Ectomised conductors in the golden orb-web spider, Nephila plumipes (Araneoidea): a male adaptation to sexual conflict?

Male genitalia may facilitate sperm protection by acting as a plug that prevents or hinders future matings. The pedipalps (intromittant organs) of males of the orb-web spider, Nephila plumipes, have a conductor with a peculiarly curved ending and a triangular process near the terminal end. The tip of the conductor, including the process, breaks during most matings and remains inside the female genital tract. We explored the possible function of the conductor as a mating plug using the double-mating sterile-male technique. Our data are not consistent with a plug function because males use only one pedipalp in each mating, thus leaving an unobstructed insemination duct available for future matings; conductors of males mating with virgin females are not more likely to break than those of males mating with mated females, and second males show no preference for used or unused spermathecae. In addition, males that inserted their palp in the insemination duct that contained a tip of the conductor from a previous male obtained a share in the paternity of the female's clutch of eggs. Interestingly, the conductor is more likely to break if it is inserted in an unused spermatheca. We argue that several lines of evidence suggest that the conductor breaks as a result of intersexual conflict over the duration of copulation.     

Chemosensory discrimination of familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics by lizards: implications of field spatial relationships between males

The ability of territorial lizards to discriminate between scents of neighbors and non-neighbors might contribute to decreasing the costs of aggressive interactions. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a field study to analyze the spatial relationships between male Iberian rock-lizards, Lacerta monticola. We then used the same individuals in a laboratory experiment to test whether male lizards can use chemical cues to discriminate between familiar conspecific males (those whose home ranges overlapped) and unfamiliar conspecific males (those whose home ranges did not overlap, and whose home range centers were at least 50 m apart). Differences in tongue-flick rates in the presence of chemical cues suggested that male L. monticola discriminated between odors of familiar and unfamiliar males. The behavioral responses were also dependent on relative differences in body size between the responding male and the unfamiliar male that donated the scent: There was a significant negative correlation between tongue-flick rates emitted in cages of unfamiliar males and the body size differences between males. In contrast, when the donor of the scent was a familiar male, the tongue-flick rate was not dependent on body size differences. These results are compatible with individual discrimination through chemical cues in male L. monticola.     

环境基质中药物残留的固相提取与分析

废水流出物常常不可避免地进入地表水和用于饮用水资源的含水层．因废水再循环常常进入饮用水层,各种废水中的污染物最终会污染饮用水．以往环保部门一直比较注重农药和工业污染物,但最近的研究发现:废水流出物中的某些药物残留已达到了相当令人关注(１μｇ·１－１即ｐｐｂ)的程度．传统的分析技术(如液液萃取和ＧＣ/ＭＳ) 对极性较弱的化合物(ＰＣＢｓ和许多农药)比较有效,但对于极性相对较强的药物污染物而言,固相提取(ＳＰＥ)与ＬＣ/ＭＳ技术更适合于样品提取分析。     

预测有机化合物对水蚤EC50值的片段常数法

根据217种化合物建立了估算有机化合物对水蚤EC50值（48h半数影响浓度）的片段常数模型,分析了模型的误差及稳健性。研究结果表明,有机化合物的片段常数和结构因子与水蚤的EC50值倒数的对数（lg1/EC50)显著相关,可以根据片段常数法估算有机化合物对水蚤的EC50。模型的可决系数为0.9687,平均绝对误差0.40个对数单位,其中68.7%化合物的误差小于0.5个对数单位。     

类水滑石对污泥焚烧飞灰浸出液中磷的纯化

采用Mg-Fe型类水滑石（LDH）吸附剂提纯污泥焚烧飞灰（ISSA）浸出液中的磷,探究了吸附剂煅烧对磷吸附效果的影响及磷吸附和脱附机理.研究发现,在高浓度磷溶液（>1000mg/L）中,未煅烧的类水滑石（LDHu）磷吸附容量高于煅烧后的类水滑石（LDHc）.LDHu具有典型的层状结构,磷的吸附与脱附主要通过磷和金属离子沉淀-溶解、静电吸附-排斥、配位作用和离子交换实现.而LDHc层状结构消失,形成双金属氧化物,不存在明显的阴离子交换作用.经LDHu或LDHc吸附和NaOH溶液脱附后,ISSA浸出液均具有良好的磷纯化效果,磷相对纯度从36%分别上升至77%和69%,磷回收率分别为84%和57%.纯化后的溶液适合制备高值含磷产物.     

Mean Vehicle Speed Distributions for the Spatiotemporal Estimation of Exhaust Emissions

Link Emissions Models estimate traffic-related air pollution emissions at the individual road link level and inform governmental policies for air quality management. The current South Australian Link Emissions Model (CLEM) assumes constant spatiotemporal traffic flow at a single fixed mean speed, a potential limitation as the variability of exhaust emissions with vehicle speed has been established in the literature.We extend CLEM to eliminate the assumption of constant traffic flow, through the derivation of mean Australian vehicle speed distributions for different road types. Specifically, we successfully model the vehicle speed profile data from the second National In-Service Emissions study using Nearest Neighbour Kernel Density Estimation. We propose a mean speed Distribution Link Emissions Model (DLEM) for exhaust emission estimation based on the derived mean speed distributions. DLEM is an augmented, enhanced version of CLEM, accommodating a range of vehicle speeds and road types. The performance of the extended model, DLEM, is analysed in comparison to the current model, CLEM, through a case study analysis of vehicle exhaust emissions on a typical arterial road in Adelaide, South Australia. Results indicate use of DLEM and, by extension, mean vehicle speed distributions, has a strong impact on emission estimation. In particular, the fixed speed model, CLEM, may be substantially underestimating exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide, non-methane volatile organic compounds and particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter. These are common exhaust pollutants that have been extensively linked with adverse health effects including respiratory morbidity and premature mortality.     

废气样品中甲烷的保存条件研究

气相色谱法检测废气中甲烷,样品保存容器可选择玻璃注射器、惰性气袋、真空瓶、苏码罐等,实验室对此做了比较研究。结果表明:玻璃注射器气密性较差,样品须在8 h内完成分析;真空瓶携带不方便,苏码罐价格昂贵,两者使用较少;使用玻璃注射器采集,然后注入惰性气袋保存的方法最佳,样品至少可稳定保存7d。