Comparing interactive and automated mapping systems for supporting fisheries enforcement activities—a case study on vessel monitoring systems (VMS)

The conservation of wild fisheries resources in the face of an ever-increasing world demand for seafood requires the use of a number of management tools, including no-take zones, and gear, species, and temporal restrictions. One way of enforcing some of these regulations is through the use of Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data that provides enforcement officers with the position of fishing vessels in the management area. The increasing volume of movement data collected using VMS calls for new methods that could help analysts extract useful knowledge from these large data sets. Various approaches have been proposed for visualizing and exploring movement data and detecting patterns within these data, but those approaches have generally not been tested in a real-world context or compared together, making their actual usability and utility unclear. This paper describes, compares, and assesses three such approaches in the context of fisheries enforcement: an existing system used for fisheries enforcement operations in Canada (VUE), a novel Hybrid Spatio-temporal Filtering (HSF) system developed by the authors, and an automated Behavioural Change Point Analysis (BCPA) system. A field trial was conducted with experienced fisheries enforcement officers to compare and contrast the benefits and drawbacks of the three approaches. While all three presented advantages and disadvantages, the interactivity of VUE and HSF were identified as desirable features, as they provide analysts with more control over the data, while allowing flexible data exploration. BCPA, while providing an automated approach to the data analysis, was pointed out as being too much of a “black box”, causing unease among the experts who require a level of transparency similar to that of legally admissible evidence. In the end, the experts suggested that the best approach would be to merge the analytical power of their existing VUE system with the exploratory power of the HSF system. This study provides insight into the value of using interactive mapping and filtering approaches in support of data analysis in the context of fisheries enforcement.     

食品烹调处理过程中砷的浓度、形态和生物可给性研究进展

食品作为人体砷暴露的主要途径,其砷的含量和形态备受关注。由于食品原料通常要经过烹饪加工后才会被人食用,因此,食品的烹调处理过程及方式对砷的形态及生物有效性的影响在砷的健康风险评价研究中,需要作为重要因素进行研究。通过综述不同食品烹调处理前后砷浓度、形态和生物可给性变化的相关研究,分析了砷变化的特征,探讨了相关机理,并得出如下结论:烹调处理能使食品中砷的浓度发生升高或降低;高温烹调能使食品中砷形态发生变化,目前研究结果确定的变化主要是砷甜菜碱的分解,烹调中食品砷形态变化的机理尚不明确。不同烹调方式下,食品中砷的生物可给性差异较大,砷的形态变化可能是其生物可给性差异的主要原因。烹调特别是高温烹调下食品砷浓度升高及形态变化导致的健康风险值得进一步关注。     

Fermentative hydrogen production from beet sugar factory wastewater treatment in a continuous stirred tank reactor using anaerobic mixed consortia

A low pH, ethanol-type fermentation process was evaluated for wastewater treatment and bio-hydrogen production from acidic beet sugar factory wastewater in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with an effective volume of 9.6 L by anaerobic mixed cultures in this present study. After inoculating with aerobic activated sludge and operating at organic loading rate (OLR) of 12 kgCOD?m^-3·d^-1, HRT of 8h, and temperature of 35°C for 28 days, the CSTR achieved stable ethanol-type fermentation. When OLR was further increased to 18 kgCOD?m^-3·d^-1 on the 53rd day, ethanol-type fermentation dominant microflora was enhanced. The liquid fermentation products, including volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and ethanol, stabilized at 1493 mg·L^-1 in the bioreactor. Effluent pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and alkalinity ranged at 4.1–4.5, -250–(-290) mV, and 230–260 mgCaCO₃?L^-1. The specific hydrogen production rate of anaerobic activated sludge was 0.1 L?gMLVSS^-1·d^-1 and the COD removal efficiency was 45%. The experimental results showed that the CSTR system had good operation stability and microbial activity, which led to high substrate conversion rate and hydrogen production ability.     

