Modeling fecundity in birds: Conceptual overview, current models, and considerations for future developments

Fecundity is fundamental to the fitness, population dynamics, conservation, and management of birds. For all the efforts made to measure fecundity or its surrogates over the past century of avian research, it is still mismeasured, misrepresented, and misunderstood. Fundamentally, these problems arise because of partial observability of underlying processes such as renesting, multiple brooding, and temporary emigration. Over the last several decades, various analytical approaches have been developed to estimate fecundity from incomplete and biased data. These, include scalar arithmetic formulae, partial differential equations, individual-based simulations, and Markov chain methodology. In this paper, we: (1) identify component processes of avian reproduction; (2) review existing methods for modeling fecundity; (3) place these diverse models under a common conceptual framework; (4) describe the parameterization, validation, and limitations of such models; and (5) point out future considerations and challenges in the application of fecundity models. We hope this synthesis of existing literature will help direct researchers toward the most appropriate methods to assess avian reproductive success for answering questions in evolutionary ecology, natural history, population dynamics, reproductive toxicology, and management.     

A novel speed model for safety evaluation of freeway alignment in Euclidean 3D space

Objective: Operating speed is a critical indicator to evaluate consistency of road alignment and safety. Although extensive studies have been conducted on developing operating speed models, few researchers have considered the interactive influence of horizontal and vertical alignment in 3D space. The purpose of this study is to develop a speed model based on 3D alignment in Euclidean space rather than traditional horizontal and vertical alignment.

Methods: According to the curve theory of differential geometry, a novel method to estimate operating speed is proposed in our study using 3D space curvature instead of traditional horizontal or vertical parameters to describe the spatial geometric properties for a freeway alignment. Speeds of 54 different alignment segments are observed to develop the speed model. Several observing sites of each segment are selected beforehand, and the speeds of more than 300 vehicles in each site are observed. Space curvature is used as an important index to estimate operating speed.

Results: The findings of this study indicated that both horizontal alignment and vertical alignment contribute to space curvature. Space curvature mainly affects direction control operating performance. However, vehicles overcome the effects of gravity along the vertical alignment in the z direction. Results indicate that operating speed exponentially declines with space curvature and that quadratic parabola decline with vertical grade.

Conclusions: It can be concluded that there is a clear correlation between velocity and spatial curvature, which is proved by variance analysis. The estimation results of the speed models are reliable as tested using a real engineering example. The study would provide a scientific basis for safety evaluation of freeway alignment.     

Hygroscopicity of ambient submicron particles in urban Hangzhou, China

In this study, hygroscopicity of size-segregated ambient submicron particles in urban Hangzhou was studied from 28th December 2009 to 18th January 2010, using a hygroscopicity-tandem differential mobility analyzer (H-TDMA). The submicron particles in Hangzhou showed a minor hygroscopic growth at 73% relative humidity (RH), and then grew significantly between 77% and 82% RH. Monomodal distribution accounted for 90% for 30 nm particles, 17% for 50 nm particles, and less than 7% for particles larger than 50 nm at 82% RH. Deconvolution of the bimodal distribution indicated a less hygroscopic group and a more hygroscopic group, with the fraction of the more hygroscopic group increasing with the initial dry particle size and then remaining almost constant for accumulation mode particles. Our results imply that submicron particles in urban Hangzhou were almost entirely externally mixed, and the hygroscopic properties of ambient particles in urban Hangzhou were mainly a function of their size and chemical composition.     

Chelating resin immobilized sawdust packed chromatographic column: Application to separation and preconcentration of lead ion

Naturally abundant rubber sawdust has been utilized as a stationary support, which after immobilization with a chelating polyelectrolyte (xylenol orange as counterion) gets converted into a suitable column packing material for isolation and enrichment of trace level target analyte, accurately detectable by the technique of differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. The sorbent is robust and re-usable in column-chromatography without showing any leaching and interference complications. Its unique lead ion selectivity from multielemental complex matrices (synthetic water sample, blood serum) at optimized column conditions (pH 2.5 and flow rate 0.5?mL?min^?1) mitigates the usual problems of intermetallic and readsorption effects. Effects of flow rate, pH, equilibration time, and other variables are reported. The system has advantageous feature to be used in a single-column ion chromatography with satisfactory performance. A modest attempt has been made to determine lead fractions in human blood serum samples on the bases of selective retention of ionic and labile fractions on complexing resin.     

