numbers of threatened DD species are already conservation priorities, but species in these areas show considerably higher levels of risk than previously recognized. We conclude that unless directly targeted for monitoring, species classified as DD are likely to go extinct without notice. Taking into account information on DD species may therefore help alleviate data gaps in biodiversity indicators and conserve poorly known biodiversity. Predección del Estado de Conservación de Especies con Deficiencia de Datos     

Combined effects of land use and hunting on distributions of tropical mammals

Land use and hunting are 2 major pressures on biodiversity in the tropics. Yet, their combined impacts have not been systematically quantified at a large scale. We estimated the effects of both pressures on the distributions of 1884 tropical mammal species by integrating species’ range maps, detailed land-use maps (1992 and 2015), species-specific habitat preference data, and a hunting pressure model. We further identified areas where the combined impacts were greatest (hotspots) and least (coolspots) to determine priority areas for mitigation or prevention of the pressures. Land use was the main driver of reduced distribution of all mammal species considered. Yet, hunting pressure caused additional reductions in large-bodied species’ distributions. Together, land use and hunting reduced distributions of species by 41% (SD 30) on average (year 2015). Overlap between impacts was only 2% on average. Land use contributed more to the loss of distribution (39% on average) than hunting (4% on average). However, hunting reduced the distribution of large mammals by 29% on average; hence, large mammals lost a disproportional amount of area due to the combination of both pressures. Gran Chaco, the Atlantic Forest, and Thailand had high levels of impact across the species (hotspots of area loss). In contrast, the Amazon and Congo Basins, the Guianas, and Borneo had relatively low levels of impact (coolspots of area loss). Overall, hunting pressure and human land use increased from 1992 to 2015 and corresponding losses in distribution increased from 38% to 41% on average across the species. To effectively protect tropical mammals, conservation policies should address both pressures simultaneously because their effects are highly complementary. Our spatially detailed and species-specific results may support future national and global conservation agendas, including the design of post-2020 protected area targets and strategies.     

The decision gym: decision insurance for organizations

Conducting decision calisthenics can help an organization win competitive advantage through harnessing its tremendous knowledge, imagination, and staff experience. The paper explores how knowledge and experience mined and refined through innovative approaches like scenarios and war gaming can turn visionary ideas into successful, working realities. To fully appreciate the value of novel frameworks requires contextualizing their utility in what can be called the decision gym. The decision gym offers a way to build powerful consensus and commitment to decisions, methods to optimize processes, and a way to create, evaluate, and execute critical strategies in the face of heuristics and biases that can distort decision making.     

Spatial position and feeding success in ring-tailed coatis

The location of an animal within a social group has important effects on feeding success. When animals consume quickly eaten food items, individuals located at the front edge of a group typically have greater foraging success. When groups feed at large clumped resources, dominant individuals can often monopolize the resource, leading to higher feeding success in the center of the group. In order to test these predictions, behavioral data relating foraging success to within-group spatial position were recorded from two habituated groups of ring-tailed coatis (Nasua nasua) in Iguazu, Argentina. Foraging success did not fit expected patterns. When feeding on small ground litter invertebrates, coatis had the same foraging success at all spatial positions. This pattern likely resulted from an abundance of invertebrates in the ground litter. When feeding on fruit, individuals in the front of the group had greater feeding success, which was driven by the relatively quick depletion of fruit trees. Dominant juveniles were often located in the front of the group which led to increased access to food. This resulted in higher feeding success on fruits but simultaneously increased their risk of predation. Although groups typically became more elongated and traveled faster when feeding on fruit, it did not appear that the coatis were drastically changing their spacing strategies when switching between the two food types. Paradoxically, spatial position preferences during invertebrate foraging appeared to be driven by fruit trees. Because fruit trees were encountered so frequently, juveniles ranging at the front edge of the group during invertebrate foraging were the first to arrive at fruit trees and thus had higher foraging success. This study demonstrates the importance of how food patch size and depletion rate affect the spatial preferences of individuals.     

硝基苯精馏过程爆炸事故的影响因素试验研究

为了对存在热失控危险的硝基苯精馏装置爆炸事故因素进行研究,利用RSD快速筛选量热仪,对硝基苯精馏塔中存在的主要危险物质(硝基苯、二硝基苯和二硝基酚钠盐)进行试验测试,筛选出最危险物质.在获得主要危险物反应质热失控的基础数据条件下,对二硝基酚钠与硝基苯间不同比例的复配物进行热分析测试.研究表明:在相同的操作条件下,二硝基酚钠盐有放热反应,纯物质硝基苯和二硝基苯在测试条件下较稳定,没有放热现象;当二硝基酚钠盐与硝基苯复配后在试验过程中有强放热反应,存在较大的热失控风险.     

Optimization of synergistic biosorption of oxytetracycline and cadmium from binary mixtures on reed-based beads: modeling study using Brouers-Sotolongo models

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The first aim of this study was to synthesize and characterize reed-based-beads (BBR), an enhanced adsorbent from Tunisian reed. The second purpose...     

Development of novel and ecological keratin/cellulose-based composites for absorption of oils and organic solvents

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Keratin/cellulose cryogels were successfully fabricated using chicken feathers (CF) and cardboard (C) from environmental waste for the first time, to...     

车载精密光电设备平顺性试验研究

对某车载光电探测设备进行了平顺性试验研究。根据该光电设备的结构特点和性能要求,在旋转机座、俯仰转台和红外望远镜上选取3个测点,经试验得到了这3个测点在不同路况、不同车速情况下的加速度数据。通过对试验数据的整理,得出光电探测仪不同部位及整机的振动强度随车速变化曲线,为车载光电平台的减、隔振设计提供参考。