Chemical egg defense in Photuris firefly “femmes fatales”

Summary. Female Photuris fireflies contain defensive chemicals of two types. They sequester steroidal pyrones (lucibufagins) from male fireflies of the genus Photinus that they eat, and themselves produce the defensive betaine N-methylquinolinium 2-carboxylate. Chemical analyses of Photuris eggs showed that females that fed on Photinus males endow their eggs with both lucibufagin and the betaine, while those that did not feed on Photinus lay eggs that contain betaine, but virtually no lucibufagin. Photuris females collected in the field during the Photinus flight season laid eggs that invariably contained betaine, but lucibufagin only at times. Predation experiments showed that Photuris eggs are essentially unacceptable to larvae of a coccinellid beetle (Harmonia axyridis) and an ant (Leptothorax longispinosus), but moderately acceptable to an earwig (Forficula auricularia). When applied experimentally to palatable insect eggs, lucibufagin proved deterrent to these three predators, while the betaine proved deterrent to the ant and coccinellid larva only. Both types of defensive compound decreased egg predation in the field. By endowing their eggs with both exogenous and endogenous chemicals, Photuris females are essentially “maximizing their options”– when feeding on Photinus, their eggs are doubly protected, but they are not entirely defenseless when the females are unable to procure lucibufagin. Received 12 August 1999; accepted 27 August 1999     

Public participation in NGO-oriented communities for disaster prevention and mitigation (N-CDPM) in the Longmen Shan fault area during the Wenchuan and Lushan earthquake periods

ABSTRACT

The Longmen Shan fault area in southwest China is one of the world’s most active earthquake zones. The epicenters of the two most recent earthquakes, the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake (8.0?Ms) and the 2013 Lushan earthquake (7.0?Ms), both of which caused serious losses, were only 85?km apart. Community-based disaster risk reduction is the foundation of the disaster management system pyramid and is critical to the success of ‘sustainable hazard mitigation’. Based on multiple collaborative stakeholder perspectives, this paper examines public participation in an NGO-oriented Community for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (N-CDPM) in the period between the two earthquakes as a multi-stage problem; N-CDPM establishment, normal operations, disaster testing, and continuous improvement. Multi-stage field research was conducted in the affected areas in the Longmen Shan fault area to examine the collaboration in each stage, after which the differences were compared across the four stages based on eight key indices; scales, core stakeholders, core network stability, mean number of lines, mean collaborative level, governments, and individual and public organization participation. The government participation, individual participation, and public organization participation are then discussed. This paper provides a novel research approach to CDPM in multiple earthquake regions and gives rich insights into the collaboration between the government and the public for N-CDPM.     

成都平原毗河下游生态环境需水量研究

20世纪90年代以来,河流生态环境需水成为生态水文学研究的重要内容。阐述了基于国际上新兴发展的生态水文学理论的生态环境需水量的概念和内涵。并以毗河为例,用能反映时间尺度的河流流量来表达生态环境需水量,而不是传统意义上的水量。为了与水资源配置的时间单元协调起来,对3个代表年〖WTBX〗P〖WTBZ〗=50%（1968年）,〖WTBX〗P〖WTBZ〗=75%（1986年）,〖WTBX〗P〖WTBZ〗=90%（1987年）分别进行生态环境需水量的计算。根据毗河的自然条件,利用Montana法计算了河道维护水生生境最小需水量和最适宜需水量;蒸发需水量由水面宽度、河道两断面间平均长度、河道蒸发深度三者确定;结合河道功能区划和水质目标,计算了污染物稀释需水量。最终确定毗河下游河道的最小生态环境需水量为20.64 m3/s,最适宜生态环境需水量为25.84 m3/s。     

智能型防碰天车装置的安全可靠性分析

针对目前油田钻井现场使用的智能型防碰天车装置存在一些安全问题，分析了问题的实质是设计测量精度和安全可靠性不高。提出了具体改进设计的方案与意见。     

China’s carbon neutrality: an extensive and profound systemic reform

● China has pledged ambitious carbon peak and neutrality goals for mitigating global climate change. ● Major challenges to achieve carbon neutrality in China are summarized. ● The new opportunities along the pathway of China’s carbon neutrality are discussed from four aspects. ● Five policy suggestions for China are provided. China is the largest developing economy and carbon dioxide emitter in the world, the carbon neutrality goal of which will have a profound influence on the mitigation pathway of global climate change. The transition towards a carbon-neutral society is integrated into the construction of ecological civilization in China, and brings profound implications for China’s socioeconomic development. Here, we not only summarize the major challenges in achieving carbon neutrality in China, but also identify the four potential new opportunities: namely, the acceleration of technology innovations, narrowing regional disparity by reshaping the value of resources, transforming the industrial structure, and co-benefits of pollution and carbon mitigation. Finally, we provide five policy suggestions and highlight the importance of balancing economic growth and carbon mitigation, and the joint efforts among the government, the enterprises, and the residents.     

环境治理工程评标的双基点模型及应用

动用多指标综合排序的双基点法，建立了环境治理工程评标的数学模型。应用实例表明，该模型可以为环境治理工程评标提供客观、合理的方法。     

江苏省地震前兆信息数据库系统(JSEPIDS)简介

数据库技术是管理数据的一种最新方法,它研究如何组织和存储数据,如何高效地获取和处理数据。本文建立的江苏省地震前兆信息数据库系统是把作为地震预报的三大学科的观测数据集中起来,统一管理,该系统具有友好的用户界面,采用全中文交互式操作环境,易于扩充,为实现数据共享和台网数字化提供了前提条件。     

推行清洁生产 企业扭亏为盈

巨化集团公司锦纶厂逐步推行清洁生产，从原材料的选择、工艺改造、设备更新、综合利用、节约用水、加强管理等各方面采取了一系列措施，经两年努力，使企业扭亏为盈。实践证明，推行清洁生产是化工企业减亏增盈和防治污染的有效途径。     

浅谈国内外安全帽生产技术

安全帽作为对自然人头部受坠落物体或其他特定因素引起的伤害所采用的个人防护用品,越来越受到世界各国的安全防护行业的重视。特别是在发达国家,不断进行技术创新,更新安全帽标准。本文从安全帽技术领域方面．详细介绍各国制造安全帽常用材料的性能与特点,安全帽的模具材料、加工工艺、先进生产技术以及主要国家的安全帽检测标准差异。     

Associations between driver training, determinants of risky driving behaviour and crash involvement

The core aim of the study is to examine associations between formal and informal practical driver training as well as driving experience on the one hand and young drivers’ safety attitudes, self-assessment of driving ability and self-reported driver behaviour on the other hand. An additional aim is to examine the associations between attitudes, self-assessment and behaviour on the one hand and crash involvement on the other hand. The results are based on a self-completion questionnaire survey conducted among a representative sample of Norwegian drivers aged 18–20 years (n = 1419). The results showed that there were small yet significant associations between driver training, on the one hand and traffic safety attitudes and risky driving behaviour on the other hand. The amount of formal driver training was negatively associated with the respondents’ evaluation of their driving skills; although the amount of lay instruction was positively associated with such self-evaluation. The results also showed that attitudes as well as self-assessment of driving ability were significantly associated with self-reported risk behaviour. This was especially true for attitudes related to rule violations. There was a strong association between crash involvement and exposure (measured as months holding a licence). Young novice drivers’ crash involvement seems stronger associated with driving skills (manifested as self-assessment of driving ability) than safety attitudes and self-reported driver behaviour. The consequences of the results for driver training and accident prevention are discussed.