Approaching the upper boundary of driver-response relationships: identifying factors using a novel framework integrating quantile regression with interpretable machine learning

● A novel framework integrating quantile regression with machine learning is proposed. ● It aims to identify factors driving observations to upper boundary of relationship. ● Increasing N:P and TN concentration help fulfill the effect of TP on CHL. ● Wetter and warmer decrease potential and increase eutrophication control difficulty. ● The framework advances applications of quantile regression and machine learning. The identification of factors that may be forcing ecological observations to approach the upper boundary provides insight into potential mechanisms affecting driver-response relationships, and can help inform ecosystem management, but has rarely been explored. In this study, we propose a novel framework integrating quantile regression with interpretable machine learning. In the first stage of the framework, we estimate the upper boundary of a driver-response relationship using quantile regression. Next, we calculate “potentials” of the response variable depending on the driver, which are defined as vertical distances from the estimated upper boundary of the relationship to observations in the driver-response variable scatter plot. Finally, we identify key factors impacting the potential using a machine learning model. We illustrate the necessary steps to implement the framework using the total phosphorus (TP)-Chlorophyll a (CHL) relationship in lakes across the continental US. We found that the nitrogen to phosphorus ratio (N׃P), annual average precipitation, total nitrogen (TN), and summer average air temperature were key factors impacting the potential of CHL depending on TP. We further revealed important implications of our findings for lake eutrophication management. The important role of N׃P and TN on the potential highlights the co-limitation of phosphorus and nitrogen and indicates the need for dual nutrient criteria. Future wetter and/or warmer climate scenarios can decrease the potential which may reduce the efficacy of lake eutrophication management. The novel framework advances the application of quantile regression to identify factors driving observations to approach the upper boundary of driver-response relationships.     

The role of lipids in fermentative propionate production from the co-fermentation of lipid and food waste

● Lipid can promote PA production on a target from food waste. ● PA productivity reached 6.23 g/(L∙d) from co-fermentation of lipid and food waste. ● Lipid promoted the hydrolysis and utilization of protein in food waste. ● Prevotella , Veillonella and norank _f _Propioni bacteriaceae were enriched. ● Main pathway of PA production was the succinate pathway. Food waste (FW) is a promising renewable low-cost biomass substrate for enhancing the economic feasibility of fermentative propionate production. Although lipids, a common component of food waste, can be used as a carbon source to enhance the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) during co-fermentation, few studies have evaluated the potential for directional propionate production from the co-fermentation of lipids and FW. In this study, co-fermentation experiments were conducted using different combinations of lipids and FW for VFA production. The contributions of lipids and FW to propionate production, hydrolysis of substrates, and microbial composition during co-fermentation were evaluated. The results revealed that lipids shifted the fermentation type of FW from butyric to propionic acid fermentation. Based on the estimated propionate production kinetic parameters, the maximum propionate productivity increased significantly with an increase in lipid content, reaching 6.23 g propionate/(L∙d) at a lipid content of 50%. Propionate-producing bacteria Prevotella, Veillonella, and norank_f_Propionibacteriaceae were enriched in the presence of lipids, and the succinate pathway was identified as a prominent fermentation route for propionate production. Moreover, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes functional annotation revealed that the expression of functional genes associated with amino acid metabolism was enhanced by the presence of lipids. Collectively, these findings will contribute to gaining a better understanding of targeted propionate production from FW.     

A new prediction method of industrial atmospheric pollutant emission intensity based on pollutant emission standard quantification

● Established a quantification method of pollutant emission standard. ● Predicted the SO₂ emission intensity of single coking enterprises in China. ● Evaluated the influence of pollutant discharge standard on prediction accuracy. ● Analyzed the SO₂ emissions of Chinese provincial and municipal coking enterprises. Industrial emissions are the main source of atmospheric pollutants in China. Accurate and reasonable prediction of the emission of atmospheric pollutants from single enterprise can determine the exact source of atmospheric pollutants and control atmospheric pollution precisely. Based on China’s coking enterprises in 2020, we proposed a quantitative method for pollutant emission standards and introduced the quantification results of pollutant emission standards (QRPES) into the construction of support vector regression (SVR) and random forest regression (RFR) prediction methods for SO₂ emission of coking enterprises in China. The results show that, affected by the types of coke ovens and regions, China’s current coking enterprises have implemented a total of 21 emission standards, with marked differences. After adding QRPES, it was found that the root mean squared error (RMSE) of SVR and RFR decreased from 0.055 kt/a and 0.059 kt/a to 0.045 kt/a and 0.039 kt/a, and theR² increased from 0.890 and 0.881 to 0.926 and 0.945, respectively. This shows that the QRPES can greatly improve the prediction accuracy, and the SO₂ emissions of each enterprise are highly correlated with the strictness of standards. The predicted result shows that 45% of SO₂ emissions from Chinese coking enterprises are concentrated in Shanxi, Shaanxi and Hebei provinces in central China. The method created in this paper fills in the blank of forecasting method of air pollutant emission intensity of single enterprise and is of great help to the accurate control of air pollutants.     

