Avian magnetic compass: fast adjustment to intensities outside the normal functional window

To determine how fast birds can adapt to magnetic intensities outside the normal functional window of their magnetic compass, we tested migratory birds in a magnetic field of 92,000 nT, twice the intensity of the local geomagnetic field at the test site in Frankfurt a.M., Germany. In the local field, robins showed a significant preference of their southerly migratory direction, whereas in the 92,000-nT field, they were initially disoriented. However, when the birds were preexposed to 92,000 nT for 1 h before being tested, they were able to orient under this intensity, and their behavior did not differ from that in the geomagnetic field. These data show that birds require only a short time to adjust to magnetic intensities, which they cannot spontaneously use for orientation. Interpreting these findings in view of the radical pair model (Ritz et al. 2000), this means that they can learn rather quickly to interpret novel activation patterns on their retina.     

Recent Industrial Applications of Lignin: A Sustainable Alternative to Nonrenewable Materials

Lignin represents a vastly under-utilized natural polymer co-generated during papermaking and biomass fractionation. Different types of lignin exist, and these differ with regard to isolation protocol and plant resource (i.e., wood type or agricultural harvesting residue). The incorporation of lignin into polymeric systems has been demonstrated, and this depends on solubility and reactivity characteristics. Several industrial utilization examples are presented for sulfur-free, water-insoluble lignins. These include materials for automotive brakes, wood panel products, biodispersants, polyurethane foams, and epoxy resins for printed circuit boards.     

德国城镇水事管理法律的发展——供水保障和污水处理

关于饮用水供应和污水处理的法律规范,属于市政水管理的核心领域,是水管理法的重要组成部分。特别在国际和欧盟层面,以长期保障饮用水供应为核心内容的“涉水人权”成为关注热点。首先对德国水事管理法律的发展做一概览,《水法》确保一种公法上的监管秩序。尽管受到欧盟《水框架指令》影响,德国水事管理在向水环境质量达标转型,但饮用水供应与污水处理仍是《水法》的核心内容。在欧盟层面上,除了《水框架指令》外,《市政污水指令》和《饮用水指令》分别对供水保障和污水处理2个领域做了具体规定。在德国法律层面上,首先对供水保障和污水处理领域的组织体系,从集中式和分散式的发展趋势以及保障效率的私营化趋势加以评析;其次对《水法》在联邦制改革下的发展和作为水事监管核心的许可制度进行介绍;然后在污水监管领域,分别就污水排放许可的先进技术水准、直接与间接排放、污水收费和污泥处理进行分析;最后就饮用水供应领域,从水源地保护和饮用水供应2个方面加以介绍,指出了德国在水事监管领域的挑战。