Alien plant invasions--incorporating emerging invaders in regional prioritization: a pragmatic approach for Southern Africa

Plant invasions are a serious threat to natural and semi-natural ecosystems worldwide. Most management-orientated research on invasions focuses on invaders that are already widespread and often have major impacts. This paper deals with "emerging" invaders-those alien species with the potential to become important problems without timely intervention. A climate matching procedure was developed to define areas of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland that could be invaded by 28 plant species that had previously been classified as emerging invaders. Information on the location of populations of these species in the study area was combined with information on their distributions (as native or alien) in parts of Australia and the United States of America. These two countries had the best available distribution data for this study. They also share many invasive alien plant species with South Africa. Climatic data obtained for weather stations near points of known occurrence in these countries were used to define the climatically suitable areas for each species in the study area. Almost 80% of the remaining natural environment in southern Africa was found to be vulnerable to invasion by at least one of these species, 50% by six or more and 24% by 16 or more species. The most vulnerable areas are the highveld grasslands and the eastern escarpment. The emerging invaders with the greatest potential range included Acacia podalyriifolia and Cortaderia selloana. The globally important invaders Ulex europaeus and Lythrum salicaria had a more limited invasion potential but could still become major invaders. There was no relationship between the extent of the climatically suitable areas for the different species and an expert ranking of their invasion potential, emphasising the uncertainties inherent in making expert assessments based on very little information. The methods used in this analysis establish a protocol for future modelling exercises to assess the invasion potential of other emerging invaders.     

Environmental risk perception, environmental concern and propensity to participate in organic farming programmes

This paper aims to identify the factors underlying farmers' propensity to participate in organic farming programmes in a Romanian rural region that confronts non-point source pollution. For this, we employ structural equation modelling with latent variables using a specific data set collected through an agri-environmental farm survey in 2001. The model includes one 'behavioural intention' latent variable ('propensity to participate in organic farming programmes') and five 'attitude' and 'socio-economic' latent variables ('socio-demographic characteristics', 'economic characteristics', 'agri-environmental information access', 'environmental risk perception' and 'general environmental concern'). The results indicate that, overall, the model has an adequate fit to the data. All loadings are statistically significant, supporting the theoretical basis for assignment of indicators for each latent variable. The significance tests for the structural model parameters show 'environmental risk perception' as the strongest determinant of farmers' propensity to participate in organic farming programmes.     

SCR脱硝装置中整流格栅的优化设计

基于CFD模拟软件对某选择性催化还原(SCR)脱硝装置进行数值模拟,分析了不同整流格栅间距、形式对反应器上部流场的影响。以不同高度截面的烟气速度变异系数CV和最大烟气入射角为定量评价指标,给出了满足性能要求的整流格栅设计参数范围以及最优设计方案。     

New fetal cardiac imaging techniques

Rapid advances in graphics computing and micro-engineering have offered new techniques for prenatal cardiac imaging. Some of them can be non-invasively applied to both clinical and laboratory settings, including dynamic three-dimensional echocardiography, myocardial Doppler imaging, harmonic ultrasound imaging, and B-flow sonography. With clinical constraints, a few others have been mainly used in laboratories, such as endoscopic ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and biomicroscopy. Appropriate use and co-use of these new tools will not only provide unique information for better clinical assessment of fetal cardiac disease but also offer new ways to improved understanding of cardiovascular development and pathogenesis. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

城市街谷与上游阻挡建筑最不利间距的研究

采用数值模拟的方法,研究了街谷内上风建筑与上游阻挡建筑的间距（D）,即上游建筑间距,对街谷内空气流动特性和气态污染物分布规律的影响.模拟结果表明,街谷内迎风区的气流速度基本不随D的变化而变化,而背风区和中心区的气流速度随着D的增加呈现先减小后增大的趋势,并在D=90m时,气流速度达到最小值.相应地,在D=90m时街谷内污染物浓度最高,表明D存在最不利值,在城市规划中应尽可能避免该间距.当D大于90m时,D越大,污染物浓度越低,而D小于90m时,D越小,污染物浓度也越低,可以同时实现节约用地和减小交通污染的目的.     

大型气候实验室气流组织仿真分析

目的对大型气候实验室气流组织进行仿真分析,获得合理的气流组织设计方案。方法首先通过分析旋流风口的特性,建立旋流风口CFD简化模型,然后设计大型气候实验室气流组织形式,最后对极端低温和极端高温工况下不同温度、送风量和送风角度时的气流组织进行CFD仿真分析。结果低温工况时,地面温度升高将导致室内温度和温度不均匀度整体上升;高温工况时,气流难以抵达地面,且地面温度对高度5 m以下区域有显著影响,对5 m以上空间影响不显著,应增大送风角度,使送风射流方向尽可能向下,以改善地面附近温度均匀性。结论气流组织仿真分析方法和气流组织设计方案适用于大型气候实验室设计。     

Three Different Topics for Bioremediation Application on Soils and Waters Contaminated with Aromatic Compounds, by Using Immobilized Bacteria

Molecular techniques and modelling are presented as powerful tools required in the performance of efficient soil and water bioremediation systems. An Escherichia coli CC118-D strain was constructed by inserting the Klebsiella pneumoniae hpa B gene, coding for the unstable 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate 2,3-dioxygenase, into its chromosome. When the constructed strain was immobilized, both enzyme stability and viability increased along the studied period, in absence of antibiotic. We proposed this strategy as an approach to overcoming plasmid instability and to enhance enzyme activity and stability, avoiding antibiotic utilization. A model was developed to understand and predict the behaviour of bacteria and pollutants in a bioreactor system, considering: fluid dynamics, molecular/cellular scale processes and biofilm formation.