Simulating impacts,potential adaptation and vulnerability of maize to climate change in India

Climate change associated global warming, rise in carbon dioxide concentration and uncertainties in precipitation has profound implications on Indian agriculture. Maize (Zea mays L.), the third most important cereal crop in India, has a major role to play in country’s food security. Thus, it is important to analyze the consequence of climate change on maize productivity in major maize producing regions in India and elucidate potential adaptive strategy to minimize the adverse effects. Calibrated and validated InfoCrop-MAIZE model was used for analyzing the impacts of increase in temperature, carbon dioxide (CO₂) and change in rainfall apart from HadCM3 A2a scenario for 2020, 2050 and 2080. The main insights from the analysis are threefold. First, maize yields in monsoon are projected to be adversely affected due to rise in atmospheric temperature; but increased rainfall can partly offset those loses. During winter, maize grain yield is projected to reduced with increase in temperature in two of the regions (Mid Indo-Gangetic Plains or MIGP, and Southern Plateau or SP), but in the Upper Indo-Gangetic Plain (UIGP), where relatively low temperatures prevail during winter, yield increased up to a 2.7°C rise in temperature. Variation in rainfall may not have a major impact on winter yields, as the crop is already well irrigated. Secondly, the spatio-temporal variations in projected changes in temperature and rainfall are likely to lead to differential impacts in the different regions. In particular, monsoon yield is reduced most in SP (up to 35%), winter yield is reduced most in MIGP (up to 55%), while UIGP yields are relatively unaffected. Third, developing new cultivars with growth pattern in changed climate scenarios similar to that of current varieties in present conditions could be an advantageous adaptation strategy for minimizing the vulnerability of maize production in India.     

Assessment of risks for adaptation to climate change: the case of land-slides

This paper describes how relatively detailed knowledge about probabilities of natural hazards can be used to make decisions to develop areas and control the risk within hazard zones. The assessment serves two purposes. First, it shows how information can support decisions. Second, decision criteria put leads on what information is required. This is helpful to identify unavailable information. We show by an example from a land-slide prone area in Norway how a relatively reliable estimate of the probability of slides ends up in a rather uncertain estimate of the risk. Uncertainty about the risk represented by natural hazards imply great challenges to the development of adaptation policies to meet climate change, but they are required. We develop a simplified criterion for optimal adaptation, and estimate the added social value required to defend development in hazard prone areas instead of developing a risk-free alternative. The value is estimated between 0 and 0.40 Euros per Euro invested in the case area, depending on type of slide, category of asset and other costs that occur in the wake of slides.     

液体化工品码头环评中废水处理对策探讨

对液体化工品码头建设项目环评中的废水处理对策进行了探讨,提出结合当地的废水处置系统情况,优先选择进集中的城市污水处理厂或当地港区污水处理厂,在自建废水处理设施的处理工艺选择上,应在总体以生化处理为主的基础上,根据储运货种的不同种类,结合其它的预处理和深度处理手段.     

陕西省山地日照时间的空间分布特征

基于100 m×100 m分辨率的DEM数据,根据太阳光线与起伏地形之间的几何关系,全面考虑坡度、坡向、地形遮蔽等地形因子对可照时间的影响,通过数值模拟,确定山区可照时间计算模型;同时利用常规气象站资料考虑大气对日照时间的影响,建立陕西省山区日照时间估算模型。采用交叉验证和个例年分析法进行模型验证,模型的精度和稳定性均较好。通过模型计算陕西省100 m×100 m分辨率各月可照时间、气候平均日照时间的空间分布。结果表明:局地地形对日照时间空间分布影响比较明显,山区可照时间与同纬度平地相比明显差异,表现出可照时间的非地带性分布特征;尤以冬季地形作用最显著;夏季影响最弱;同时年日照时间呈现出北高南低的空间分布特征,但局地地形因子的影响依然存在。最后详细探讨了坡度、坡向、地形遮蔽等因子对山区日照时间的局地影响规律。     

Effects of sterilization treatments on the analysis of TOC in water samples

Decomposition experiments conducted with and without microbial processes are commonly used to study the effects of environmental microorganisms on the degradation of organic pollutants.However,the effects of biological pretreatment (sterilization) on organic matter often have a negative impact on such experiments.Based on the principle of water total organic carbon (TOC) analysis,the effects of physical sterilization treatments on determination of TOC and other water quality parameters were investigated.The results revealed that two conventional physical sterilization treatments,autoclaving and 60 Co γ-radiation sterilization,led to the direct decomposition of some organic pollutants,resulting in remarkable errors in the analysis of TOC in water samples.Furthermore,the extent of the errors varied with the intensity and the duration of sterilization treatments.Accordingly,a novel sterilization method for water samples,0.45 μm micro-filtration coupled with ultraviolet radiation (MCUR),was developed in the present study.The results indicated that the MCUR method was capable of exerting a high bactericidal effect on the water sample while significantly decreasing the negative impact on the analysis of TOC and other water quality parameters.Before and after sterilization treatments,the relative errors of TOC determination could be controlled to lower than 3% for water samples with different categories and concentrations of organic pollutants by using MCUR.     

