Reservoir‐host amplification of disease impact in an endangered amphibian

Emerging wildlife pathogens are an increasing threat to biodiversity. One of the most serious wildlife diseases is chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which has been documented in over 500 amphibian species. Amphibians vary greatly in their susceptibility to Bd; some species tolerate infection, whereas others experience rapid mortality. Reservoir hosts—species that carry infection while maintaining high abundance but are rarely killed by disease—can increase extinction risk in highly susceptible, sympatric species. However, whether reservoir hosts amplify Bd in declining amphibian species has not been examined. We investigated the role of reservoir hosts in the decline of the threatened northern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi) in an amphibian community in southeastern Australia. In the laboratory, we characterized the response of a potential reservoir host, the (nondeclining) common eastern froglet (Crinia signifera), to Bd infection. In the field, we conducted frog abundance surveys and Bd sampling for both P. pengilleyi and C. signifera. We built multinomial logistic regression models to test whether Crinia signifera and environmental factors were associated with P. pengilleyi decline. C. signifera was a reservoir host for Bd. In the laboratory, many individuals maintained intense infections (>1000 zoospore equivalents) over 12 weeks without mortality, and 79% of individuals sampled in the wild also carried infections. The presence of C. signifera at a site was strongly associated with increased Bd prevalence in sympatric P. pengilleyi. Consistent with disease amplification by a reservoir host, P. pengilleyi declined at sites with high C. signifera abundance. Our results suggest that when reservoir hosts are present, population declines of susceptible species may continue long after the initial emergence of Bd, highlighting an urgent need to assess extinction risk in remnant populations of other declined amphibian species.     

Plant blindness and the implications for plant conservation

Plant conservation initiatives lag behind and receive considerably less funding than animal conservation projects. We explored a potential reason for this bias: a tendency among humans to neither notice nor value plants in the environment. Experimental research and surveys have demonstrated higher preference for, superior recall of, and better visual detection of animals compared with plants. This bias has been attributed to perceptual factors such as lack of motion by plants and the tendency of plants to visually blend together but also to cultural factors such as a greater focus on animals in formal biological education. In contrast, ethnographic research reveals that many social groups have strong bonds with plants, including nonhierarchical kinship relationships. We argue that plant blindness is common, but not inevitable. If immersed in a plant‐affiliated culture, the individual will experience language and practices that enhance capacity to detect, recall, and value plants, something less likely to occur in zoocentric societies. Therefore, conservation programs can contribute to reducing this bias. We considered strategies that might reduce this bias and encourage plant conservation behavior. Psychological research demonstrates that people are more likely to support conservation of species that have human‐like characteristics and that support for conservation can be increased by encouraging people to practice empathy and anthropomorphism of nonhuman species. We argue that support for plant conservation may be garnered through strategies that promote identification and empathy with plants.     

基于各向异性粒子介电常数张量重构的散射特性研究

目的简化各向异性介质中的光电传播、目标散射识别等问题。方法基于电场强度矢量和电位移矢量的关系,提出将各向异性介质的介电常数张量重构为对角张量通用方法。结果给出了对角张量元素的表达式和对应单位特征矢量,并作了详细的数值计算。得到了单位特征矢量坐标系中电磁场与原坐标系中电磁场的变换关系以及磁导率张量的变换关系;所用方法具有通用性,所得结果具有实用性。结论在各向异性介质研究领域,可实现特征坐标系中的电磁场及介质参数与主坐标系的电磁场与介质参数的相互定量转换。     

ABC算法优化SVR的磨损故障预测模型

目的为了提高故障预测的精度,针对支持向量回归SVR(Support vector machine for regression,SVR)参数选择困难的问题,提出一种采用人工蜂群(artificial bee colony,ABC)算法优化支持向量回归(SVR)的故障预测模型(ABC-SVR)。方法该模型先对样本数据进行重构,然后将故障预测误差(适应度)作为优化目标,通过ABC算法寻优找到最优的SVR参数,建立故障预测模型。最后通过实例仿真验证模型的优越性。结果采用ABC算法优化的SVR故障预测模型进行时间序列预测,能够较好地跟踪发动机滑油金属元素浓度的变化过程,并且能够提前2个取样时间预测异常情况的出现。结论 ABC-SVR模型有效解决了SVR参数选择难题,能够更加准确地表现故障变化规律,提高了故障预测精度。     

