Defending the scientific integrity of conservation‐policy processes

Government agencies faced with politically controversial decisions often discount or ignore scientific information, whether from agency staff or nongovernmental scientists. Recent developments in scientific integrity (the ability to perform, use, communicate, and publish science free from censorship or political interference) in Canada, Australia, and the United States demonstrate a similar trajectory. A perceived increase in scientific‐integrity abuses provokes concerted pressure by the scientific community, leading to efforts to improve scientific‐integrity protections under a new administration. However, protections are often inconsistently applied and are at risk of reversal under administrations publicly hostile to evidence‐based policy. We compared recent challenges to scientific integrity to determine what aspects of scientific input into conservation policy are most at risk of political distortion and what can be done to strengthen safeguards against such abuses. To ensure the integrity of outbound communications from government scientists to the public, we suggest governments strengthen scientific integrity policies, include scientists’ right to speak freely in collective‐bargaining agreements, guarantee public access to scientific information, and strengthen agency culture supporting scientific integrity. To ensure the transparency and integrity with which information from nongovernmental scientists (e.g., submitted comments or formal policy reviews) informs the policy process, we suggest governments broaden the scope of independent reviews, ensure greater diversity of expert input and transparency regarding conflicts of interest, require a substantive response to input from agencies, and engage proactively with scientific societies. For their part, scientists and scientific societies have a responsibility to engage with the public to affirm that science is a crucial resource for developing evidence‐based policy and regulations in the public interest.     

Froude scaling limitations in modeling of turbidity currents

The scaling problem associated with the modeling of turbidity currents has been recognized but is yet to be explored systematically. This paper presents an analysis of the dimensionless governing equations of turbidity currents to investigate the scale effect. Three types of flow conditions are considered: (i) conservative density current; (ii) purely depositional turbidity current; and (iii) mixed erosional/depositional turbidity current. Two controlling dimensionless numbers, the Froude number and the Reynolds number, appear in the non-dimensional governing equations. When densimetric Froude similarity is satisfied, the analysis shows that the results would be scale-invariant for conservative density current under the rough turbulent condition. In the case of purely depositional flows, truly scale-invariant results cannot be obtained, as the Reynolds-mediated scale effects appear in the bottom boundary conditions of the flow velocity and sediment fall velocity. However, the scale effect would be relatively modest. The Reynolds effect becomes more significant for erosional or mixed erosional/depositional turbidity currents as Reynolds-mediated scale effects also appear in the sediment entrainment relation. Numerical simulations have been conducted at three different scales by considering densimetric Froude scaling alone as well as combined densimetric Froude and Reynolds similarity. Simulation results confirm that although the scaling of densimetric Froude number alone can produce scale-invariable results for conservative density currents, variations occur in the case of turbidity currents. The results become scale invariant when densimetric Froude and Reynolds similarities are satisfied simultaneously.     

Changes in bird‐migration patterns associated with human‐induced mortality

Many bird populations have recently changed their migratory behavior in response to alterations of the environment. We collected data over 16 years on male Great Bustards (Otis tarda), a species showing a partial migratory pattern (sedentary and migratory birds coexisting in the same breeding groups). We conducted population counts and radio tracked 180 individuals to examine differences in survival rates between migratory and sedentary individuals and evaluate possible effects of these differences on the migratory pattern of the population. Overall, 65% of individuals migrated and 35% did not. The average distance between breeding and postbreeding areas of migrant individuals was 89.9 km, and the longest average movement of sedentary males was 3.8 km. Breeding group and migration distance had no effect on survival. However, mortality of migrants was 2.4 to 3.5 times higher than mortality of sedentary birds. For marked males, collision with power lines was the main cause of death from unnatural causes (37.6% of all deaths), and migratory birds died in collisions with power lines more frequently than sedentary birds (21.3% vs 6.3%). The percentage of sedentary individuals increased from 17% in 1997 to 45% in 2012. These results were consistent with data collected from radio‐tracked individuals: The proportion of migratory individuals decreased from 86% in 1997–1999 to 44% in 2006–2010. The observed decrease in the migratory tendency was not related to climatic changes (temperatures did not change over the study period) or improvements in habitat quality (dry cereal farmland area decreased in the main study area). Our findings suggest that human‐induced mortality during migration may be an important factor shaping the migration patterns of species inhabiting humanized landscapes.     

