Tertiary metallogenesis in the Eastern Alps: the Waldenstein hematite deposit (Austria)

The specularite deposit at Waldenstein is an epigenetic replacement/vein-type hematite mineralization with distinct alteration zones. It is situated in highly metamorphosed schists and, gneisses of the Koralm Crystalline Complex. Sericitization and chloritization are strictly bound to this alteration and occur within a few meters of the hematite veins. Radiometric dating of the sericitization and the implicity of the mineralization yield a Middle Eocene age. Petrographic evidence proves an early, relatively reduced paragenesis (magnetite, ilmenite) being partly replaced by hematite and chlorite during the main phase of ore formation. Fluid inclusion and stable isotope investigations indicate that formation temperatures were approximately 300°C during the main stage and decreased to 200°C in the latest stage of the hydrothermal event. The H-isotope compositions of chlorites and of fluid inclusions in quartz indicate the influence of seawater. This also explains the high salinities determined by fluid inclusion studies (20–30% NaCl equiv.). According to the genetic model presented in this paper the hydrothermal activity started when the deformation accompanying the uplift of the Koralm Crystalline Complex passed from a ductile to brittle regime (Middle Eocene). The brittle faults acted as channelways for rising, deep fluids, probably of metamorphic origin. Temperature differences between the different uplifting crustal segments supported fluid circulation. Precipitation of the ore occurred at shallow crustal levels where the hydraulic regime was dominated by seawater, and oxidation of the original reducing fluids took place.     

Eight years of annual no-till cropping in Washington's winter wheat-summer fallow region

The tillage-based winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-summer fallow (WW-SF) cropping system has dominated dryland farming in the Pacific Northwest USA for 125 years. We conducted a large-scale multidisciplinary 8-year study of annual (i.e., no summer fallow) no-till cropping systems as an alternative to WW-SF. Soft white and hard white classes of winter and spring wheat, spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), yellow mustard (Brassica hirta Moench), and safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) were grown in various rotation combinations. Annual precipitation was less than the long-term average of 301 mm in 7 out of 8 years. Rhizoctonia bare patch disease caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani AG-8 appeared in year 3 and continued through year 8 in all no-till plots. All crops were susceptible to rhizoctonia, but bare patch area in wheat was reduced, and grain yield increased, when wheat was grown in rotation with barley every other year. Remnant downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.) weed seeds remained dormant for 6 years and longer to heavily infest recrop winter wheat. There were few quantifiable changes in soil quality due to crop rotation, but soil organic carbon (SOC) increased in the surface 0–5 cm depth with no-till during the 8 years to approach that found in undisturbed native soil. Annual no-till crop rotations experienced lower average profitability and greater income variability compared to WW-SF. Yellow mustard and safflower were not economically viable. Continuous annual cropping using no-till provides excellent protection against wind erosion and shows potential to increase soil quality, but the practice involves high economic risk compared to WW-SF. This paper provides the first comprehensive multidisciplinary report of long-term alternative annual no-till cropping systems research in the low-precipitation region of the Pacific Northwest.     

Marine oil spill contingency planning

According to the practice researching and formulating “The Oil Spill Contingency Plan of south Chinese Sea”,this paper analyses and discusses the structure,functions and main contents of marine oil spill contingency planning,programs the organizing and commanding system and emergency response system,and advances the planning and researching method to coordinate comprehensively and to design practically the detailed emergency response steps until to formulate the ease operating programs for the plan implementation(PPI) and the PPI to apply high-techniques supporting emergency administrations and response.     

Prenatal diagnosis of a de novo complex chromosomal rearrangement involving four chromosomes

A complex chromosome rearrangement, apparently a balanced translocation involving chromosomes 4,6, 15 and 16, was found in cultured cells of amniotic fluid from a 32–year-old primigravida who requested amniocentesis for prenatal diagnosis because of a family history of mental retardation. Chromosome analysis of peripheral blood from both parents were normal. The couple was counselled for the prenatal diagnosis of this de novo complex translocation and, subsequently, elected to terminate the pregnancy. Post-mortem examination revealed a 23–week fetus with intrauterine growth retardation. The identical chromosome rearrangement was subsequently confirmed in cultured fibroblasts from skin and cord obtained from the abortus. To our knowledge, this is the first report where routine prenatal diagnosis revealed a fetus with a balanced complex chromosomal rearrangement involving four chromosomes of de novo origin.     

2015年海南省火电行业大气环境影响研究

基于火电企业在线监测数据、环境统计数据、排污许可及火电排放清单等，分析各统计口径下的海南火电大气污染物排放量差异，并基于在线监测数据分析海南省火电排放时间变化规律.分别设置现状、排污许可及超低排放3种情景，采用CALPUFF模型分析3种情景下火电厂对海南大气环境的影响.结果显示，不同统计口径下火电厂各污染物排放量差异较大，最大差值可达到5.65倍；在时间维度上，海南省火电行业污染物排放量月际分布较平稳，每月污染物排放量约占全年的7%~10%，24h变化呈现明显“两峰两谷”特征.在大气环境影响方面，火电企业大气SO₂、NO_x、PM_2.5、PM₁₀浓度分布总体呈现西部高东部低的趋势.现状情景下火电企业对各城市年均浓度影响范围为SO₂ 0.001~0.015μg/m³、NO_x 0~0.01μg/m³、PM₁₀ 0.001~0.006μg/m³、PM_2.5 0~0.003μg/m³，最高浓度基本出现在东方市、临高县.火电厂对大气环境的影响程度为许可情景>现状情景>超低情景，执行排污许可时火电厂排放PM₁₀和NO_x对各城市均值年均浓度较现状情景分别增加50%和38%；全面实施超低排放后，火电厂对大气环境影响有明显改善，SO₂和PM_2.5对各城市均值年均浓度较现状情景分别降低57%和69%.     

