Experimental and natural changes in the peacock's (Pavo cristatus) train can affect mating success

Petrie et al. (1991) demonstrated a correlation between the degree of elaboration of peacocks' trains and their mating success, and also showed that this correlation occurred because females preferred to mate with the male that had the most elaborate train of those sampled on the lek. Although these data suggest that female choice is responsible for non-random mating in this species, they do not conclusively show that train morphology is the cue that females respond to, because they do not rule out the possible influence of another unidentified variable which is correlated with train elaboration. This paper presents an experimental test of the importance of the peacock's train in determining male mating success. If the number or arrangement of eye-spots in the peacock's train influences mating success, then changing the number of eye-spots should change mating success. This prediction was tested in an experiment where the trains of male peafowl (Pavo cristatus) were manipulated by removing a number of eye-spots between mating seasons. Peacocks with eye-spots removed showed a significant decline in mating success between seasons compared with a control group. This result, together with the observational data, supports the hypothesis that the peacock's train has evolved, at least in part, as a result of female choice.     

Development of a continuously stirred flow cell for investigating sorption mass transfer

This paper introduces a new reversible-flow design for a continuously stirred reactor used to study sorption mass transfer in soil and solvent systems. The stirred reactor has potential advantages over conventional packed column or batch reactors because it isolates intraparticle sorption rate limitations from advective-dispersive transport, yet allows changes to flux through the reactor for analysis of sorption kinetics under dynamic conditions. Previously, stirred reactors have often failed due to clogging of sediment on the effluent frit. The reverse-flow backwashing design allows longer life and higher confidence in maintaining mixed conditions than previous designs. Mass transfer 'rate coefficients estimated from stirred and column experiments are compared; both techniques produced results consistent with a published correlation. The data also show that fitted sorption mass transfer coefficients can be strongly dependent on the choice of equilibrium partition coefficient (i.e. batch or first-moment derived values), and that the conventional two-site sorption kinetics model fails to accurately predict sorption mass transfer in the presence of changing solvent velocity through the reactor.     

Residues and dissipation kinetic of abamectin,chlorfenapyr and pyridaben acaricides in green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) under field conditions using QuEChERS method and HPLC

Abstract

The current study estimated the dissipation rates of abamectin, chlorfenapyr and pyridaben acaricides in pods of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) under field conditions in Egypt. Pesticides were extracted and cleaned-up by QuEChERS method and were analyzed by HPLC. The dissipation of these acaricides followed the first order kinetics model with half-life (t_1/2) values 1.00, 3.50 and 1.50?days for abamectin, chlorfenapyr and pyridaben, respectively. The lowest residues, at different time intervals of field application rate of each pesticide, were observed with abamectin followed by pyridaben and then chlorfenapyr. Pre-harvest intervals (PHIs) were 10.00, 13.50 and 6.00?days for abamectin, chlorfenapyr and pyridaben, respectively and were below the established European maximum residue limits (EU MRLs) 10–14, 14–21 and 7–10?days after application, respectively. If the fresh pods will be consumed after harvest, it is expected that the presence of these pesticides in the food will have a negative impact on human health. Therefore, the elimination of the residues of these harmful pesticides must be carried out.     

Best practice recommendations for scale construction in organizational research: The development and initial validation of the Character Strength Inventory (CSI)

Proper scale development and validation provide the necessary foundation to facilitate future quantitative research in the organizational sciences. Using the framework provided by the Researcher's Notebook , the purpose of this study is twofold. First, we present a modern summary of best practice procedures for scale development, reliability analysis, and validity analysis. Second, we explain and illustrate these best practice procedures by describing each procedure in the context of developing and psychometrically analyzing a new Character Strength Inventory (CSI). Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

不同水分管理方式下水稻生长季N2O排放量估算：模型验证和输入参数检验

利用2005～2007年我国稻田N₂O排放通量的田间原位测定资料和国际上其它地区稻田N₂O报道结果,对作者建立的不同水分管理方式下水稻生长季N₂O排放估算模型进行了验证. 结果表明,持续淹水稻田N₂O排放的拟合结果与其他地区淹水稻田N₂O通量值相一致. 淹水-烤田-淹水的水分管理方式下,稻田N₂O排放的拟合值接近于国际上同类研究结果. 淹水-烤田-淹水-湿润灌溉的水分管理方式下,稻田N₂O排放的估算模型对田间原位测定资料有很好的适切性. 为了检验模型输入参数的可信度,将本研究建立的有关我国水稻生产的相关资料数据库与以往研究报道结果进行了比较,结果表明,两者具有高度的一致性. 数据库资料表明,在20世纪50～70年代间,持续淹水稻田占20%～25%,大约75%～80%的稻田采用淹水-烤田-淹水的水分管理方式. 在20世纪80～90年代间,采用持续淹水,淹水-烤田-淹水和淹水-烤田-淹水-湿润灌溉水分管理方式的稻田分别约占12%～16%、 77%和7%～12%. 20世纪50年代水稻生长季平均每季总施氮量为87.49 kg·hm^-2,而90年代平均为224.64 kg·hm^-2. 其中,化学氮肥的施用量从20世纪50年代的37.4 kg·hm^-2增加到了90年代的198.8 kg·hm^-2,分别占水稻生长季氮输入总量的43%和88%. 在20世纪50～70年代间有机氮的输入量相对比较稳定,平均变幅在45.2～48.2 kg·hm^-2之间,随后逐步降低,有机肥料氮占氮输入总量的比例从20世纪50年代的52%降低到了90年代的9%. 作物残体N输入量从20世纪50年代的4.9 kg·hm^-2增加到了80年代的6.3 kg·hm^-2. 20世纪50～70年代水稻生长季氮肥施用量具明显的空间变异性,而80～90年代间其空间变异较小. 模型验证和输入参数检验的结果表明,该模型能较好地模拟我国不同水分管理方式下的稻田N₂O直接排放量.     

