Trap barricading and decorating by a well-armored sit-and-wait predator: extra protection or prey attraction?

Animals may build multiple structures to provide benefits to counter the costs of building. Many orb web spiders add multiple structures, e.g., barricading barrier webs and silk decorations, to their webs and these structures have been hypothesized to function to deter predators or attract prey. The heavily armored spiny spiders construct barrier webs around their orb webs and decorate them with conspicuous silk tufts. Why these organisms, already well protected by a thick cuticle and spines, make the extra investment of building barrier webs and adding conspicuous silk decorations is not known. We predicted that these structures function to both attract prey and deter predators. Field experiments were conducted in two consecutive years using orb webs built by the East Asian spiny spider Thelacantha brevispina. We either (1) concealed the decoration, (2) removed the barrier webs, or (3) left the decorations and barrier webs intact. We found year and treatment to interactively influence prey interception rates. In 2010, but not in 2009, we found prey interception with T. brevispina webs to be greater when the decorations were conspicuous than when they were concealed suggesting that the decorations may lure prey. Prey interception was lower when the barrier webs were present without decorations compared to when they were absent without decorations. The prey-attracting function of the decorations thus may counter the reduction in prey interception incurred by adding a barrier web. Predatory wasp interactions were not influenced by any of our treatments, probably because the spiders’ thick cuticle is the primary means of protection from wasps. Bird predation events, while rare, occurred only when decorations were concealed or the barrier webs were removed. It is therefore plausible that the tuft decorations both lure prey and deter birds.     

Atmospheric-particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) study at five characteristic sampling sites in Taiwan

The main purpose for this study is to observe the seasonal and month variations for particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) in total suspended particulates (TSP) concentration, dry deposition at five characteristic sampling sites during years of 2009-2010 in central Taiwan. The results show that the highest and lowest monthly average particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) concentrations in TSP were occurred in Dec. and Oct. at Gao-mei (wetland), Chang-hua (downtown) and He-mei (residential) sampling site. In addition, the results show that the highest and lowest monthly average particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) dry deposition was occurred in Feb. and Oct. at Quan-xing (industrial) sampling site. This study reflected that the mean highest particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) concentrations in TSP and mean highest particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) dry deposition were occurred at Gao-mei (wetland) and Quan-xing (industrial). However, the mean lowest particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) concentrations in TSP and mean lowest particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) dry deposition were also occurred at Gao-mei (wetland). Regarding seasonal variation, the order of mean-particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) concentrations in TSP in winter and spring were Gao-mei (wetland) > Quan-xing (industrial) > Bei-shi (suburban/coastal) > Chang-hua (downtown) > He-mei (residential). Finally, the order of mean-particulates-bound mercury Hg(p) dry deposition in fall, spring and summer were Quan-xing (industrial) > Bei-shi (suburban/coastal) > Chang-hua (downtown) > He-mei (residential) > Gao-mei (wetland).     

Impact of urbanization on natural ecosystem service values: a comparative study

With rapid population growth and rural to-urban migration in many Chinese cities, a large amount of natural lands have been converted to urban and agricultural lands recently. During this process of land conversion, economic development and quality of life improvement are considered as major goals, and their influences on ecological systems have often been neglected. The degradation of natural ecological systems due to land use change, however, has become severe,and may require immediate attentions from urban planners and local governments. Taking HaDaQi industrial corridor, Heilongjiang Province, China,as a case study area, this paper examined the trend of land use changes during 1990–2005, and quantified their influences on natural eco system service values. In particular, this study applied two major valuation methods, and examined whether different valuation methods generate significantly different results. Analysis of results suggests that human dominated land uses (e.g., urban and agriculture)have expanded rapidly at the cost of natural lands (e.g., wetlands and forest). Due to these land use changes, the total ecosystem service value decreased 29% (2.26% annually) from 1990 to 2005 when the first method was applied, and this rate is estimated to be 15.7% (1.13% annually)with the second approach. Moreover, the annual rate of ecosystem service value decline during 2000–2005 is about four times higher than that in 1990–2000 with both methods, suggesting much more severe ecosystem degradation during 2000–2005.     