化工物料包装过程静电危害分析

高绝缘化工物料在包装过程中极易带电,以聚酯切片包装为研究对象,对聚酯切片在输送、包装过程物料静电起电机理进行了分析,并对聚酯切片输送包装过程中的包装袋表面电位及物料荷质比进行现场检测,探讨了聚酯切片打包过程中静电危害及预防措施。     

西安地区人工林土壤干层与水分恢复研究

为查明西安地区土壤干层和丰水年之后的土壤水分的恢复,利用烘干法研究了人工林地土壤含水量。结果表明,西安地区丰水年极端降水前杨树林,法国梧桐林、中国梧桐林和苹果林地大约1.5～4m深度范围内土壤含水量分别为9.3%、9.0%、9.7%和9.1%,普遍存在土壤干层,干层厚度约2.5m。丰水年之后土壤水分得到了很好的恢复,干层全部消失。经过1a左右的入渗,水分恢复深度可达6m左右。根据丰水年之后土壤含水量的不断消耗确定,西安地区丰水年之后一般经过3～4a左右的时间,人工林地的干层将会再次出现。发育弱的土壤干层并未影响到人工林的正常生长,表明在西安或与西安类似降雨量的黄土高原其他发展人工乔木林是可行的。     

高铁酸钾水处理剂的制备及稳定性研究

通过次氯酸盐氧化法制备高铁酸钾的工艺,探讨了次氯酸盐浓度、铁盐投加量、反应温度等对高铁酸钾纯度、产率的影响,研究发现当初始ClO-浓度为137.3g/L,除盐工序温度控制在10℃左右,铁盐投加量为化学计量的30%时,可得到纯度为96.4%、产率为45.3%的高铁酸钾固体.用XRD、FIRT和SEM对高铁酸钾进行了表征分析.初步研究了高铁酸钾母液中KOH、KCl、KNO3、Fe(NO3)3、KClO等杂质对高铁酸钾溶液稳定性的影响,结果表明碱度越高,高铁酸钾溶液稳定性越强, KCl、KNO3使高铁酸钾溶液稳定性略有降低, KClO对高铁酸钾溶液具有强稳定性,三价铁盐的存在能促进高铁酸钾溶液的快速分解.     

蒽降解菌与铜绿假单胞菌融合子的特性研究

将蒽降解菌An815和绿色荧光蛋白标记铜绿假单胞菌(Pseudomonas aeruginosa/EGFP)P原生质体融合,得到了既能高效降解蒽,又能产生生物表面活性剂的融合子F。研究了它的形态特征、生理生化特性、产表面活性剂的能力、对蒽的降解性能及生长繁殖情况。结果表明,融合子菌落和菌体形态,产脓青素,荧光色素的特性类似于铜绿假单胞菌亲本,但其大多生理生化特性酷似An815亲本而不同于铜绿假单胞菌亲本;融合子有较好产表面活性剂的能力,72 h内将表面张力由70.2 mN/m降至36.5mN/m;在蒽的反应体系中,32h内融合子和亲本An815对蒽的降解转化率分别为86.7%,59.4%,融合子对蒽的降解速率比An815提高了27.3%;在蒽的反应体系中融合子和亲本生长曲线相似。     

好氧颗粒污泥在生物强化除磷中的应用

结合近年来好氧颗粒污泥的最新研究成果,分析了好氧颗粒污泥的物理、化学、生物学、结构特征,并从生物除磷、反硝化除磷和沉淀作用三方面对好氧颗粒污泥除磷现象进行探讨。旨在为好氧颗粒污泥在生物强化除磷中的实际应用提供理论知识。     

活性艳蓝B-RV高效脱色菌筛选及脱色能力研究

从印染厂的沉淀池污泥和污水处理站的曝气池污泥中分离到3株对活性艳蓝B-RV染料脱色能力较高的细菌,编号分别为A,B1,B2,经鉴定分别为产碱菌属(Alcaligenes)、假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)和克雷伯氏菌属(Klebsiella).探讨了三株菌在不同接种量、温度、pH和培养时间等条件下对活性艳蓝B-RV脱色的情况,并获得了其脱色反应的最适条件,此三株菌在最适条件下脱色率均能达到70%以上。     

氧化塘底泥堆肥过程氮磷及重金属变化研究

研究采用静态强制通气堆对氧化塘底泥进行堆肥处理,对堆肥过程中氮、磷和重金属的变化规律进行了研究。试验结果表明:总氮下降了17.5%,总磷上升了47.0%,重金属略有上升,堆肥时间以7周为宜。