Crystalline mesoporous transition metal oxides: hard-templating synthesis and application in environmental catalysis

Mesoporous silicas such as MCM-41 and SBA-15 possess high surface areas, ordered nanopores, and excellent thermal stability, and have been often used as catalyst supports. Although mesoporous metal oxides have lower surface areas compared to mesoporous silicas, they generally have more diversified functionalities. Mesoporous metal oxides can be synthesized via a soft-templating or hard-templating approach, and these materials have recently found some applications in environmental catalysis, such as CO oxidation, N₂O decomposition, and elimination of organic pollutants. In this review, we summarize the synthesis of mesoporous transition metal oxides using mesoporous silicas as hard templates, highlight the application of these materials in environmental catalysis, and furnish some prospects for future development.     

Ecological drivers of group living in two populations of the communally rearing rodent, Octodon degus

Intraspecific variation in sociality is thought to reflect a trade-off between current fitness benefits and costs that emerge from individuals' decision to join or leave groups. Since those benefits and costs may be influenced by ecological conditions, ecological variation remains a major, ultimate cause of intraspecific variation in sociality. Intraspecific comparisons of mammalian sociality across populations facing different environmental conditions have not provided a consistent relationship between ecological variation and group-living. Thus, we studied two populations of the communally rearing rodent Octodon degus to determine how co-variation between sociality and ecology supports alternative ecological causes of group living. In particular, we examined how variables linked to predation risk, thermal conditions, burrowing costs, and food availability predicted temporal and population variation in sociality. Our study revealed population and temporal variation in total group size and group composition that covaried with population and yearly differences in ecology. In particular, predation risk and burrowing costs are supported as drivers of this social variation in degus. Thermal differences, food quantity and quality were not significant predictors of social group size. In contrast to between populations, social variation within populations was largely uncoupled from ecological differences.     

三唑酮对大型溞21天慢性毒性效应

三唑类杀菌剂是一种在农业上广泛应用的广谱性杀菌剂.三唑类杀菌剂在农田施用后能够向土壤深处迁移和扩散,从而污染土壤和地下水体,因此三唑类杀菌剂对土壤生态环境能够造成一定的破坏.选择三唑酮为研究对象,参照经济合作与发展组织(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Develop...     

Nitrogen budget and its environmental loading in an urban ecosystem with the rapid urbanisation of China

A detailed nitrogen (N) budget has been developed for an urban ecosystem based on the method of material flow analysis. How increased human activity and urbanisation influences N cycling have also been analysed. Total N input and output in the urban ecosystem of Zhengzhou City (ZUE) was calculated at 304.8?Gg was 275.3?Gg year^?1, resulting in an N accumulation of 29.5?Gg year^?1. Industry and human life activities, which respectively accounted for 43.8% and 34.2% of total N inputs and 52.6% and 29.1% of total N outputs, were the core of N flow in the urban ecosystem. Humans activities mediated more than 98% N inputs into the ZUE, 73.2% of N was released into the atmosphere and 11.7% into hydrosphere. This very large volume of released N could contribute to regional problems. High energy consumption, insufficient wastewater treatment facility practices, and low N use efficiency are the primary causes of pollution. The major challenge ahead for the urban ecosystem is how to manage high-intensity N pollutant inputs to the urban ecosystems coupled with incomplete N cycling and removal. Based on the analysis of the N budget and loading, this study also proposes an N management strategy for the ZUE.     

Tolerance of the black soldier fly,Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) to pH value,pungency, and NaCl in foodstuffs北大核心CSCD

The black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens, has been considered impressive as a saprophagous insect, for its high ability to convert organic waste to insect protein and oil. Hence, it has been regarded by the municipal administration that BSF might be used as a medium to deal with food waste. However, food waste in China has been characterized as having a high salt content, oily, and very spicy, which usually renders them unsuitable for animal feeding. In order to assess the technological reliability for BSF conversion of food waste, the tolerance of BSF for pH values, pungency, and NaCl in food were investigated in this case. Results indicated that strong acidity (pH = 3) was not good for the development of BSF, demonstrating less body weight and eclosion failure. In contrast, strong basicity (pH = 11) seemed to be beneficial for larval development with high biomass, and there is no difference in pupation, eclosion, larval biomass, and livability for BSF for pH values between 5 and 11. With regards to salinity, liner correlations were observed; the salinity strength increased along with the extension of the larval phase, but body weight, pupation rate, emerging rate, and livability were still consistent under 6% density of salinity. Influence of pungency on BSF larvae has not yet been found. In conclusion, BSF showed a high tolerance to pH value, pungency, and salinity in foodstuffs. Hence, it is expected that food waste from common environments might have a lesser possibility to cause negative effects on BSF development, which could be good news for BSF conversion technology. As for the process design, the conclusion suggested that food waste optimum for BSF is expected to be alkaline and low-salt, which would be helpful to improve the efficiency and harvest. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Mycelial culture of wild Inonotus hispidus parasitizing the jujube tree and the cultivation conditions of its fruit body on rice medium北大核心CSCD

