人机显示/控制界面适配性综合评价指标和评价方法

通过对驾驶舱人机显示 /控制界面适配性指标影响因素、视觉信息流工效的测定与评估方法的研究 ,建立了一套视觉信息流工效综合评估系统研究体系 ;研究的初步结果主要有 ,飞机驾驶员视域中存在最佳、较好、极限工效区 ,并且振动、反射眩光、噪声、显示字符的形状 /颜色特征 /对比度 /显示方式等是影响信息获取工效的主要因素 ;飞机驾驶舱显示布局及显示方式应符合视觉工效学设计原则。     

城市可降解生活垃圾的生物综合处理模式初探

针对现有城市生活垃圾处理方式的不足,结合垃圾生物处理特点,设计了集混合菌群降解、生物过滤除臭、污水回用及植被绿化于一体的立体处理体系。结果表明,该系统在城市生活垃圾的“三化”处理中具有显著的潜势:既使生活垃圾在食物链外形成安全的闭路循环,防止有害物质向人居环境入渗;同时,处理设施的立体化、终产物的生物转化以及即刻的市场效应,有效地增强了系统的消纳能力,缓解了传统处理方式对城市空间的压力。该系统对我国中小城市生活垃圾的综合利用具有积极的参考价值。     

甲基汞对大鼠脑一氧化氮合酶,丙二醛和即刻早期基因的影响

为了寻找甲基汞神经毒性检测和评价效应指标以及探讨甲基汞神经毒性分子机制,对大鼠进行氯化甲基汞(MMC)急性暴露(对照组为0.9％生理盐水、暴露组浓度为0.05mg/kg),20min后对大鼠进行生理生化指标和即早基因的检测,大鼠大脑中枢神经系统的神经递质一氧化氮合酶活力采用一氧化氮合酶(NOS)测定试剂盒检测;自由基脂质过氧化产物丙二醛含量采用硫代巴比妥酸(TBA)比色法检测;即刻早期基因c-fos表达的变化采用免疫组化方法检测。结果表明,在暴露氯化甲基汞(MMC)20min后,大鼠大脑中枢神经系统的一氧化氮合酶活力、自由基脂质过氧化产物丙二醛含量以及即刻早期基因(IEG)c-fos蛋白阳性表达数量都有提高。但其中一氧化氮合酶活力及自由基脂质过氧化产物丙二醛含量同对照组相比没有显著性差异;而即刻早期基因c-fos的阳性表达同对照组相比有极显著性差异(P<0.01)。据此可以推测,即刻早期基因能作为甲基汞神经毒性检测和评价效应指标,一氧化氮合酶、丙二醛和即刻早期基因在甲基汞神经毒性过程中具有重要作用。     

"地球表层"再讨论

对"地球表层概念"的界定与发展和基于新概念的地球表层系统(结构)等进行了综合讨论和阐述;定义了地球表层概念的内涵,提出:地球表层是指地表和近地表各圈层相互作用和渗透的地球部分,是地球上部多态(固、液、气、生物和有机态)物质相互渗透、交融并不断进行物能交换、转化和作用而结合形成的具有内部协同性和一定系统结构的有机整体,是地球生物的生存环境和地表生态系统发生、发展和演化的基础;进一步确立了地球表层的空间位置和范围(外延),即包括地球表面上下的岩石圈、水圈、大气圈、生物圈和物理(能量)场及其相关作用在内的地球空间,其下界是软流圈(以软流圈为过渡层),上界为大气圈最外层,至少应包括磁层在内;岩石圈以下的地幔和地核与大气圈以外的宇宙空间均为地球表层的环境.     

Application of tracer ratio and inverse dispersion methods with boat-based plume measurements to estimate ammonia emissions from seabird colonies

Ammonia emissions from two contrasting seabird colonies in Scotland were measured, based on the determination of atmospheric concentrations downwind of the colonies. Atmospheric concentrations of ammonia (NH₃) across the downwind plume were compared with the inverse application of a Gaussian dispersion model (ID) to calculate the modelled NH₃ emission that would generate the measured cross-wind-integrated plume concentration. In parallel, a tracer gas (sulphur hexafluoride, SF₆) was released from the colonies with air samples taken to allow determination of SF₆ concentrations. On the basis of the known emission rate of SF₆, the magnitude of ammonia emissions was estimated by the cross-wind-integrated tracer ratio (TR) of NH₃/SF₆ concentrations. Coupled with data on annual bird attendance, the measurements indicate annual emissions from the Isle of May and the Bass Rock of 18 and 132 tonnes NH₃-N year^–1, respectively. The measured NH₃ emissions were compared with estimates of seabird nitrogen excretion to estimate the proportion of excreted N that is volatilised as NH₃ (F_Nr). The emission estimates of the two methods compared favourably, giving 4 and 6 kg NH₃-N h^–1 (F_Nr = 15%) for the Isle of May for the ID and TR methods, respectively, and 21 and 25 kg NH₃-N h^–1 (F_Nr = 50%) for the Bass Rock for the ID and TR methods, respectively. The results provide the first measurement-based estimates to allow regional up scaling of ammonia emissions from seabirds.     

