Kin recognition in rainbowfish (Melanotaenia eachamensis): sex, sibs and shoaling

Living with relatives can be beneficial to individuals via the evolution of kin-directed altruism, but this is tempered by the increased risk of inbreeding. Therefore, in social species, the ability to recognise relatives can be highly advantageous. This study focuses on kin discrimination in the Lake Eacham rainbowfish, Melanotaenia eachamensis, an endangered freshwater species from north-east Queensland, Australia. First, I examined kin recognition abilities when a combination of both chemical and visual recognition cues was available. When given a choice of shoaling with same-sex groups, females spent significantly longer with full-sibs rather than half-sibs, full-sibs rather than non-relatives and half-sibs rather than non-relatives. Males spent significantly longer shoaling with full-brothers versus half-brothers, but showed no other shoalmate preferences. Second, in the presence of only chemical cues, females did not discriminate among groups of different levels of relatedness, but males showed a non-significant tendency to associate with full-sibs rather than non-relatives. Male shoaling behaviour seemed to be more influenced by factors other than relatedness, e.g. intra-sexual competition. Finally, I found that the shoaling preferences of females changed when exposed to groups of males. Females preferred to associate with non-relatives rather than half-brothers and non-relatives rather than full-brothers. There was no significant difference in the time spent with half-brothers versus full-brothers. Taken together, my results suggest that females have very good kin recognition abilities. They prefer to shoal with female relatives but avoid male relatives, and so are able to balance the benefits of nepotism and the costs of incest. Received: 2 May 2000 / Revised: 26 July 2000 / Accepted: 30 July 2000     

MNLR and ANN structural group contribution methods for predicting the flash point temperature of pure compounds in the transportation fuels range

A QSPR method is presented for predicting the flash point temperature (FPT) of pure compounds in the transportation fuels range. A structural group contribution method is used to determine the flash point temperature using two techniques: multivariable nonlinear regression and artificial neural networks. The method was used to probe the structural groups that have significant contribution to the overall FPT of pure compounds and arrive at the set of 37 atom-type structural groups that can best represent the flash point for about 375 substances. The input parameters to the model are the number of occurrence of each of the 37 structural groups in each molecule. The neural network method was the better of the two techniques and can predict the flash point of pure compounds merely from the knowledge of the molecular structure with an overall correlation coefficient of 0.996 and overall average and maximum errors of 1.12% and 6.62%, respectively. The results are compared to the more traditional approach of the SGC method along with other methods in the literature.     

滇中城市群发展的SWOT矩阵分析

新时期的经济竞争,转向了以中心城市为核心的城市群综合实力的竞争.在运用SWOT分析法定性分析的基础上,引用QSPM矩阵,对影响滇中城市群一体化进程的内外条件做量化评价.结果表明,滇中城市群尚处于城市群发育的初期阶段.在其影响因素中,优势与劣势都很明显,机遇胜过威胁.从总体作用效能来看,滇中城市群发育的内部动力需要得到进一步强化,外部动力是难得的发展机遇,正在或将会成为滇中城市群成长的助推剂.     

烟花燃放对珠三角地区春节期间空气质量的影响

为研究烟花爆竹燃放对珠三角区域城市空气质量的影响,对2015年春节期间珠三角地区环境空气质量自动监测站的数据进行了分析.结果表明,春节期间珠三角地区PM_(10)、PM_(2.5)、SO_2和CO_污染最严重的城市均为肇庆市,臭氧污染最严重的为惠州,广州市NO_2污染最严重;与去年同期相比,各地SO_2、NO_2、CO_、PM10和PM_(2.5)的浓度普遍有大幅的降低,但春节期间臭氧浓度有所增加;春节期间烟花燃放行为主要集中在郊区,市区内燃放现象较少;烟花燃放对SO_2、PM10和PM_(2.5)浓度的短期影响极大,造成除夕夜间污染物浓度迅速升高,甚至成倍增加,对CO_、O_3和NO_2没有明显的影响;烟花燃放造成PM_(2.5)/PM_(10)比例迅速下降,在颗粒物浓度达到峰值后,PM_(2.5)/PM_(10)的比例也到达最小值;烟花燃放对各地PM_(2.5)的小时浓度最大贡献值在16~65μg·m~(-3)之间,对各地PM_(10)的小时浓度最大贡献值在28~138μg·m~(-3)之间,对各地SO_2的小时浓度最大贡献值在9~43μg·m~(-3)之间.     

