Response to perceived predation threat in fiddler crabs: trust thy neighbor as thyself?

Prey require information if they are to respond to predation threat in a risk-sensitive manner. One way that individuals can obtain this information is through the predator-mediated, threat-induced behavior of conspecifics. We examined such a possibility in a refuge-seeking species, the sand fiddler crab (Uca pugilator). Crabs were either exposed directly to a simulated predation threat (a moving cylinder) or the threat-induced response of a near neighbor. We found that fiddler crabs responded to the flight of their neighbors even when they, themselves, were not privy to the stimulus that induced their neighbors response. However, the wider range of behaviors exhibited by these crabs—which included no reaction, freezing, running back to the burrow entrance, and burrow retreat—suggest that non-threatened crabs either (1) perceived the gravity of the predation threat differently from their directly threatened neighbors and/or (2) engaged in behaviors that allowed them to acquire further information in the face of uncertainty. Conspecific behaviors also had an effect on the hiding duration of crabs, with individuals hiding longer if they saw both the predation threat and the flight of their neighbor. Our results suggest that cues provided by conspecifics can play an important role in guiding the antipredator response of refuge-seeking prey.     

Information transfer and gain in flocks: the effects of quality and quantity of social information at different neighbour distances

We assessed experimentally how the quality and quantity of social information affected foraging decisions of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) at different neighbour distances, and how individuals gained social information as a function of head position. Our experimental set up comprised three bottomless enclosures, each housing one individual placed on a line at different distances. The birds in the extreme enclosures were labelled senders and the one in the centre receiver. We manipulated the foraging opportunities of senders (enhanced, natural, no-foraging), and recorded the behaviour of the receiver. In the first experiment, receivers responded to the condition of senders. Their searching rate and food intake increased when senders foraged in enhanced conditions, and decreased in no-foraging conditions, in relation to natural conditions. Scanning was oriented more in the direction of conspecifics when senders behaviour departed from normal. In the second experiment, responses were dose dependent: receivers increased their searching rate and orientated their gaze more towards conspecifics with the number of senders foraging in enhanced food conditions. In no-foraging conditions, receivers decreased their searching and intake rates with the number of senders, but no variation was found in scanning towards conspecifics. Differences in foraging and scanning behaviour between enhanced and no-foraging conditions were much lower when neighbours were separated farther. Overall, information transfer within starling flocks affects individual foraging and scanning behaviour, with receivers monitoring and copying senders behaviour mainly when neighbours are close. Information transfer may be related to predation information (responding to the vigilance of conspecifics) and foraging information (responding to the feeding success of conspecifics). Both sources of information, balanced by neighbour distance, may simultaneously affect the behaviour of individuals in natural conditions.Communicated by H. Kokko     

Safety and Cost-Effectiveness of Clearzones in Rockcuts

Clearzones are a feature of modern highways that have a dramatic impact on roadside safety. The purpose of these unobstructed spaces is to provide an area where an errant vehicle can safely stop or the driver can regain control of the vehicle without striking a hazardous object like a tree or utility pole. Many clearzone alternatives (e.g., removing trees, installing traversable culvert openings, and installing guardrails in front of untraversable hazards) are relatively inexpensive in comparison to other roadway construction costs. Roadways passing through rockcuts present an unusual case where the construction cost of providing the clearzone is very high. This article examines different clearzone alternatives in rockcuts and compares the likely effect on safety and construction costs. A method is described for determining the rockcut width that best balances the cost of construction with the improvements in safety that would result from a wider clearzone in the rockcut.     