The GaNE programme in a global perspective

This paper provides the background to this special issue, outlining the extent to which the global atmospheric nitrogen cycle has been modified by human activity and outlining the range of effects. The global total emissions of reduced and oxidized nitrogen, amount to 124 Tg N, and exceed those from natural sources (34 Tg N) by almost a factor of four showing the extent to which anthropogenic activity has taken over the global N cycle. Of the 124 Tg N, 70 Tg N is emitted in the oxidized form, largely as NO and 70% of which results directly from anthropogenic activity. The remaining 54 Tg N is emitted as NH₃, (66% anthropogenic). The enhanced nitrogen emissions are associated with a range of local, regional and global issues including, acidification, eutrophication, climate change, human health and tropospheric O₃. The paper also places the Global Nitrogen Enrichment (GaNE) research programme in the UK in a wider perspective.     

Modelling nitrogen fluxes at the landscape scale

The distribution and impacts of different nitrogen pollutants are inextricably linked. To understand the problem fully, the interactions between the different pollutants need to be taken into account. This is particularly important when it comes to abatement techniques, since measures to reduce emissions of one nitrogen pollutant can often lead to an increase in another. This project represents a step towards greater understanding of these issues by linking together new and existing nitrogen flux models into a larger framework. The modelling framework has been constructed and some of the nitrogen flows between fields, farms and the atmosphere have been modelled for a UK study area for typical farm management scenarios.     

Rapid amino acid cycling in arctic and antarctic soils

Amino acids constitute one of the largest inputs of organic nitrogen (N) to most polar soils and have been hypothesized to be important in regulating vegetational succession and productivity in Arctic ecosystems. Our understanding of amino acid cycling in these soils, however, is poor. The aim of this study was to investigate the size and rate of turnover of the amino acid pool in a range of Arctic and Antarctic soils. Our results indicate that in polar soils with either high or low ornithogenic inputs the amino acid pool is small in comparison to the inorganic N pool (NO^–₃ and NH⁺₄). The free amino acid pool constituted only a small proportion of the total dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) pool in these soils. Here we show that these low concentrations may be due to rapid use by the soil microbial community in both Arctic and Antarctic soils. The turnover of the amino acid pool in soil was extremely rapid, with a half-life ranging from 2 to 24 h, indicating that this N pool can be turned over many hundred times each summer when polar soils are frequently unfrozen. The implications of amino acids in N cycling and plant and microbial nutrition are discussed.     

Applying metabolic fingerprinting to ecology: The use of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy for the rapid screening of plant responses to N deposition

The potential for metabolic fingerprinting via Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to provide a novel approach for the detection of plant biochemical responses to N deposition is examined. An example of spectral analysis using shoot samples taken from an open top chamber (OTC) experiment simulating wet ammonium deposition is given. Sample preparation involved oven drying and homogenisation via mill grinding. Slurries of a consistent dilution were then prepared prior to FT-IR analysis. Spectra from control, 8 and 16 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1 treatments were then subjected to cross-validated discriminant function analysis. Ordination diagrams showed clear separation between the three N treatments examined. The potential for using Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull as a bioindicator of N deposition is further evident from these results. The results also clearly demonstrate the power of FT-IR in discriminating between subtle phenotypic alterations in overall plant biochemistry as affected by ammonium pollution.     

Impact of Land Use on Soluble Organic Nitrogen in Soil

Although it has been hypothesized that soluble organic nitrogen (SON) plays a central role in regulating productivity in some terrestrial ecosystems, the factors controlling the size of the SON pool in soil remain poorly understood. Therefore our principal aim in this work was to assess the impact of seven different land use systems (rough and managed grassland, deciduous and coniferous woodland, heathland, wetland and tilled land) on the size of the SON and inorganic N (NO ₃ ^– , NH ₄ ⁺ ) pools in the surface soil layer (0–15 cm). After extraction with deionised water, we found that in most cases the size of the water extractable organic N (WEON) pool was similar in size to the inorganic N pool. In contrast, the KCl extractable organic N (KClEON) pool constituted the dominant form of soluble N in soils under all land uses, perhaps indicating that significant amounts were held on the soil exchange phase. In contrast to inorganic N, which varied significantly with land use, the size of the KClEON and WEON pool was similar for all land uses with the exception of KClEON in tilled land, where significantly lower amounts were observed. We conclude that SON constitutes an important soil N pool in a broad range of land uses, and that its role in microbial N assimilation, plant nutrition and ecosystem responses to atmospheric N deposition warrants further attention. SAFRD, University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, U.K.