Experimental study on detonation flame penetrating through flame arrester

In-line detonation flame arresters are important safety apparatus to prevent group tank fires caused by the spreading of fire through vapor connection lines. In this study, a DN50 experimental apparatus aimed at the detonation flame penetration characteristics and failure mechanisms in a flame arrester was set up, and a series of experiments were carried out with 6.6% C2H4 and air mixture. Pressure, and velocity of flame penetrating through flame arrester housing and filters were analyzed. Experimental results showed that the attenuation of pressure and velocity was proportional to the thickness of the filters. Two failure modes of the fire-extinguishing process in the flame arrester were captured directly with a high-speed camera. In Mode I, the detonation flame could go straight through the flame arrester filters when the filters were too thin. In Mode II, when the filters were not sufficiently thick, the remained shock wave pressure of detonation flame was still several times of the initial pressure and could rise sharply at the downstream contraction section, resulting in that the flammable gas at the downstream transition section could be compressed and reignited even the flame had been extinguished by filters. These conclusions are helpful to reveal the nature of failure modes of fire-extinguishing process and design flame arresters with high fire-resisting performance by structure improved.     

Validation of the operational emergency response model at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute using data from etex and the chernobyl accident

The Eulerian atmospheric tracer transport model MATCH (Multiscale Atmospheric Transport and Chemistry model) has been extended with a Lagrangian particle model treating the initial dispersion of pollutants from point sources. The model has been implemented at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute in an emergency response system for nuclear accidents and can be activated on short notice to provide forecast concentration and deposition fields.The model has been used to simulate the transport of the inert tracer released during the ETEX experiment and the transport and deposition of ¹³⁷Cs from the Chernobyl accident. Visual inspection of the results as well as statistical analysis shows that the extent, time of arrival and duration of the tracer cloud, is in good agreement with the observations for both cases, with a tendency towards over-prediction for the first ETEX release. For the Chernobyl case the simulated deposition pattern over Scandinavia and over Europe as a whole agrees with observations when observed precipitation is used in the simulation. When model calculated precipitation is used, the quality of the simulation is reduced significantly and the model fails to predict major features of the observed deposition field.     

电气线路火险隐患与运行设备故障隐患在线热诊断系统

研究根据电气线路和设备表面温度场的变化,通过建立数学模型和数据库,对电气线路和设备的故障隐患者在线诊断。集红外热象测试技术,传热学,电工学和计算机技术为一体,具有非接触,在线诊断,准确给出故障位置等特点,能精确发现温度场异常点,确定隐患等级,推测隐患的发展程度。     

Phast validation of discharge and atmospheric dispersion for pressurised carbon dioxide releases

The consequence modelling package Phast examines the progress of a potential incident from the initial release to the far-field dispersion including the modelling of rainout and subsequent vaporisation. The original Phast discharge and dispersion models allow the released substance to occur only in the vapour and liquid phases. The latest versions of Phast include extended models which also allow for the occurrence of fluid to solid transition for carbon dioxide (CO₂) releases.As part of two projects funded by BP and Shell (made publicly available via CO2PIPETRANS JIP), experimental work on CO₂ releases was carried out at the Spadeadam site (UK) by GL Noble Denton. These experiments included both high-pressure steady-state and time-varying cold releases (liquid storage) and high-pressure time-varying supercritical hot releases (vapour storage). The CO₂ was stored in a vessel with attached pipework. At the end of the pipework a nozzle was attached, where the nozzle diameter was varied.This paper discusses the validation of Phast against the above experiments. The flow rate was predicted accurately by the Phast discharge models (within 10%; considered within the accuracy at which the BP experimental data were measured), and the concentrations were found to be predicted accurately (well within a factor of two) by the Phast dispersion model (UDM). This validation was carried out with no fitting whatsoever of the Phast extended discharge and dispersion models.     

Validation of discharge and atmospheric dispersion for unpressurised and pressurised carbon dioxide releases

This paper discusses the validation of discharge and subsequent atmospheric dispersion for both unpressurised and pressurised carbon dioxide releases using the consequence modelling package Phast.The paper first summarises the validation of the Phast dispersion model (UDM) for unpressurised releases. This includes heavy gas dispersion from either a ground-level line source (McQuaid wind-tunnel experiments) or an area source (Kit-Fox field experiments). For the McQuaid experiments minor modifications of the UDM were made to support line sources. For the Kit Fox experiments steady-state and 20-s finite-duration releases were simulated for both neutral and stable conditions. Most accurate predictions of the concentrations for finite duration releases were obtained using the UDM Finite Duration Correction method.Using experiments funded by BP and Shell and made available via DNV's CO2PIPETRANS JIP, the paper secondly summarises the validation of the Phast discharge and dispersion models for pressurised CO₂ releases. This modelling accounted for the possible presence of the solid CO₂ phase following expansion to atmospheric pressure. These experiments included both high-pressure steady-state and time-varying cold releases (liquid storage) and high-pressure time-varying supercritical hot releases. Both the flow rate and the concentrations were found to be predicted accurately.The above validation was carried out with no fitting whatsoever of the Phast extended discharge and dispersion models.