Inonotus hispidus is a kind of rare medicinal fungus, and its natural resources are very scarce. Currently, the artificial cultivation technology of I. hispidus is not completely developed, and this reflects on its extremely low biological conversion rate and long cultivation period. In order to improve the bioconversion rate and shorten the production cycle of I. hispidus, we first analyzed the mycelia culture conditions of the collected I. hispidus, and then we further explore the method of domesticated cultivation of its fruiting body in rice medium. During the process of mycelial culture, the suitable temperature, pH, carbon source, and nitrogen source for mycelial growth were selected using the mycelial growth rate as index. During the domesticated cultivation of the fruiting body, the suitable culture medium for its growth was selected using the bioconversion rate as index. Screening results of mycelial culture conditions showed that the optimal culture conditions for the growth of mycelium of the wild I. hispidus were: temperature of 25 °C, initial pH of 6.0, glucose as the carbon source, and yeast extract powder as the source of nitrogen. The results of the domesticated cultivation showed that the biotransformation rate of I. hispidus was higher when using rice as the main medium substrate. The optimal cultivation conditions were: a 0.2% yeast extract content in the nutrient solution, a 1:1.6 ratio of rice to nutrient solution, and a 4 mL inoculum of the liquid strain. Under these conditions, it took about 4 days for the mycelium to grow over the cultivation medium. The time required for the differentiation of the primordium to form fruit bodies was about 20 days, and the bioconversion rate reached 28.70% ± 5.05%. The results of this study indicate the feasibility of using rice as the main substrate for the cultivation of I. hispidus, and it also provide new insights for the finding of new cultivation substrates for other rare medicinal fungi. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Species diversity variation of Cupressus funebris secondary forest in landslide site after 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake北大核心CSCD

The characteristics of species diversity in Cupressus funebris secondary forest under the effect of geological hazard were explored by selecting the typical landslide surface of Fenghuang Mountain, Leigu Town, Beichuan County, which was derived from the 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake. The results showed that 93 species belonged to 42 families, and 78 genera were found in the landslide area, where the main families were Compositae, Leguminosae, and Gramineae-based. Further, 97 species in the transition area belonged to 39 families and 80 genera, and the main families were Compositae, Gramineae, and Rosaceae-based. In all, 108 species were recorded in the non-landslide area, which belonged to 59 families and 92 genera, the main families of which were Compositae, Rosaceae, and Gramineae-based. Compositae and Gramineae played important roles in the landslide recovery process after earthquake. The Pielou index (JSW) was the highest in the non-landslide area of the herb layer, whereas the richness index (D) was the lowest; the Shannon-Wiener index (H) and Simpson index (H') showed medium values. In the non-landslide area, the D, H, and H' were the highest in the shrub layer, whereas the JSW was the lowest. Further, the species diversity index of the transitional area was higher than that of the landslide area. In the tree layer, the D and H were both the highest and lowest in the landslide area and transition area, respectively. In contrast, the H' and JSW were the highest in the transition area and the lowest in the non-landslide area. The distribution of vegetation was generally consistent with the distribution of soil nutrients in the spatial distribution of surface soil nutrients. The succession of trees in the landslide area was relatively slow and at the initial stage, and the pioneer species were Coriaria nepalensis, Leptopus chinensis, and Arthraxon lanceolatus in this area. Taken together, the findings suggested that the stability of a plant community can be increased by improving the soil and stabilizing the slope. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.