煤质活性炭在饮用水处理应用中值得探讨的问题

本文介绍了煤质活性炭在饮用水处理应用中存在的如何选择活性炭的性能指标,煤质活性炭新旧国家标准的变化及煤质活性炭的再生等值得探讨问题。本文对煤质活性炭饮用水处理的应用具有一定的意义。     

Occurrence and behaviour of nonylphenol and octylphenol in Nanming River, Guiyang City, China

Occurrence, variation and behaviour of nonylphenol (NP) and octylphenol (OP) were studied in surface water and groundwater in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, southwestern China. Discharge of wastewater from Guiyang City was the main source of alkylphenols (APs) entering the aquatic environment. The concentrations of NP and OP in river water ranged from 40 to 1582 ng L(-1) and from below the lowest limit of detection (LOD) to 67 ng L(-1), respectively. NP and OP were also detected in groundwater. Both NP and OP exhibited spatial and temporal variations in river water and groundwater. It was found that concentrations of NP and OP in river water was low upstream and dramatically increased downstream, and higher concentration of NP was found in winter compared to that in summer. Proportions of NP and OP were trapped by suspended particulate matter (SPM), which accounted for 7.6-50.0% and 3.4-25.6% of their total concentration in the river water system, respectively. Seasonal changes in water flow were responsible for the temporal variations of APs. To determine the behaviour of APs along the river, a mass balance equation based on chloride was used. The results showed that a mixing process was the predominant factor to determine upstream APs concentrations; while the discharge of wastewater controlled the concentrations of APs downstream. Considering the adverse effect of APs on organisms, combined effect modeling was used to assess the toxicity to fish. It was found that the predicted mixture effect for APs in river water on fish vitellogenin induction was low upstream and medium downstream, respectively.     

Characteristics of particulate matter pollution in the Pearl River Delta region, China: an observational-based analysis of two monitoring sites

Two-year monitoring data (2006 and 2009), collected at the sub-urban site (WQS) and the background site (TH), were used to study the characteristics of Particulate Matter (PM) pollution in the Pearl River Delta region, China. Similar levels of PM(2.5) concentration measured at both sites seem to confirm that the fine particles have emerged as a major regional pollution issue. The seasonal variation of PM(2.5) concentration is associated with the regional monsoon circulations while the diurnal variation is related to land-sea breeze, traffic emissions and boundary layer development. Negative correlation was found in PM(2.5)-wind speed and PM(2.5)-humidity. Analysis of radiation, temperature and ozone suggests the existence of secondary aerosol formation. Transport effect may be another contributing factor to high PM pollution in the region, such as occasional long-distance dust intrusion and trans-boundary effects from upwind areas.     

物联网技术在地震救灾中的应用

研究了物联网技术在地震救灾中的应用。在体系结构设计中主要针对无线传感器网络节点、自组网技术、数据采集与灾情分析软件、多源信息融合等几个方面开展研究,构造出基于物联网技术的信息处理平台,在此基础上组建一个地震监测、预警及救灾部署控制中心,并实现信息处理平台与城市基础设施的互连接口。最终,在地震救灾中能够利用多源信息融合技术为控制中心实现决策和指挥提供科学、高效的服务。     

突发事件区域应急联动影响因素的实证研究

在界定突发事件区域应急联动内涵的基础上,采用Delphi法,识别出突发事件区域应急联动的9个主要影响因素,即应急联动组织机构、应急联动法律法规、应急物资协同调配、应急队伍协同调配、应急预案动态协同、应急信息实时沟通、区域地理位置、区域灾害特征和区域合作基础。同时,运用ISM技术,确定区域应急联动9个影响因素的关联性,计算和分解可达性矩阵,绘制4级递阶有向图,得出区域应急联动影响因素的内在层次性,即划分出"基础层"、"过渡层"和"直接层",为有效构建突发事件区域应急联动机制提供了理论支持与科学依据。     

Advances in the treatment of multi-pollutant flue gas in China's building materials industry

In most of the world's building material industries, the control of flue gas pollutants mainly focuses on a single pollutant. However, given the large capacity and high contribution of China's building materials industry to global air pollution, the need to develop multi-pollutant emission reduction technology is urgent. Recently, China has focused on reducing the emissions of flue gas pollutants in the building materials industry, established many key research and development projects, and gradually implemented more stringent pollutant emission limits. This project focuses on the most recent advances in flue gas emission control technology in China's building materials industry, including denitration, dust removal, desulfurization, synergistic multi-pollutant emission reduction, and the construction of pilot research and demonstration projects for pollutant removal in several building material industries. On this basis, revised pollutant limits in flue gas emitted in China's building material industry are proposed.