Using structured systems analysis to design an integrated system for transport planning and environmental analysis

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Exogenous testosterone increases female aggression in the European starling (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sturnus vulgaris</Emphasis>)

In the European starling, Sturnus vulgaris, optimal mating systems differ between males and females. Males gain from polygyny, whereas monogamy increases female fitness. The cost of polygyny to females lead to intense female–female competition, and it has previously been shown that the intensity of female aggression during the pre-breeding period can predict the realised mating system. The physiological regulation of such female aggression in starlings is not yet known. This study examines the role of testosterone in mediating aggressive behaviours involved in intra-specific reproductive competition in female starlings. Testosterone levels were experimentally elevated with testosterone implants in females during the pre-laying period. To simulate a situation in which an additional female tried to mate with the focal female’s mate, a caged female was presented close to a nest-site to which the male could attract a secondary female. Testosterone was significantly related to several behaviours involved in female–female interactions. Females with testosterone implants spent significantly more time close to the caged female and produced more song bouts than control females. In contrast, male behaviour was unrelated to the experimental status of the mate. Females mated to males that attracted a secondary female were less aggressive towards the caged female than those that remained monogamously mated. The effect of exogenous testosterone in this study indicates that androgens may mediate social behaviours in female starlings during the breeding season.     

Assessing Suitability for Conservation Action: Prioritizing Interpond Linkages for the California Tiger Salamander

Abstract:  Conservation organizations and public agencies are interested in identifying and prioritizing areas for conservation action, often acquisition or easements. Typically, this requires the use of uncertain data and vaguely defined decision criteria. I developed a decision support system to address these uncertainty issues and assist in evaluating conservation opportunities for the endangered California tiger salamander ( Ambystoma californiense ) in Santa Barbara, California. Functionally defined planning units were used to aggregate data on land suitability, land cover change, salamander presence, and movement risk along potential linkages between breeding ponds. I used a fuzzy-logic-based inference engine to evaluate the planning units and rank the relative suitability of interpond linkages for conservation action. The sensitivity of the rankings was considered with respect to uncertainty in salamander occurrence data and the relationship between land-cover-change threats and site suitability. All linkages were substantially degraded, but five areas were consistently identified with high relative suitability for conservation action despite differences in assumptions and uncertainty in biological data. The combination of functionally defined planning units and a fuzzy-logic-based decision support system provides a general framework for considering the suitability of sites for conservation action.     

Aromatic photonitration in homogeneous and heterogeneous aqueous systems

This work describes the nitration of aromatics upon near-UV photolysis of nitrate and nitrite in aqueous solution and upon photocatalytic oxidation of nitrite in TiO2 suspensions. Phenol is used in this work as a model aromatic molecule and as a probe for *NO2/N2O4. The photoinduced nitration of phenol in aqueous systems occurs upon the reaction between phenol and *NO2 or N2O4, and is enhanced by the photocatalytic oxidation of nitrite to *NO2 by TiO2. Aromatic photonitration in the liquid phase can play a relevant role in the formation of nitroaromatics in natural waters and atmospheric hydrometeors, thus being a potential pathway for the condensed-phase nitration of aromatics. Furthermore, the photoinduced oxidation of nitrite to nitrogen dioxide suggests a completely new role for nitrite in natural waters and atmospheric aerosols.     

A Decision Framework for the Adaptive Management of an Exploited Species with Implications for Marine Reserves

Abstract:  Marine reserves have both conservation and fishery benefits. Nevertheless, there are no general criteria about when and where to establish new reserves, how to evaluate their efficacy, and how to conduct adaptive management to achieve conservation goals. We applied a decision-theory framework to optimally allocate conservation resources between improving data on population status and establishing a reserve for species conservation. Our goal was to maximize reserve benefits given the constraints of a population growth rate that would permit sustainability of resources. We illustrate our decision framework with a retrospective analysis of a 7-year time series on abundance of the leopard grouper ( Mycteroperca rosacea ) in the Sea of Cortés, Mexico. We used the lower bound of the distribution of the population growth rate ( λ ) as a decision rule for determining how many years of monitoring are needed to detect reserve effects. We determined the minimum time frame needed to estimate λ based on a stated level of risk tolerance for four sites. As expected, the coefficient of variation for the λ declined with the number of years of data. This increased precision with additional years of data resulted from the high degree of annual variability in the system. Where populations were slow to respond to reserves, more data were needed to detect a positive λ value. For the leopard grouper case study, confidence in the estimate of λ increased with the number of years of data. Our decision framework may be used to identify the minimum number of years of data needed before a management decision about reserve establishment could be made that is reasonably likely to meet its management objectives.