人类走向环境伦理

环境伦理是从道德的角度研究人与自然关系的问题,本文主要从环境伦理的产生、环境伦理要求人们走出“人类中心主义”、环境伦理的道德原则和规范三个方面来阐述。环境伦理的兴起与对人类的启示“伦理”一词代表的是人们的言论和行为要遵循的原则、规范,并与人的责任和义务相联系。传统的伦理是揭示人与人之间关系的一种规律性的认识,也就是反映人们之间的伦理关系,反映人们相互之间应该承担的责任和义务。千百年来,伦理的作用和功能主要表现在调节人际之间利益关系的层面上。所以,以往当人们谈到伦理的时候,它存在于人类之间,只起调…     

钻井废液的固液分离工艺与设备

影响钻井废液固液分离的因素包括钻井废液的稀释比例、脱稳处理药剂的种类和加量、固液分离设备。文章介绍了钻井废液处理的基本流程,分析了钻井废液pH值对固液分离效果的影响,论述了卧式螺旋卸料沉降离心机的基本结构、设备参数和操作参数对固液分离效果的影响。     

自然灾害灾后重建技术及实践的研究进展

灾后重建是在灾害体发生之时及发生之后,采取应急救援、灾害管理,以及灾后评估、救助、规划等一系列过程,是一个典型的系统工程,可划分为前期应急重建、中期恢复重建及后期发展重建3部分。以自然灾害为主要研究对象,在分析中外关于灾后重建文献的基础之上,归纳了灾后重建的系统特征,介绍了灾后重建技术和实践的研究进展。灾后重建技术包括灾害分类分级、应急救援、灾后评估、灾害管理和重建规划5个方面,灾后重建实践研究分为地震、飓风、洪水和海啸4个方面,并对中外的灾后重建研究发展进行了展望。     

Responses of chlorophyll fluorescence and nitrogen level of Leymus chinensis seedling to changes of soil moisture and temperature

Controlled experiment of Leymus chinensis seedlings grown in the environmental growth chambers at 3 soil moisture levels and 3 temperature levels was conducted in order to improve the understanding how leaf photosynthetic parameters will respond to climatic change. The results indicated that soil drought and high temperature decreased the photochemical efficiency of photosystem ( Fw/Fm ), the overall photochemical quantum yield of PSIl(yield), the coefficient of photochemical fluorescence quenching(qp), but increased the coefficient of non-photochemical fluorescence quenching( q, ). Severe soil drought would decrease Fv/Fm and yield by 3.12% and 37.04% under 26% condition, respectively, and 6.60% and 73.33% under 32% condition, respectively,suggesting that higher temperature may enhance the negative effects of soil drought. All the soil drought treatments resulted in the decline in leaf nitrogen content. There was no significant effect of temperature on leaf nitrogen level,but higher temperature significantly reduced the root nitrogen content and the ratio of root nitrogen to leaf nitrogen,indicating the different strategies of adaptation to soil drought and temperature. It was also implied that higher temperature would enhance the effect of soil drought on leaf photosynthetic capacity, decrease the adaptability of Leymus chinensis to drought.     

Photocatalytic remediation of γ-HCH contaminated soil induced by α-Fe2O3 and TiO2

Heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation of γ-HCH on soil surfaces was carried out to evaluate the photocatalytic effectiveness of α-Fe2O3 and TiO2 toward degrading γ-HCH on soil surfaces. After being spiked with γ-HCH, soil samples were loaded with α-Fe2O3 or TiO2 and exposed to UV-light irradiation. Different catalyst loads(0%, 2%, 5%, 7%, and 10% (wt). α-Fe2O3; 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2% wt. TiO2) were tested for up to 7 d irradiation. The effects of soil thickness, acidity, and humic substances were also investigated. The obtained results indicated that the γ-HCH photodegradation follows the pseudo-first-order kinetics. The addition of α-Fe2O3 or TiO2 accelerates the photodegradation of γ-HCH, while the photodegradation rate decreases when the content of α-Fe2O3 exceeds 7%(wt.). The degradation rate increases with the soil pH value. Humic substances inhibit the photocatalytic degradation of γ-HCH. Pentachlorocyclohexene, tetrachlorocyclohexene, and trichlorobenzene are detected as photodegradation intermediates, which are gradually degraded with the photodegradation evolution.     

宜宾市城市酸雨污染及防治对策

本文通过对宜宾市城市的地形、气候、气象特点、大气污染状况、降水质量状况以及酸雨成因的分析，提出了宜宾市城市酸雨污染的防治对策。     

Does participative leadership enhance work performance by inducing empowerment or trust? The differential effects on managerial and non‐managerial subordinates

We examined whether participative leadership behavior is associated with improved work performance through a motivational process or an exchange‐based process. Based on data collected from 527 employees from a Fortune 500 company, we found that the link between superiors' participative leadership behaviors and subordinates' task performance and organizational citizenship behavior toward organizations (OCBO) was mediated by psychological empowerment (motivational mediator) for managerial subordinates. Yet, for non‐managerial subordinates such as supporting and front‐line employees, the impact of participative leadership on task performance and OCBO was mediated by trust‐in‐supervisor (exchange‐based mediator). Implications for theories and practices are discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.