Unusually high levels of extrapair paternity in a duetting songbird with long-term pair bonds

Previous studies suggest that extrapair young are very rare or absent in socially monogamous avian species that produce vocal duets. These results are generally consistent with functional hypotheses suggesting that duets may signal commitment between partners, or aid males as a paternity guard to ensure genetic as well as social monogamy. Additionally, species that exhibit social monogamy with the same partner across multiple breeding seasons tend to exhibit low levels of extrapair paternity, so duetting species that mate for life may be particularly likely to exhibit genetic monogamy. This study examined the social and genetic mating systems of California towhees (Pipilo crissalis), a duetting species thought to have life-long pair bonds. Observation of a color-banded population confirmed that California towhees exhibit long-term social monogamy. Known social families were genotyped at four microsatellite loci with high allelic diversity. Unexpectedly, paternity exclusion indicated that at least 13 of 31 (42%) nests contained extrapair young. All chicks exhibited maternal alleles, but 21 of 81 (26%) young were not the offspring of social fathers. Thus, in contrast to previous work, this study documents high frequencies of extrapair young among socially monogamous duetting birds with long-term pair bonds.     

二龙山流域生态环境整治与可持续发展管理机制研究

指出了二龙山水库流域经济社会发展与生态环境保护的矛盾,针对具体矛盾,建立了生态环境管理与可持续发展管理机制,提出了相应的社会对策,进而拟定了可行的法律法规体系.      

Desorption of arsenic from drinking water distribution system solids

Previous work has shown that arsenic can accumulate in drinking water distribution system (DWDS) solids (Lytle et~al., 2004) when arsenic is present in the water. The release of arsenic back into the water through particulate transport and/or chemical release (e.g. desorption, dissolution) could result in elevated arsenic levels at the consumers' tap. The primary objective of this work was to examine the impact of pH and orthophosphate on the chemical release (i.e. desorption) of arsenic from nine DWDS solids collected from utilities located in the Midwest. Arsenic release comparisons were based on the examination of arsenic and other water quality parameters in leach water after contact with the solids over the course of 168~hours. Results showed that arsenic was released from solids and suggested that arsenic release was a result of desorption rather than dissolution. Arsenic release generally increased with increasing initial arsenic concentration in the solid and increasing pH levels (in the test range of 7 to 9). Finally, orthophosphate (3 and 5 mg PO₄/L) increased arsenic release at all pH values examined. Based on the study results, utilities with measurable levels of arsenic present in their water should be aware that some water quality changes can cause arsenic release in the DWDS potentially resulting in elevated levels at the consumer's tap.     

Deficit analysis: service capacity assessment and planning in developing countries – case study in the Philippines

Current demand analysis methods do not formally cover the case of chronic deficits in quantity or quality of water and sanitation services. These services include drinking water supply (DWS), wastewater and sewage treatment (WST), and municipal solid waste management (MSW). Formal analysis of this case would, at minimum, define the deficit state and evaluate appropriate options for reducing it. This paper proposes for a formal analytical model for municipal sanitation systems (MSS) that operate with deficits in at least one of the constituent services of DWS, WST, or MSW. The model introduces definitions and notation for describing the deficit state for conducting demand analysis on municipal sanitation systems. This model of demand analysis for systems with chronic deficits will hereinafter be referred to as deficit analysis. A case study for Bacoor, Philippines is presented as an example.     

天津开发区供水系统地震反应分析

用天津开发区供水系统作为实例,研究了地震作用下该系统的震害,及震后供水功失效状态。实例研究表明,所采用的最新研制的供水系统地震反应分析软件（ＳＰＡＷＧＩＳ）是可靠的。同时还证明,该软件所基于的方法,包括震害预测专家系统及失效流分析等方法是正确的。     