Levels of selected essential and toxic elements in the foodstuffs of Islamabad as analyzed by DPASV

Typical dietary components such as vegetables, wheat flour, milk, chicken and drinking water samples have been analyzed for the quantification of essential trace elements like Zn and Cu and potentially toxic trace elements like Pb and Cd. The sensitivity, selectivity and cost effectiveness of Differential Pulse Anodic Stripping Voltammetric method at Hanging Mercury Drop Electrode has been evaluated and used for the analysis. A database covering the adequacy and safety of trace elements through common food articles was first contrived for the Islamabad region. This was followed by assessment of the mobility rate of the heavy metals in the soil, plant system for evaluation of the environmental impact. The method used was also validated using appropriate certified reference materials.     

数字PID整定在环境试验设备控制过程中的应用研究

针对环境试验设备在高精度控制过程中难以达到要求，需与人工控制相结合才能精确调试的问题，提出了数字PID整定在环境试验设备控制的应用。通过比例、积分、微分三部分综合控制，以精确调试环境试验设备。     

硝酸及氯离子对高温硝酸铵水溶液热危险性的影响研究

国内外学者对硝酸铵的危险性进行了大量的研究,而对其水溶液的危险性至今开展不多。笔者采用差示扫描量热仪(DSC)及全自动反应量热仪(RC1e)对高温状态下的硝酸铵水溶液的热分解危险性、杂质离子对其稳定性的影响进行了研究。纯硝酸铵和90%硝酸铵水溶液的DSC实验表明,90%硝酸铵溶液和分析纯硝酸铵具有相似的热爆炸危险;90%硝酸铵水溶液在140~180℃之间的RC1e试验表明:硝酸或氯离子单独存在时,对硝酸铵分解都有不同程度的抑制作用,而同时存在时则大大降低体系的热稳定性。该结果对保障硝酸铵在生产、使用过程中的安全具有重要的参考价值。     

太湖、巢湖水体CDOM吸收特性和组成的异同

2009年4、6月,分别对太湖、巢湖进行了野外试验.利用光谱微分技术分析了2个湖泊CDOM吸收光谱的变化特征,根据吸收系数的光谱微分特征,对240～450nm的吸收系数进行分段,分别对每一段计算光谱斜率S值.在A段,巢湖、太湖CDOM的S值分别在:0.0166～0.0102nm-1[平均值(0.0132±0.0017)nm-1]和0.029～0.017nm-1[平均值(0.0214±0.0024)nm-1]之间,在B段,其S值分别在:0.0187～0.0148nm-1[平均值(0.0169±0.001)nm-1]和0.0179～0.0055nm-1[平均值(0.0148±0.002)nm-1]之间,在C段,其S值分别在:0.0208～0.0164nm-1[平均值(0.0186±0.0009)nm-1]和0.0253～0.0161nm-1[平均值(0.0197±0.002)nm-1]之间.结果表明:①太湖水体的吸收系数及对各组分吸收的贡献要小于巢湖水体的,标准化吸收系数要大于巢湖水体的.②不管是太湖还是巢湖,CDOM的吸收系数的微分光谱在260nm左右为谷值,在290nm左右为峰值,CDOM吸收系数可以分成(A、B、C)3段.③太湖水体中CDOM腐殖酸的相对含量整体要低于巢湖水体的.④S值反映CDOM组成的敏感性,与CDOM的组成有关,当CDOM中腐殖酸相对含量较高时,敏感性最强的是B段的S值,其次是C段的;反之,敏感性最高的是C段的,其次是A段的,最弱的是B段的.