应用地磁场的弹体飞行姿态测量方法研究

常规弹药的简易制导化是常规弹药改造的一个重要途径,是目前研究的热点之一,可以在低成本下大大提高常规弹药的精度,弹道修正弹是其中的一个重要发展方向,而弹体姿态实时测量是其中的一项关键技术。介绍了弹体姿态测量中基于地磁场的姿态测量方法,将其分为组合姿态测量和单矢量测量,并对测量方法做出了分析,阐述了应用地磁场的姿态测量的重要意义。     

新型机械澄清池设备的设计及在尾矿水处理中的应用

国内现有的机械加速澄清池因池体及设备结构的原因,存在刮泥耙直径小、驱动扭矩低,高负荷时排泥差等问题,不能满足用户对设备大池径（大于Ф29m）、大处理量、高效澄清、多用途的要求。介绍了新型澄清池设备的工艺、结构设计及特点。新型机械澄清池设备通过对池体结构的改进设计,及对刮泥机、提升搅拌机、排泥防堵搅拌机三者同心套装结构,扭矩可达百万牛顿米的带齿回转支承及多组电机同步驱动的刮泥耙驱动机构,池周边增设斜板及集水装置等方面的设计,实现了池径大于qb29in机械澄清池的设计制造,填补了国内该项目的空白,经矿山尾矿水处理实际应用证明效果理想。     

一种基于状态向量推理的SDG-HAZOP分析方法

HAZOP是分析系统可靠性的一种有效方法,在石油、化工工业中得到了广泛应用。但人工HAZOP分析存在费时、费力、成本高等缺点,而计算机辅助SDG-HAZOP分析的提出有效地改善了人工分析的弊端,然而传统的计算机辅助SDG-HAZOP是纯定性的分析与推理,分析的结果往往过于冗繁。本文介绍了一种改进的基于状态向量推理的计算机辅助SDG-HAZOP分析方法,该方法基于SDG定性模型,构造了一个计算机自动推理引擎,并引入了状态向量的概念,通过正向反向推理,快速高效地发掘出偏差产生的后果和原因。通过应用实践表明,与人工HAZOP分析法和现有SDG-HAZOP分析方法相比,该方法具有完备性好、评价结果系统性和条理性强等优点。     

灾变性事件引起的消费品产业链价格波及效应研究

为了研究地震等灾变性事件对于消费品产业链内价格传递和市场的影响,本文利用从2008年2月至2009年3月四川省江油市畜产业链进行实证研究,使用向量纠错模型（VECM）和历史分解图（HDG）分析了价格调整的动态效果和沿产业链的因果关系。结果表明,价格的调整关于速度和大小都是不对称的,外生震荡对于该产业链的不同层面产生不同影响,导致价格差益的扩大和价格不完全传递。该方法能够有效地分析灾变事件条件下消费品产业链内价格波及效应问题。     

外军装备维修及对我军弹药维修的启示

首先介绍了外军装备维修的现状和发展趋势,之后指出了我军弹药维修存在的问题,最后得出对我军弹药维修保障发展的启示。认为我军弹药维修保障应向军民一体化方向发展,开展全寿命保障,提高保障信息化水平,进行弹药两级维修体制的论证,并倡导绿色维修的新理念。     

湿地基质及阴极面积对人工湿地型微生物燃料电池去除偶氮染料同步产电的影响

本研究采用人工湿地型微生物燃料电池处理偶氮染料X-3B,实现降解偶氮染料同步产电的效果.为了构建性能最优的人工湿地型微生物燃料电池(CW-MFC)系统,本研究主要从湿地基质和阴极面积两个方面研究系统构型对去除X-3B同步产电的影响,提高系统性能.研究表明以粒径10 mm、孔隙率30%的小石子作为湿地基质构造的CW-MFC系统微生物生物量最大,去除X-3B效果最好,脱色率高达92.70%,但其产电性能最差.较小的粒径和孔隙率使底层微生物生物量增加,促进X-3B的去除,但随着湿地基质粒径和孔隙率的减小,导致阴阳极营养物质不足,系统传质阻力增加,抑制了系统产电性能.X-3B的去除效果随着阴极面积的增加而提高直到阴极面积为594 cm~2时取得最大脱色率99.41%.当阴极面积继续增加时,CW-MFC系统产电性能上升趋势趋于平缓,X-3B去除效果呈现下降趋势,这是因为阴极反应过快导致更多的阳极电子输送到阴极用于产生电流,与X-3B发生反应的电子减少,阳极成为提高CW-MFC系统性能的限制因素.