柳林泉域岩溶地下水区域演化规律及控制因素

柳林泉是山西省著名的十大岩溶大泉之一,丰富的岩溶地下水资源对吕梁地区经济社会发展具有支撑作用,开展岩溶地下水化学演化规律及控制因素研究对于流域水资源可持续利用意义重大.本研究对补给区、径流区、排泄区、深埋区的29个岩溶地下水主要离子组分进行测试分析.结果表明,水温、Na~+、Ca~(2+)、Mg~(2+)、Cl~-、HCO_3~-、SO_4~(2-)质量浓度从补给区、到径流区、到排泄区、再到深埋区,随着径流途径增加不断升高. K~+、Na~+、Cl~-主要来源于盐岩的溶解;而Ca~(2+)、Mg~(2+)、HCO_3~-、SO_4~(2-)主要来源于方解石、白云石和石膏的溶解.受控于盐岩、石膏的不断溶解,Na~+、C~l-和SO_4~(2-)质量浓度增加幅度大,最大值分别为最小值的50、80和32倍;受去白云化作用的影响,Ca~(2+)、HCO3-质量浓度变化不大,最大值仅为最小值的2～3倍.在补给区、径流区,Na~+、Cl~-质量浓度较低,Ca~(2+)和Mg~(2+)、HCO_3~-为主要阴阳子,但在排泄区和深埋区,Cl~-、Na~+明显超过了HCO_3~-、Ca~(2+)和Mg~(2+),成为最主要的阴阳离子;水化学类型由HCO_3-Ca·Mg型转化为HCO_3·SO_4-Ca·Mg型和HCO_3·SO_4-Ca·Na·Mg型,最终演变为Cl·HCO_3-Na·Ca、Cl·HCO_3-Na型和Cl-Na·Ca型.     

嘉兴市春节期间烟花爆竹燃放对大气污染物分布特征的影响

为研究春节期间烟花爆竹的燃放对嘉兴市空气质量的影响,利用2015年春节期间嘉兴市3个监测站点的常规污染物(PM10、PM2.5、SO_2、NO_2、CO)和南湖区残联站的有机碳(OC)和元素碳(EC)数据,分析了烟花爆竹对嘉兴市不同功能区和不同空气质量条件下大气污染物的污染特征的影响.结果表明:春节烟花爆竹燃放显著影响PM10和PM2.5的浓度,残联站、清河小学和北部站在23日00∶00达最高值,PM10浓度分别为190、263和147μg·m~(-3),是非春节期间的2.2、2.8和2.1倍,PM2.5浓度分别高达156、158和78μg·m~(-3),是非春节期间的2.6、2.2和2.2倍.烟花爆竹燃放对污染气体的影响存在差异,对CO和SO_2的浓度影响较大,对NO_2和O_3的浓度影响较小.烟花爆竹燃放对嘉兴市老城区大气污染物的影响最大,其次是新城区,对工业区影响最小.污染源减排对大气污染物的影响比较大,2013—2015年嘉兴市春节期间大气污染物浓度(PM10、PM2.5、SO_2、NO_2、CO)整体要低于非春节期间,平均降幅在6.8%~46.1%之间.二次生成物O_3在春节期间的浓度均要高于非春节期间,增幅为20.1%~22.1%.不同空气质量条件下烟花爆竹的燃放对大气污染物的影响不同.     

The influence of supervisor leadership practices and perceived group safety climate on employee safety performance

The current study investigates the influence of the leadership practices of first-line supervisors on the safety compliance and safety participation of the employees who work for them. Contingent reward and transformational leadership are examined under conditions of positive and non-positive group safety climate in both the manufacturing and constructions sectors. Using moderated regression models (Aguinis, 2004) results indicate that greater levels of transformational and contingent reward leadership are both associated with greater levels of safety compliance and safety participation behavior, however group safety climate moderates the leadership-safety compliance relationships. Under positive group safety climate conditions employee safety compliance behavior improves as supervisor’s leadership practices increase; under non-positive group safety compliance conditions there is no improvement in safety compliance with improvements in supervisor’s leadership practices. The results provide further support to the growing literature on the value of strong group safety climates for improving safety compliance behavior, as well as the value in improving the leadership practices of first-line supervisors.     

Prenatal diagnosis of Hb H disease due to compound heterozygosity for South-East Asian deletion and Hb constant spring by polymerase chain reaction

A pregnant woman has two children affected by moderately severe Hb H disease due to compound heterozygosity of South-east Asian deletion and Constant Spring mutation. In her third pregnancy, transabdominal chorionic villus sampling was performed at the tenth gestational week to obtain fetal DNA. The polymerase chain reaction was used for detection of both the South-east Asian deletion and the Constant Spring mutation. Hb H disease was diagnosed in the fetus. After genetic counselling, the couple elected to have the pregnancy terminated.     

近40年长江中下游春季低温气候特征及影响研究

本文研究了近40a来我国长江中下游地区春季低温的气侯特征,同时给出了研究低温的定量指标,并就低温对早稻产量的影响进行了初步探讨。     

The mating system of Hanuman langurs: a problem in optimal foraging

Using data from 23 populations of Indian langurs (Presbytis entellus), we show that the proportion of one-male groups is a function of the males’ ability to defend groups of females, as predicted by the monopolisation model of Emlen and Oring (1977). However, we show that in addition to the number of females in the group and their reproductive synchrony, home range size is also a factor, probably because it affects a male’s willingness to search for other groups. These variables in turn are shown to be functions of environmental parameters (rainfall volume and seasonality, and mean ambient temperature) which probably act via the density of resources and refuges in habitats. Received: 3 March 1994 / Accepted after revision: 24 June 1996