Selection of poly(R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid utilising bacteria by enrichment,optimisation and compatibility testing for consortia development

Bacterial strains with poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) degradation potential were isolated from waste yard soil samples of selected industrial sites in Uttarakhand, India, and two microbial consortia were developed, i.e. Consortium I comprises Pseudomonas sp. strain Rb10, Pseudomonas sp. strain Rb11 and Bacillus sp. strain Rb18, and Consortium II is composed of Lysinibacillus sp. strain Rb1, Pseudomonas sp. strain Rb13 and Pseudomonas sp. strain Rb19. The current study involved enrichment selection via liquid and semi-solid media, followed by isolation and screening of bacterial strains using PHB pellets and films. Furthermore, the identification and characterisation was done by triphasic approach. The utilisation of PHB by the characterised strains was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, the minimum inhibitory concentration of solubilised PHB was found to be 2.5?mg/mL, which was detected through ‘clear zone assay’. Further, the selection and biocompatibility testing of potential isolates were performed for the formation of bacterial consortia. Thus, the present work would provide direct and standardised protocol for screening and selection of potential microbiomes for biodegradation of polymers by overcoming the negative effect of organic solvents. Moreover, indigenously developed consortia would be evaluated for their in situ biodegradation potential against various bioplastic films.     

水处理活性炭吸附性能指标的表征与应用

使用碘值、苯酚值、甲基蓝值和丹宁酸值4种吸附容量性能指标组成水处理活性炭选型技术.经BET测试验证,碘值可以体现活性炭中孔径略大于1.0nm微孔的发达程度,表征比表面积大小;甲基蓝值则代表孔径大于1.5nm的微孔和中孔发达程度;而丹宁酸值代表直径大于2.8nm左右的中孔数量;苯酚值体现活性炭表面化学信息,可表征活性炭对于小分子芳环类和极性有机物的吸附能力.硝基苯、甲基叔丁基醚(MTBE)、双酚A(BPA)、腐殖酸以及焦化厂二级生化出水的吸附实验结果均验证了该技术作为水处理活性炭实用选型方法的有效性.     

简易水处理活性炭的选择和应用方法

首先介绍活性炭性能测试与水处理活性炭选炭、吸附技术选择、工艺应用的关系,其次报导两个活性炭选用方面的改进方法。通过重新定义、整合、完善现有活性炭性能指标,建立了以酚值、碘值、亚甲基蓝、丹宁酸值为吸附性能指标的选炭方法。这四种指标化合物的分子量与直径覆盖了大多数有机污染物的范围,用此法可减少活性炭应用测试的炭型。在活性炭精选和吸附工艺应用研究中,用微型炭柱进行穿透实验可弥补缩小式传统型、小型炭柱的不足。相对于国外现用微型柱的实验方法,文中介绍的微型柱快速穿透（MCRB）方法的设备要求较低,操作简单,可以在国内大多数实验室中进行;遇过对多种污染物质的实验结果,建立了MCRB方法的可信性和适用性。这两种新方法完善了活性炭水处理研究的实验体系,可降低其应用于水与污水处理的成本,有利于中国的环境保护。     

Sexual selection in a socially monogamous bird: male color predicts paternity success in the mountain bluebird, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sialia currucoides</Emphasis>

Ornamental traits are thought to evolve because they give individuals an advantage in securing multiple mates. Thus, the presence of ornamentation among males in many monogamous bird species presents something of a conundrum. Under certain conditions, extra-pair paternity can increase the variance in reproductive success among males, thus increasing the potential for sexual selection to act. We addressed this possibility in the mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides), a socially monogamous songbird in which males possess brilliant ultraviolet (UV)-blue plumage. Specifically, we asked whether a male’s success at siring offspring within his own nest and within the nests of other males was related to his coloration. In pairwise comparisons, males that sired extra-pair offspring were not more colorful than the males that they cuckolded. However, males that sired at least one extra-pair offspring were, on average, brighter and more UV-blue than males that did not sire extra-pair offspring. Brighter, more UV-blue males sired more offspring both with their own mate and tended to sire more offspring with extra-pair mates and thus sired more offspring overall. Our results support the hypothesis that the brilliant UV-blue ornamental plumage of male mountain bluebirds evolved at least in part because it provides males with an advantage in fertilizing the eggs of multiple females.     