Low-temperature oxidation of coal at elevated pressures

A mathematical model is presented to describe steady-state mass transfer and oxidation processes in coal at low temperatures in a fixed-bed flow reactor. The model incorporates the effects of partial pressure of oxygen, temperature and coal particle size, and accounts for the rate of coal oxidation and the composition of oxygenated products at high pressures. This is an important development since previous models did not include the effect of pressure in their formulation. It is found that, when the partial pressure of oxygen increases the rate of oxygen consumption increases accordingly. However, the influence of partial pressure of oxygen on the rate of oxidation is less pronounced when the pressure surpasses 1 MPa. In addition the model predicts that, for a constant partial pressure of oxygen, higher rates of oxygen consumption occur at lower total pressures. The same trends are also found for the concentration of oxygenated products at the reactor outlet. It is suggested that, the variation of partial pressure of oxygen leads to different concentration levels of oxygen at the surface and within the pores of coal particles, substantially affecting the rate of oxidation.     

论注册安全主任制度

为适应市场经济条件下安全生产工作的需要,以广州市建立注册安全主任执业资格制度为背景,概述了作为职业资格制度之一的“执业资格制度”、分析了安全主任执业资格制度产生的社会条件,论述了安全主任知识结构、作用机理等。用以上内容,试图论证：注册安全主任执业资格制度的产生是社会市场经济发展的必然要求     

促进人机环境系统本质安全化建设安全生产良性循环

结合金川公司龙首矿安全生产的实际,论述了建设人机环境系统并实现其本质安全化的意义,对该矿员工的本质安全化建设、机具与环境的本质安全化建设的经验作了介绍,其中,特别强调“四合一”的管理模式是人机环境系统实现本质安全化的重要保证。     

论职业卫生安全管理体系标准化与我国职业卫生安全管理及其改革的一致性

职业卫生安全管理体系（ＯＨＳＭＳ）标准倡导好的管理的共同原理,将ＯＨＳＭＳ融入组织总的管理体系,与我国组织职业卫生安全（ＯＨＳ）管理的经验相容,对我国组织在市场经济体制下建立自主安全管理机制有极重要的意义。实施ＯＨＳＭＳ标准不存在经济实力的前提,且ＯＨＳ投入与组织的经济效益是一致的。这种标准化适应了我国经济体制转变时期政府安全管理职能和管理方式的变化,还与我国ＯＨＳ管理体制的改革方向相吻合。我国基本具备实施ＯＨＳＭＳ标准的法律基础。为有效实施ＯＨＳＭＳ标准化,应加强ＯＨＳ法规建设,在监察体系上实行第三方机构的认证／注册制度     

冲天炉烟气除尘

采用湿法除尘,在烟气管道内设置喷嘴,使烟气充分加湿和降温后再进入立式文丘里,旋流析除尘器,消除了ＣＯ爆炸危险,在冲天炉上部烟囟顶端设安全２盖板,以保证生产的正常进行;烟气经湿式除尘后达到排放标准。     

An Integrated Model of Public Contact Planning for Conservation Management

/ Public contact is a vital component of any program to manage natural resources. A well-planned public contact program uses a variety of strategies to create a sympathetic and environmentally aware public and to meet specific management-related objectives. A methodology is proposed that can be applied to planning public contact at any level, from media design for a specific project to corporate strategies for communication. The methodology integrates management-driven, client-driven and resource-driven planning to provide the connections essential to effective communication.KEY WORDS: Planning; Public contact; Interpretation; Conservation; Management     

Public participation in plastics recycling schemes

Without public contributions, recycling from domestic waste would not be possible. In order to support recycling projects it is important to try to understand who recycles, how they recycle, and why they recycle. This paper presents the results of a structured survey of 500 members of the public served by schemes to collect plastics waste for recycling. Data were gathered on the characteristics, behaviours and motivations of recyclers. The authors also sought to discover how the public perceive plastics compared to other materials, and as a recyclable material. Responses were collected in such a way that the awareness of the recyclability of materials could be compared with the recycling behaviour of respondents. An element of comparison was introduced between those served by a system of bottle banks (bring scheme) and those covered by a household collection (collect scheme). The survey results are reported and their implications for the management of post-consumer plastics waste collection schemes are discussed.