Paternity and paternal care in the polygynandrous Smith's longspur

In species where females copulate with more than one male during a single breeding attempt, males risk investing in offspring that are not their own. In the polygynandrous Smith's longspur (Calcarius pictus), females copulate sequentially with one to three males for each clutch of eggs and most of these males later assist in feeding the young. Using multilocus DNA profiling, we determined that there was mixed paternity in >75% of broods (n=31) but that few offspring (<1% of 114 nestlings) were sired by males outside the polygynandrous group. Male feeding rate increased significantly with the number of young sired, with males siring four nestlings feeding the brood at double the frequency of males siring only a single nestling. However, male Smith's longspurs appear to show a graded adjustment of paternal care in response to paternity only when other males are available to compensate for reduced care: feeding rate did not vary in relation to paternity when only one male provisioned young at the nest. There was no evidence that males could recognise their own offspring within a brood and feed them preferentially. The number of offspring sired by each male was significantly correlated with the number of days spent copulating with the attending female: on average, a male sired one offspring for every 2 days of copulatory access. If males use their access to females to estimate paternity (and thereby decide on their subsequent level of parental investment), a positive relationship is expected between the amount of female access and the subsequent feeding rate to the nestlings. Nonetheless, male feeding effort was only weakly correlated with female access and more study is needed to determine how males estimate their paternity in a brood. Received: 1 June 1997 / Accepted after revision: 1 April 1998     

Optimal Design of a Multi-Pollutant Air Quality Monitoring Network in a Metropolitan Region Using Kaohsiung, Taiwan as an Example

An air quality monitoring network (AQMN) usually performs the basic function of assessment of regional air quality and demonstration of compliance with ambient air quality standards in an urban area. Different pollutants, however, may present different characteristic variabilities due to their specific emission patterns, rates of diffusion, and transport and transformation behaviors. But the costs of siting in a pollutant-specific monitoring network would be higher than that for a common network with respect to several pollutants monitored simultaneously. This paper presents a survey of multi-pollutant design principles and optimal searches for siting patterns of an AQMN using both simulation and optimization models as a combined tool. While conservative, quasi-stable, and reactive pollutants are considered in the design principles, cost, coverage effectiveness, and spatial correlation characteristics are included in the multi-criteria decision making process. For illustrative purpose, a series of technical settings and two types of objectives were examined in the case study for the city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan.     

既有住宅加装电梯重点问题分析与建议

目前全国既有住宅加装电梯工作还存在诸多问题,本文通过收集分析法规、文献资料、实地调研、交流研讨、召开专家咨询会等方式对既有住宅加装电梯工作在各个环节上存在的问题进行总结,并对加装电梯设计、地基、井道、应急救援、使用管理等方面提出安全要求建议,为监察管理、检验检测、安装使用等相关部门提供参考。     

抗生素药物诺氟沙星对锦鲤的毒性效应

为明确抗生素药物诺氟沙星对锦鲤的毒性效应,采用鱼类毒性试验方法,研究了诺氟沙星(Norfloxacin,NFLX)对锦鲤的急性毒性和亚急性毒性效应.结果表明,当NFLX暴露质量浓度达到1 000 mg/L时,NFLX对锦鲤无急性毒性.NFLK暴露15 d,在1 mg/L、5 mg/L、25mg/L和125 mg/L 4个组中,5 mg/L组锦鲤肝脏SOD活性在6d时达到最大(p＜0.01);125 mg./L组MDA含量在15 d时达到最大值(p＜0.01);25 mg/L、125 mg/L组锦鲤肝脏中MDA含量与暴露时间呈正相关,相关系数分别为0.938 1、0.953 5.各组GST活性和GSH质量比均受到不同程度的诱导,1 mg/L组NFLX可使鱼肝GST与GSH产生适应性反应;5 mg/L组诱导GST与GSH效应最为显著,呈现“钟形”变化趋势,5 mg/L很可能是NFLX对GST活性和GSH质量比影响的一个阈值或转折点.鱼肝GPT与GOT活性变化表现出一定的相似性,均呈现先升高后降低的变化规律,其中5 mg/L组被诱导效应最为显著(p＜0.01).5 mg/L很可能是锦鲤适应NFLX暴露和机体中生物酶发挥作用的一个转折点.比较上述抗氧化和转氨酶指标的敏感性和稳定性发现,在NFLX作用下,锦鲤肝脏中GST、GSH两个指标对NFLX的反应比SOD、MDA、GPT、GOT灵敏,变化规律稳定,更适合评价水环境中NFLX暴露的毒性效应.