Empirical likelihood confidence intervals for adaptive cluster sampling

Adaptive cluster sampling (ACS) is an efficient sampling design for estimating parameters of rare and clustered populations. It is widely used in ecological research. The modified Hansen-Hurwitz (HH) and Horvitz-Thompson (HT) estimators based on small samples under ACS have often highly skewed distributions. In such situations, confidence intervals based on traditional normal approximation can lead to unsatisfactory results, with poor coverage properties. Christman and Pontius (Biometrics 56:503–510, 2000) showed that bootstrap percentile methods are appropriate for constructing confidence intervals from the HH estimator. But Perez and Pontius (J Stat Comput Simul 76:755–764, 2006) showed that bootstrap confidence intervals from the HT estimator are even worse than the normal approximation confidence intervals. In this article, we consider two pseudo empirical likelihood functions under the ACS design. One leads to the HH estimator and the other leads to a HT type estimator known as the Hájek estimator. Based on these two empirical likelihood functions, we derive confidence intervals for the population mean. Using a simulation study, we show that the confidence intervals obtained from the first EL function perform as good as the bootstrap confidence intervals from the HH estimator but the confidence intervals obtained from the second EL function perform much better than the bootstrap confidence intervals from the HT estimator, in terms of coverage rate.     

Watershed development in India. 1. Biophysical and societal impacts

This paper recommends a revision of watershed development policy in India in relation to the planning of development interventions involving agricultural intensification and rainwater harvesting following biophysical and societal impact studies carried out on two watershed development projects in Karnataka. A need for changes in policy has arisen in response to progressive catchments closure at the basin level and declining volumes of water flowing into village level reservoirs (known locally as tanks). Flow reductions have occurred largely as a result of increased agricultural intensification over the past 10–15 years. Field levelling, field bund construction, soil water conservation measures, farm ponds, the increase in areas under horticulture and forestry and the increased abstraction and use of groundwater for irrigation are all contributing factors to reduced flows. Planning methodologies and approaches, which may have been appropriate 20 years ago for planning water harvesting within watershed development projects, are no longer appropriate today. New planning approaches are required which (1) take account of these changed flow conditions and (2) are also able to take account of externalities, which occur when actions of some affect the livelihoods of others who have no control or influence over such activities and which (3) contribute to the maintenance of agreed minimum downstream flows for environmental and other purposes.

Detection of toxic heavy metals and pesticide residue in herbal plants which are commonly used in the herbal formulations

Herbal formulations are getting popular throughout the world and commercialized extensively for various medicinal properties. WHO has emphasized the need for quality assurance of herbal products, including testing of heavy metals and pesticides residues. In view of WHO guidelines, single herbal drugs used in herbal formulations were collected from local market, for testing heavy metals and persistent pesticides residue. Therefore, in the present case, we have examined few local samples of certain herbs viz. Emblica officinalis, Terminalia chebula, Terminalia belerica, and Withania somnifera. The present studies were selected for estimation of four heavy metals namely Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury. Apart from these, pesticide residue Viz. Organochlorine pesticides, Organophosphorus pesticides, and Pyrethroids were analyzed in the four samples of single crude drugs. Heavy metals and pesticide residue were found below detection limits in all the samples.     

Hg bioavailability and impact on bacterial communities in a long-term polluted soil

Different soil samples characterised by a long-term Hg-pollution were studied for Hg total content, fractionation, phytotoxicity and influence on the bacterial community. Hg pollution ranged from 1 to 50 mg kg(-1) and most of it was speciated in scarcely soluble forms. In agreement with this, the biochemical quality indexes were investigated (biomass, enzyme activities) and the bacterial community (viable heterotrophic (VH) bacteria, functional diversity) apparently was not influenced by the degree of Hg pollution. In particular, the investigated soils exhibited a low percentage of Hg-resistant (Hg(R)) bacteria ranging from less than 0.001% to 0.25% of the VH and the addition of available Hg in the form of HgCl(2) induced an enrichment of resistant Hg(R) populations. The general biodiversity of the bacterial community was evaluated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of DNA of Hg spiked soil microcosms and of control soils. Hg(R) bacteria capable to grow in a minimal medium containing HgCl(2) were also isolated and identified. MerA and merB gene PCR fragments were obtained from different Hg(R) strains and the range of similarities at the DNA level and at the deduced amino acid level showed that they carried mercuric reductase and lyase. Differently from bacteria, some influence of soil Hg content on seeds' germination and root elongation was observed for Lepidium sativum L. and Solanum lycopersicum L. In conclusion, most of the Hg in these long-term polluted soils was scarcely mobile and available and did not significantly influence the soil bacterial community. The risk of potential Hg remobilization over time, that could be naturally favoured by the activity of plant roots or other inorganic processes occurring in soil, can be extenuated since bacterial community was resistant and resilient to subsequent Hg stress.     