The effect of perceived female parasite load on post-copulatory male choice in a sex-role-reversed pipefish

The last several decades of research in behavioral ecology have resulted in a deeper appreciation of post-mating processes and sexual conflict in sexual selection. One of the most controversial aspects of sexual selection is cryptic mate choice. Here, we take advantage of male pregnancy in a sex-role-reversed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle) to quantify cryptic choice based on perceived parasite load and other sources of variance in female fitness. Studies have shown that S. typhle males preferentially mate with females with lower parasite loads and that a male’s perception of female parasite load can be altered by tattooing females. We manipulated the apparent parasite load of females in controlled mating experiments to test the hypothesis that post-copulatory sexual selection is dependent on a male’s perception of female parasite load in pipefish. Our results provided no evidence for cryptic male choice based on perceived female parasite load. However, we found evidence that eggs from larger females were more likely to result in viable offspring than eggs from smaller females and that the first female to mate with a male transferred more eggs per copulation on average. Overall, our results show that potential for post-copulatory sexual selection does exist in pipefish, but the male’s perception of female parasite load does not play a major role in this process.     

工程方案选择的权重-属性决策分析方法

工程方案的选择是工程项目的战略决策问题 .从认知学原理出发 ,提出方案选择决策的 3个要素 :目标、权重和属性 .对决策目标体系的建立、权重的调查和赋值、属性的分析和规范化进行了讨论 ,提出了解决问题的思路和方法 .文中引用了一项工程方案决策实例 ,进一步说明权重 -属性分析方法的应用 .     

Implementing second-best environmental policy under adverse selection

A key obstacle to practical application of mechanism design theory to regulation is the difficulty of obtaining consistent beliefs regarding information that theoretical models assume to be commonly held. This article presents a solution to this problem by developing an easily implemented empirical methodology with which the government can use available data to develop beliefs regarding the technology and distribution of types in a regulated sector characterized by hidden information. Results are used to calibrate a second-best land conservation mechanism and evaluate its cost relative to simpler alternatives.     

城市医疗废物处置设施空间选址评价

以地域分异规律和吸引力模型为理论基础,提出基于GIS的城市医疗废物处置设施选址的空间评价模型,利用第三代GIS地理数据库模型Geodatabase实现了该方法.以珠江三角洲某城市为例,将该市划分为46个镇级基本单元,应用情景分析方法生成了医疗废物集中处置的2个空间选址方案并进行了空间评价;为了进行对比分析,还构建了传统的费用模型进行了评价,两者结果一致.进一步的空间分析表明,该市医疗废物数量空间分布和密度空间分布和较优方案具有空间相关性.     

Evolution,variability and sustainable development

SUMMARY

Sustainable development is a global challenge to science and society. In politics and economics the concepts for establishing a sustainable society are numerous, nonetheless necessary interdisciplinary approaches are still marginalised. Trying to foster a deeper communication between biology and social science, an evolutionary perspective on sustainable development is offered. Subsequently, the role of variability and diversity in evolution is highlighted. Hereby, special attention is devoted, among other things, to the links between variability and stability in the long term. Next, selection and variability are emphasised in the cultural context. This is followed by general implications for sustainability. In contrast to strategies aiming at short-term optimisation and economic efficiency, we argue that the conditions and circumstances maintaining variability and momentary sub-optimal alternatives are highly relevant for a socio-economic system that is heading for sustainable development.     

基于气象服务信息的应急物资配送路径选择

为构建科学的应急救援体系,基于气象服务信息制定更合理的应急物资配送路径方案。将突发灾害下典型的"单出救点、单受灾点"应急物资配送网络结构作为研究对象。运用衰减系数反映气象条件对物资配送速度的实时影响。构建以满足时间限制和需求量要求为前提的应急物资配送路径选择模型。设计算例进行数值仿真和参数分析,将求解结果与传统最短路径法所选路径方案进行对比分析。结果表明:气象服务提供的衰减系数和途经各区域灾害强度等关键信息对配送路径的优化决策有重要影响。