Nutritional benefits of filial cannibalism in three-spined sticklebacks (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gasterosteus aculeatus</Emphasis>)

Although filial cannibalism (eating one’s own offspring) occurs in numerous species, including several teleost fishes, its adaptive value is still not well understood. One often-discussed explanation is that individuals enhance their mass and body condition by consuming part of their eggs. However, evidence for this assumption is scarce thus far. In this study, male three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), a species with paternal care, were allowed to care for a batch of eggs or for an empty nest under food-deprived conditions. All brood-caring males cannibalised at least part of their eggs and thus preserved their initial mass and body condition. Furthermore, mass as well as body condition was significant positively correlated with the number of cannibalised eggs. In contrast, empty-nest males that had no possibility to cannibalise eggs significantly lost mass and body condition. This is, to our knowledge, the first experimentally documented evidence that mass as well as body condition were preserved by filial cannibalism.     

PFOS/PFOA对斑马鱼(Danio rerio)胚胎致毒效应研究

采用斑马鱼胚胎毒性测试方法,研究了PFOA/PFOS对斑马鱼的急性毒性和生命早期阶段生长发育的影响.结果表明,PFOS/PFOA对斑马鱼有明显毒性作用,LC₅₀(48 h)分别为1005 mg/L和107 mg/L,LC₅₀(96　h)分别为499 mg/L和71 mg/L.PFOS/PFOA抑制斑马鱼胚胎发育,可导致胚胎发育畸形,甚至死亡,高浓度(＞240 mg/L)PFOS损伤细胞膜,导致胚胎分裂中的细胞发生自溶而卵凝结死亡,抑制胚胎原肠胚的形成.在各种亚致死效应中,脊柱畸形对PFOS暴露最敏感,其EC₅₀=9.14 mg/L,PFOA暴露最敏感亚致死性毒理学终点为96　h孵化,对应EC₅₀=328.0 mg/L.PFOA/PFOS导致胚胎发育延迟,具有发育毒性.     

利用Ethanoligenens harbinense R3连续培养的CSTR的启动与运行

采用连续流搅拌槽式反应器(CSTR)为实验装置,探讨了利用新型发酵产氢菌R3的生物制氢反应器的启动与运行情况.实验表明,维持反应器内pH在4.5左右、COD启动值为6000 mg·L-1、水力停留时间为8 h等条件,可在30 d内完成反应器内菌种对环境的适应并进入稳定运行阶段,此时系统氧化还原电位(HRT)稳定在-400mV左右.系统内的液相末端发酵产物中乙醇含量最大,占发酵产物总含量的65%,乙醇和乙酸所占比例为95%,系统呈现明显的乙醇型发酵特性.启动和运行阶段的积累产氢量为399.33 L,最大产氢量达15768.8 mL·d-1,最大氢气产率为49.94%.有机氮源可被微生物利用而无机氮源对产氢并无太大影响.使用有机氮源和磷源时积累产气量、积累产氢量和发酵液相末端产物与空白对照相比有所增大.     

基于响应面优化条件下柚皮对Pb2+的吸附

采用Plackett-Burman(P-B)法和中心复合设计(Central Composite Design,简称CCD)对影响柚皮吸附Pb2+的6个条件进行筛选优化.P-B实验设计与统计学分析表明:pH值、Pb2+初始浓度、吸附剂用量是影响吸附率的3个关键因素.以吸附率为响应目标,对3因素进行中心复合设计,并经响应面法优化分析得到影响吸附率的二阶模型,确定了Pb2+吸附实验的最优操作条件:pH值5.4.Pb2+初始浓度为265.86mg·L-1,吸附剂用量为2.56 g·L-1,实测吸附率达到92.47%,吸附量为96.01 mg·g-1;整个吸附过程吸附剂柚皮没有经过任何化学预处理.效果优于一般的天然吸附剂.研究结果表明,柚皮是一种很具潜力的环保型廉价吸附剂.     

南水北调中线水源区森林覆盖变化及其影响因子分析

以南水北调中线水源区1980、1990、2000年LANDSAT MSS/TM/ETM+ 遥感影像为主信息源,辅以DEM、植被分布图、土地利用图、气象数据及相关社会经济资料,对该区域20年来森林覆盖的动态变化和区域分异特征进行了研究。在此基础上,采用典范对应分析（CCA）研究了林地分布及其变化与环境因子间的关系。研究结果表明水源区1980年、1990年、2000年林地面积分别为67 631、61 635、65 051km²,斑块数依次为41 790、71 276、69 632个,平均斑块面积为1.62、0.86、0.93 km²,呈破碎化趋势;林地分布主要由海拔、降雨和坡度等因素决定,而林地变化的主要影响因子是海拔、坡度和人口。