基于SPOT5影像多辐射校正水平的植被绿量遥感估算

选用南京市SPOT5图像的灰度值(DN)、星上辐射率(SR)、表观反射率(TOA)和地物反射率(PAC)数据,提取了两种植被指数(VI),即归一化植被指数(NDVI)和比值植被指数(RVI),并与地面实测的绿量(LVV)进行相关分析,建立了165个关系模型.结果表明,LVV与VI呈极显著的相关关系,其相关系数多以相对均质植被高于植被总体,基于灰度值高于常用的地物反射率为主.LVV-VI关系模型的R~2均值以多元线性回归模型最高(0.821),指数模型最低(0.536),而1～3次多项式模型均接近0.7.每种植被样方优选出一个模型,即阔叶林LVV-7.802 RVI_(PAC)-2.455(R~2=0.827,RMSE=0.498);针阔叶混交林LVV=-15.421 RVI_(TOA)+26.971 RVI_(DN)-8.261(R~2=0.918,RMSE=0.356);灌木LVV=-342.591 NDVI_(DN)~3-20.553 NDVI_(DN)~2+14.013 NDVI_(DN)+1.509(R~2=0.764,RMSE=0.689);草地LVV=2.934 RVI_(PAC)+2.147 RVI_(TOA)-3.193(R2=0.903,RMSE=0.464);总体植被LVV=1.789RVI_(PAC)-6.814NDVIs+4.258NDVI_(PAC)+12.854 NDVI_(DN)-0.342(R~2=0.810,RMSE=0.638).这些优选模犁的自变量包括了4种辐射校正水平下提取的两种植被指数,显示基于不同辐射校正水平的植被指数在植被LVV遥感反演中具有一定的应用潜力.     

高速铁路高填复合路堤边坡安全问题探讨

路基是高速铁路安全系统的关键和薄弱环节 ,建在软土上的高填路堤边坡是否稳定 ,更是直接关系到路基乃至整个高速铁路系统的安全 ,采用桩—网复合地基形式修建高路堤是一个好办法 ,这种路堤形式尚不多见。笔者结合其特点 ,从理论上提出了一种新的边坡安全实用计算方法 ;讨论了影响边坡安全的主要因素 ;验证了这一计算方法的合理性     

Changing scenario of Himalayan agroecosystems: loss of agrobiodiversity, an indicator of environmental change in Central Himalaya, India

Environmental, biological, socio-cultural and economic variations in the Himalayas have led to the evolution of diverse and unique traditional agroecosystems, crop species, and livestock, which help the traditional mountain farming societies to sustain themselves. During the recent past, as a result of rapid changes in land use caused by socio-cultural and economic changes and various environmental perturbations, the agrobiodiversity of the Central Himalayan agroecosystems has changed steadily. A recent survey conducted in 150 different villages located along an elevated transect of the Alaknanda catchment of the Central Himalaya revealed that over a period of two decades (1970–74 and 1990–94) the cultivated area under many traditional crops had declined significantly. A micro-level study carried out in 30 villages revealed that a series of changes had occurred in land use practices over a period of 25–30 years.The loss of agrobiodiversity and the changing socio-cultural and economic dimensions and their impacts on the sustainability of Himalayan agroecosystems are emerging as major causes of concern at local/regional/national scale, and appropriate options to meet these challenges are discussed in this paper.     

Isolation of Thiobacillus sp from aerobic sludge of distillery and dairy effluent treatment plants and its sulfide oxidation activity at different concentrations

In the present study two strains of Thiobacillus sp were isolated from aerobic sludge of distillery and dairy effluent treatment plant using standard methods of isolation and enrichment. Experiments were conducted using isolated cultures in batch bioreactor with initial sulfide concentration of 75 and 150 mg/l. The effect of initial sulfide concentration on the activity of isolated Thiobacillus sp was studied. Sulfide oxidizing capacity was also determined at different initial sulfide concentrations. The results from the study indicate the possible isolation of Thiobacillus cultures from native source and application in the full-scale reactor     

甲苯降解菌的分离、鉴定及其对甲苯的降解特性

从重庆钢铁集团焦化厂脱酚池车间污泥中分离纯化得到一株能以甲苯为惟一碳源和能源的革兰氏阴性菌。根据生理生化实验结果、菌落特征、菌体形态,初步鉴定为假单孢菌属。菌株的最佳生长条件为：pH7、温度35℃、加入量100mL培养基中加入60μL甲苯、接种量5．0％。考察了菌株对甲苯的降解特性,在甲苯质量浓度为150mg/L时,比降解速率达到0．211h^-1。     

用Autospec-Ultima NT气相色谱-高分辨质谱分析二噁英及相关的持久性有机污染物

"二噁英"是指一类化学结构和生物特征均有某些相似之处的化合物.这些有毒化合物有几百种,可分为相关的三大类:氯代二苯并-对-二噁英(CDDs),氯代二苯并呋喃(CDFs)和某些多氯代联苯(PCBs).CDDs和CDFs并非与生具有,而是由于人类活动不注意而生成的.天然过程也会产生CDDs和CDFs.